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Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter

The Great Escape

(Ian Hunter/Andy York)

On the night of  my 21st birthday I was playing in a pub back room
When a local dude informed me of my impending doom
Apparently I'd sullied the reputation of the best left hook in the business
Now he's looking for my blood

Well there's a thug in every doorway and it's coming up to closing time
The best left hook in the business put his chair right next to mine
My heart was pulsing like a funny car just before the start of a race
This ain't no time to panic boy you better get your head on straight

I left my guitar on top of the bar, my jacket and coat on the seat
I'm over the counter, I'm up the back stairs
They all thought I was taking a leak
I fly though the air with the greatest of ease
Out of the window and into the breeze
I land on my feet and I'm picking up speed
And all I could think of was "You'll never catch me"

Chorus
When you got to get away
You got to get away
When you got to get away, it's true
When you got to get away
you got to get away
Especially if the other guy is bigger than you

Well there ain't no rhyme, there ain't no reason, just people going over the top
The winners are losers, the losers are covered in blood and they can't get it off
I fly though the air with the greatest of ease
Out of the window, over the trees
I land on my feet I'm picking up speed
And all I could think of was "You'll never catch me"

Chorus

That was my great escape
That was my big adventure
That was my brush with danger
That was my Alamo, baby
I heard alarm bells ringing
I heard the fat lady singing
I seen the club when he came out swingin'
I seen his eyes when I gave him the finger
Those days are over, it's been good to know ya
You're just a stone age daydream

Arms And Legs

(Ian Hunter)

Up in the morning, unsteady on my feet
I can't seem to focus, didn't get much sleep last night
I look in the mirror, what do I see?
There's a ghostly shadow of a man staring back at me

I'm the one that walked away from love
Couldn't take that chance, I don't know what I was thinking of
If you want to know what love is
If you want to know what love is

These are my arms, these are my legs
These are the thoughts running 'round in my head
I wanna be where you are, I wanna do what you do
'Couse nothing really matters but you

You are my illness, you are my disease
You're up there on that pedastal and I'm down here on my knees
You are my obsession every waking hour
All I do is think of you, wondering where you are

I'm the one watching from a distance, can't believe you're smiling without me
If you want to know what love is
If you want to know what love is

These are my arms, these are my legs
These are the words running round in my head
I wanna be where you are, I wanna do what you do
'cos nothing really matters but you

I still got your picture hanging in my soul
Every time I look at it tears start to roll
I still got your laughter buried in my brain
Every time I hear it I start tearing up again

I'm the guy you never seemed to notice
A passer-by, our eyes never meet
But if you want to know what love is
If you want to know what love is

These are my arms, these are my legs
These are the words running round in my head
I wanna be where you are, I wanna do what you do
'cos nothing really matters but you

Up And Running

(Ian Hunter)

Down in the basement wondering where the money went
I got no insurance, I can't afford to pay the rent
Outside creditors banging on the front door
It's easy when you're rich, poor ain't gotta future

I'm sick and tired of being pushed around
I ain't gonna take this lying down

I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running

(Let's rock, c'mon)

World sitting on a fence, greed and ignorance
Nothing making any sense, they tamper with the evidence
Living on the outside, never looking in
All beef and body work, no imagination

I'm sorry if the wine ain't to your taste
Maybe there's just a hint of sour grapes

I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running

(C'mon, rock)

I still got a screw loose, agony when not in use
I think I need another boost
O' Mott The Hoople juice, I still got the legs

Tyrants despots techies hit the jackpot
100 dollar robots taking all the jobs we got
People making money out of other people's misery
If I'm going down, I'm going to take you with me

You only know what you're supposed to know
And things are smelling bad on rotten row

I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running
I'm up and running

(C'mon)

I'm up and running

Man Overboard

(Ian Hunter)

I shiver and shake, every morning I wake to the roar of the trains overhead
I got a newspaper floor and a towel for a door and there's things crawlin' round my bed
The facilities are free at The Ship hostelry before the football supporters appear
And I'm losing my mind in the great left behind
I got to get myself out of here

Man overboard, waves washing over me
Hard times, it's a perilous sea
I'll never learn
Anyone can tell ya where you can find me
Drunk and disorderly

There is rain on the ground and I can see upside down
Streetlamps and repossessed homes
They say crime doesn't pay, well take a walk down my way
And I'm stuck here with nowhere to go
Out on the streets with all the other deadbeats
Wasting away with the years
Their ship's going down on the wrong side of town
And I gotta get my ass out of here

Man overboard, waves washing over me
Sometimes it's a treacherous sea
The walls spinning around the anger that's hidden deep inside of me
Drunk and disorderly

