Ray Davies Album

(Ray Davies)

Things are gonna change
This is the morning after
When reality bites
The morality kicks in
To those damaged limitations

This is the morning after
All that went before
All of the song and laughter
The morning after, gets up from the floor
To do it all again

But things are gonna change
This is the morning after
My turn to get pushed in the face
Feeling right down, resurrecting the clown
Yeah I bloody well will
You look around for which way to go
But where you gonna turn?

And when the morning after
Pleads to take no more
We patch up the last disaster
Slower, faster, crawl out through the door
And do it all again
But things have gotta change
This is the morning after

You feel shite, the air bites
Oh will I ever learn?
Your ear's deaf, your girl's left
Never to return
But it's the morning after
All that went before
And now you paid your debt
Get up you wreck, and crawl out through the door
Oh, love will return

This is the morning after
You will learn
The barrier we cross
Is somewhere between Heaven and Hell
Ah, but the world will never change
So we must dig inside, and crawl outside ourselves
I will, I bloody well will
Things are gonna change

Things are gonna change
This is the morning after

I will, I bloody well will
Things are gonna change

(Ray Davies)

I just had a really bad fall
And this time it was harder to get up than before
I shouted to the heavens and a vision appeared
I cried out "Can you help?", it replied "Not at all"

After the fall is over
You'll be on your own
After the fall is over

There'll be wrecks to clear in this war zone
There'll be much to clean and time to atone
But while it's dark you can shelter here
In the bleak midwinter when you're feeling the fear
Ah, but when the mist clears, the sun will shine again

A life's gotta have direction
After the deals are done
You gotta ask the question

Ask yourself why you go through it all
When morality kicks in, who will catch you when you fall
I'm a sinner waiting at the traveler's rest
Seeking refuge from the storm, and I'm a grateful guest
And a profit cries out in high platitudes
I smile and say, "Hey, I was just passing through"
And an angel cries, "Wait, we'll tell you when to move"
Even at the gates of Heaven I'll be waiting in a queue

Seems like I'm falling upwards
Into the great white blue
And all my imperfections

You can learn your lines and fabricate a show
But the way we come in, yeah, that's the way we're gonna go
We cheat and lie to conquer our fears
We can put on a smile just to cover up the tears
Ah, but when the mist clears, the sun will shine again

After the fall (after the fall is over)
There'll be a better day
After the fall is over

So I fell on my arse, now I'm feeling the pain
But the feeling will pass and so will the shame
The bigger the ego, the bigger the fall
When your reputation counts for nothing at all
Ah, but when the mist clears, the sun will shine again

I will greet you when the sun shines again
After the fall (after the fall is over)
There'll be a better day
After the fall is over

(Ray Davies)

Mr. Jones, my next door neighbour
I feel I've known you all my life
I haven't seen you for a while now
How's the family? How's that beautiful wife?
I hope your dreams were not forgotten
And you've become downtrodden

Get your health together
Get your wealth together
Get yourself together
Jones, you were my next door neighbour

Mr. Brown, you're so ambitious
You ran off with an Essex blond
You've broke the bank to keep two women
You're over extended, now it's all gone wrong
Now you're right back where you started
Still, you shouldn't be broken hearted

Get your mind together
We can still climb together
A step at a time together
Brown, your world was turned upside down

I know it's not the same
And everything changes
But behind front doors people think that they can hide
We win and lose, we laugh and cry
Live and learn, at least we try
Oh, give it a try

Ba ba ba, together
Ba ba ba, together
And we can go miles together
All of my next door neighbours

Get your style together
Put a smile together
And we'll go miles together
All of my next door neighbours

Mr. Smith, another story
I wonder what became of him?
They say he threw the telly through the window
He went bizerk and jacked the whole world in
They say he may have hit rock bottom
Still, he went out with a bang and so he is not forgotten

We had our tiffs together
Our rows and our rifts together
But let's learn to forgive together
Smith, you were my next door neighbour
Jones, you were my next door neighbour
Brown, you were my next door neighbour

(Ray Davies)

All she wrote was a goodbye letter
"It's over for us, to tell you the truth
I've met this person in a disco
He's really special, reminds me of you

"Now you can mix in those swinging circles
Single bars and gay cafes
With pickup lines to impress young schoolgirls
And big Australian barmaids"

That's all she wrote
On the back of that old brown envelope
A few killer lines to get my goat
That's all she wrote

All she wrote on that goodbye letter
"It's over for us, to tell you the truth
And my new man is a vegetarian
He laughs a lot, not like you"

