Richard Thompson Album

Asked my daddy when I was thirteen
Daddy can you tell me what love really means?
His eyes went glassy, not a word was said
He poured another beer and his face turned red
Asked my mother, she acted the same
She never looked up, she seemed so ashamed
Asked my teacher, he reached for the cane
He said, don't mention that subject again
So I read about love-read it in a magazine
Read about love-Cosmo and Seventeen
Read about love-In the back of a Hustler, Hustler, Hustler
So I-know what makes girls sigh
And I-know why girls cry
So don't tell me I don't understand
What makes a woman and what makes a man
I've never been to heaven but at lest
I've read about love
My big brother told me when I was fourteen
it's time I showed you what love really means
Girls like kissing and romance too
But a boy's got to know what a man's got to do
He gave me a book, the cover was plain
Written by a doctor with a German name
It had glossy pictures, serious stuff
I readd it seven times, then I knew it well enough
Read about love-now I've got you
Read about love-where I want you
Read about love-got you on the test-bed, test-bed, test-bed
So why-don't you moan and sigh
Why-do you sit there and cry?
I do everything I'm supposed to do
If something's wrong, then it must be you
I know the ways of a woman
I've read about love
When I touch you there it's supposed to feel nice
That's what it said in reader's advice
I've never been to heaven but at least
I've read about love
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I feel so good I'm going to break somebody's heart tonight
I feel so good I'm going to take someone apart tonight
They put me in jail for my deviant ways
Two years seven months and sixteen days
Now I'm back on the street in a purple haze

And I feel so good, and I feel so good
Well I feel so good I'm going to break somebody's heart tonight

I feel so good I'm going to make somebody's day tonight
I feel so good I'm going to make somebody pay tonight
I'm old enough to sin but I'm too young to vote
Society's been dragging on the tail of my coat
Now I've got a suitcase full of fifty pound notes
And a half-naked woman with her tongue down my throat

And I feel so good, and I feel so good
Oh I feel so good I'm going to break somebody's heart tonight

They made me pay for the things I've done
Now it's my turn to have all the fun
Well I feel so good I'm going to break somebody's heart tonight

And I feel so good, I feel so good
Well I feel so good I'm going to break somebody's heart tonight
Oh Oh Oh
I feel so good I'm going to break somebody's heart tonight
Hm break somebody's heart
Break somebody's heart
Hm break somebody's heart
Oh break somebody's heart

She said "Darling I'm in love with your mind.
The way you care for me, it's so kind.
Love to see you again, I wish I had more time".

She was laughing as she brushed my cheek
"Why don't you call me, angel, maybe next week
Promise now, cross your heart and hope to die".

But I misunderstood, but I misunderstood, but I misunderstood
I thought she was saying good luck, she was saying good bye
But I misunderstood, but I misunderstood, but I misunderstood
I thought she was saying good luck, she was saying good bye

Things I tried to put shine in her eyes
Wire wheels and shimmering things
Wild nights when the whole world seemed to fly

She said "The thing that's so unique
When we're together we don't have to speak.
We'll always be such good friends, you and I"

Oh but I misunderstood, but I misunderstood, but I misunderstood
I thought she was saying good luck, she was saying good bye
But I misunderstood, but I misunderstood, but I misunderstood
I thought she was saying good luck, she was saying good
I thought she was saying good luck, she was saying good
I thought she was saying good luck, she was saying goodbye

Oh, she was saying goodbye, oh, she was saying goodbye
Oh, she was saying, saying, saying, saying

I took my darling down
I took my darling down
To that big grey house down the lane
And then the doctor said
He said it's in her head
She's never going to be right again
I kissed my love goodbye
She didn't blink an eye
They took her down the hall
She never looked back at all
CHORUS
Behind grey walls
Somewhere there's a soul
Behind grey walls
She's out of control
Crying out for help
No one can hear
O Lord have pity on her
O Lord have pity on her
My darling walks the floor
My darling walks the floor
She walks every minute that she can
I heard my darling say
I heard my darling say
She don't know who I am
Cigarette burns down her arm
Said she tried to do herself harm
Tied her arms in the back
Trussed her up like a sack
CHORUS
I saw my darling's face
I saw my darling's face
It looked so pale in the distance
She stared out from her room
Into the dying gloom
And I saw her poor tears glisten
Pills to keep her calm
More punctures than a junkie in her arm
Tied her down on the bed
Seventy volts through her head
CHORUS
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She came down the stairs in her cocktail dress
She fell on her food like a lioness
There was ringing in my ears like an SOS
She said, you dream too much
If you think I've a thing for you
You dream too much and it's going to end bad
the boom box was sounding sweet
We were dancing to a jungle beat
Just when our lips were about to meet
She said, you dream too much
Who's that girl in your dreams with you
You dream too much and it's going to end bad
You'll stumble going through life the way that you do
I hope I'm somewhere else the day that you do
The way that you do...
She had a chassis like an XJS
Skull necklace just like a high priestess
I thought maybe just one caress
She said you dream too much
You're dreaming now while I'm talking to you
You dream too much and it's going to end bad
All my life I've been like this
I start thinking of the perfect kiss
Velvet dream on an iron fist
She said, you dream too much
Even this isn't really true
You dream too much and it's going to end bad..
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All your bitterness and lies
Sting like tears in my eyes
And a thousand lovesick tunes
Won't wash away the wounds from my mind
You've been seen around, you're a news sensation
You got a better deal and you took his invitation
You've been sitting on his lap and taking his dictation
Mercy, we used to love all day and drive all night
Mercy, jealousy used to whet your appetite
Mercy, we were low as dogs and high as kites
Why must I plead with you darling,
For what's already mine
My friends are indiscreet
And I sing myself to sleep
And I don't mind the red wine
Or the pickup line as long as it's cheap
I ask you what 's wrong, and you say I'm all yours
I ask who your friend is, and you say Santa Clause
I ask you to come home, you say yoU're tired of being indoors
Mercy, you know you signed on that dotted line
Mercy, you signed yours and I signed mine
Mercy, you said forever till the end of time
Why must I plead with you darling,
For what's already mine

