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Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter

Words (Big Mouth)

(Lyrics by Ian Hunter, Music by Ian Hunter and Andy York)

[Spoken] I got a big one
It's me, I didn't mean to wake you
I owe you an apology about last night
Well I was just letting off steam
Black Dog lurking in the alleyway
Alcohol arriving with the key
Open up the floodgates and out it comes
Like a river full of graffiti

Words... little beads of poison
Letting out the venom
One thing for certain baby
I got a big mouth

I'll change... I promise you, I'm gonna change
I gotta turn a new leaf
And this will be the very last time
I put my foot in it
Black Dog putting these words in my mouth
Well don't take any notice of them
I don't mean to vent my spleen
I hate it when that happens

Just words... cruel little clusters
Maiming the vernacular
One thing for certain baby
I got a big mouth, I got a big mouth

Don't leave... I'm beggin' you please don't leave
These words are only make believe
You can take 'em with a grain of salt
Words can eat a man alive

Black Dog rotting in some broken bar
Handclaps rattling my bones
Hound dogs fading into wilderness
And I just wanna come home

Words... Nasty little lizards...
Grammatical bacteria
One thing's for certain baby
I got a big mouth, I got a big mouth
I got a big mouth, yeah

Just words
I'm getting on your nerves
Little shops of horrors
I got a big mouth

Yakity Yakity Yakity Yak...

Fuss About Nothing

(Ian Hunter)

I got a bridge I can sell ya
I got a pyramid
I got a time share in Florida
How'd ya like a piece of it?

You're making a fuss about nothin'
Everything's under control
That bee in your bonnet's got liberal on it
Sit back and relax, watch it all unfold

Never forget: I got a direct line
I'm a man you can trust in
If it's left to the left
There won't be nothing left
You're making a fuss about nothin'

This world is a ball with a map on
We conquer we buy and we sell
This world is a tank with a tap on
Business as usual

Now I'm just protecting your interests
I'm just defending your faith
These guys that were caught with their hands in the till
Nothing to do with me, mate, nothing to do with me

Never forget: I got a direct line
I'm a man wiht a mission
If it's left to the left
There won't be nothing left
You're making a fuss about nothin'
Don't you worry, don't you worry
I'm sure I can come up with something'
When all's said and done...I am the one
You're making a fuss about nothin'

You're making a fuss about nothin'
I am just doing my job
You just gotta trust me on this one
'Cause when the time is right
We'll get outta Dodge

Never forget: I'm doing my best
I am a man with a vision
But if it's left to the left
There won't be nothing left
You're making a fuss about nothin'
Don't you worry, don't you worry
I'm sure we can figure out somethin'
Just leave it to me 'n' one day you'll see
You're making a fuss about nothin'
Now never forget, I'm the man to respect
When you come in collect your commission
I said everything's cool, I make the rules
You're making a fuss about nothin'

When The World Was Round

(Ian Hunter)

Remember the kids in the playground, avoiding the bullies each day
Timing your life to the monsters, the monsters that won't go away
And you win some, you lose some, you ain't got much choice
so you choose one (what have you done)

Everybody lies 'n' we're stuck in the middle
I think I liked it better when the world was round
There's too much information but not enough to go on
I think I liked it better when the world was round

Now that we're older and wiser
Now we got kids of our own
Timing their lives to the monsters
But the monsters won't leave them alone
You win some, you lose some, you ain't got much choice
But it's gotta be done, yeah it's gotta be done

'Cause everybody lies 'n' we're stuck in the middle
I think I liked it better when the world was round
There's too much information but not enough to go on
I think I liked it better when the world was round
I don't wanna put you off it
I don't wanna put you off it
But I think I liked it better when the world was round
And I wish that I could change it
Yes I wish that I could change it
I think I liked it better when the world was round

Is it my imagination
When I look back thru the ages
Is it my imagination

You win some, you lose some
You only got two shots, so you take one
(what have you done)

'Cause everybody lies 'n' we're stuck in the middle
I think I liked it better when the world was round
There's too much information but not enough to go on
I think I liked it better when the world was round
And I don't think we deserve this
No I don't think we deserve this
I think I liked it better when the world was round
Give me a reason to believe in
Give me a reason to believe in
I think I liked it better when the world was round
Maybe we can make it better
Maybe we can make it better
I think I liked it better when the world was round

Brainwashed

(Ian Hunter)

T-shirt with the maker's name, can't believe you bought it
Brainwashed, brainwashed
You're still falling for it.  You're still falling for it.
Running up those credit cards, you know you can't afford it
Brainwashed, brainwashed
You're still falling for it.  You're still falling for it.
Don't forget to accessorize, makeup by the gallon
Brainwashed, brainwashed,
Panic at the salon
Panic at the salon