Reality this, reality that
I been there once and I ain't going back
They squeezed me 'till I fell apart at the seams
Now I'd rather dream drunk and disorderly dreams

They got lasers that zap, they got cures for the clap
You can see your insides on TV
They got all kinds of pills for all kinds of ills
But they ain't found a cure yet for me
Out on the street where the cigarettes meet
Abandon hope all who live here
There ain't no medicine for the state that I'm in
And I gotta get myself out of here

Man overboard, waves washing over me
Sometimes it's a perilous sea
I'll never learn the 12 steps to heaven
They never work for me
Drunk and disorderly

Man overboard, straight in the deep end baby
Sometimes it s atreacherous sea
If I'm going down well it can't hurt any more than what you did to me
Drunk and disorderly

Babylon Blues

(Ian Hunter)

Take a look at yourself babe, take a look at yourself
Take a look at yourself babe
You ain't exactly a picture of health
In your finest hour at the height of your power
Everything's gone sour
Your ivory tower morphed into a cell

Confidence shattered, mad as a hatter, 
What's the matter, what's the matter, what's the matter, what's the matter with you?
Don't try pulling me down to your level
Ain't nothing worst than a phony-assed rebel
You do what you want to but leave me out o' this
You're tangled up in the Babylon blues

You a yellowin' book, got an amethyst skin, you been taken in by the parasites
Feeding off your adrenalin
You gotta fight without, you gotta fight within, you gotta flat-out swim
That ominous current that's sweeping you in

Meals on wheels? Sympathy? 
What d'ya want, What d'ya want, What d'ya want, What d'ya want from me?
There's a big black cloud hangin' over your head
Looks like silver but it's heavy as lead
You do what you want to but leave me out o' this
You're tangled up in the Babylon blues

Say you gonna quit, that's the end of it, but the pieces don't fit, what am I stupid?
I don't buy it, I don't buy it
Just another blind beggar on the road to fame
With a messed up body and a messed up brain, I don't buy it
I don't buy it
I don't buy it
I don't buy it
I don't buy it

It's a cynical world, babe, it's a bad old world, it's a sinister world babe
You get what you want an' you're still miserable
At the terminal gate, at the terminal gate, at the terminal gate
You better back off before it's too late
An' I remember when you opened your mouth an'
Everybody freeaked at what came out
When I'm gone, remember that
You can't take the alley outta none o' those cats

You do what you want to but leave me out o' this
You're tangled up in the Babylon blues

The Girl From The Office

(Ian Hunter)

Everybody says that the girl from the office is the best-looking girl they've ever seen
And everybody smiles at the girl from the office when she walks across the factory floor

And everybody says that the girl from the office is a little stand-offish when they talk to her
And everybody thinks that the girl from the office isn't keen on hanging out with the boys from work

Oh what a hero I would be if the girl from the office went out with me

What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
Everybody says
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like in bed?

No one seems to know where the girl from the office goes in her spare time, well I found out
She visits the Sabrina Dancing Academy, I just got my membership card filled out

Oh what a hero I would be if the girl from the office went out with me

What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
Everybody says
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like in bed?

Everybody knows - their lives are going nowhere
Everybody dreams - 'n she's a breath of fresh air
Everybody's eyes - are gazing at the software
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Everybody says that the girl from the office is the best-looking girl they've ever seen
And everybody smiles at the girl from the office when she fetches me a coffee from the staff canteen
Now I'm the hero of the factory
Mr Popularity
But I feel bad 'cos she's so sweet and I'm sick of everybody asking me

What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
Everybody says
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like in bed?

What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
Everybody says
What's she like... What's she like... 
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like... What's she like...
What's she like in bed?

Everyone's in love with the girl from the office

Flowers

(Ian Hunter)

Danger lurks in every alleyway, top 2 percent out of touch
No one learns from the lessons of history
Sometimes flowers ain't enough

They fill your heart with ancient mystery
No one knows who to trust
It's too late when you discover that sometimes flowers ain't enough

Chorus:
Give it up, give it up
Give it up, give it up
Give it up, give it up
Why don't you give it up
Sometimes flowers ain't enough

Hunger, anger, propoganda, ain't it time we all grew up?
We all got dreams but nobody's listening
Sometimes flowers ain't enough

Chorus

Death, starvation, exploitation, helpless, homeless, furious
Mass confusion, disillusion,
Sometimes flowers ain't enough
I can't see God, the trees are in the way
I can't see hope, can't find love
Every man killed is an insult to any faith
Sometimes flowers ain't enough

Chorus

Give it up, give it up
Give it up, give it up
We all sing "Thanks for the memories"
Sometimes flowers ain't enough

