Stereophonics Album

Standing at the bus stop with my shopping in my hands,
When I'm over hearing elder ladies as the rumours start to fly,
Hear them in the school yard, in the scrap yard, in the chip shop, 
In the phone box, In the pool hall, at the shoe stall every corner turned
around.

Started with the school girl who was running, 
Running home to her mum and dad
Told them she was playing in the change room of the local football side,
They said tell us again, she told them again,
Tell us the truth they found it hard to believe
Cause he taught our Steve, even trained me,
Taught Uncle John who's a father of three

It only takes one tree to make a thousand matches
Only takes one match to burn a thousand trees, thousand trees

You see it in the class room or the swimming pool,
Where the match stick men are made,
At the scouts hall at the football, where the wise we trust are paid,
We all honour his name, did a lot for the game,
Got his name knocked up above the sports ground gates,
Now they're ripping it down, stamping the ground,
Picture gather dust in the bar and the lounge

It only takes one tree to make a thousand matches
Only takes one match to burn a thousand trees, thousand trees

Wake up, smell the rain, shake up, he's back to stay,
Hasn't been on a holiday, growing seeds, don't believe why he's been away

In the school yard, change room, playing fields, bathroom, phone box, office
blocks
Corner's turned around, they keep doubting the flame, tossing the blame,
Got his name knocked up above the sports ground gates,
Now they're ripping it down,
stamping the ground picture gathers dust in the bar and the lounge

It only takes one tree to make a thousand matches
Only takes one match to burn a thousand trees
Thousand Trees
Thousand Trees
Thousand Trees

I feel the wash, close down the street,
Yet Chaplin walks, feet nine fifteen,
And I hear them, hear them, call his name,
And I see him, see him, turn away,

They take him in, clean him up, ha na, ha na na

They take him in, and strip him down,
They dry his skin and feed him wine,
And I hear them, hear them, call his name
And I see him, see him turn away,

Asks to use the phone, yet he lives alone, he lives alone
There's no-one, no-one home to phone,
Sits alone at home, he calls his home his own,
His wife is still unknown

I get camping eyes in the final hour,
Last minute shoppers picking cauliflower,
The fuss they make, you'd swear they were buying a car,

They always moan, moan it's not so cheap,
Cheaper still, cheaper still down the street,
Lose my rag and tell them take your bag and shop down there,
Closing down, they're closing down another road, 
One-way system steals the show,
Mac The Knife swigs a can and sings the day away

There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest
There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest

The flower man sits down in the street,
Surrounded by, stock he bought back last week
Bring back the ladies wearing lipstick on their teeth,
Make up, we make up a crappy joke,
Sit back, relax and have a smoke,
Mac The Knife swigs a can and sings the day away,

There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest
There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest
There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest
There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest

I get camping eyes in the final hour,
Last minute shoppers picking cauliflower,
Mac The Knife swigs a can and sings the day away

There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest
There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest
There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest
There's more life, more life, more life in a tramps vest

There's no mistake, I smell that smell,
It's that time of year again, I can taste the air
The clock's go back, railway track,
Something blocks the line again,
And the train runs late for the first time,

A pebble beach, we're underneath,
A pier just been painted red
Where I hear the news for the first time

And all the friends lay down their flowers,
Sit on the banks and drink for hours
Talk of the way they saw him last,
Local boy in the photograph today

He'll always be twenty three,
Yet the train runs on and on,
Past the place they found his clothing
Bah bah bah bah bah
Bah bah bah, bah bah

There's no mistake, I smell that smell,
It's that time of year again, I can taste the air
The clock's go back, railway track,
Something blocks the line again,
And the train runs late for the first time today,

And all the friends lay down their flowers,
Sit on the banks and drink for hours
Talk of the way they saw him last,
Local boy in the photograph, today
He's gone away

We all face the same way, still it takes all day,
I take a look to my left, pick out the worst and the best,
She paints her lip, greasy and thick, another mirror stare
And she's going where?