What's up, what's up, what's up, what's up
Baby you bin brainwashed
If you walk like a duck, quack like a duck
Baby you bin brainwashed
Rewind your life, rewind your life
Baby you bin brainwashed
Just press repeat, just press repeat
Baby you bin brainwashed

Who's that over made up clown, twisting my religion
Brainwashed, brainwashed, 'n' everybody listens to ya
Everybody listens
Watched you lying on the TV
Everybody saw it
Brainwashed, brainwashed, they're still falling for it
You're still falling for it

321 you're under.  231 you're under
132 you're under.  213 you're under.
You're under, you're under, you're under
You're under, you're under, you're under
You're under

I can't tell you anything, you won't listen to it
Brainwashed, brainwashed
Look at how you blew it, look at how you blew it
Speak no evil, hear no evil
Say you never saw it
Brainwashed, brainwashed
You're stil falling for it, you're still falling for it

Brainwashed, brainwashed, brainwashed, brainwashed
Brainwashed, brainwashed, brainwashed, brainwashed
Brainwashed, brainwashed, brainwashed, brainwashed
Brainwashed, brainwashed, brainwashed, brainwashed

Shrunken Heads

(Ian Hunter)

Concrete steps, never swept
It used to be fear, now they call it respect
Sad old walls fallin' down
On the shattered skulls in the battleground
Absent fathers, weary mums
The old, the sick, the dying
And the isolated ones
Ancient language turns obscene
Between the goal posts of a circular dream

Nothin' matters anymore
The rich get richer, and the poor get sorer
This house is haunted and the streets are dead
We're all the mercy of shrunken heads

Bells are ringing of a cleaner time
There ain't no washing hangin' out on the line anymore
Something died and I don't know when
But it's funkier now that it ever was then

Nothin' matters anymore
The rich get richer, and the poor get sorer
The heart of the city is dilapidated
Who's gonna save us from these shrunken heads

On a windy day where no one smiles
On a pleasureless beach on a go-go-golden mile
In a sad café eating day old bread
And I tip the angry actress
With pockets full of shrunken heads

Windows barred, exhausted dull
The smell of decay is miserable
Dangerous streets where the dealers rule
Lie litter strewn around a frozen school

Nothin' matters anymore
The rich get richer, and the poor get sorer
You took our loyalty and you tore it to shreds
We're all the mercy of shrunken heads
Nothing matters anymore
The rich get richer, and the poor stay sorer
And the heart of the city is red-carpeted
Freaks of nature, shrunken heads
Shrunken heads decide my fate
It used to be 10, now it's 10:08
We ain't got the answers, it's complicated
I wouldn't bet any money on shrunken heads

Where you're born is the luck of the draw

Soul Of America

(Ian Hunter)

The Alamo shuddered, Pearl Harbor as well
The Statue of Liberty wept as they fell
And echoes were heard in the Liberty Bell
When they came for the soul of America
And the Manhattan skyline blew my mind the first time
We went down to the scene of the crime
Lookin' for the soul of America
Lookin' for the soul, lookin' for the soul

I don't see no Washington taking the strain
No Jefferson, Adams, Franklin or Paine
And that sure ain't Geronimo running the game
Protecting the soul of America
Just them wild boys: red, white and blue
Wild boys gotta see the mission through
Come hell or high water, my hat's off to you
Let's rock the soul of America
Let's rock the soul, let's rock the soul

You can find souls all over this world
Lay underneath the stones of insanity
You can find souls all over the globe
Except in the places they oughta be

The sins of the fathers revisit the sons
The toil of tradition, the roar of the guns
It's a God awful job, but it's gotta be done
Protecting the soul of America
And them good old boys in their three piece suits
Feathering their nests while they're rallying the troops
They cut off the flowers, don't worry 'bout the roots
Eroding the soul of America
And I'm looking for the soul, I wanna find the soul

There's souls in the city, there's souls in the sand
Putting up with the latest indignities
You can find soul all over this land
Except in the places it oughta be
Except in the places it oughta be

Frankie 'n' Johnny in my neighborhood
They don't read the papers as much as they should
But if they had the time, they know that they would
And you're lookin' at the soul of America

Yeah them wild boys 'n' red, white and blue
Them wild boys gotta get the message through
Come hell or high water, we're all rooting for you
And let's rock the soul of America
Come on, let's rock the soul, let's rock the soul
Let's rock the soul
Rock me out, rock me out
Oh yeah
Let.s rock the soul
Ah huh, come on, yeah
Let's rock the soul of America
Let's rock the soul, let's rock the soul

How's Your House?