These Feelings

(Ian Hunter)

I wake up every morning to your pretty face smile
You ain't really changed much although it's been a while
From humble beginnings to the house on the hill
I've always loved you and you know I always will

And I still got these feelings, these feelings, these feelings
Still got these feelings, what can I do?
I just want you to know I can't let 'em go
Cos I still got these feelings, these feelings for you

I remember the moment that you first caught my eye
A voice in my head said "I've got to have you in my life"
There were times that were lean, there were times it was bad
We turned 'em in to the best times we ever had

And I still got these feelings, these feelings, these feelings
Still got these feelings, what can I do?
I just want you to know, they grow and they grow
I still got these feelings, these feelings for you

Once in a while we walk back down that road
The spirit's still willing and the music always flows
You saved my life, you are my best friend
I just want you to know I'll be with you 'till the end

'Cos I still got these feelings, these feelings, these feelings
Still got these feelings, what can I do?
I just want you to know, lo and behold
I still got these feelings, these feelings for you
Yeah, I still got these feelings, these feelings for you

Win It All

(Ian Hunter)

In the morning when you get up, free your mind of blame
It's destructive, it can hurt you, and you gotta start again
When all hope has gone and your back's to the wall
You can win this, you can win this, you can win it all

When you feel the pressure mounting, look for things that make you smile
Sometimes questions have no answers, sometimes answers take a while
Into each and every life a little rain is gonna fall
You can win it, you can win it, you can win it all

For we can't see the future and we can't see the end
But you can beat this, you'll defeat this, you can win this and then

You'll be older, you'll be wiser, you'll be easier in your mind
When the morning comes to get you, you can leave the past behind
Some things just happen, it ain't nobody's fault
You can win this, you can win this, you can win it all

Way With Words

(Ian Hunter)

You don't have to raise your voice every time you talk
I don't hear you screaming down the phone
You ain't no drama queen, you don't make a scene
You don't need no fire or brimstone

You don't have to lose it just to make your presence felt
I've often wondered what it must be like
Without my disposition, if I could only listen
To your sweet words whenever lightning strikes

You got a way with words, you soothe away the anger
You got a way with words when you comfort me
You don't have to shout, it always works out
You got a way with words, calm on a restless sea

Patience is a virtue, vengeance is a vice
I never seem to reconcile the two
I got this restless soul and it's dragging you over the coals
You know I'd be lost if it wasn't for you

You got a way with words, you soothe away the anger
You got a way with words when you comfort me
You don't have to shout, it always works out
You got a way with words, calm on a restless sea

I can get myself hung with one little slip of the tongue
I can put my foot right in my mouth
I don't know how you do it, I kinow I always blew it
Every time I'd sit with you and try to work things out

You don't force your opinions down other people's throats
That ain't in your personality
You only got to whisper and everyone gets the picture
I think it's fair to say, we all agree

You got a way with words, you rock me just like a lullaby
You got a way with words, it's extraordinary
'Cos you never shout, you just let them slip out
You got a way with words, calm on a restless sea

The River of Tears

(Ian Hunter)

Waiting on an elevator - in a hotel out in California
The smog clouds up the windows - but there is a plaque up on the wall
That tells of the Agoras - people who were here long before us
Before the covered wagons - before they lost it all

They were hunters, they were fisherman and they often fought each other
But one small tribe was different, their leader was a peaceful man
They were weavers, they were painters, trading pelts for pretty colours
Protected by the warriors for the beauty in their hands
Roll back the years, roll back the years, to the river of tears

The chief he had a daughter, she was young and she was beautiful
He said "Go into the forest, get some berries for the dye
But make you way back quickly, for the old bear's getting hungry
I don't want you out there, when the sun falls from the sky"

Her basket filled with berries, she headed back toward the village
When a mighty roar erupted, she ran and hid inside a hollow tree
And shadows were getting longer, and the forest was getting colder
And the chief began to panic, where could his daughter be?
Lost in the years, lost in the years, on the river of tears

In the camp the fires were dying when the old chief started crying
Soon all thr tribe were crying, and the ground grew wet beneath their feet
And the tears they turned to water and the water became a river
And the river flowed like an arrow to the foot of a hollow tree

And the girl looked out in wonder as she saw the water falling
She knew it was her father and she swam to his canoe
And all the tribe stopped crying and the river started subsiding
Into the hill of the Agoras, and so the legend grew
Roll back the years, roll back the years
Roll back the years, roll back the years
To the river of tears

(I wish all the world was healing)
(I wish all the world was healing)
(I wish all the world was healing)
(I wish all the world was healing)