Picked up one of her old love letters
"You are such a caring man"
Such a change from that cold, bitter scam
Of what I was, and what I am

That's all she wrote
On the back of an old brown envelope
A few killer lines to get my goat
That's all she wrote

"Did you ever really love me?
Did you ever really care?
Now you're free to live your fantasy
And I'm not there
To cramp your style and blow your cover
Now you're free to take your lover
To titty bars and low life clubs"

All she wrote is a goodbye letter
"It's over for us, to tell you the truth
I've met this person in a disco
He's really special, reminds me of you

"So don't pretend to be a new man
Be chauvinistic, that's your way
Now you're free to make your play
For that big Australian barmaid
(Big Australian barmaid)
Big Australian barmaid"

That's all she wrote
On the back of that old brown envelope
A few killer lines in that suicide note
That's all she wrote

(Ray Davies)

You caught me with my pants down
But I was only taking a shower
Still you looked for the evidence
Like the smell of perfume, or lipstick on my collar
You're always suspicious, and terrified I'd made a mistake
We are such creatures of little faith
We are such creatures of little faith

And when I come home late, you always ask me
"Have you been drinking?"
"I swear I've been working"
You say I'm lying as if you know just what I'm thinking
You say you don't trust me, and you quiz me till I finally break
Oh, we are such creatures of little faith
Such creatures of little faith

You say that love is blind
I wish you were out of sight, and out of mind
I take you out fist fighting[?]
But still I find you keep looking for those telltale signs

I didn't mean to follow you,
But I suspected you were meeting somebody
I was playing detective
Thought you were fooling around, now it's too late to say I'm sorry
Still I'm optimistic, my trust has not been betrayed
Forgive me
I'm still a sad creature of little faith
We are such creatures of little faith

And all we need
All we need
All we need is a little bit of faith
We are such creatures of little faith
Such creatures of little faith

Don't you know that
A little bit of faith can be such a beautiful thing?

(Ray Davies)

Hey, my friend
You can't run away from time
They say you can't fight fate
Time won't wait
You can't run away from time

And time is the avenger
But why should we just surrender to it?
Why go through it?

Run run run run run run run away
Let's run away from time
Run run run run run run run away

Girl, you and me
We've got to set ourselves free this time
We must try to escape because it's never too late
Liberation is ours to find

Hey, hey let's run away
Let's run away from time
Hey, hey let's run away

Hey, girl
Let's run away from time
We've still got mountains to climb
A day at a time
It's never too late, so why should we wait?

Take me
Save me
Maybe, baby
Run run run away
Run run run away
Run run run away

The world is too obsessed by the counting[?] requests
For the fountain of youth they will never find
And time is the avenger
But why should we just surrender to it?
Why go through it?

Run run run run run run run away
Let's run away from time
Run run run run run run run away
Run run run away
Run run run away

Run run run away
Run run run away

(Ray Davies)

The natives are getting restless in the tropical heat
Work is scarce and children play while the dogs fight in the street
And in the hotels all the tourists dine on local fare
While the waiters stand and stare

And in the street taxi cabs crawl around for vice
To the sound of the tourists in the casino
Rattling the dice, money money

I'm just another tourist checking out the slums
With my plastic Visa drinking with my chums
I dance and swing while ABBA sing
And I flash my Platinum
To the sound of Livin' La Vida Loca
Yes, Livin' La Vida Loca

While in the heat of the street
The native beats his drum
Take the money 'cause it's just another tourist
Having lots of fun

Oh let's go to the Mardi Gras
Oh let's kiss the Blarney Stone
Oh let's hear the Wailing Wall
Oh the Empire State is so very tall
And the Taj Mahal really has a pretty dome
And everywhere that I go I say
I want to make it my home

I'm just another tourist checking out the slums
With my plastic Visa drinking with my chums
Money money

(Ray Davies)

Lift yourself out of the doldrums
Make yourself a cuppa tea
Drag your emotions out of the gutter
Don't wallow in self pity

When you wake up, all of a fluster
Thinking life has passed you by
Give yourself a kick up the backside
Jump out of bed and punch the sky

Is there life after breakfast
Full of possibilities
Is there life after breakfast?
Yes there is, after breakfast
So don't live in agony
Is there life after breakfast?
Yes there is, after breakfast

Cheer up some, put on the kettle
There's no point in being down[?]
Make your mind up, try to forget her
Boil the tea and I'll be [?]

