He thought he was the King of America Where they pour Coca Cola just like vintage wine Now I try hard not to become hysterical But I'm not sure if I am laughing or crying I wish that I could push a button And talk in the past and not the present tense And watch this hurtin' feeling disappear Like it was common sense It was a fine idea at the time Now it's a brilliant mistake

She said that she was working for the ABC News It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use Her perfume was unspeakable It lingered in the air Like her artificial laughter Her mementos of affairs "Oh" I said "I see you know him" "Isn't that very fortunate for you" And she showed me his calling card He came third or fourth and there were more than one or two He was a fine idea at the time Now he's a brilliant mistake

He thought he was the King of America But it was just a boulevard of broken dreams A trick they do with mirrors and with chemicals The words of love in whispers And the axe of love in screams I wish that I could push a button And talk in the past and not the present tense And watch this lovin' feeling disappear Like it was common sense I was a fine idea at the time Now I'm a brilliant mistake

Lovable

(chorus) It's going round the town It's going round the town It's going round the town You're so lovable

My baby gave me notice to quit I just can't get used to it She broke my little heart in two Now somebody else is being the same old you

(chorus

My baby has Egyptian eyes And a wicked look beyond compare If you thought I was a fool for you Then I must be a bigger fool for her

(chorus)

He'd turn the flowers of springtime into a wreath He says he'd love you eternally I say please please can't you keep it brief

They say they're going to bury you Because you're so lovable Put your money where your mouth was You're so lovable Each tender mumble brings us closer to bedlam You're so lovable The toast of the town and the talk of the bedroom You're so lovable

You're so sweet You're so honest You say `I'll be true to you boy' But I won't promise Then you say you love me Then you show me As you lie there so lifelike below me

(chorus)

Our Little Angel

This is the place where I made my best mistakes This is the place even angels don't understand I've seen the disappointment in her face And the collection of engagement rings on her right hand

She sits alone apart from the crowd In a white dress she wears like a question mark Friends speak of her fondly Enemies just think out loud You think you're man enough to please her And you're fool enough to start You're not going to do a thing to our little angel There's nothing you're thinking tonight that tomorrow won't change

Now the cabaret is frozen and the laughter comes in cans And the lonely hearts club clientele don't know what to do with their hands You think that you'll be sweet to her but everybody knows That you're the marshmallow valentine that got stuck on her clothes But you're not going to do a thing to our little angel There's nothing you're thinking tonight that tomorrow won't change

So you mix your drinks and words You make bad jokes you make bad time The floors are there to walk over The walls are there to climb You swear that you'll never go back again once you're inside You're never the bridegroom she's always the bride And you're not going to do a thing to our little angel There's nothing you're thinking tonight that tomorrow won't change

You'll come in a sweetheart and you'll go out a stranger Well you try to love her but she's so contrary Like a chainsaw running through a dictionary So get your mind off the sweet behind of our little angel You're not going to do a thing You're not going to do a thing You're not going to do a thing to our little angel

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Baby can you understand me now Sometimes I feel a little mad Don't you know that no one alive can always be an angel When things go wrong I seem to be mad

(Chorus) I'm just a soul whose intentions are good Oh Lord please don't let me be misunderstood

Baby sometimes I'm so carefree With a joy that's hard to hide Other times it seems that all I have to do is worry And then I know you're bound to see my other side

Chorus

If I get edgy I want you to know That I never mean to take it out on you Life has its problems and I get my share But that is one thing I would never do 'cause I love you Oh don't you know I'm human I've got my faults just like anyone Sometimes I lie awake long regretting Some foolish thing, some sinful thing I've done

Chorus x 3

Glitter Gulch

Enter Madam X painted in a shocking pink spangled dress Her teeth are perfect but her mouth is loose Rubbing their hands together she persuades them that it's better to confess Which unpleasant fate they'd like to choose

(chorus) Every step might be your last Money signs are in your eyes sucker You've been taken in this time You might just get out alive if you're lucky All the vultures tuning in to Glitter Gulch Are looking in on you And they're hungry

he stood five feet tall in his elevator shoes and stovepipe hat He was known by several different names Prompted by Madam X he answered all their questions And then after that he said I'm sick and tired of stupid games

(chorus)

We've got prizes if you can afford Some small humiliation before you get your reward And I'd rather be an outlaw than an inlaw to you And to live my life in miserable poverty Than to have to grovel to have some dream home hovel So watch me while I get away with prime time robbery

As he enters Madam X he thinks of red raged faces and the sweet greenbacks He climbed upon his honey and he covered her with money As they do their victory dance He thinks I hope they choke upon their laughter tracks They can all go straight to hell while we howl down the whole hotel

