soderzhanie
1. "THE PEOPLE WHO GRINNED THEMSELVES TO DEATH" 2
1.1. The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death 2
1.2. I Can't Put My Finger On It 2
1.3. The Light Is Always Green (For Young Male Pop
Star) 3
1.4. The World's On Fire 4
1.5. We're Not Going Back 4
1.6. Me And The Farmer 5
1.7. Five Get Over Excited 5
1.8. Johannesburg 6
1.9. Bow Down 7
1.10. You Better Be Doubtful 7
1.11. Build 8
2
** The Housemartins ***
1. "THE PEOPLE WHO GRINNED THEMSELVES TO DEATH"
(p) 1987
1. The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death
2. I Can't Put My Finger On It
3. The Light is Always Green
4. The Word's On Fire
5. Pirate Aggro
6. We Are Not Going Back
7. Me And The Farmer
8. Five Get Over Excited
9. Johannesburg
10. Bow Down
11. You Better Be Doubtful
12. Build
1.1. The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death
They smiled so much and waved their flags
As she saluted to the military band.
Most of the people failed to see
She had a broken bottle in the other hand.
And she took them by surprise
When she took them by the throat,
And said "My friend you're not allowed to vote"
But they shook it all off,
With a nervous laugh and cough,
"Next time," she said "I'll let those people choke"
Chorus:
The people who grinned themselves to death
Smiled so much they failed to take a breath
And even when their kids were starving
They all thought the queen was charming.
She polished all upon the wall
And ran her hands right through her hair.
So if the lady took the time to call,
All the houses on the street would not compare.
And she thought it really funny
That she hadn't any money
But those she looked up to, they had,
But they shook it all off
With a nervous laugh and cough
And when they took her riches it was sad.
Chorus:
1.2. I Can't Put My Finger On It
As Martin said to Xanthe
As they played with wooden toys,
"You may have Wendy's playhouse,
But where the hell's your boys?"
3
** The Housemartins ***
As Paul said to Fifi
As they eyed each other up,
"You may have better plimsoles
But you can't pee standing up."
And I'd like to take the time to bite
Their neck and make it bleed
Or maybe I could cut holes in their
Daddy's Harris Tweed.
Chorus:
And I can't put my finger on it,
Maybe it's something in their food,
And I can't put my finger on it
All I know is Christ would've sued.
As Sharon said to Jamie
As they sat down for a chat,
"If you think I'm cooking dinner,
Well, prepare to eat dead rat."
As Debbie said to Alex
As they held hands in the park,
"How come you wear Rupert Check
When you think you're so hard."
I should've done his Land Rover
To let him know I'd been,
Instead I wrote "F' off"
On the dirt across his screen.
Chorus:
I wish I'd let them know that I was here,
A drop of arsenic in the wine,
Sulphuric acid in the beer.
1.3. The Light Is Always Green (For Young Male Pop
Star)
We dig our models with the brains the size of models
And cars that we can trust with our wives
And we dig conversations with girls from every nation
But not the ones that whisper or tell lies.
Wherever there's a will there's a motorway,
Wherever there is greed there is speed
And they've always got to be there for yesterday,
Welcome to the new Scalehtric's breed.
Chorus:
And the light they always show to them
Is green, green, green.
And the heels they always show to me
Are clean, clean, clean.
We're only flying past so we dig our service fast,
From the waiters to the women to the wine.
Never mind the match, I've an urgent date to catch,
Get me to the concert hall on
Pretending to be pilots in a war
Pretending to weave between the flak
No-one knows what the mission's for
Blinkered horses on the track.
Chorus:
4
** The Housemartins ***
1.4. The World's On Fire
There's a couple sunbathing on a freshly
mown lawn in England,
It's a house with a view and all you see is
Lgreen and blue for miles.
The local Vicar has pretended that the church is
well attended this morning,
As he wanders without purpose to the
Sunday Service he smiles.
(Oh-ho!) What a beautiful morning,
(Oh-ho!) What a beautiful day,
(Oh-ho!) What a sickening feeling,
It took this long to make it, now we're throwing it away.
Chorus:
Now, I was told not to play with fire,
I said, look out Church the flames grow higher
I said, watch those flames lick that spire
I said, look out Church the flames grow higher
(The World's on fire).
There's a curtain closed early
in an upstairs room in England,
There's a couple misbehaving when they should've
been praising Sunday.
And there's a bounce in a walk and the neighbours
stop to talk for hours
And when eyebrows are raised at the
next song of praise come Monday.
(Oh-ho!) What a beautiful morning,
(Oh-ho!) What a beautiful day,
(Oh-ho!) What a sickening feeling,
It took this long to make it, now we're throwing it away.
Chorus:
The world's on fire!
1.5. We're Not Going Back
Do you remember the good old days?
An empty stomach and a tear-stained face.
Do you remember how it used to be?
The walking dead in the factory.
I won't talk because
It's not as it was.
You don't want the sack,
Then don't doff your cap.
Chorus:
(We are not going back) Don't back-pedal down
a broken track.
(We are not going back) "I'm alright Jack" is an easy trap.
(We are not going back) No more need for wearing all black.
(We are not going back) "I'm alright Jack" is an easy trap.
5
** The Housemartins ***
Do you remember the daily pain
Of walking around with a ball and a chain?
Do you recall when it was hard but fair?
You got your share on a line of a prayer,
Please put in my box
Some morey for socks.
Don't turn back the clocks
It's not as it was.
