Richard Colburn [Belle & Sebastian]

Elope with me Miss Private and we’ll sail around the world
I will be your Ferdinand and you my wayward girl
How many nights of talking in hotel rooms can you take?
How many nights of limping round on pagan holidays?
Oh elope with me in private and we’ll set something ablaze
A trail for the devil to erase
San Francisco’s calling us, the Giants and Mets will play
Piazza, New York catcher, are you straight or are you gay?
We hung about the stadium, we’ve got no place to stay
We hung about the tenderloin and tenderly you tell
About the saddest ending of a book you ever had to read
The statue’s crying too and well he may
I love you I’ve a drowning grip on your adoring face
I love you my responsibility has found a place
Beside you and strong warnings in the guise of gentle words
Come wave upon me from the wider family net absurd
“You’ll take care of her, I know it, you will do a better job”
Maybe, but not what she deserves
Elope with me Miss Private and we’ll drink ourselves awake
We’ll taste the coffee houses and award certificates
A privy seal to keep the feel of 1960 style
We’ll comment on the decor and we’ll help the passer by
And at dusk when work is over we’ll continue the debate
In a borrowed bedroom virginal and spare
The catcher hits for .318 and catches every day
The pitcher puts religion first and rests on holidays
He goes into cathedrals and lies prostrate on the floor
He knows the drink affects
his speed he’s praying for a doorway
Back into the life he wants and the confession of the bench
Life outside the diamond is a wrench
I wish that you were here with me to pass the dull weekend
I know it wouldn’t come to love, my heroine pretend
A lady stepping from the songs we love until this day
You’d settle for an epitaph like “Walk Away, Renee”
The sun upon the roof in winter will draw you out like a flower
Meet you at the statue in an hour
Meet you at the statue in an hour

Make a new cult every day to suit yours affairs
Kissing girls in English, at the back of the stairs
You're a honey, with a following of innocent boys
They never know it
Because you never show it
You always get your way
They never know it
Because you never show it
You always get your way

Have you and her been taking of your obessions?
Because I met a kid who went through one of your sessions
In his blue velour and silk
You liberated
A boy I never rated
And now he's throwing discus
For Liverpool And Widnes
You liberated
A boy I never rated
And now he's doing business

The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field, you are
The stars of track and field are beautiful people

Could I write a piece about you now that you've made it?
About the hours spent, the emptiness in your training
You only did it so that you could wear
Your terry underwear
And feel the city air
Run past your body

Could I write a requiem for you when you're dead?
"She had the moves, she had the speed, it went to her head"
She never needed anything to get her round the track
But when she's on her back
She had the knowledge
To get her into college
But whe she's on her lack
She had the knowledge
To get her into college

Fox in the snow, where do you go
To find something you can eat?
Cause the word out on the street is you are starving
Don't let yourself grow hungry now
Don't let yourself grow cold
Fox in the snow

Girl in the snow, where will you go
To find someone that will do?
To tell someone all the truth before it kills you
They listen to your crazy laugh
Before you hang a right
And disappear from sight
What do they know anyway?
You'll read it in a book
What do they know anyway?
You'll read it in a book tonight

Boy on the bike, what are you like
As you cycle round the town?
You're going up, you're going down
You're going nowhere
It's not as if they're paying you
It's not as if it's fun
At least not anymore
When your legs are black and blue
It's time to take a break
When your legs are black and blue
It's time to take a holiday

Kid in the snow, way to go
It only happens once a year
It only happens once a lifetime
Make the most of it
Second just to being born
Second to dying to
What else could you do?