Indoor Fireworks

We play these parlour games We play at make believe When we get to the part where I say that I'm going to leave Everybody loves a happy ending but we don't even try We go straight past pretending To the part where everybody loves to cry

(chorus) Indoor fireworks Can still burn your fingers Indoor fireworks We swore we were safe as houses They're not so spectacular They don't burn up in the sky But they can dazzle or delight Or bring a tear When the smoke gets in your eyes

You were the spice of life The gin in my vermouth And though the sparks would fly I thought our love was fireproof Sometimes we'd fight in public darling With very little cause But different kinds of sparks would fly When we got on our own behind closed doors

(chorus) It's time to tell the truth These things have to be faced My fuse is burning out And all that powder's gone to waste Don't think for a moment dear that we'll ever be through I'll build a bonfire of my dreams And burn a broken effigy of me and you

(chorus)

Little Palaces

In Chocolate Town all the trains are painted brown On the silver paper of the wrapper There's a dapper little man And he wears a wax moustache That he twists with nicotine fingers As he drops his cigarette ash And someone comes and sweeps it up And then he doffs his cap And there's a rat in someone's bedroom And they're shutting someone's trap And they'll soon be pulling down the little palaces

And the doors swing back and forward, from the past into the present And the bedside crucifixion turns from wood to phosphorescent. And they're moving problem families from the South up to the North, Mother's crying over some soft soap opera divorce, And you say you didn't do it, but you know you did of course, And they'll soon be pulling down the little palaces.

It's like shouting in a matchbox, filled with plasterboard and hope, Like a picture of Prince William in the arms of John the Pope. There's a world of good intentions, and pity in their eyes, The sedated homes of England, are theirs to vandalize.

So you knock the kids about a bit, because they've got your name, And you knock the kids about a bit, until they feel the same. And they feel like knocking down the little palaces.

You're the twinkle in your daddy's eye, a name you spray and scribble, You made the girls all turn their heads, and in turn they made you miserable. To be the heir apparent, to the kingdom of the invisible.

So you knock the kids about a bit, because they've got your name, And you knock the kids about a bit, until they feel the same. And they feel like knocking down the little palaces.

I'll Wear It Proudly

I hate these flaming curtains they're not the color of your hair I hate these striplights they're not so undoing as your stare I hate the buttons on your shirt when all I wanna do is tear I hate this bloody big bed of mine when you're not here

[chorus] Well I finally found someone to turn me upside down And nail my feet up where my head should be If they had a King of Fools then I could wear that crown And you can all die laughing because I'll wear it proudly

Well you seem to be shivering dear and the room is awfully warm In the white and scarlet billows that subside beyond the storm You have this expression dear no words could take its place And I wear it like a badge that you put all over my face

[chorus]

I'll wear it proudly through the dives and the dancehalls If you'll wear it proudly through the snakepits and catcalls Like a fifteen year old kid wears a vampire kiss If you don't know what is wrong with me Then you don't know what you've missed

We are arms and legs wrapped round more than my memory tonight When the bell rang out and the air outside turned blue from fright But in shameless moments you made more of me than just a mess And a handful of eagerness says "What do you suggest?"

[chorus]

American Without Tears

Outside in New Orleans the heat was almost frightening But my hotel room as usual was freezing and unkind On TV they prosecute anyone who's exciting So I put on my overcoat and went down to find

In Revlon and Crimpelene they captured my heart To the strain of a piano and a cocktail murderess She was singing that "It's Too Late", I agreed with that part For two English girls who had changed their address

[chorus]

Now it seems we've been crying for years and for years Now I don't speak any English, just American without tears Just American without tears

One had been a beauty queen and the other was her friend They had known rogues and rascals and showbiz impresarios While the boys were licking Hitler they had something to defend

From men armed with chewing gum and fine nylon hose By a bicycle factory as they sounded the siren And returned into the dancehall she knew he was the one Though he wasn't tall or handsome she laughed when he told her "I'm the Sheriff of Nottingham and this is Little John"

[chorus]

At a dock in Southampton full of tearful goodbyes Newsreel commentators said "Cheerio, G.I. brides" Soon they'll be finding the cold facts and lies New words for suspenders and young girls backsides

Now I'm in America and running from you Like my grandfather before me walked the streets of New York And I think of all the women I pretend mean more than you When I open my mouth and I can't seem to talk

Now it seems we've been crying for years and for years Now I don't speak any English just American without tears Just American without tears

