01 : Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Without any shred of doubt
Of what our trip was about
We took off into the sky
Gave an air-hostess the eye
And delighted to be free
Ordered two more large whiskies
Thanked our hostess very much
And descended on the Dutch
We went down to Amsterdam
Wham bam thank you m’am
And I’d like to make it clear
There are red lights in the beer
It seems everywhere you walk
There is something to be bought
So we pressed on through the rain
And the offers went and came
Until finally we stopped
Everybody loves to shop
We went down to Amsterdam
Wham bam thank you m’am
And I guess it’s one of those
Tough decisions to condone
Would you do it if you could
Is it bad or is it good
That night the rain came down in Amsterdam
02 : A Bigger Man
A Bigger Man
As I look out at the window the first thing that I see
Is a shadow-like reflection looking back at me
‘Cos all the lights are turned off and the night is dark outside
The window’s like a mirror for the things I keep inside
I feel scared of how I blend in with the silence of the night
The curtains start to move as I pull them from the right
And closing off the image of the ghost that looks like me
I wonder if the man I am is all I’ll ever be
‘Cos I used to dream that I’d take over the world one day
Me and my guitar in a chauffeur driven car all the way (beep beep and beep beep yeah!)
Yeah I used to dream that I’d take over the world one day
But I guess for most of us it’s just a chauffeur driven bus, what can I say?
And sunny days are plenty I feel lucky to be here
The girl who sleeps beside me gets more pretty every year
But every now and then a cloudy day comes by
Something I remember but I can’t remember why
‘Cos I used to dream that I’d take over the world one day
Me and my guitar they’d be handing out cigars all the way (Viva Las Vegas!)
Yeah I used to dream that I’d take over the world one day
But I guess when I wake up it’s just an evening down the pub, what can I say?
And there’s one more thing to tell you as I put away this song
There’s just no way to tell if you chose right or you chose wrong
So look out at your reflection in the window if you can
And try to see the world outside you’ll be the bigger man
Cos I used to dream that I’d take over the world one day
Me and my guitar in a chauffeur driven car all the way (beep beep and beep beep yeah yeah yeah!)
Yeah I used to dream that I’d take over the world one day
But I guess for most of us it’s just a chauffeur driven bus, what can I say?
Out of Time
Out of Time
I began to notice that at times my conversation seemed to lapse
But I remained focusing on anything that came to find it’s way before my eyes
The moving sky
I’d try to hold on but my feet were off the ground
Off the ground
Stop – I’m not one of those you might call organised about the things in my life
And anyone who ever cared has given me advice on where to look
And how to find the path you need to guide you through the days the lonely nights and winding roads
So far to go
Just like an astronaut reaching out for Mars
So far…
Stop – I’m not one of those you might call organised about the things in my life
Sometimes my mind goes out of time
My mind goes out
Stop – I’m not one of those you might call organised about the things in my life
Dinner and Weddings
Dinners and Weddings
The best satin sheets
The best looking car
The best things in life
Expensive guitars
I want all your money to fatten my tummy
And beautiful girls
The restaurant world
The food here is good
My plastic is gold
Excuse me my dear but this card just won’t clear
Don’t you ever get used to it?
I’m changing my face
I’m changing my hair
The make-up you wear
Makes you look ace
But nobody notices me next to you
Don’t you ever get used to it?
The record goes round and round…
Don’t you ever get used to it?
It’s all bull
It’s awful, I know
Don’t you?
With your mouth full
You notice my skin
Where it’s wearing thin
One day I’ll tear up all my things
Or just keep pretending at dinners and weddings
Don’t you ever get used to it?
Alison
Alison
Your thought commandoes climb inside my ears
On a mission to activate my fears
And you’re so beautiful I hardly feel the pain
As they reach the centre of my brain
Alison, don’t you know you’ve got me under your thumb?