Anthony walked to his death because he thought he'd never feel this way again
If he goes back to the house then things would go from bad to worse, what could he do?
He wants to remember things exactly as he left them on that Wednesday
And if there is something else beyond, he isn't scared because
It's bound to be less boring than today
It's bound to be less boring than tomorrow

Hilary walked to her death because she couldn't think of anything to say
Everybody thought that she was boring, so they never listened anyway
Nobody was really saying anything of interest, she fell asleep
She was into S&M and bible studies
Not everyone's cup of tea she would admit to me
Her cup of tea, she would admit to no one
Her cup of tea, she would admit to me
Oh but her cup of tea, she would admit to no one

Hilary went to the Catholic Church because she wanted information
The vicar, or whatever, took her to one side and gave her confirmation
Saint Theresa's calling her, the church up on the hill is looking lovely
But it doesn't interest, the only things she wants to know is
How and why and when and where to go
How and why and when and where to follow
How and why and when and where to go
How and why and when and where to follow

But if you are feeling sinister
Go off and see a minister
He'll try in vain to take away the pain of being a hopeless unbeliever

When she got back, her spirituality was thrown into confusion
So she got a special deal on renting
From the man at Rediffusion
"Look at me! I'm on TV
It makes up for the shortcomings of being poor
Now I'm in a million pieces", picked up for deliberation
By the people listening at home
By the people watching on the telly
By the people listening at home
By the people watching on the telly

But if you are feeling sinister
Go off and see a minister
Chances are you'll probably feel better
If you stayed and played with yourse

The boy done wrong again
Hang your head in shame and cry your life away
The boy done wrong again
Hang your head in shame and cry your life away
Are you ok now?
Are you ok now?

On Saturday I was an angel shining fair
You shone louder, longer
You put my shine to shame
Put me to shame now
Put me to shame

What is it I must do to pay for all my crimes?
What is it I must do?
I would do it all the time

All I wanted was to sing the saddest songs
If somebody sings along I will be happy now

The woodland spring will put the darkness from your thinking
If this town's your sinking ship
Then you know where to jump

Talking dirty, for a hobby it's fine
So pour another glass of wine
I'll think of England this time

All I wanted was to sing the saddest songs
If somebody sings along I will be happy now

Judy wrote the saddest song
She showed it to a boy in school today
Judy, where did you go wrong?
You used to make me smile when I was down
Judy was a teenage rebel
She did it with a boy when she was young
She gave herself to books and learning
She gave herself to being number one
Judy, I don't know you if you're gonna show me everything
Judy, I don't know you if you're gonna show me everything

Judy got a book at school
She went under the cover with her torch
She fell asleep till it was morning
She dreamt about the girl who stole a horse
Judy never felt so good except when she was sleeping
Judy never felt so good except when she was sleeping

Judy, let's go for a walk
We can kiss and whatever you want
But you will be disappointed
You will asleep with ants in your pants
Judy, you're just trying to find and keep the dream of horses
And the song she wrote was Judy and the Dream of Horses
Dream of Horses
You dream of horses

The best looking boys are taken
The best looking boys are staying inside
So Judy, where does that leave you?
Walking the street from morning to night
With a star upon your shoulder lighting up the path that you walk
With a parrot on your shoulder, saying everything when you talk
If you're ever feeling blue
Then write another song about your dream of horses
Write a song about your dream of horses
Call it Judy And The Dream Of Horses
Call it Judy And The Dream Of Horses
You dream of horses

He had stroke at the age of 24
It could have been a brilliant career
Painting lines in a school that was too well known
Painting lines with a friend that had gone before
She challenged everyone to a fight
But the prefects all backed down
And they ran her out of town
Cause she drank and swore and spoke
Out of turn, she was the village joke

She had a stroke at the age of 24
It could have been a brilliant career
Getting clients to finance her strategies
Filling time in on Safeways on Saturday
She wears the clothes of an emperor
But her paintings are a sham
And they're going for a grand
When the dealers come to view
Do they ever see the real you?