Poisoned Rose

The poisoned rose That you gave to me It left me half alive And half in ecstasy

But if half of your love Is all I can win Give me just a fraction But no more medicine

The poisoned rose On a Valentine card That you take straight to the heart That you call my junkyard

But if all I can do is save pieces of you The piece of your mind The piece of your heart

Didn't tear me apart Like the poisoned rose I received from you

I don't know How we came to grow Into this very sad affair Everytime we do the decent thing Somebody spikes the drink And a single becomes a pair

The poisoned rose That you wear at your best That I keep pressed between the white sheets Where you lie half undressed

I threw away my shirt and shoes You looked and I dived in It's just you and me now 'Cause I threw away the gin I threw away your alibis And all your worn-out clothes I threw myself upon the floor But I couldn't throw away This poisoned rose
This poisoned rose
This poisoned rose

The Big Light

Well I had a little feeling to have a big night And I woke up feeling small and not so brave and not quite right I had to face the who am I and where is she and what did I do But worst of all I had to face the big light

Chorus: The big light came through my window and it opened up my eyelids And it snapped them up like roller blinds and told me things that I did I can't face another day and night of good ideas and complications And I'm thankful that I didn't open another bottle of inspiration

When the hangover this morning had a personality And I cast my shattered mind over selected memories I didn't even touch the light switch so I knew I'd never see The Haggard face that would be staring back at me

Chorus

Well I had a little feeling to have a big time And I woke up to alarm bells like a big church chime I had to face the who am I and who is she and what did I do But worst of all I had to face the big light

Chorus

Jack Of All Parades

When we first met I didn't know what to do My old love lines were all worn out on you And the world walked round at my mouth They lit me up and they snuffed me out

[chorus] And I was everybody's boy But soon that thrill just fades To be the love of one true heart Or the Jack of all parades

You won't know who to thank You won't know who to blame It's just a part of the Murdering Game 'Cos down in the fleshpots Where they pay you in pounds They're laughing like drains And baying like bloodhounds For the Jack of all parades The Jack of all parades

Once I knew a girl That looked so much like Judy Garland That people would stop and give her money And everybody was Frankie, Jimmy or Bobby Not the Jack, the Jack of all Parades, Oh the Jack, the Jack of all Parades, Oh the Jack, of all Parades.

Now the way that I feel is no longer news You know my love and how to refuse it Cause you know where the door is And how to use it Oh you know you do

But from my chequered past To this shattered terrace Where you can't keep your mind off the Crimes of Paris And you can't keep your peace And try to forget it And I can't forgive you For things you haven't done yet

Oh I was anybody's boy But soon that thrill just fades To be the love of one true heart Or the Jack of all parades

When we first met I didn't know what to do My old love lines were all worn out on you And the world walked 'round my mouth I didn't mean to say it I just blurted it out As you pretended not to notice Or be taken aback And I loved you there and then It's as simple as that

Oh I was everybody's boy But soon that thrill just fades To be the love of one true heart Or the Jack of all parades To be the love of one true heart Or the Jack of all parades Oh the Jack of all parades

Suit of Lights

While Nat King Cole sings "Welcome To My World" You request some song you hate you sentimental fool And it's the force of habit If it moves then you fuck it If it doesn't move you stab it

And I thought I heard "The Working Man's Blues" He went out to work that night and wasted his breath Outside there was a public execution Inside he died a thousand deaths

And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they put him in a suit of lights

In the perforated first editions Where they advocate the hangman's noose Then tell the sorry tale of the spent Princess Her uncouth escort looking down her dress

Anyway they say that she wears the trousers And learnt everything that she does And doesn't know if she should tell him yes Or let him go

And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground And they put him in a suit of lights

Well it's a dog's life in a rope leash or a diamond collar It's enough to make you think right now But you don't bother For goodness sake as you cry and shake Let's keep you face down in the dirt where you belong And think of all the pleasure that it brings Though you know that it's wrong

And there's still life in your body But most of it's leaving Can't you give us all a break Can't you stop breathing

And I thought I heard "The Working Man's Blues" I went to work that night and wasted my breath Outside they're painting tar on somebody It's the closest to a work of art that they will ever be

And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they pulled him out of the cold cold ground
And they put him in a suit of lights
And they put him in a suit of lights

Sleep Of The Just

The soldier asked my name and did I come here very often Well I thought that he was asking me to dance In my holy coat and hat and him in his red bonnet We'd have made a lovely couple but we never had the chance

[chorus] And now you say that you've got to go Well if you must you must I suppose that you need the sleep of the just

Well it was a powerful day and there were black crows in the road And I kept my strong opinions to my chest I suppose I should have told them that I was on fire for you When the bus burst into flames outside some place, 'The Poet's Rest'

[chorus]

A girl woke up in a naked light and said "Oh no not again" He even looked like her brother in the army but she never mentions him He'll be tucked up in his bed tonight with his dirty-pictures girl Saying, 'You're some mother's daughter you know or is it immaterial girl?'