And now I’m not even my own number one, anymore
Please remember my life is in your hands
And I don’t stand a chance against your wicked plans
You’re so beautiful I have to let you stay
Deep inside of me so you can have your way
Alison, don’t you know you’ve got me under your thumb?
And now I’m not even my own number one anymore
And tomorrow I’d take you over the moon
The stars in the gloom would shine
If only you were mine…
With my glasses on, I’m sitting in the bath
Trying desperately to make you laugh
But you just sit there righting all my wrongs
Will we ever really get along?
Alison, we used to want to find a place in the sun
Where we could be away from everyone
Not anymore
And tomorrow
I’d take you over the moon
The stars in the gloom would shine
If only you were mine
Passer By
Passer By
He wants it she wants it
There’s a carton of milk on the shelf
It’s the last in the store
It never crossed his mind that she’d try to remove it by force
As they crash to the floor
The camera it’s watching
As they roll around on the ground
Going round and around
You’d never think that she’d be so strong
Picking him up and then throwing him down
I am just a passer by
I happen to be watching why the hell should I
Stop and help you?
I see no reason why
Why should I care about you
I’m just a passer by on my own
The bus stop she’s waiting
And I think it’s the woman I saw
With the man on the floor
She’s so calm in the blustery wind that it’s hard to imagine
What happened before
She’s looking she sees me
Then asks me nicely:
Has it been long since the last bus went by?
I smile politely and tell I don’t know
But if I could help her I’d certainly try
I am just a passer by
I happen to be watching why the hell should I
Stop and help you?
I see no reason why
Why should I care about you
I’m just a passer by on my own
My breakfast the table
And a mixture of coffee and toast
And preserves on the side
I never knew that coffee could be so deliciously milky
And still taste alright
The papers a picture
It’s a woman defending herself
From a stranger at night
And even though that’s not what happened
Part of it’s true in a way she was right
Oh…
I am just a passer by
I happen to be watching why the hell should I
Stop and help you?
I see no reason why
Why should I care about you
I’m just a passer by on my own
Other People's Lives
Other Peoples Lives
Other peoples lives
And other peoples wives
Line the walls of my darkroom
I’m the man who takes away your films
Working on my own
Nobody at home
Staring through the drapes
Of amateur mistakes
No one knows what they never saw
I bet you only show the pretty ones you took
But I see every one
And everything you’ve done
I could be watching you right now
With you somehow
I’m in a world with no outside
Living through the slides
Of other peoples lives
Holidays in France
Watching your kids dance
To the beat of a silent song
There’s only pictures in my photographic world
Never been abroad
Never been adored
Careful with your wife
She has pretty eyes
Even though her waistline is gone
One wonders how you two ever got along
You’re an ugly man
I don’t understand
I could be watching you right now
With you somehow
I’m in a world with no outside
Living through the slides
Of other peoples lives
I'm So Bored of the Rain
I’m so Bored of the Rain
I’m so bored of the rain
Wish I was in love again
Somewhere over the moon
Three stars and a hotel room
Where we could both lie down
And make a sleeping sound
I’ve got something to say
But my mind is miles away
Raindrops over my head
One day we’ll all be dead
And there’ll be no need
For anything but sunny weather
There’s nothing wrong
With only wanting simple pleasures
Don’t listen to the guns
You’ll only end up blistering your fingers and your thumbs
Somewhere up in the sky
There’s this Almighty guy
Making plasticine men
So he can play with them
Well that’s okay with me
Let every man be free – so long as you’ll still play with me
And there’ll be no need
For anything but sunny weather
There’s nothing wrong
With only wanting simple pleasures
Don’t listen to the guns
You’ll only end up blistering your fingers and your thumbs
Come away with
Over he bright blue sea
Put your sun-block on
And we’ll be duty-free
Don’t listen to the guns
You’ll only end up blistering your fingers and your thumbs
Just a Face
Just a Face
Oh when did you become just a face?