He had a stroke at the age of 24
It could have been a brilliant career
Selling lies the boys with the old Dansettes
Pulling the wool, playing the fol, it's no wonder that
He is dribbling spit tonight
And the one he sent away
Was the only one who stayed
With a spoon and a decent book
And you can tell by the way she looks
She is sorry and resigned
As he wets himself for the final time

And the moment will come when composure returns
Put a face on the world, turn your back to the wall
And you walk twenty yards with your head in the air
Down the Liberty Hill, where the fashion brigade
Look with curious eyes on your raggedy to say
And for once in your life you have nothing to say
And could this be the time when somebody will come
To say, "Look at yourself, you're not much use to anyone"

Take a walk in the park, take a valium pill
Read the letter you got from the memory girl
But it takes more than this to make sense of the day
Yeah it takes more than milk to get rid lf the taste
And you trusted to this, and you trusted to that
And when you saw it all come, it was waving the flag
Of the United States of Calmity, hey!
After all that you've done boy, I'm sure you're going to pay

In the morning you come to the ladies salon
To get all fitted out for The Paperback Throne
But the people are living far away from the place
Where you wanted to help, it's a bit of a waste
And the puzzle will last till somebody will say
"There's a lot to be done while your head is still young"
If you put down your pen, leave your worries behind
Then the moment will come, and the memory will shine

Now the trouble is over, everybody got paid
Everbody is happy, they are glad that they came
Then you go to the place where you're finally found
You can look at yourself, sleep the clock around

Is it wicked not to care when they say that you're mistaken
Thinking hopes and lots of dreams that aren't there?
Is it wicked not to care when you've wasted many hours
Talking endlessly to anyone that's there?

I know the truth awaits me
But still I hesitate because of fear

Skipping tickets making rhymes
Is that all that you believe in?
Wearing rags to make you pretty by design
Rusting armour for effect
It's not fun to watch the rust grow
For it will all be over when you're dead

Counting acts and clutching thoughts
By the river where the moss grows
Over rocks the water running all the time
Is it wicked when you smile Even though you feel like crying
Even though you could be sick at any time?

But if there was a sequel
Would you love me as an equal?
Would you love me till I'm dead

If there was a sequel Would you love me like an equal?
Would you love me till I'm dead
And if there was a sequel
Would you love me as an equal?
Would you love me till I'm dead
Or is there someone else instead?

Ease you're feet off in the sea
My darling it's the place to be
Take your shoes off curl your toes
And I will frame this moment in time
Troubles come and troubles go
The trouble that we've come to know
Will stay with us till we get old
Will stay with us till somebody decides to go
Decides to go

Soberly, without regret, 1 make another sandwich
And I fill my face, 1 know that things have got to you
But what can 1 do?
Suddenly, without a warning
On a pale blue morning
You decide your time is wearing thin
A conscious choice to let yourself go dangling
Hovering
It's an emergency
There's no more "wait and see"

Maybe if I shut my eves
Your trouble will be split between us
People come and people go
You're scouring everybodies face
For some small flicker of the truth
To what it is that you are going through, my boy
I left you dry
The signs were clear that you were not going anywhere
Anywhere
Save for a falling down
Everything's going wrong

Later on, as I walked home
The plough was showing, and orion
1 could see the house where you lived
I could see the house where you gave
All your time and sanity to people
Then you waited for the people to acknowledge you
They spoke in turn
But their eyes would pass over you
Over you
Who's seeing you at all?
Who's seeing You at all?

Summer in winter
Winter in springtime
You heard the birds sing
Everything will be fine

I spent the summer wasting
The time was passed so easily
But if the summer's wasted
How come that I could feel so free
I spent the summer wasting
The sky was blue beyond compare
A photograph of myself
Is all I have to show for

Seven weeks of river walkways
Seven weeks of staying up all night

I spent the summer wasting
The time was passed so pleasantly
Say cheerio to books now
The only things I'll read are faces
1 spent the summer wasting
Under a canopy of

Seven weeks of reading papers
Seven weeks of river walkways
Seven weeks of feeling guilty
Seven weeks of staying up all night

Summer in winter
Winter is springtime
You heard the bird say
Everything will be fine

Seymour Stein- I've been lonely
I caught a glimpse of someones face
It was mine and I'd been crying

Half a world away
Ticket for a plane
Record company man
I won't be coming to dinner

My thoughts are far away
I'm working on that day
North Country girl
1 think she's going to stay

Promises of fame, promises of fortune
LA to New York- San Francisco back to Boston
Has he ever seen Dundee?
Won't he hire a limousine?
Seymour send her back to me

I heard dinner went well
You liked Chris's jacket
He reminded you of Johnny
Before he went Electronic

Seymour Stein- sorry I missed you
Have a nice flight home
It's a good day for flying

dreamt I had to go to Mars.