Now she's pinned up upon the barracks wall in her home town All the soldiers taking turns with their attentions And as they speculate what she'd look like beneath that thin nightgown His family pride was rising up as he cast his eyes down

The People's Limousine

It's a chilly Florentine evening Two men in evening hats Telling tales of the underground and fishing for Reds Policemen armed with Uzis stand guard but they don't speak Ain't seen no Michaeangelo he'll be here next week. The girl in the shoes with the crystal heels went chaperoned by her brother They raise a glass of amber wine take pictures of each other of the policemen in the fountains and the sickle and the hammer and they came with Uncle Romulus with his walking cane and camera

She looked like someone's girlfriend she looked like a dream she looked as unlikely as the people's limousine.

Come and sit by me, girl, before I breathe the breath out of you Hush your mouth and cover your eyes for I'll tell your father of you He paid to have you painted in the company of angels Only to find you flirting anew with Chico Marx and perverted Engels

The patron saint of television smiles down from the shelf Romulus can't criticize but he can't bless himself He has a tin of pea-green paint and a big roll of black tape To vandalize these obscenities then make his escape

She walked up to the nice policeman and asked him for a match He saw Romulus approaching and slipped off the safety catch Then cut down her uncle, he was painted red and green Just as she was kidnapped in the people's limousine.

They'll Never Take Her Love From Me

(Leon Payne)

If today the sun should set on all my hopes and cares There is one who's smiling face the gods would see For she'll walk along beside me up the golden stairs Oh, they'll never, never take her love from me

What a fool I was to go and break the trust she gave And see her love turn into sympathy It's the one regret I carry with me to my grave Oh, they'll never, never take her love from me

I'm so thankful for each golden hour of happiness That we shared together in the used to be Someone else's arms may hold her now in fond caress But, they'll never, never take her love from me

I thought I would make her happy if I stepped aside But I knew her love would never set me free And even on the morning she became another's bride I said, "They'll never, never take her love from me."

Suffering Face

Well, there's an old man's fantasy Put in a young girl's mouth Like cheap pink lipstick Smeared on her wedding dress

Will you look what you've done to her Will you look at this disgrace Well, it's all over Your suffering face

If we were chrome, we would be rusty If we were thirst, we would be quenched You don't need the same old rivet gun You need a brand new wrench

Someone to pull you down on the ground And cover you with kisses Once I was the jewel of your heart Now I'm only semi-precious

But if I seem so preoccupied It's just my alibi--I'm all broken up inside Even the words of love seem cruel and crass When you're tough and transparent as armored glass I prepared a bed for you

Then I sprayed perfume Upon the wilted roses That I'd scattered 'round the room You came in gentle as a lamb And turned into a terror And you left your love and other threats In the steam fading on my bathroom mirror

Well, it's an old man's fantasy Put in a young girl's mouth Like cheap pink lipstick Smeared on her wedding dress Will you look what you've done to me Now you've put me in my place Oh, it's all over It's all over It's all over Your suffering face

Shoes Without Heels

This love of mine is packed with stepping stone These shoes are made for walking in reverse In the dead of night, you tiptoe out and leave me all alone Putting on your satin slip-ons and your sultry French cologne.

She's wearing shoes without heels. She's walking over the floor. She's walking all over me Weirder therein, you know how it feels When she walks right out of the door.

Well, I thought that I was bigger than this town I thought I'd spend a pace and go the distance But she picked me out, she used me up, and then she put me down Now I'm driven til I'm crying, or I'm dreaming 'til I drown.

She's wearing shoes without heels. She's walking over the floor. She's walking all over me Weirder therein, you know how it feels When she walks right out of the door.

While you're busy packing underwear and other worthless trinkets, Spare a thought for worthless men who drag on women like they're cigarettes, 'cause you watch him walk away from you While he gets down and deals Oh, he'll watch you walk away without heels

Oh, you think that he's a fool to tolerate All the liberty you cherish and you roughly take But to watch your love turn slowly from indifference to hate Would hurt him more than any heart that you might care to break.

She's wearing shoes without heels. She's walking over the floor. She's walking all over you But when she's finished, I know (?) When she walks right back through the door.