(Ian Hunter)

Well can anybody help me
Can anybody help yeah
Can anybody help me
Can anybody help

Crept across the border, got a mobile home
Hurricane Katrina, sunk me like a stone, yeah
Now I'm runnin' outta water, there's nothing left to eat
The kitchen's in the car 'n' it's floating down the street

How's your house how's your house
How's your house how's your house
How's your house how's your house
How's your house how's your house

Well can anybody help me
Can anybody help yeah
Can anybody help me
Can anybody help

Now the reason I believe in the good book still
If FEMA won't help me, I know the good book will
So if anybody asks yuh, how's your Mom and them
Just tell 'em I was asking
Where are ya when ya need 'em

How's your house how's your house
How's your house how's your house
How's your house how's your house
How's your house how's your house

Guiding Light

(Ian Hunter)

Lost in the middle of nowhere
As cold as a stone in the sky
Regretting the mistakes that I made
When I was a young boy
Looking for a guiding light
Looking for a guiding light
Looking for a guiding light
Looking for a guiding light

Lookin' for an answer that I ain't found yet
A twinkle in a blind's man eye
Lookin' for the light at the end of the tunnel
Looking for a reason why

You're my guiding light
You're my guiding light
Where's my guiding light
Where's my guiding light

I know you're out there
I know you're out there
I know you're out there
Somewhere in the darkest night

I swear on the cover of the King James Bible
I'm never gonna let you go
You're my idol, you're my survival
I just want you to know

You're my guiding light
You're my guiding light
You're my guiding light
You're my guiding light

I been searchin'
I been searchin'
I been searchin'
One day I will find my guiding light

And we'll shoot for the moon together
We'll shoot for the moon together, babe
We'll shoot for the moon together, babe
We'll shoot for the moon together, babe

Stretch

(Ian Hunter)

Abandoned by - abandoned by - abandoned by your Mother
Stranded in a boys' home - stranded in a boys' home
And never really recovered
Drain that poison from your mind
Or it's gonna take you down

STRETCH
Stretch - fish outta water - yah swim against the tide
Ain't no takin' sense to ya
Jekyll 'n' Jekyll 'n' Jekyll 'n' Hide

Oblivious to - oblivious to - oblivious to the danger
I tried, but I could never - I tried but I could never
I tried, but I could never - change ya
You went your way - I went mine
There was nothing I could do
You wouldn't listen - no you wouldn't listen to me

STRETCH
Stretch - always something' eatin' at ya - never towed the line
Mixed up 'n' dangerous - most 'o' the - most 'o' the
Most of the time

I can still see you walkin' down the street
I can still see the placed we'd meet
I can hear the voices in my head
One 'o' them yours
Even though you're dead

Attracted by - attracted by - attracted to the lifestyle
I could never go the - I could never go the
I could never go the last mile
The pirate with the silver tongue - among my souvenirs
You wouldn't listen -- aah you wouldn't listen to me

STRETCH
Pride of the army - hero of the corps
You hated every minute of it - they gave you two years
You made it four

I gotta stop hangin' out with ya - perhaps it's just as well
Now we're both doing stretches - I'm in a limo
And you're in a cell
I loved you like a brother - deep down sad
You were the best friend - I ever - I ever - I ever - had

I Am What I Hated When I Was Young

(Ian Hunter)

Well I don't follow any trend
I don't sulk for hours on end
I don't wanna reach out 'n' punch someone
I am what I hated when I was young
I don't wear designer clothes
I ain't got pins in my nose
I ain't got a tattoo on my bum
I am what I hated when I was young

Poverty was a wonderful thing everyone enjoyed
We were eatin' grass not smokin' it
Wasn't like this when I was a boy
Wasn't like this when I was a boy

I don't rob old people's homes
I don't steal no cellular phones
I kinda like my Dad and Mom
I am what I hated when I was young
I don't holler, I don't hoot
I don't act like a nincompoop
I don't hide when the police come
I am what I hated when I was young

I'm slowin' down, I'm getting old
N' my back is getting bad
I just sit 'n' moan all day
Wasn't like this when I was a lad
Wasn't like this when I was a lad

Comb my hair, brush my teeth
Wash my feet more than once a week
N' I never leave my flies undone
I am what I hated when I was young
I'm the original mixed up kid
I ain't proud of what I did
Now I'm older, calmed down some
I hate what I used to be when I was young
I hate what I used to be when I was young
I hate what I used to be when I was young