Another office affair? to kill an unborn scare?
You talk dirty to a priest? it makes them human at least,
But is she running away? to start a brand new day?
Or she going home? why's she driving alone?

Is anyone going anywhere?
Everyone gotta be somewhere

She got a body in the boot? or just bags full of food?
Those are models legs but are they women's are they men's?
She shouts down the phone, missed a payment on the loan,
She gotta be above the rest, keeping up with the best

Is anyone going anywhere?
Everyone gotta be somewhere

Waits tables for a crook? you wrote a hard back book? 
You teach kid's how to read? or sell your body on the street? 
A nurse without a job? another up-town snob?
But have I got you all wrong? one look and you were gone

Is anyone going anywhere?
Is anyone going anywhere?
Is anyone going anywhere?
Every one gotta be somewhere

Salt grips the road, awaits his lift again,
Street orange glow, shades the odds against,
One more sip, a shoe, a miss, a shaving nick, one extra kiss,
Who's to know, whatever?

Not up to me, not up to you
Not up to me, not up to you

The swings don't swing, the parks been dead for years
How do you know the last swing weren't the last for good,
Hard book on freaks, fresh summer peach, 
Creased magazine, sugar chocolate treat,
Who's to know whatever?

Not up to me, not up to you
Not up to me, not up to you

The streets so long where she lost her pocket purse,
Kept the last picture of the man she committed first,
Cracked windscreen rain, French murder play, 
Junk take away, tired street parade,
Who's to know, whatever? whatever

Not up to me, not up to you
Not up to me, not up to you
Ha whatever
Not up to me, not up to you
Not up to anything we do
Not up to me, not up to you
Ahh you
Ahh you
Ahh you
Its not up to me, 
Its not up to you

Its not up to you
Its not up to you
Its not up to you

I gotta lose weight, I, I, swallow honey,
Is my stand up show still, still, still that funny,
Am I back for good, I said that I, said that I would be,
She's down waist low, trying to make me happy.
Because I like watching you

It's time I tried, tried to check my, check my eyelids, check for holes
It's time I tried, tried to check my, check my eyelids, check for holes

Two weeks late, I, I, I gotta test for babies,
Shop take is falling low,
I'm not going back, back to the factory's,
Because I like what I do

It's time I tried, tried to check my, check my eyelids, check for holes
It's time I tried, tried to check my, check my eyelids, check for holes

It's time I tried, tried to check my, check my eyelids, check for holes
It's time I tried, tried to check my, check my eyelids, check for holes
It's time I tried, tried to check my, check my eyelids, check for holes
It's time I tried,
It's time I tried,
It's time I tried,
It's time I tried,
It's time I tried,
It's time I tried,
It's time I tried, to check my lids for holes

A week's too long not to ring,
Re-colours her hair and waits for him,
No cat against dog, just head over heels,
Sex twice a date, best time in years,
Oh no, why hasn't he phoned, 
She has to wait until he's on his own,
Lying and denying till no-body knows,
I'll tell her this week is what he tells her to keep her on loan,
He'll buy her one day,

Sex drives, oral highs, cheated wives and spies
Cream cakes, coffee dates, floral gifts, goodbye.
Passed away, for the day, had a change of kind
Sex change, too mundane for the average mind
Ha no, she just can't see,
Where he is or where he's been
Looked prim and straight like she's always been,
All that she saved for, went missing again

She could be, 
She could be,
She could be wrong
She could be, 
She could be,
She could be wrong
She could be, 
She could be,
She could be wrong
It looks like it looks like it looks like the words got round

They found a body in the lake,
Maybe it wasn't really his name,
Same colour, same weight, same size feet,
It's the not knowing that kills you,
Oh no the clock's stopped slow every time your on your own,
You hide from the spies so nobody knows,
Scratch through the pages of a lazy days news for a clue,
Still looking for you

Ten minutes flat after a bad day in the factory,
I'm drinking like a dog in the sun,
I don't need to eat or sleep a wink, at the weekend,
Just rot my guts

