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Lyrics
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Canary In A Coalmine Can't Stand Losing You Children's Crusade Come Down In Time* Consider Me Gone Contact Conversation With A Dog Cushie Butterfield* --------------------------------------------------------------------- Canary in a Coal Mine First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect You live you life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line You say you want to spend the winter in Firenza You're so afraid to catch a dose of influenza You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Now if I tell you that you suffer from delusions You pay your analyst to reach the same conclusions You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine Canary in a coalmine First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line ------------------------------------------- Can't Stand Losing You I've called you so many times today And I guess it's all true what your girlfriends say That you don't ever want to see me again And your brother's gonna kill me and he's six feet ten I guess you'd call it cowardice But I'm not prepared to go on like this I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I can't, I can't I can't I can't stand losing you I see you've sent my letters back And my LP records and they're all scratched I can't see the point in another day When nobody listens to a word I say You can call it lack of confidence But to carry on living doesn't make no sense I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I guess this is our last goodbye And you don't care so I won't cry But you'll be sorry when I'm dead And all this guilt will be on your head I guess you'd call it suicide But I'm too full to swallow my pride I can't, I can't I can't stand losing I can't stand losing you ------------------------------------------- Children's Crusade Young men, soldiers, nineteen fourteen Marching through countries they'd never seen Virgins with rifles, a game of charades All for a children's crusade Pawns in the game are not victims of chance Strewn on the fields of Belgium and France Poppies for young men, death's bitter trade All of these young lives betrayed The children of England would never be slaves They're trapped on the wire and dying in waves The flower of England face down in the mud And stained in the blood of a whole generation Corpulent generals safe behind lines History's lessons drowned in red wine Poppies for young men, death's bitter trade All of those young lives betrayed All for a children's crusade The children of England would never be slaves They're trapped on the wire and dying in waves The flower of England face down in the mud And stained in the blood of a whole generation Midnight in Soho nineteen eighty four Fixing in doorways, opium slaves Poppies for young men, such bitter trade All of those young lives betrayed All for a children's crusade ------------------------------------------- Come Down in Time In the quiet silent seconds I turned off the light switch And I came down to meet you in the half light the moon left While a cluster of night jars sang some songs out of tune A mantle of bright light shone down from a room Come down in time I still hear her say So clear in my ear like it was today Come down in time was the message she gave Come down in time and I'll meet you half way Well I don't know if I should have heard her as yet But a true love like hers is a hard love to get And I've walked most all the way and I ain't heard her call And I'm getting to thinking if she's coming at all Come down in time I still hear her say So clear in my ear like it was today Come down in time was the message she gave Come down in time and I'll meet you half way There are women and women, and some hold you tight While some leave you counting the stars in the night ------------------------------------------- Consider Me Gone There were rooms of forgiveness In the house that we share But the space has been emptied Of whatever was there There were cupboards of patience There were shelf loads of care But whoever came calling Found nobody there After today, consider me gone Roses have thorns and shining waters mud And cancer lurks deep in the sweetest bud Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun And history reeks of the wrongs we have done After today, consider me gone I've spent too many years at war with myself The doctor has told me it's no good for my health To search for perfection is all very well But to look for heaven is to live here in hell After today, consider me gone ------------------------------------------- Contact I've got a lump in my throat about the note you wrote I'd come on over but I haven't got a raincoat Have we got contact You and me? Have we got touchdown Can't we be? I've got contacts in my book and in my eyes My good connection on the telephone never lies Have we got contact You and me? Have we got touchdown Can't we be? I've got a list of the people I have known I'm never alone on the end of a phone Have we got contact You and me? Have we got touchdown Can't we be? I've got a lump in my throat about the note you wrote I'd come on over but I haven't got a raincoat I'd come on over but I haven't got a raincoat ------------------------------------------- Conversation With A Dog I asked my dog what he thought the best in man He said, "The love you dispense to me twice daily from a can." I said, "Why do you think my question funny? And where would you be without my money?" I said, "There may be some quality in us you must treasure." "It's despair," he said, "of which your money is the measure." Walk like a dog Like anybody can I said, "What about our politics, philosophy, our history?" He said, "If there is something admirable in these it is a mystery." "But there must be something in our system tell me at your leisure." "It's despair," he said, "of which your borders are the measure." Walk like a dog Talk like a man Walk like a dog Like anybody can I said, "What about technology, computers, nuclear fission?" "I'm terrified of radiation, hate the television." I said, "There must be something in our scientific treasure." "It's despair," he said, "of which your weapons are the measure." "Feed me, you can beat me. I will love you till I die. But don't ask for admiration and don't ever ask me why." I said, "Why wait till now to demonstrate displeasure?" "It's despair," he said, "of which my silence was the measure." Walk like a dog Talk like a man Walk like a dog Like anybody can ------------------------------------------- Cushie Butterfield I'm a broken-hearted keelman and I'm o'er head in love With a young lass from Gyetsid And I call 'er my dove Her name's Cushie Butterfield And she sells yellow clay And 'er cousins a muckman And they call him Tom Gray CHORUS She's a big lass She's a bonny lass And she likes her beer And I call her Cushie Butterfield And I wish she was here Her eyes is like two holes In a blanket burnt through And her breath in the mornin' Would scare a young coo She wears big galoshes And her stockings once was white And her bed gown it's lilac And her hat's never straight CHORUS Cushie Butterfield Aa's a broken hairted keel man and Aa's ower heed in luv Wiv a young lass in Gyetsid an Aa caal hor me duv Hor nyem's Cushie Butterfield and she sells Yalla clay And her cousin is a muckman and they caall ”im Tom Gray. Chorus- She's a big lass an' a bonnie lass an' she likes hor beer An they caall hor Cushie Butterfield an' aa wish she war heor Her eyes are like two holes in a blanket bornt throo, An' her brows in a mornin wad spyen a young coo; An' when aw heer her shootin "will ye buy ony clay," Like a candy man's trumpet, it steels ma young hart away. Ye'll oft see hor doon at Sangit when the fresh harrin cims in, She's like a bagfull o'saadust tied roond wiv a string; She weers big galoshes tee, an' hor stockins once was white, An' hor bedgoon it's laelock, but hor hat's nivver strite. Chorus Whan Aa axed hor te marry us, she started te laff; "Noo, nyen o'yor munkey tricks, for Aa like nee such chaff" Then she started a' blubblin' an' roared like a bull, An' the cheps on the Keel ses As's nowt but a fyeul. Chorus She sez "The chep that gets me'll heh to work ivry day, An when he cums hyem at neets heŠll heh te gan an' seek clay; An' when he's away seekin't aal myek balls an' sing' Weel may the keel row that my laddies in !" Chorus Noo, aw heer she hes anuther chep, an' he hews at Shipcote' If aw thowt she wad deceive me, ah'd sure cut me throat; Aal doon the river sailin, anŠsing "Aam afloat," Biddin addo te Cushy Butterfield anŠ the chep at Shipcote. Chorus |