Richard Thompson Album

Well, there's a house
In an alley,
In the squats and low rise
In a town with no future,
But that's where my future lies

It's a secret, but no secret
It's a rule, but no rule,
Where you find the darkest avenue,
You'll find the brightest jewel.

Now, my name, it is Mulvaney
And I'm known quite famously,
People speak my name in whispers,
What higher praise can there be?

But I'd trade my fine mohair,
For tie-dyes and faded jeans,
If she wanted me some other way,
She's my cooksferry queen.

She gave me one pill to get bigger,
She gave me one pill to get small,
I saw snakes dancin' all around my feet
And dead men comin' through the wall.

Well, I'm the prince of this parish,
I've been ruthless and I've been mean
but she blew my mind, and she opened my eyes, she's my cooksferry queen.

Well, she's got every way perfection,
All her looks beyond compare
She's got dresses that seem to float in the wind,
Pre-Raphaelite curls in her hair.

She could get the lame to walk, yeah
She could get the blind to see,
She could make wine out of Thames river water,
She could make a believer out of me.

Yes I'd trade it all tomorrow,
All the wicked things I've been
She's my bright jewel of the alley,
She's my cooksferry queen.

Yes I'd trade it all tomorrow,
All the wicked things I've been
She's my bright jewel of the alley,
She's my cooksferry queen.

Oh some girls hold the ace, the deuce, the trey
X-ray the deck to see what's coming
Mary Antoinette she smiled that way
Easy to smile when the luck is running

Like a myth you rode in from the west
From the go you had my button pressed
Did the tea-time of your soul
Make you long for wilder days?
Did you never let Jack Kerouac
Wash over you in waves?

Sibella, we don't make sense together
But my heart's with you
Sibella, I found myself
Strange but true, strange but true

Some say you can learn a lot from books
Thrill right to second-hand living
Life is just as deadly as it looks
But fiction is more forgiving

You took chances well within your means
Salon hair and creases in your jeans
All those lonely winters long
Did you really think it through
Did you really ache for me like I really ached for you

Sibella, we don't make sense together
But my heart's with you
Sibella, I found myself
Strange but true, strange but true

Sibella, we don't make sense together
But my heart's with you
Sibella, I found myself
Strange but true, strange but true
Strange but true, strange but true
Strange but true

Bathsheba smiles
She smiles and veins turn to ice
She smiles and heads bow down
She works the room
Air-kisses every victim twice
She spreads her joy around

Do you close your eyes to see miracles
Do you raise your face to kiss angels
Do you float on air to hear oracles
Bathsheba smiles, smiles
Bathsheba smiles, smiles
No doubt can cross her mind
Cross her mind

Bathsheba knows
She knows you better than yourself
Confess it on your knees
She shares her love
And sharing love is sharing wealth
Dig in your pockets please

Do you close your eyes to see miracles
Do you raise your face to kiss angels
Do you float on air to hear oracles
Bathsheba smiles, smiles
Bathsheba smiles, smiles
No doubt can cross her mind

No pain no gain's a strain
But she never seems to hurt
Catwalk pilgrims sing this song
Hello heaven, goodbye dirt
And no hair shirt

Do you close your eyes to see miracles
Do you raise your face to kiss angels
Do you float on air to hear oracles
Bathsheba smiles, smiles
Bathsheba smiles, smiles
No doubt can cross her mind

Do you close your eyes
Do you raise your face
Bathsheba smiles, smiles
Bathsheba smiles, smiles
Bathsheba smiles

Two-faced love, will make me doubt my mind
Two-faced love, will keep me paralysed
Two-faced love, I pace the room at night
Why can't I get you off my mind

Oh I try to dull my feelings down
In every bar in every town
But your eyes follow me around
Why can't I get you off my mind

Face the music, face the facts
Different sides of different tracks
Had my feet on holy ground
Then I helter-skelter down
Confused, or being used
Two-faced love, two-faced love
It feels so wrong it must be right
Two-faced love, two-faced love
Why can't I get you off my mind

Oh, I don't like your thin skin
And I don't like the places you've been
I don't like the mood that you're in
Why can't I get you off my mind

If I read the signals right
I might be your slave tonight
Pardon my naive caress
Tender fits with tenderness
Uncouth to tell the truth
Two-faced love, two-faced love
Feels so wrong it must be right
Two-faced love, two-faced love
Why can't I get you off my mind

Oh you don't make my blood run cold
And you don't fit my jelly mold
Don't come up for air when you're digging for gold
Why can't I get you off my mind
Why can't I get you off my mind
It feels so wrong it must be right
Feels so wrong it must be right

Hard on me, hard on me
Why do you grind me small
Hard on me, hard on me
At every fence I fall

I bite my rage
I stop my breath
I shake my cage
I swim with emptiness

Hard on me, hard on me
Like they were hard on you
Hard on me, hard on me
So I can stumble too

My circuits seize
My senses jam
I don't know who to please
Trapped inside the Wicker Man