Said Red Molly to James that's a fine motorbike
A girl could feel special on any such like
Said James to Red Molly, my hat's off to you
It's a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952
And I've seen you at the corners and cafes it seems
Red hair and black leather, my favourite colour scheme
And he pulled her on behind
And down to Boxhill they did ride

Said James to Red Molly, here's a ring for your right hand
But I'll tell you in earnest I'm a dangerous man
I've fought with the law since I was seventeen
I robbed many a man to get my Vincent machine
Now I'm 21 years, I might make 22
And I don't mind dying, but for the love of you
And if fate should break my stride
Then I'll give you my Vincent to ride

Come down, come down, Red Molly, called Sergeant McRae
For they've taken young James Adie for armed robbery


Shotgun blast hit his chest, left nothing inside
Oh, come down, Red Molly to his dying bedside
When she came to the hospital, there wasn't much left
He was running out of road, he was running out of breath
But he smiled to see her cry
And said I'll give you my Vincent to ride

Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world
Beats a 52 Vincent and a red headed girl
Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do
They don't have a soul like a Vincent 52
He reached for her hand and he slipped her the keys
He said I've got no further use for these
I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome
Swooping down from heaven to carry me home
And he gave her one last kiss and died
And he gave her his Vincent to ride

An iron maiden stole my heart away-o black day
Her siren songs seemed to call to me-o destiny
She spat her thrash metal lyrics right into my mind
The stage thundered and the
Smoke bombs made me blind
She sang, Hello, Liebchen, wollen Sie ein Jig-a-jig, nein?
CHORUS
She says, left, right, right, left
Come on Joe, don't be slow
Up, down, down, up
come on Joe, time to go
In, out, out, in
Do it if you love me Joe
I know it's art for art's sake
But how much more can I take
What's my share of this backlash love affair
Her hair extensions down to her knees-what a tease
She got tattoos everywhere you look-she's a comic book
Why she goes for my type I'll never understand
She's so demure when we promenade hand in hand
and when we get back home she
Let's me know she's in command
CHORUS
Those iron maidens, cool as a marble slab
They wrap aroound you and the cold knives cut and stab
I can't live my life as someone else's shishkebab
CHORUS
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Mystery wind blowing tonight
Driving rain, close up tight
Don't leave a crack for the rain to get in
Don't leave a hole for the mystery wind

From some other time, from some other place
Mystery wind make a fool say grace
Lord above how great thou art
Mystery wind blow right through your heart

Whistling down from out of this world
Take an honest man away from his girl
Stir up trouble in a married man's bed
Make you say things better left unsaid

It's a cruel wind, screams and moans
Don7t know where from, don't know where it goes
Rustling the leaves around your door
Cold cold fingers through the cracks in the floor

Can't you smell it, you can almost feel it
Mystery wind, you just can't see it
Foul your water, steal your bread
Wake up things better left for dead

Mystery wind are you strong enough
To fight for your right when the time gets tough
Plague and hunger and burning rain
Too many good men blown away
By the mystery wind

When the party hit full swing
I saw you come reeling in
You had that six pack in a stranglehold
Now you stagger, now you sway
Why don't you fall the other way
'Cos I've got something here worth more than gold
CHORUS
Don't sit on my Jimmy Shands
Don't sit on my Jimmy Shands
They don't mend with sticky tape and glue
Don't sit on my Jimmy Shands
Don't sit on my Jimmy Shands
That's my very best advice to you
Call me precious I don't mind
78s are hard to find
You just can't get the shellac
Since the war
This one's the Beltona brand
Finest label in the land
They don't make them like that any more
CHORUS
Darling though you're twice my size
I don't mean to patronize
Honey, let me lead you by the hand
Find a lap or find a chair
You can park it anywhere
Just don't rest your cheeks against my man
CHORUS
No shindig is half complete
Without that famous polka beat
That's why they invite me, I suppose
Waltzes, Strathspey's, eightsome reels
Now you know how good it feels
Crank that handle babe, away she goes
CHORUS
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If I cross your path again
Who knows where, who knows when
On some morning without number, on some highway without end
Don't grasp my hand and say
"Fate has brought you here today"
Oh, fate is only fooling with us, friend