I'm always kidding on about going to Mars for the day
But faced with the reality of it, in a dream, i was terrified.

And it wasn't going to be like a moon trip
There was three of us going, but we couldn't all go on the same ship
We had to go one at a time with a day between us.

I had to go first, and it was the thought of passing through all that black space
All the darkness with nothing in it, and then being the first one to land there, all alone... I knew it was supposed to be all dark around, with just a red surface
But what if I got there and it was light, all civilised and populated and stuff?

So I made a plan.
The other astronauts were going to be my dad and my sister
And my dad would come first after me
So i decided when i landed i would just stay in my seat until he got there
And then we could get out together and have a look around
And see what sort of things were there.

And when I woke up and I was lying in the darkness, I thought I had landed.
And I just lay still for a while, waiting for my dad to get there too.

I'm lucky, 1 can open the door and I can walk down the street
Unlucky, I've got nowhere to go and so 1 follow my feet

A choice is facing you, a healthy dose of pain
A choice is facing you as you stare through the rain
A choice is facing you but I choose to refrain for today
Tomorrow we'll be back in trouble again

Dream one, you had a whole lot of fun with a comedian
Stop short of going all the way, you'll have to make it someday

Why is this happening to you, you're not a child?
Why is this happening? You've too much on your mind
Things creep up on you when you are fast asleep
You are dreaming, you are sleepy
You are stuck to the sheets

In a town so small there's no escaping you
In a town so small there's no escape from view
In a town so small there's nothing left to do
Intellectual and perspiring
Dirty dream number two

Dream two you couldn't see her face, but you saw everything else
Dream two was pretty special, easily beats loving yourself

Could you put a name to someone elses sigh?
Could you put a face to someone elses eyes?
Is it someone that you'd maybe recognise?
But it all fades into morning when you open your eyes

1. a mile and a half on a bus takes a long time
the odour of old prison food takes a long time
to pass you by when you've been inside

day upon day of this wandering gets you down
nobody gives you a chance or a dollar
in this old town

hovering silence from you is a giveaway
squalor and smoke's not your style
"I don't like this place" we better go

then I compare notes with your older sister
I am a lazy gett, she is as pure as the cold driven snow

what did you learn from your tim ein the solitary
cell of your mind?
there was noises, distractions
from anything good
and the old prison food

colour my life with the chaos of trouble
cause anything's better than posh isolation
I missed the bus
you were laid on your back

with the boy from the arab strap
with the boy from the arab strap

2. its something to speak of the way you are feeling
to crowds there assembled
do you ever feel you have gone too far?

everyone suffers in silence and a burden
the man who drives minicabs down in Old Compton
the Asian man
with his love hate affair
with his racist clientele

a central location for you is a must as you stagger a
bout making free with your lewd and lascivious boasts

we know you are soft cause we've all seen you dancing
we know you are hard cause we all saw you drinking from noon
until noon again

you're the boy with the filthy laugh
you're the boy with the arab strap

strapped to the table with suits from the shelter shop
comic celebrity takes a back seat as the cigarette catches
and sets off the smoke alarm
what do you make of the cool set in London?
you're constantly updating your hit parade of you
ten biggest wanks
she's a waitress and she's got style
Sunday bathtime could take a while

what was it I saw in New York?
I'm not the same anymore
how will I hide these feelings inside
call my girl on the phone
neon lights shine brgith
Taxi cabs glide by
aeroplanes they fly, high up in the sky
pretty girl says "Hi..
whats the worst job you've had?
what do you read?
what's driving you mad?"