You're so hard on me
You're so hard on me
You're so hard on me

Hard on me, hard on me
Why do you grind me small
Hard on me, hard on me
At every fence I fall

Unzip my heart
Unbraid my veins
Unstitch my wantonness
And loosen up my reins
Before I dare
Go on that hill
In dumb despair
Unfreeze my will

You're so hard on me
You're so hard on me
You're so hard on me

This time you hurt me
You really did it this time you did
Did you count your fingers after shaking my hand
God forbid
Riff raff crawling from the slums
Right there in front of all your chums
I swear by the pricking of my thumbs
I'll make your day and melt away

I'll crawl back under my stone
I'll crawl back under my stone
I'll crawl back under my stone
But you won't have to stand next to me
You won't have to introduce me
You won't have to think about, talk about, care about, me
I'll crawl back

I've got a nerve just showing my face don't you think
Scruffy little likes ought to know their place don't you think
Old boy, sorry to intrude
Damn shame pretty bloody rude
I should be horsewhipped and sued
Then I'll go quietly my tail between my knees

I'll crawl back under my stone
I'll crawl back under my stone
I'll crawl back under my stone
But you won't have to stand next to me
You won't have to introduce me
You won't have to think about, talk about, care about, me
I'll crawl back

I want to be middle class
Floors and ceilings made of glass
I just want to be, I just want to be free

You had me in a second you had it all reckoned, you did
You guessed my game and my name, rank and number, you did
Somehow I gave myself away
Some code, some word I didn't say
I missed one line in the play
And the trap shut tight and you did me all right

I'll crawl back under my stone
I'll crawl back under my stone
I'll crawl back under my stone
But you won't have to stand next to me
You won't have to introduce me
You won't have to think about, talk about, care about
You won't have to ask about, fuss about, discuss about
You won't have to mind about, swear about, forget about, me
Crawl back
I'll crawl back
I'll crawl back
Crawl back

I'll crawl back
Crawl back
Crawl back
I'll crawl back

Only a misdirected dart
At an unprotected heart
I'm sure it happens every day
Just a passing interlude
A fresh face to change the mood
I'll find my feet again you say

What rock I had you rolled
What rock I had you rolled away

But I live as best I can
Meet the uninhabited man
Please read the sign and walk away
What an old dry shell I am
The uninhabited man
I'll find my feet again you say

No doubt they'll pull me down
No doubt they'll pull me down someday

Who's been sleeping in my bed
Who's been sleeping in my bed

Who's been sitting in my chair
Who's been licking in my bowl
Who's been sleeping in my bed

A romantic ruin am I
Funny how I catch the eye
The vacuum slowly sucks you in
I'm left no skill, no art
To meet you heart to heart
You'll find no me beneath the skin
And if there's no me then there's no
And if there's no me then there's no sin

Who's been sleeping in my bed
Who's been sleeping in my bed

And who's been sitting in my chair
Who's been licking in my bowl
Who's been sleeping in my bed

If you don't want me I'll dry my tears and move on
If you don't want me I'll dry my tears and move on

You treated me just good enough until now
But if you're tired of me I'll get over you somehow
Oh, if you don't want me I'll dry my tears and move on

If you don't need me there's someone else who needs me out there
She's kind and tender and one day I'll find her I swear
So set me free while I've still got time
Don't try to hide your shame, dear, from my eyes
Oh, if you don't want me I'll dry my tears and move on

Faded love
As if you need a reason
Am I out of your dreams
Or just out of season
Oh the flame of love
Oh you wouldn't understand
You hide it in your heart
You don't hold it in your hand

If you don't want me I'll dry my tears and move on
If you don't want me I'll dry my tears and move on

My suits got creases and my shoes have got shine
Let me know soon I'll find a better use for my time
Oh if you don't want me
If you don't want me
Oh, if you don't want me I'll dry my tears and move on
I'll dry my tears and move on
I'll dry my tears and move on

Oh the last bus has gone
Or maybe I'm wrong
It just doesn't exist
And the words that flew
Between me and you
I must be crossed off your list
So I'm walking the long miles home
I don't mind losing you
In fact I feel better each step of the way
In the dark I rehearse all the right things to say
I'll be home, I'll be sober by break of day
Walking the long miles home

Not a soul is around
As I put more ground
Between me and you
And the whole town's asleep
Or maybe they're deep in the old "voulez vous"
So I'm walking the long miles home
And I don't mind losing you
Got the moon there for company each step of the way
And the rhythm in my shoes keep the blues all away
When you ride Shanks's Pony you don't have to pay
Walking the long miles home

Oh the party was grand
But I hadn't quite planned on staying so long
And while you accused me
The hours confused me and my friends had all gone
So I'm walking the long miles home
And I don't mind losing you
Ah there's nobody out but the cop on the beat
He's snoring so loud I don't hear my feet
I just laugh to myself and move off down the street
Walking the long miles home
I'm walking the long miles home
Oh walking the long miles home