Is there life after breakfast?
Yes there is, after breakfast
So don't live in agony
Is there life after breakfast?
Yes there is, after breakfast

After breakfast
Life after breakfast
After breakfast

Just because all of the plumbing
Isn't all it used to be
Turn the tap, see, a little bit's coming
That must make you feel relieved

Don't turn into a total embarrassment
To your friends and family
Get out of bed, the whole day's ahead
So take the pills and drink your tea

Is there life after breakfast
Full of possibilities
Is there life after breakfast?
Yes there is, after breakfast
So don't be so depressive
Is there life after breakfast?
Yes there is, after breakfast

Is there life after breakfast
Full of possibilities
Is there life after breakfast?
Yes there is, after breakfast
Is there life after breakfast?
Is there life after breakfast?

Put the kettle on, mate

(Ray Davies)

Every time I hear that lonesome train roll down the track
Going away to unknown destinations
I believe there's someone out there making the great escape
Just moving on, suddenly gone and so unexpectedly

It might hit you on a sunny afternoon
Without a warning there's a thought, it just comes over you
And it's a shadow on a sidewalk, someone like you
In a blink of an eye, waving goodbye
It's time you made your getaway

In a suburb somewhere someone's quietly planning their getaway
Traveling light, in case they might get a change of heart
It's the bravest move they'll ever make, but they have to make the break
That's the risk that they take, so don't hesitate, then so unexpectedly

It might hit you on a sunny afternoon
Without a warning there's a thought, it just comes over you
And it's a shadow on the sidewalk, someone you knew
It's time you made your getaway

It might hit you on a sunny afternoon
Without a warning there's a thought, it just comes over you
And it's a shadow on the sidewalk, someone like you
It's time you made your getaway

You'll make the great escape
Get out that door before it's too late
Hear that lonesome train
The lonesome train

(Ray Davies)

Can't believe what I just read
Gossip on the Internet
Now the tabloids have the news
Cross my heart it just ain't true
I never thought it of you

Name names and every line
Is feeding their suspicious minds
I'm not bitter or angry
I'm only feeling sympathy
You really found the time

To feed the reporter with your views
See the reporter break the news
Read the reporter, join the queue

Spread the news, scandalize
Words cut like a thousand knives
Take the cash, bag the prize
For playing games with other people's lives

See the reporter break the news
Read the reporter, join the queue

Eat it up, take a bite
Feed the reader's appetite
They'll swallow anything you write
As long as it's in black and white
And full of titillation

I can't believe what I just read
Excuse me, I just vomited
Tell your story, it's your call
So autobiographical
But oh, so trivial

Feed the reporter

They put it on the Internet
To help improve the circulation
They'll pepper it with lies
It's only other people's lives

Feed the reporter
Read the reporter

Politicians dressed in drag
Careers stopped with quick back stab
While anonymous informer flees
And leaves us with our fantasy
And erotic visions

Who did what, when, to whom
In the dominatrix room?
Tabloids daily titillate
Each sordid tale reverberates
All across the nation

(What can I say?)
Feed the reporter
(It's a vendetta)
Read the reporter

A rumor then a vicious phrase
A poison pen can wreck your day
And weather[?] words that crucify
As tabloid judges sharpen up their knives

Read the reporter
Black and white
See the reporter
Victimize
See a poor sucker
Crucified

To stop the truth, so tell your lies
Betray your friends and get the prize
The dagger's in, now twist the knife
The gutter's full of other people's lives

(Ray Davies)

Now I don't mind if fifty thousand yobos pick[? beat?] me up outside a
Football ground on a Saturday afternoon. I'll still come out fighting.
D'you know why? You've seen me on television. I'm the lowest common
Denominator. And this is all about your[yob?] culture. So welcome to jolly
Ol' England! I'm the stand up comic.

Jack the Lad has become Oscar Wilde
And the followers of style say it's the latest thing
And William Shakespeare is the schmooze of the week
And anyone who says different is a fuckin' antique
And Noel Coward has become very hard[?]
And the comic says "bollocks" and everybody laughs
And that's that

Style, I mean
Never was much, never has been
But the little bit that was was all that we had
And the clown does a belch and we all belch back
And that's that

Jack the Lad has become Fancy Dan
And creating agro[?] culture with a rub-on tan
And all the tearaways[?] have got savior faire
And the working class hero's got a tinted hair[?]
And a well-spoken hero from a yesteryear
Walks out onto a stage and they all shout "queer!"
And that's that

Manners, I mean
Never was much, never has been
But the little bit that was was all that we had
And now the clown does a fart and we all fart back
And that's that

Stand up, stand up
Can you hear me at the back?
All you wide [white?] boys standing in a row
And the comic shouts
And we all shout back
And the mob says "follow" so we go

Stand up, stand up
Can you hear me at the back?
All you wide [white?] boys standing in a row
And the comic shouts
And we all shout back
And the mob says "follow" so we go
And that's that

What do you think of it so far?
I knew you'd say that
You've been watching too much television
Together now!

