Saint Etienne Album

Rays
Of light upon the counterpane
Grace
The dust that settles on the balustrade

I
I'm opening my eyes
To find
Sun in my morning (sun in my morning, this is what I see)
Sun in my morning (sun in my morning, shining down on me)

Made
A list of things to do today
What a shame!
The morning breeze just blew it all away

I
I'm opening my eyes
To find
Sun in my morning (sun in my morning, this is what I see)
Sun in my morning (sun in my morning, shining down on me)

(Sun in my morning, this is what I see)
(Sun in my morning, shining down on me)

Tony leaves the depot late,
Seventeen years with the Unigate
Drives his float down Gosswell Road
At twenty-five to Eight.
No. 9, Mrs Doris Brown
Pulls on her quilted dressing gown,
Shuts the fridge and boils the kettle,
Wipes the table down.
La la la la la la
Just as she pours the tea
She's whistling randomly
A milk bottle symphony
Ooh, Ooh
Milk bottle symphony.

No. 12, there's Amy Chan
Biting down, in line for the candyman
About the time she saw Tom Baker
Drinking down the âЂŒHat and FanâЂќ.
The man next door is Gary Stead
Shuffles downstairs with a heavy head
Scans the paper, takes a pill and
Stumbles back to bed.
La la la la la la
Didn't get home âЂ?til 3
Singing appallingly
A milk bottle symphony
Ooh, Ooh
A milk bottle symphony.

Emily Rose at 31,
Twenty minutes left to get her homework done
Leaves her cornflakes on the sofa,
Says goodbye to Mum.
La la la la la la
Jumps on the 43
Humming unconsciously
A milk bottle symphony
Ooh, ooh
Milk bottle symphony.

Crazy superstitions on my mind
Could they help me get you back for good?
Such a striking combination gone away
Could I save it if I knocked on wood?

Did I have a chance and fail to keep it?
Lose my dream and let it slip away?
Will my destiny remain a secret?
Well, that's OK, yeah

Everyone should have a reason to believe
So I still believe
That lightning could strike twice for me
Everytime I find the feeling's gonna leave
Suddenly I see
That lightning could strike twice for me

Sitting down to read the stars again
Maybe they can tell me what's in store
Now I'm mixing up the magic potion
That's gonna get you banging on my door

Did I have a chance and fail to keep it?
Lose my dream and let it slip away?
Will my destiny remain a secret?
Well, that's OK, yeah

And I'm walking on a siren's song
Oh, baby, oh, baby
Got a feeling that it won't be long
Oh, baby, oh, baby
Well, don't you know that...

Slow down at the castle
Things to straighten in her head
And she knows it's not a castle
But that's what they've always said

Shaded by the tower
As she clambers to her seat
With the ash of last night's party
Clinging grimly to her feet

Not for the first time
She's made her bed
Now she leaves that all behind and turns her mind
To playful things instead

Days spent making stories
For the faces that pass by
From the lonely tea shop owner
To the misbehaving wife

Now they're growing ever wilder
As the people start to go
Now she dreams that there's assassins
Hiding in the woods below

Not for the first time
She's made her bed
Now she leaves that all behind and turns her mind
To playful things instead

And she knows this must end
As the long shadows start to blend
She must be on her way...

Take a message,
Let me know.
Put on her shoes before she goes,
Hazel eyes and auburn hair.
How could she tell it's all for nothing?

Far away from what you want,
Another night to spend alone,
And now you really know,
It's gone, It's gone, It's gone.

You know it was a good thing,
The best thing,
Last thing you sure left behind.
Out of nowhere, out there
Looking all the way back.

It's a good thing,
The best thing,
Last thing you should have left behind.
Out of nowhere, out there
It's gone, It's gone, It's gone, It's gone, It's gone.

A small cafe across the street,
I heard you meet there every week.
Got your favorite necklace on,
How could you tell it's all for nothing?

Pack your bags and move along,
Before your feelings get too strong,
'Cause I can tell you now,
It's gone, It's gone, It's gone

You know it was a good thing,
The best thing,
Last thing you should have left behind.
Out of nowhere, out there,
Looking all the way back.

It's a good thing,
The best thing,
Last thing you sure left behind.
Out of nowhere, out there,
It's gone, It's gone, It's gone, It's gone, It's gone.

[He looked away, pretending not to see her
She tried to say something, but nothing came out right
He's lost the best thing
One day it will hit him
One day...]

You know it was a good thing,
The best thing,
Last thing you sure left behind.
Out of nowhere, out there,
Looking all the way back.

It's a good thing,
The best thing,
Last thing you should have left behind.
Out of nowhere, out there,
It's gone, It's gone, It's gone, It's gone, It's gone.

It's a good thing,
The best thing,
Last thing you should have left behind.
Out of nowhere, out there,
Looking all the way back.

It's a good thing,
The best thing,
Last thing you should have left behind.
Out of nowhere, out there,
It's gone, It's gone, It's gone, It's gone, It's gone.