Keep your distance, oh, keep your distance
When I feel you close to me, what can I do but fall
Keep your distance, keep your distance
Ah with us it must be all or none at all

It's a desperate game we play
Throw our souls, our lives, away
Wounds that can't be mended and debts that can't be paid
Oh, I played and I got stung
Now I'm biting back my tongue
I'm sweeping out the footprints where I strayed

Keep your distance, keep your distance
When I feel you close to me what can I do but fall
Keep your distance, oh, keep your distance
With us it must be all or none at all

Keep your distance, oh keep your distance
When I feel you close to me what can I do but fall
Keep your distance, oh, keep your distance
With us it must be all or none at all
With us it must be all or none at all
With us it must be all or none at all

So you think you know how to wipe your own nose
So you think you know how to button your clothes
You udon't know shit
If you hadn't already guessed
You're just a bump on the log of life
'Cos Mother knows best
She tells everybody she ws born in a ditch
She backcombs her hair till she looks like a witch
Wolves in her train, serpents suckle at her breast
Don't forget to wsh behind your ears
'Cos Mother knows best
O you lost your job, well ain't that a shame
Got nobody but youself to blame
You deserve everything you get for such carelessness
And don't eat your peas off the knife
O Mother knows best
So your baby's hungry
So your baby's sick
Don't make babies, that'll do the trick
Put another string of barbed wire in your little love nest
It's better than a cardboard box
Mother knows best
She got a zombie army to serve her well
She got a thousand bloodhounds from the gates of Hell
she got a hundred black horses with sulphur and coal on their breath
And she rides the unbelievers down
Mother knows best
She says, bring me your first-born
I'll suck their blood
Bring me your poor
I can trample in the mud
Bring me your visionaries
I can puthout their eyes
Bring me your scholars
I'll have them all lobotomised
Mother knows best
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Will there be any bartenders up there in Heaven?
Will the pubs never close, will the glass never drain
No more D.T.'s and no shakes
And no horrors
Very next morning you feel right as rain
O God loves a drunk, the lowest of men
With the dogs in the street and the pigs in the pen
But a drunk's only trying to get free of his body
And soar like an eagle high up there in heaven
His shouts and his curses are just hymns and praises
To kick-start his mind now and then
O God loves a drunk, come raise up your glasses, amen
Does God really care for your life in the suburbs
A dull little life of dull little things
and bring up the babies to be just like Daddy
And maybe you'll be there when He gives out wings
But God loves a drunk, although he's a fool
He wets in his pants and he falls off his stool
He can't hear the insults and whispers go by him
As he leans in the doorway and sings Sally Racket
Can't feel the cold rain beat down on his body
And soak through his clothes to the skin
O God loves a drunk, come raise up your glasses, amen
Will there be any pen-pushers up there in Heaven?
Does clerking and wage-slaving win you God's love
I pity you worms with your semis and pensions
If you think that'll get you to the kingdom above
But God loves a drunk, although he's a clown
You can't help but laugh as he gags and falls down
He don'T give a cuss for what people think of him
He screams at his demons alone in the darkness
He's staying alive for just one more pint bottle
Won't you throw him few pennies, friend
God loves a drunk, for ever and ever, amen
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A man sits down to write a letter, but instead he writes a book
The book begins, Dear Sir, I don't know if you're interested, but
Your wife is a whore...
A man gets on a train and proceeds to take all his clothes off
He begins to play with himself-and he says,
In my country, this is definitely not offensive...
A man pours petrol through his neighbour's letterbox and throws in a match
Soon the house isengulfed in flames
As the neighbors jump
From the upstairs window he films the whole thing on video
He plays it back to them later in hospital
Things have been pretty dull
At home without you, he says...
A man pushes a lawnmower two hundred miles on his knees
To the tomb of the unknown gardener
Great One, he cries,
I have done my penance
I bring my offering
Grant me-grant me-
Pest-free roses
CHORUS
Psycho Street, frinedly people down on
Psycho Street, good neighbours
Down on Psycho Street
If you need a hand, need a friend, we understand
If you need a pal, we'll be there, any how
Psycho Street
A man stakes his neighbour's ct to the barbecue
And turns on the gas
now are you going to talk he says,
Or am I going to have to get nasty...
A man has an inflatable doll made that looks exactly like his wife
He murders his wife, dissolves her body in acid, and marries the doll
Three years later he leaves her
For another doll...
A man hands his son a brick and says, son,
Throw this brick through the greenhouse next door
The boy does
The boy next door throws one back
It hits the man on the head and mortally wounds him
Ah well, he says as his lifeblood trickles away,
Boys will be boys...
A thoughtful woman sends her best friend a parcel
Inside, it says, is a free sample
Full body beauty treatment, but it really contains acids and chemicalls
When her friend tries it, her hair falls out,
Her face is wrinkled and her body scarred
The thoughtful turns to her husband and winks, and says.
Pre-emptive strike
CHORUS