And I can't wait for my next drink,
The first one is gonna sink, I'm the last of the big time drinkers,
I take pride in my work, I'm the last of the big time drinkers
The beer don't taste the same without my name painted on my glass

I don't live to work I work to live,
And live at the weekend, and maybe spend a week in the sun,
I come home, wet the bed, throw my sheets out the window,
And Sunday morning comes

And I can't wait for my next drink,
The first one is gonna sink, I'm the last of the big time drinkers,
I take pride in my work, I'm the last of the big time drinkers
The beer don't taste the same without my name painted on my glass

And I can't wait for my next drink,
The first one is gonna sink, I'm the last of the big time drinkers,
I take pride in my work, I'm the last of the big time drinkers
Just give me hops or the slops, I'm the last of the big time drinkers
I take pride in the work, I'm the last of the big time drinkers glass

Same long faces in the work-mans hall,
Caramel Crisp counts his birds,
Cliff Chips lines up his dominoes,
Kingfisher lead singer calms his nerves

I'm drinking, sinking, swimming, 
I'm drowning, working, smirking, learning,
I'm burning, sleeping, thieving, cheating, 
Beating, I'm eating, I'm deep in a goldfish bowl,
It's sink or swim

The hall down town just burnt to the ground,
My boxing ring turned to ash,
Red-head, ginger bread, sells tickets at the door,
Stella sleep walks in the sand

I'm drinking, sinking, swimming, 
I'm drowning, working, smirking, learning,
I'm burning, sleeping, thieving, cheating, 
Beating, I'm eating, I'm deep in a goldfish bowl,
It's sink or swim,
Looking in, They're looking in

Hard up, outta luck, time to ride the village bike,
A bike been used ten times or more,
Grape vine, here's the wife, lays down her royal flush,
I think I've lost another wife

I'm drinking, sinking, swimming, 
I'm drowning, working, smirking, learning,
I'm burning, sleeping, thieving, cheating, 
Beating, I'm eating, I'm deep in a goldfish bowl,
It's sink or swim,
They're looking in, its sink or swim

Shopping spree for the family tree,
Haven't seen your family tree in quite a while,
Too many sandwiches and wine,
Sherry stains down your best mans tie, what a speech,

The band arrives, the granny's cry, 
The singer's tongues in the barmaids mouth what a voice,
Grandpa drank a drop or two,
And his heads still sunk in the portaloo, what a man

You bought a sequin dress for your chicken breast,
The disco's late and he's overpaid tonight,
You got a diamond ring and a man who sings,
The man who sings made love to the barmaid twice,
And that's just tonight

The blue rinsed hairs, lift up their chairs,
The band's too loud, they're off downstairs,
What a noise,
The bride and groom dance, they dance that dance,
And the singer mimes, there's still a chance,
The barmaid smiles

You bought a sequin dress for your chicken breast,
The disco's late and he's overpaid tonight,
You got a diamond ring and a man who sings,
The man who sings made love to the barmaid twice,
And that's just tonight

Ha na na, ha na na
Ha na na, 
Ha na na, ha na na

You bought a sequin dress for your chicken breast,
The disco's late and he's overpaid tonight,
You got a diamond ring and a man who sings,
The man who sings made love to the barmaid twice,
Ha, Grandpa drank a drop or two,
His heads still sunk in the portaloo again,
The bride and groom dance, they dance that dance,
And the singer mimes, there's still a chance, tonight,
And the barmaid smiles

I never knew her name,
I only knew her fame,
She lived near my town,
Another goldfish to drown,
I just passed the bridge,
That parts us from them,
The bridge that she used, again and again, again

I remember when they found her,
Billy Davey's daughter,
The word gets around

Billy Davey's second daughter threw herself to dirty water,
Billy's left with nothing but a dream,
Billy Davey's second daughter threw herself to dirty water,
Billy's left with nothing but a dream,

He dreams, dreams, dreams, dreams
He dreams, dreams, dreams, dreams

The word gets around