So easy to replace
Just like everybody else in the rat-race
No longer full of grace
Oh when did you become just someone
So easy to replace
Just a face
I remember a time when you were mine
We reached so high it scraped the sky
I couldn’t really say when things changed
I just woke up to find the clouds had gone away
And everybody else knows
Nothing stays still when the wind blows
But you were my moon and my sun
So how did you become –
Just a face?
Wiped out without trace
Just a speck and then a space
One blink and you’re erased
Oh when did you become something lost something found
Like a penny on the ground
Just a face
When the fever has passed
And you wake up to find that you have drained the glass
Or swimming in a bowl – no control
From out of the depths we climb until we find a hole
And even though we’ve come through
And nothing hurts now like it used to
When I look back I’m amazed
That now you’re just a face
Just a face
No good for writing hits
Too plain for launching ships
One wave and then it dips
Oh when did you become nothing old nothing new
Nothing borrowed nothing blue
Just a face
Oh how did you become like everyone
You used to rule the waves and turn the earth and set the sun
But now you’re just the sand
Running through my hands
Just somebody on a train
One tiny little grain
Oh when did you become just a face?
So easy to replace
Just like everybody else in the rat-race
No longer full of grace
Oh when did you become just a face
Wiped out without a trace
Just a speck and then a space
One blink and you’re erased
Not a goddess to be praised
No poets giving chase
No apples from a snake
Not chosen to be great
Not favoured by the fates
No change in outer space
Everything is in its place
No triumph or disgrace
Not so sensual in lace
Every memory a waste
Nothing there to cut and paste
Just a face
The Leading Lady
The Leading Lady
When you tell me that it’s over
I think of War
Soldiers boarding trains in stations
Hands pulling doors
Train sets films and celebrations
We won the war
When you tell me that it’s over
I see a play
Richard Burton and Liz Taylor
Liz gets away
Boozing smoking Richard choking
Sees her go –
Through the door
To the backstage entrance
Fall to the floor
With a cry of vengeance
He knows she’s the Leading Lady now
I see you inside the cinema
Next to your man
Watching Tom Cruise save the world again
Popcorn in hand
You don’t know that I can see you
So I go –
Through the door
To the backstage entrance
Fall to the floor
With a cry of vengeance
He knows she’s the Leading Lady now
Train sets films and celebrations
Nothing more
We Went to Nice
We went to Nice
We went to Nice
Where people speak just like ‘zees’
And every girl is a priest
For an empty soul like mine
Yeah we ran away
From everything that was grey
Packed our bags in a day
Headed out the door for the bay
Take me by the sea and please don’t ask me
Maybe it’s the life I left behind me
She broke my heart
She broke my heart in two
She broke my heart into
A thousand french franc pieces
We were paid very well
Down in ‘Nizza la belle’
Where every stage casts a spell
On available ‘demoiselles’
Take me by the sea and please don’t ask me
Maybe it’s the life I left behind me
She broke my heart
She broke my heart in two
She broke my heart into
A hundred brand new songs
Down in Nice
Where they speak like ‘zees’
Take me by the sea and please don’t ask me
Maybe it’s the life I left behind me
Take me by the sea and please don’t ask me
Maybe it’s the life I left behind me
We went to Nice
Holy Water
Holy Water
Everybody wants to pay and pay
I see it in the market place
Guilty looks on every face
Maybe they don’t want to go back home
Feel much better in a store
Better stay and shop some more
I feel it in all my bones
Tonight I’d rather not go home
I can see…
That this has got to be a new beginning for me
This has got to be holy water
Bargains seem to be on every shelf
There’s one for you and one for me
Don’t take life too seriously
Shopaholics always shop alone
‘Cos no-one else can understand
What it feels like in your hand
New – newer than yesterday
‘I want it’ is all that I can say right now
I can see…
That this has got to be a new beginning for me
This has got to be holy water
I feel it in all my bones
Tonight I’d rather not go home
I can see…
That this has got to be a new beginning for me
This has got to be holy water