Read 'em And Weep

(Ian Hunter)

On a warm summer day, in the hour of my youth
I walked the four miles to your door
You wore a straw hat, high heels to match
And the whitest cotton dress I ever saw
When I tried to hold you, you turned away
You don't have to tell me, it's all over your face
I can see the writing on the wall
And there's a distance in your eyes that says it all

Read it and weep
I can't get no sleep
'Cos I know you won't change your mind tomorrow
I'm sinking under, I don't wanna lose you
This emptiness is more than I can handle
You gave me no reason, but you gave me rhyme
I put the words to music and I was out of my mind
All I've got's the letters that I keep 
And sometimes just before I go to sleep

I read 'em 'n' weep
You swept me off my feet
Now I know, time's the only healer
This jealousy hurts
The thought of seeing you with someone else
Cuts like a knife
Into the heart of me
Life is a river
It twists and it turns
But I'll get over you babe
I'll live and I'll learn
The paper's full of January sales
I guess I won't be buying fairytales

Read 'em 'n' weep
Cryin' in my sleep
'Cos I know I'm gonna be alone tomorrow
And I walked the four miles
Yeah I walked the four miles
In tears and sorrow
This was the story, here's where it ends
Next time I'll be wiser
I won't get let down again
I wanted you so badly, but I failed
Now all I got's these little paper trails

Read 'em 'n' weep 
Read 'em 'n' weep
Oh yeah
Read 'em 'n' weep
Read 'em 'n' weep
Ah, ha

I wanted you so badly, but I failed
Now all I got's these little paper trails

Your Eyes*

(Ian Hunter)

Baby baby the things you do
You make me wonder what's going on inside of you
Mother Nature's sweeter sex
I never know what you're gonna do next

If I could only see the world through your eyes
It would be a brighter place
If I could only see the world through your eyes
Wouldn't it be wild?
Wouldn't it be wonderful?

Ooh baby baby we're different
I don't deny the fact that you are heaven sent
I know that you're there for me
You care for me in my winters of discontent

If I could only see the world through your eyes
It would be a brighter place
If I could only see the world through your eyes
Wouldn't it be weird?
Wouldn't it be wonderful?

If I could only see the world through your eyes
Oh yeah, oh yeah
If I could only see the world through your eyes
Oh yeah, oh yeah

Never the twain shall meet
It's kinda like losing your mind or your mystique
So I stagger on through the night
Like a sore child, following your bright lights

If I could only see the world through your eyes
It would be a sweeter place, yeah
If I could only see the world through your eyes
Wouldn't it be wild? 
Wouldn't it be wonderful? 
Oh yeah

If I could only, if I could only
If I could only see the world through your eyes
If I could only, if I could only
If I could only see the world through your eyes
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
See the world through your eyes
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
See the world through your eyes

Wasted*

(Ian Hunter)

We hold on to memories
You hold on to time
But something is stealing me
Right out of your mind
You chose your enemies
You chose your friends
Wasted, wasted, wasted again

You hang on to what you were
You hang on to dreams
But something is pulling me 
Apart at the seams
You cling to the wreckage but
You can't pretend
Wasted, wasted, wasted and then
You get wasted, wasted, wasted again

I don't want to be the one to worry you
And I don't want to be the one to carry you
And I don't want to be the one to bury you
'Cos you're wasted, wasted away

You're fresh out of something that
You still hold dear
You're fresh out of alibis
And you're fresh out of tears
Only one thing that bothers me
I hate it when
You get wasted, wasted, wasted again

I ain't gonna be the one that ferries you
And I ain't gonna be the one that marries you
And I sure don't want to be the one to bury you
Wasted, wasted

We all got our weaknesses
And we all make mistakes
And we all got those habits that
Are so hard to break
I hate to see your gift
Flushed down the drain
Wasted, wasted, wasted and then
You get wasted, wasted, wasted again

Wasted, wasted, wasted again

Real or Imaginary*

(Ian Hunter)

Midnight
Just sent the letter home
Mom, I'm okay
It won't be long
But everybody's got an enemy
Real or imaginary
Send for the cavalry
I wonder if I got it wrong

And I confess
I ain't the bravest
Wish I was home with you
Where I belong
But everybody's got an enemy
Real or imaginary
Deep down inside of me
I wonder if I got it wrong

We're the entertainers
You've seen us on TV
Headlines in all the papers
For all the world to see

But I miss you
And all those little things you do
Don't a shed a tear for me
We must be strong

Everybody's got an enemy
Real or imaginary
Just before I go to sleep
I wonder, have I got it wrong?