Stiff Little Fingers

"We'd like to help you." the consul said
"But there's nothing we can do
Well, you knew the risks when you took the job
After all you're not a fool
So, don't call me, don't call me
I just can't bend the rules
Keep your chin up, I know it's tough
Somehow you'll get through."
It seems the Americans bargain and rescue
But if you get caught you're left to rot
Under a Beirut, under a Beirut Moon

(Chorus:)
Under a Beirut Moon
Sorry son, there's nothing we can do
Under a Beirut Moon
Different rules, we haven't got a clue

"We can't be seen to be giving in
To these terrorists you see
If we talk with them it would mean the end
Of all that we hold dear
So don't call me, don't call me
I'm doing all I can
Although it seems from where you sit
I don't give a damn."
Back home they'll remember you in papers, on TV
Because when you're caught you're left to rot
Under a Beirut, under a Beirut Moon

(Chorus)

And though you dream of being free
There's not much hope that I can see
Under a Beirut, under a Beirut Moon

Now just today on the news I saw
A hostage walking free
He talked of how it came about
He gained his liberty
He said, don't give up, don't give up
Argue, beg and plead
Keep the pressure up, don't let it drop
Somehow you'll get free
He said the Americans would bargain and rescue
But when Brits get caught they're left to rot
Under a Beirut, under the Beirut Moon

Oh it must be so romantic
When the fighting's over there
And they're passing round the shamrock
And you're all filled up with tears
"For the love of dear old Ireland"
That you've never even seen
You throw in twenty dollars
And sing "Wearing of the Green

Each dollar a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And Americans kill Irishmen
As surely
As if they fired the gun

Now you've never stood on Belfast's streets
And heard the bombs explode
Or hid beneath the blankets
When there's riots down the road
No you've never had your best friend die
Or lost a favorite son
But you'll stand there and tell us
Just what we're doing wrong

Each false word a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And Englishmen kill Irishmen
As surely
As if they fired the gun

From the minute that you're born you're told
To hate the other side
"They're not like us, they're not the same
We know because we're right"
But can't you see we're all the same
There is no right and wrong
Why can't we stop and realize
Just what we're doing wrong
We've hated too much too long

Each old lie a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And Irishmen kill Irishmen
As surely
As if they fired the gun

How can you convince yourself
That what you do is right?
When people are dying there
Night after night
Don't you ever wonder
Why it still goes on?
The hopes and fears and all the tears
Are buried in your ground
Buried in your ground

Each rumour a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And careless talk kills Irishmen
As surely
As if words fired the gun

Well it's lasted for so long now
And so many have died
It's such a part of my own life
Yet it leaves me mystified
How a people so intelligent
Friendly, kind and brave
Can throw themselves so willingly
Into an open grave

Each new day a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And ignorance kills Irishmen
As surely
As if we fired the gun!

Living on Government hand-outs
Water in the milk from a hole in the roof
Where the rain comes through
What can you do? You can't move

You got tears from your little sister
Crying 'cause she don't have a dress without a patch in
For the party to go
Aw, but you know she'll get by 'cause she's ....

[Chorus:]
Living in the love of the common people
Smiles through the heart of the family man
Poppa's gonna buy her a dream to cling to
Momma's gonna love her just as much as she can
And she can

It's a good thing you don't have bus fares
They would fall through a hole in your pocketand you'd lose them
In the snow on the ground
You gotta walk into town to find a job

Trying to keep yourself warm
But the hole in your shoe lets the snow come through
And chills you to the bone
So now you better go home where it's warm and you can

[Chorus]

Living on dreams ain't easy

Piccadilly Circus in the bed of night
Just passing time beneath the lights
Up in town and all alone
Got no business so minds his own

The hotel room is lonely and cold
He might as well go for a stroll
Idly looking in a hi-fi shop
Footsteps, a chuckle and one hard slap

And they didn't even see his face
See him flinch or hear him groan
They didn't even see his eyes
One mean blow and on they ran

He put his fingers to his side
And felt his flesh was open wide
He felt the rent the blow had made
For the hand that fell had held a blade

And they didn't even see his face
See him stumble, hear his cry
They didn't even see his eyes
Just lashed out in passing by



What can it mean?
Who can makes some sense of that?
Did it mean a thing to them?
What can make a mind like that?

Though forty stitches helped him over
Who can live life over his shoulder?
He tried to put it in his past
And flew safe home back to Belfast

And they didn't see his face
See him stagger watch him fall
They didn't even see his eyes
They never knew him at all

Never knew him, tried to kill him
Never knew him, tried to kill him

Mid-October, sixty one
The French Police were having fun
Cutting down Algerians
Breaking heads all over town
Yet no-one saw and no-one knew
No-one dared to speak the truth
200 dead became just two
Sweep them in the river
The witnesses were run to the ground
Put the bastards underground
Buried every black in town
Who dared to show their face

(Chorus):
When the stars fall from the sky
When the world cannot make me cry
That's when the scales will fall from your eyes
And let you see the truth

Boipitong in ninety two
Subjected to a murder crew
Well trained policemen charging through
A crowd that's armed with slogans
Yet no-one saw and no help came
And no-one wants to take the blame
These people that you try to tame
Will get round to you later
The protesters were run to the ground
Put the bastards underground
Buried every black in town
Who dared to raise his voice

Every day around the world
The voice of truth cannot be heard
Men and women disappear
They have to live their life in fear
Yet something makes them stand and shout
One day they will find you out
Dig up every fact in town
And shove them in your face

I met you in No Man's Land
Across the wire we were holding hands
Hearts a-bubble in the rubble
It was love at bomb site

All you give me is barbed wire love
All caught up in barbed wire love
Tangled up in barbed wire love
Throw my leg over barbed wire love
Barbed wire love snags my jeans
Barbed wire love...