met the cigarette girl
- took a note of her charmed
but no cigar
met the Indie-Cool Queen
took me out to the bar
and showed me the scene
my little girl I can't find
she's five hours behind
it's the singer not the song
"something's gone wrong"
said the spider to the fly
do I like this girl?
it's such a big world
I like the tone of her voice
I loved the sound of her voice

When I get back to London from outer space
will it fall into place?
I'll hold onto my smile
find my girl in a while
look myself in the face
don't know what you see
am I playing in your movie?
you're in my magazine
are you talking to me?
CHICKFACTOR

if you want me I'll be there
a boy to deal with all your problems
but part of the deal
is for you to feel something
if you want me look me up
I don't exist in usual places
subtle as the wind is grey
if you want you know where I am
I saw your arms in a dream
and there were blue veins blue
blue veins
if you want me all you have to do
is ask a thousand questions
triplicate and file under
"simple things you ask to make a young boy sigh"
young boy sigh
young boy sigh

Hey people, looking out the window
at the city below
Hey people, looking out the window,
full of fun and sorrow
Hey people, looking out the window
at the city below
Hey people, looking out the window,
you'll be gone tomorrow
The rollercoaster ride
The rollercoaster ride
Of all the trouble kept her inside
Of all the trouble kept her inside
Take Judy, with her bow and arrow,
she's a mastermind
Too frumpy for the teenage population
of her time
Car coat, she has a quilted jacket
with a hood if it rains
Big pockets for the pharmaceuticals
she takes to fix her brain
The rollercoaster ride
The rollercoaster ride
Of all the trouble kept her inside
Of all the trouble kept her inside
The rollercoaster ride
The rollercoaster ride
Of all the trouble kept her inside
Of all the trouble kept her inside


A puzzle, for the moment settle down to do
it with him
You're happy cause your cosy and the rain
comes rattling in
It tickles, and it's something
that is very good for the skin
You're waiting for a baby,
Baby, watch the idiot running
The rollercoaster ride
The rollercoaster ride
Of all the trouble kept her inside
Of all the trouble kept her inside
The rollercoaster ride
The rollercoaster ride
Of all the trouble kept her inside


You're hanging from the balcony upon
the riverboat glass
You're watching with your mouth wide
open for the top of the class
She came on with the boys
while you were stuck in various poses
If you were to remove your clothes d'you
think the singer would notice?
The rollercoaster ride
The rollercoaster ride
Of all the trouble kept her inside
Of all the trouble kept her inside
The rollercoaster ride
The rollercoaster ride
Of all the trouble kept her inside
Of all the trouble kept her inside

I fought in a war and I left my friends behind me
To go looking for the enemy, and it wasn't very long
Before I would stand with another boy in front of me
And a corpse that just fell into me, with the bullets flying round
And I reminded myself of the words you said when we
were getting on
And I bet you're making shells back home for a steady boy to wear
Round his neck, well it won't hurt to think of you
as if you're waiting for
This letter to arrive because I'll be here quite a while
I fought in a war and I left my friends behind me
To go looking for the enemy, and it wasn't very long
Before I found out that the sickness there ahead of me
Went beyond the bedsit infamy of the decade gone before
And I reminded myself of the words you said when we
were getting on
And I bet you're making shells back home for a steady man to wear
Round his neck, well it won't hurt to think of you
as if you're waiting for
This letter to arrive because I'll be here quite a while
I fought in a war, and I didn't know where it would end
It stretched before me infinitely, I couldn't really think
Of the day beyond now, keep your head down pal
There's trouble plenty in this hour, this day
I can see hope I can see light
And I reminded myself of the looks you gave when we
were getting on
And I bet you're making shells back home for a steady man to wear
Round his neck, well it won't hurt to think of you
as if you're waiting for
This letter to arrive because I'll be here quite a while