Oh Gillian she's a Doncaster lass
Trains it down on the quarter past
Friday night leaves the kids at home
And struts her stuff on the Euston Road
Saying "Do you want some company darling?
Do you want some company now?
My place, your place or no place
I could use the extra cash anyhow"
That's the sights and sounds of London Town
The sights and sounds of London Town
The sights and sounds of London Town

Oh Jean-Paul he came over from Toulouse
They told him that London was the golden goose
He never got his hands on enough to eat
He never did get his arse up off the street
Wanted to be a rap DJ
They took his pulse then they turned him away
Under the radar of your fellow man
With all that charisma it ain't worth a damn
Saying "Lend me your shoes till Monday
Oh brother can you lend me a comb
I can wash dishes all night long
I just need my fare back home"
That's the sights and sounds of London Town
The sights and sounds of London Town
The sights and sounds of London Town

Well Jackie she tried just about everything
She tried to dance, she tried to sing
Too many doors slammed in your face
It leaves a nasty aftertaste
You scramble around for a little bit of cash
Ease the pain with Mister Flash
Saint Annes Court is the rendezvous
For those who share your point of view
Saying "This is the last time you will see me
Never again no way
One more time I'll never ask you again
I've just got to get through today"
That's the sights and sounds of London Town
The sights and sounds of London Town
The sights and sounds of London Town

Oh Mickey he sleeps every two or three days
Runs through Soho like a rat through a maze
A little blackmail here a sting on the side
Enough to get started on the next enterprise
Dresses expensive but that's just a crutch
Like his word or his handshake it doesn't mean much
Depends on his kickback from the middle man
And whatever he can beat out of Sally Ann
Saying "Lucky I'm the one you ran into
Oh lucky I've taken a shine
Lucky I'm needing a partner
50/50 right down the line"
Oh that's the sights and sounds of London Town
The sights and sounds of London Town
The sight and sounds of London Town

That's all. That's all there was.
Say Amen. Close the door.
She gave as much as she had to give
Please don't ask for more
Please don't ask for more
That's all. The curtain's down.
The lights are up. Go home.
Did I care?
Was I in love?
In love enough to know
In love enough to know

There's precious few that line that road
She welled from deep and overflowed
There's no cup to hold the past
Too rich to drink, too rich to last
That's all

Well, you wish
But don't wish for me
As if a wish
Could cheat the fall
Oh just believe
And leave it be
There's beauty in what's brief
There's beauty in what's small
That's all

There's some who dare and some who shine
And some who only drag behind
And some who reap what others sow
When memories fail well who's to know

That's all. That's all there was.
Say Amen. Close the door.
She gave as much as she had to give
Oh please don't ask for more
Please don't ask for more
That's all

I stole your style
Hope you don't mind
I must try to be all I can be
It suits me more
Than it ever suited you
Hope you like the new me

I stole your laugh
So bright and breezy
It stops parties in mid-air
It makes me feel more devil-may-care
Hope you like the new me
Hope you like the new me

We all need friends to lean on
Any time, any place, anywhere
Feel free to lean on me
But please don't do it right now
Yes I'm much too busy right now

I stole your walk
The one with purpoise
That says there is no mountain I can't climb
It fools people all of the time
Hope you like the new me

I stole your jokes
Just the good ones
How the gang all laughed with glee
I also stole
The way that you tell them
Hope you like the new me
Hope you like the new me

To steal is to flatter
What a compliment to pay
All those things that I stole from you
Well I might give them back someday
Yes I really might someday

I stole your wife
Hope you don't mind
She was looking bored don't you think
I'll soon have her back in the pink
Stop by and see us for tea

I stole your soul
When you weren't looking
I reached inside and cut it free
It suits me more
Than it ever suited you
Hope you like the new me
Hope you like the new me

I don't want to be your friend anymore
You've got fifty friends knocking at your door
Life is short so please understand
I'm fully qualified to be your man

You know zoology is up my street
And your anatomy is far from discreet
I'm good and ready for my entrance exam
I'm fully qualified to be your man

I've been studying your every need
I've got statistics that'll make you plead
I'll put my thesis right in your hand
I'm fully qualified to be your man

Maroon room, perfumes of Araby
Sineads in braids in shades of Carnaby

Now there's diplomas you can get in the mail
And there's diplomas you can get in jail
But I'm a genius at being your fan
I'm fully qualified to be your man

Crystal balls and shawls and lava lamps
I'm a counter culture vulture
Don't put the damps on me

Now you're my favorite subject or two
I've been really boning up on you
Let me know when it's safe to land
I'm fully qualified to be your man

My sweetheart she bounced right out of my arms
She was gone before I remembered to cling
Did I reach out too slowly to catch her
Or was she by nature a slippery thing

Into the arms of Mr Rebound
Into the arms of Clean Up Joe
Into the arms of Mr Rebound
Mr Rebound, as if I didn't know

He'll give her laughs and he'll give her dreams
I gave her the kids and the pots and pans
He'll do for the dash and he'll do for the sprint
But he won't do for a marathon man

I know for a fact that she ain't coming back
To tell you the truth, I'm a little bit glad
She may be blind with the things on her mind
But how can she stand to touch something that bad