RAILROAD TO THE SEA

Tell us we can be the very best and we will follow
say that we can stand out from the rest and we will follow
but tell us we may never be what we wanted to be
we build a railroad to the sea

Show us pretty party people having fun and we will follow
show us the exotic places in the sun and we will follow
but tell us we may never see what we want life to be
we build a railroad to the sea

Middle
Crying and laughing and singing and dying
loving and living and lying forgiving - follow
shaking and quaking and faking and breaking
taking and making anticipating - follow
wanting and choosing and winning and losing
re-shaping our lives or just waiting to see
we build a railroad to the sea

Give us this day our daily kingdom come and we will follow
show us how to get that muscle tone and we will follow
but tell us this may never be tell us nothing is free
we build a railroad to the sea

 

THE GOODLIFE

Don't you know I've been happy since I met you
walking out along the road with you
let's buy a car and a dream house settle down like they do
walking out along the road with you

Chorus
Just a little bit just a slice of it
good living for bad
to the heart of it grab a part of it
in a world that's gone mad - the good life

Until you life had seemed empty don't you know that it's true
walking out along the road with you
all the pieces were broken put back together by you
walking out along the road we two

Chorus

Two cars in the garage the kids are watching TV
walking out along the road with me
the smell of food in the kitchen Christmas lights on the tree
walking out along the road you'll see

Chorus

 

BACK TO ENGLAND

Waves - disconnect the power line
lights are moving out of time
lights are moving out of time - in waves
got to get away
night time - someone talking far away
can't make it out the words just fade
look into the night again - it's too late
got to get away

Chorus
Drinking in some airport lounge at midnight
waiting for a call to jet away
cause I'm following you - back to England
I'm following you - back where skies are grey
yes I'm following you - back to England
got to get love
got to get life
got to get a raise
got to get away

Fade - fade into another day
through a door marked come what may
for there may not be another way - just fade
got to get away
night time - the night is warm and soft tongued
pillow slipped and eiderdowned
the night is roaring silent sound - it's too late
got to get away

Chorus

 

HARD TIMES

Love's on fire poetry in motion
no sleep lying here alone
I've been chilled to the bone
drained of all emotion
love's on fire won't you take me home

High stakes drove me from the table
no cards drove me from the game
if my love is a lie
then show me if you're able
why this pain in my heart is driving me insane

Chorus
Hard times hard times
don't talk to him about love's labour lost
cause he's a man's man
you couldn't get it across
he walks the earth with his head held high
yes he's a proud man
and they don't cry
hard times etc.

run run run into the shadows
hide hide hide your heart away
if you'll listen I'll talk
indignities repeating
run hide take it all away

Chorus

 

DREAMSTATE

She was a love she was my friend
we talked of nights beginning without end
without end
looking for reasons looking for signs
looking for messages between the lines
between the lines

Chorus
These things I love these things I hate
looking for love in a dreamstate - in a dreamstate

A kiss on the balcony a kiss in the park
we were together when the night was dark
oh so dark
speaking in riddles feeling with thumbs
heartache recaptured in the mother tongue
the mother tongue

Chorus

Middle
Feel the nerve ends prickle with tension
too cool to fumble too hot to mention
I put it in writing but not to the letter
feel it or leave it the sooner the better

She was a love she was my friend
we talked of nights beginning without end
without end

Chorus

 

ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE

Standing outside your kitchen with nowhere to hide
would you offer me coffee or would you leave me outside
looking into your kitchen looking into your eyes
would you offer me grace or would you tell me more lies

Chorus
Only - only the strong survive
poor me tears in my eyes
only - only the strong survive
poor me - these tender lies

Running out of your bedroom losing a shoe
I dreamed of disaster my dream came true
I offered you roses you showed me the door
didn't even allow me to sleep on your floor

Chorus

I sent you long letters asking you why
you returned them unopened didn't even reply
so I put up your picture on my living room wall
now I wait for the moment the picture will fall

Chorus

 

THE KISS

He caught that look in her eyes
his heart it went boom
that's when he knew that it was true
he thought of them all
the long the short and the tall
what could he do
there was nothing he could do

Chorus
Read all the lines in the book
how the hero was shot
how the girl that he loved
cried as he died in her arms
see the fim of the book
see the close-up the look - see the kiss
did love never promise you this - the kiss

That day he spent all his pay
to show her the way that he knew
that a girl like she knew too
how to live love in style
where to go where to dance with the crowd
where to shout his love out loud

Chorus

 

NIGHT STARVATION

You can bet that no one's safe that late at night round here
they got rats in the alley terrorised by fear
but it's late and it's hard to sleep and all my cigarettes have gone
and fever curiosity pulls me out into the night alone

Chorus
Night starvation is killing me
night starvation won't set me free

Good lord I mean the woman next door she's been banging on my wall
she says she can't hear herself sleep - I say - is that all
so I step out into these streets I don't know which way to go
so I head for the river I've been that way before

Chorus

Middle
While the midnight surgeon makes a cut
and everything goes red
my mind is falling dead
fresh linen on the bed

There's a girl on the corner she stares as I pass her by
I don't even have the courage it takes to look her in the eye
a car slows down beside me then speeds away again
it's time to turn and head for home all good things must end

Chorus


 

CITY WITHOUT WALLS

And I'm hard hard pressed to be lost in the valley of the obsessed
        I'm hard hard pressed to be lost in the valley of the obsessed

Life for some people is frittered in vain
simply crying in the rain
life is just a bloody shame
down the road and back again

Someone turned the page to the digital age
the countdown's started feel the rage
hear them howling from the cage
for the right to earn a living wage

And I'm hard hard pressed to be lost in the valley of the obsessed
        I'm hard hard pressed to be lost in the valley of the obsessed

They had a cause that needed some fame
terror on the streets again
use the media to gain
a platform for the hard insane

Flies on the bodies in the blistering heat
see them dying on their feet
headaches for the power elite
watch it all on TV while you eat

And I'm hard hard pressed to be lost in the valley of the obsessed
        I'm hard hard pressed to be lost in the valley of the obsessed

It's getting tougher by the minute
for he who stands or falls
to live inside the law
in a city without walls

And I'm hard hard pressed to be lost in the valley of the obsessed
        I'm hard hard pressed to be lost in the valley of the obsessed

 

GUNTALK

Me and the boys were dicussing our new toys
in the Rialto male company is best
we saw this woman walk by had that twinkle in her eye
we turned to guntalk the law of the west

A man without agun in his hand
is like a neutered cat he can't make a stand
history's waiting for a fool such as I
no white feathers for me
I'll fight for the right to be proud and free
here's contemplating the right way to die

The side I'm on can never be wrong
silver bullets for my gun
I joined the gun club to keep down the scum
show those suckers a Tomahawk Cruise
show 'em we don't aim to lose
stand tall in the sunset when the fighting is done

Me and the boys were dicussing our new toys
in the Rialto male company is best
we saw this woman walk by had that twinkle in her eye
we turned to guntalk the law of the west

Guntalk - with a war to fight across the sea
guntalk - we'll drop 'em where they stand
gung ho - we'll be fighting for democracy
but the soldiers they'll be dying made of sand