The neighbourhood that I live in
I've always seen as home
At certain times of the evening
It's like a no-go zone

Got cash in my pocket to last the weekend (ba ba ba ba)
And I've got features I quite like and don't mind keeping

But still I walk the side streets home
Even when I'm on my own
If I let myself believe all the bad press and horror stories
I wouldn't set a foot outside

You say I live in a bubble
I find a bubble's best
At a faint whiff of trouble
Just turn and head due west

Quite light on my feet if I ever need be (ba ba ba ba)
As I zip down the street no-one ever sees me

That's why I walk the side streets home
Even when I'm on my own
If I let myself believe all the bad press and horror stories
I wouldn't set a foot outside

I'm tempting fate (I know, tell me about it)
So nonchalant (I know, and I don't doubt it)
I'll probably get it tomorrow

Til then I walk the side streets home
Even when I'm on my own
If I let myself believe...

(Side streets home)
(On my own)

Believe...

Tempers fraying in the Hat & Fan
Gets so hot in there even in November
Heated words from slicked back hair
It's too small a world for some people to share

Now Gary stares at an empty chair
Told her 5 or 10 and he'd join her right there
Not again, she's not going in, she just sighs...

It's only half 9
There's time, time for drinking
And still more time till he gets to thinking of her
She's in two minds
Maybe she'll board up her door
He sinks two pints and that's how it goes

It's guaranteed he's a funny man
You can bet your life that he'll bring the house down
Always plays such a winning hand
He just cools it down, they should knight him for it

But outside his former ride
Starts a solo drive, she's so tired of waiting
When he crawls in will she give him a surprise...?

Stars above us
Cars below us
Out on the rooftop baby
Stars above us
Cars below us
Nothing can touch us baby

Just had to get out of there
I'm tired of all of those faces
Up here is out of sight
Outside with the breeze on our faces

Let's go up the stairway
My band doing it their way
Our sound's ruling all the airwaves
Butterflies taking flight

[chorus*2]

(Sun sets) over the city
(Won't you) come and catch it with me?
(Follow me) right up the stairway
Let's have some fun tonight

[chorus*2]

(La la la rooftops)
(La la la rooftops)
Stars above us
(La la la rooftops)
(La la la rooftops)
[etc to fade]

HER (Sarah Cracknell)
You lie on the sofa
It's like I don't know ya
We never walk
Outside
It's the city outside

I look out the window
And see the streets below
Cars aand the people
Lonely church steeple
Surrounded by grey
We need to move away

HIM (David Essex)
Here we go, over and over and over
You're talking about it again
"Let's move out, relocate
This place is in a state
Let's buy a pig or a hen"

HER
We need some open space
We need a change of pace

HIM
So life here in town girl
Is getting you down
And you long for a change
But won't it seem strange
With fields all around?
We won't hear a sound

The grass may be greener
The air may be cleaner
But I love this city
I know it's not pretty
But at least there is life

HER
You call this life?

HIM
Here we go, over and over and over
You're talking about it again
"Let's move out, relocate
This place is in a state
Let's buy a pig or a hen"

HER
We need some open space
We need a change of pace

(Stars shine bright in the country)
(Life feels right, won't you trust me?)

HIM
Hand me the remote
I'm not sure that we'll cope
In the middle of nowhere
Surrounded by fresh air
I'd miss my mates

HER
This place is a state

You'd do your work from home
Online or on the phone
I could grow vegetables

HIM
Sounds like a load of balls

HER
Let's relocate

HIM
I said I'd miss my mates

Here we go, over and over and over
You're talking about it again
"Let's move out, relocate
This place is in a state
Let's buy a pig or a hen"

HER
We need some open space
We need a change of pace

[No lyrics]

Amy checks the shopping list
Pedal bin, washing-up racks, Santex
And she goes to the baker's to buy a loaf
Aaaah, she keeps forgetting
It's changed into the Tropicana Tanning Salon

And in the charity shop, Mrs Brown sits at the counter
Pricing down some old stock:
"The Moon's A Balloon", two copies of "Every Loser Wins"
"Noel's Blobbyland" (deluxe edition)
There's not much left on the doorstep recently
Something to do with eBay, Johnny reckons
He's bidding on it now
For a Subbuteo catalogue 81-82
He'll win it, put it in a drawer and forget he ever bought it

Holding on to something
And not knowing exactly what you're waiting for

Now, teenage winter's coming down
Teenage winter throws a gown
Over every place I've been
And every little dream, forever

Phone rings in Gary's flat
(can I speak to Mr G Stead, please?)
He hangs up and takes Tony the milk
See you in the 'Hat & Fan' at 7?
Gary can't believe the Claremont Road pitch
Is going to be covered in executive housing
He talks about the Newcastle game, Bontcho's debut but Tony can hardly hear him
They took the jukebox out
And the Aussie barstaff are playing the Red Hot Chili Peppers
He tells 'em what he thinks, he manages to keep it clean
He buys another round

Holding on to something
And not knowing exactly what you're waiting for

Now, teenage winter's coming down
Teenage winter throws a gown
Over every place I've been
And every little dream, forever

Mums with pushchairs outside Sainsbury's With tears in their eyes
They'll never buy a Gibb Brothers record again
Their old 45's gathering dust
With the birthday cards they couldn't face throwing away

Teenage winter coming down
Teenage winter coming down

Day’s over and night must fall
Shadows creeping up the garden wall
Goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, goodnight

Will you sing me to sleep?
And stroke my hair?
I’ll close my eyes if I know that you’re there

Put the bike in the alleyway
Shine of streetlights and a fuzzy grey
Goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, goodnight

Draw the blinds on a yellow moon
A dark apartment and a distant tune
Goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, goodnight