Chorus:
1.6. Me And The Farmer
Me and the farmer get on fine,
Through stormy weather and bottles of wine,
If I pull my weight he'll treat me well
But if I'm late he'll give me hell.
And though it's all hard work no play,
Farmer is a happy crook,
Jesus hates him everyday
'Cause Jesus gave and farmer took.
Chorus:
(Won't he let you go?) probably no
(Won't he let you go?) probably no
(Why does he treat you so?) I just don't know
(Why does he treat you so?) I just don't know
Me and the farmer like brother, like sister,
Getting on like hand and blister.
Me and the farmer.
He's chopped down sheep, planted trees
And helped the countryside to breathe
Ripped up fields, bullied flocks
And worked his workers right around the clock.
It may seem strange but he'd admit
Intentions aren't exactly true
And though God loves his wife a bit
He hates the farmer through and through
Chorus:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All we've got is London Zoo
'Cause farmer owns them all.
1.7. Five Get Over Excited
Chorus:
Fun, fun, fun, (Jeremy)
Me, me, me, (Fifi)
Take, take, take, (Jeremy)
Fun, fun, fun.
6
** The Housemartins ***
James Dean posters on their wall,
(Five killed in a car-crash)
What a sad little and to it all
(Five killed in a car-crash)
Last seen having lots of fun,
(Five dumped in a river)
Barefoot and on the run,
(Five dumped in a river).
I am mad from Scandinavia,
I want a guy in the London area,
He must be crazy and Sagittarius,
'Cause I am Leo and I'm hilarious.
Chorus:
Last seen drinking Daddy's own beer,
(Five poisoned over dinner)
Singing Abba's "Mamma Mia",
(Five poisoned over dinner)
Drop dead watching Thunderbirds fly,
(Five get over excited)
Poster on their wall says "Why?"
(Five get over excited)
I am Guy from Camden Town,
My hair is curly but I gel it down.
My clothes are black but my bread is brown,
I'm really into early Motown.
Chorus:
Feigning concern, a conservative pastime,
Makes you feel doubtful right from the start.
The expression she pulls is exactly like last time,
You've got to conclude she just hasn't a heart.
1.8. Johannesburg
Please don't show your soul to me,
I think I'd see the light shine through.
And please don't greet me on the street,
I'd like to see a world without you.
Chorus:
'Cause I've found there's nothing more
That I could say to you,
Nothing I could do to change your mind,
Change your ways and your tune.
Please don't change your uniform
And start to mourn the thousands dead.
And please wear what you've always worn
And don't be drawn by what I've said.
Chorus:
So please don't feel you have to sway
Or move away from how you feel
And please say what you mean to say
And always stay with a heart of steel.
7
** The Housemartins ***
1.9. Bow Down
Mother, Father, I think that I would rather
Stay at home with you for anoher year.
That building's so tall and it makes me feel so small
that I might get lost and simply disappear.
Evil smiles won't change my mind,
I'm worried and I'm not the worrying kind.
Why's that man rubbing his hands
Looking at me writing down his plans?
Today I have been moulding plasticine
And I made a little man who looked just like me
He limbs were so weak and he couldn't
move his mouth to speak
And I could bend him into any shape I wanted him to be.
Evil smiles won't change my mind,
I'm worried and I'm not the worrying kind.
Why's that man rubbing his hands
Looking at me writing down his plans?
Those kids with the blazers on,
They went in with names on their elbows.
Came home with medals on,
Spit it out that's the way the story goes.
A flying start for the briefcase crew.
Oh, you didn't have to teach me like you did
But you did.
And you didn't have to beat me like you did
But you did.
But you did.....
You did.
You did.......
1.10. You Better Be Doubtful
Tinker, you better place another bet
The rich up in the castle haven't finished eating yet.
They'll throw you a bone or a spat-out stone
But knowing them that's all you'll get.
Tailor, you better close another shop
No-one wants your quality, make do with what you've got.
They'll let you survive,
They'll let you get by,
But knowing them, they'll let you rot.
Chorus:
You better be doubtful,
You better beware,
you better not shout now,
You better not care.
Tinker, you better buy another boot
Those "Pocock Continental" are finally showing through
We'll get you a pair
From a second-hand fayre,
They'll only have 'a two'
8
** The Housemartins ***
Sailor, you better sink a few more ships
Admiral loony Nelson cannot find his game of risk
We'll lose a few lives
A couple of tribes
But knowing him he'll lick his lips.
Chorus:
From Queen Wilkins to Queen Victoria
We've had a promising side,
From King Callaghan to Bonny Prince Francis
We've paid up and we've cried
Princess Gower and Princess Ferguson
We've looked a hard nut to crack
But we're weak at the ........ Back!
1.11. Build
Clambering men in big bad boots
Dug up my den, dug up my roots,
Treated us like plasticine town
They built us up and knocked us down.
From Meccano to Legoland,
Here hey come with a brick in their hand,
Men with heads filled up with sand,
It's build,
Chorus:
It's build a house where we can stay,
Add a new bit everyday.
It's build a road for us to cross,
Build us lots and lots and lots and lots and lots.
Whistling men in yellow vans
They came and drew us diagrams.
Showed us how it all worked out
And wrote it down in case of doubt.
Slow, slow, quick, quick, quick,
It's wall to wall and brick to brick,
They work so fast it makes you sick,
It's build.
Chorus:
It's build.....
Down with sticks and up with bricks,
In with boots and up with roots,
It's in with suits and new recruits,
It's build........
Last-modified: Mon, 13 Jan 1992 09:31:30 GMT