King of Confidence

She had her mind made up just like her face She painted in the lines and shadows She shaded color in that would express The lonely mood that follows

Love, short and painful and tidy lies in self-defense She just told a thing or two to the King of Confidence

You said that he could tell her anything She even held him when he was crying And made her feel she was the only one You knew that he was lying when he said he was lying

Love is short and painful, that she finally made sense Of the love he had for the one and only King of Confidence

It's hard enough to be your lover and alone your confidant You say you know what I need but you don't know who I want It's just another tawdry morning now another tarnished farewell Your body's tired and complaining now But you're too tore down to tell

Love is short and painful, all you kind ladies and gents I spent years and a couple of days as the King of Confidence

It's hard enough to be your lover and alone your confidant You say you know what I need but you don't know who I want It's just another tawdry morning now another tarnished farewell Your body's tired and complaining now But you're too tore down to tell

Love is short and painful, all you kind ladies and gents I spent years and a couple of days as the King of Confidence I spent years and a couple of days as the King of Confidence

It Tears Me Up

(Dan Penn / Spooner Oldham)

I see you walk with him I see you talk to him It tears me up, oh, it tears me up And I can't stop crying Oh, baby, I can't stop crying

I see you kiss his lips And squeeze his fingertips It tears me up, oh, baby, it tears me up And there's nothing I can do about it Oh, baby, baby, can't you see I'm still in love with you

It's a faithless world we're livin' in When I turn around and there you are with my best friend Sometimes when you pass me on the street You look at me as if to say I'm sorry my sweet And being sorry might be enough Then you look back at him and [ ? ] a smile And that makes me feel kinda rough Oh, darlin, it tears me up

I see you smile at him You never tire of him It tears me up Oh, baby, it tears me up There's nothing I can do about it Baby, can't you see I'm still in love with you Still hungry for something I can't have Oh, it tears me up so bad Still hungry for something I can't have Tears me up so bad Can't you see I'm still in love with you Still hungry for something I can't have Baby, please, please, please I'm still hungry for something I can't have It tears me up so bad Oh, oh, it tears me up so bad Tears me up so bad

The Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line

(Ivy J. Bryant)

Everybody knows you been steppin' on my toes And I'm gettin pretty tired of it Keep steppin' outta line and messin' with my mind If you had any sense, you'd quit

But ever since you were just a little bitty girl Since I was the only man in this whole world Now you better do some thinking then you'll find You got the only daddy that'll walk the line

I keep workin' everyday, all you wanna do is play I'm sick of stayin' out all night You've been coming unglued from your funny little moods So, honey-baby, that ain't right

'Cause ever since you were just a little bitty girl Since I was the only man in this whole world Now you better do some thinking then you'll find You got the only daddy that'll walk the line

Everybody knows you been steppin' on my toes And still just puttin' me on When I start-a-walkin', don't I hear you start-a-squawkin' Beggin' me to come back home

'Cause ever since you were just a little bitty girl Since I was the only man in this whole world Now you better do some thinking then you'll find You got the only daddy that'll walk the line

Your Mind Is On Vacation/Your Funeral And My Trial

(Mose Allison/Sonny Boy Williamson)

I see you laughin' Right in my face I guess I'm gonna have to Put you in your place

Because if silence was golden You couldn't raise a dime Because your mind is on vacation And your mouth is working overtime

You're quoting figures And dropping names You're tellin' stories About the dames You're over-laughin' When things ain't funny You're tryin' to sound Like you're the big money, honey

If talk was criminal You'd lead a life of crime Because your mind is on vacation And your mouth is working overtime

Life is short, talk is cheap Don't go makin' promises that you can't keep If you don't like this little song I'm singin' Just grin and bear it All I can say is if the rich shoe fits, wear it

If you must keep talkin', please try to make it rhyme Because your mind is on vacation And your mouth is working overtime

Well, I recall when we first met It was on a Friday night We spent two lovely hours together And the world seemed all right I'm beggin' you, baby, please stop that off-the-wall jive 'Cause if you don't treat me no better It's gonna be your funeral and my trial

Well, the Lord made the world and everything that's in it The way my baby loves me, it's a sign that it's it [?] She can love to heal the sick, she can love to raise the dead You might think that I'm jokin', you better believe what I said

I'm beggin' you, babe, please stop that off-the-wall jive Oh, if you don't treat me no better It's gonna be your funeral and my trial

I see you laughin' Right in my face I guess I'm gonna have to put you in your place 'Cause if talk was criminal You'd lead a life of crime Because your mind is on vacation And your mouth is working overtime