Jack the Lad has become Oscar Wilde
And the followers of style say it's the latest thing
And William Shakespeare is the schmooze of the week
And anyone who says different is an antique
And Noel Coward has become very odd[?]
And the comic says "bollocks" and everybody laughs
And that's that

Style, I mean
Never was much, never has been
But the little bit that was was all that we had
And the clown does a belch and we all belch back
And that's that

All together now!
Stand up, stand up
Can you hear me at the back?
All you wide [white?] boys standing in a row
And the comic shouts
And we all shout back
And the mob says "follow" so we go

Stand up, stand up
Can you hear me at the back?
All you wide [white?] boys standing in a row
And the comic shouts
And we all shout back
And the mob says "follow" so we go
And that's that

Well, I'm going down the pub now. You're welcome to join me if you
Like but I know you won't. You've all been watching too much
Television. Well I'll be in the public bar, minding my own business.

(Ray Davies)

Wakin' up, feeling rough
Totally stressed
Every day it's a dead[?] time
Step by step
Hit a wall, took a fall
To a new depth
Count to ten, focusin'
Take a deep breath

In a world that is close to breakin'
I thought that you were my friend
In a world that is full of hatin'
And[I'm?] about to descend
I just smile and pretend[?]

I'm a million miles away from it all
And let it go right over my head
Let 'em chase and the winner take all
And let it go right over my head
Over my head, yeah
Over my head
Over my head

Everywhere, everyone
Questioning me
Are you ill? Are you well?
Do you like being free?

Didn't know you were close to breaking
So you thought it should end
Left it all for a new location
So you could start up again
So keep keep smilin' till then

Right now I want some peace of mind
So let it go right over my head
Just want to give myself a little more time
And every single word that you said
Went over my head, yeah
Over my head
Over my head

Little girl I was so mistaken
Thought that you were my friend
In a world that is full of hatin'
I'm about to descend
Didn't know you were close to breakin'
So you thought it should end
Left it all for a new location
So you could start up again
So keep smilin' till then

I'm a million miles away from it all
And let it go right over my head
Let 'em chase and the winner take all
And let it go right over my head
Right now I want some peace of mind
So let it go right over my head
Just want to give myself a little more time
And every single word that you said
Went over my head, yeah
Over my head
Over my head

Close the door, let me please
Get to my bed
I wanna take stock, see my life
In perspective
Tomorrow I'll be back in the race, till then
Live and let live
So let all the anger pass me by
Over my head
Over my head
Over my head

(Ray Davies)

Are you going on Thanksgiving Day
To those family celebrations?
Passing on knowledge down through the years
At the gathering of generations

Every year it's the same routine
All over, all over
Come on over, it's Thanksgiving Day

Papa looks over at the small gathering
Remembering days gone by
Smiles at the children as he watches them play
And wishes his wife was still by his side

She would always cook dinner on Thanksgiving Day
It's all over, it's all over
It's all over the American way
But sometimes the children are so far away

And in a dark apartment on the wrong side of town
A lonely spinster prays
For a handsome lover and a passionate embrace
And kisses all over, all over
All over her American face

It's all over, it's all over, it's all over

'Cause today she feels so far away
From the friends in her hometown
So she runs for the Greyhound
She'll spend hours on the bus but she'll reach town
For Thanksgiving Day

Come on over, come on over
Come on over, it's Thanksgiving Day
Come on over, come on over
Come on over, come on over
Come on over, it's Thanksgiving Day

At a truck stop a man sits alone at the bar
Estranged in isolation
It's been a while now and he seems so far
From those distant celebrations

He thinks back to all the mistakes that he made
To a time when he was so young and green
Innocent days when they both looked forward to that
Great American dream

Now it's all over, it's all over, all over
And all over America people are going home
On Thanksgiving Day

Now Papa looks out of the window
The sight brings a smile to his face
He sees all his children coming back home
Together on this special day

Come on over, come on over
Come on over, it's Thanksgiving Day
Come on over, come on over
Come on over, it's Thanksgiving Day
Come on over, come on over
Come on over, it's Thanksgiving Day
Come on over, come on over
Come on over, it's Thanksgiving Day