When I fell it was awful nice
Caught when not suspecting vice
The night was rife with wasteland life
You set my arm alight

All you give me is barbed wire love
All caught up in barbed wire love
Tangled up in barbed wire love
Throw my leg over barbed wire love
Barbed wire love snags my jeans
Barbed wire love...

Blasted by your booby traps
I felt the blow in both knee-caps
Your eyes did shine
Your lips were fine
And the device in your pants was out of site

All you give me is barbed wire love
All caught up in barbed wire love
Tangled up in barbed wire love
Throw my leg over barbed wire love
Barbed wire love snags my jeans
Barbed wire love...

Gotta gotta gettaway, gotta gotta gettaway

You know there ain't no street like home
To make you feel so all alone
Plenty of folk to tell you what to do
But they don't speak the same language as you

(Chorus:)
They wanna have me here
Have me and hold me near
Hold me down fasten and tie
But the cars are all flashing me
Bright lights are passing me
I feel life passing me by

The fuss is buzzing in my head
My father argued and my mother begged
It's not their words ain't tugging at me
But gotta stretch them break them get myself free

(Chorus)

Gotta gotta gettaway, gotta gotta gettaway
I'm leaving home

Inflammable material is planted in my head
It's a suspect device that's left 2000 dead
Their solutions are our problems
They put up the wall
On each side time and prime us
And make sure we get sod all
They play their games of power
They cut and mark the pack
They deal us to the bottom
But what do they put back?

(Chorus:)
Don't believe them
Don't believe them
Don't be bitten twice
you gotta suss, suss, suss, suss, suss out
Suss suspect device

They take away our freedom
In the name of liberty
Why can't they all just clear off
Why can't they let us be
They make us feel indebted
For saving us from hell
And then they put us through it
It's time the bastards fell

(Chorus)

Don't believe them
Don't believe them
Question everything you're told
Just take a look around you
At the bitterness and spite
Why can't we take over and try to put it right

(Chorus)

We're a suspect device if we do what we are told
But a suspect device can score an own goal
I'm a suspect device the Army can't defuse
You're a suspect device they know they can't refuse
We're gonna blow up in their face

He joined up to get a job
And show he wasn't scared
Swapped boy scout hat for army cap
hed finally be prepared
At the age of 17 he was forced to choose
Now at the age of 21 he's in Catch 22

He joined up for just three years
It seemed a small amount
But they didn't tell him
That the first two didn't count
At the age of 17 how was he to know
That at the age of 21 he'd still have one to go?

(Chorus:)
Tin soldier
He signed away his name
Tin soldier
No chance for cash or fame
Tin soldier
Now he knows the truth
Tin soldier
He signed away his youth

He joined up cos Dad knew best
To do right by his son
Now he hates and counts the dates
That mark time on square one
At the age of 17 he did as he was told
Now at the age of 21 tin still won't turn to gold

(Chorus)
If at the age of 17 you fall in line too soon
At the age of 21 you'll still march to their tune

Tin soldiers
You sign away your name
No chance for cash or fame
You never see the truth
You sign away your youth
You go and join the queue
Do what they want you to
They take away your name
They treat you all the same
Sign away you life

There's nothin' for us in Belfast
The Pound's old and that's a pity
OK, there's the Trident in Bangor
And then you walk back to the city
We ain't got nothin' but they don't really care
They don't even know you know
They just want money
And we can take it or leave it
What we need is

(Chorus:)
An Alternative Ulster
Grab it and change it it's yours
Get an Alternative Ulster
Ignore the bores and their laws
Get an Alternative Ulster
Be an anti-security force
Alter your native Ulster
Alter your native land

Take a look where you're livin'
You got the Army on the street
And the RUC dog of repression
Is barking at your feet
Is this the kind of place you wanna live?
Is this where you wanna be?
Is this the only life we're gonna have?
What we need is

(Chorus)

They say they're a part of you
And that's not true you know
They say they've got control of you
And that's a lie you know
They say you will never be
Free free free

Get an Alternative Ulster, Alternative Ulster, Alternative Ulster

They tell you not to worry
They say they're terribly sorry
But that's the way it has to be
For the likes of me
Just be good and know your station
Always look on the bright side
Keep your faith and keep your patience
Your reward is after you've died

So don't be told
Don't be consoled
Things are so bad
You can never make do
And there's always someone better off than you

They tell you that's your future
It's all down to human nature
Simply settle for what you got
That's destiny and that's your lot
All of us cannot come first
Yes, what you have is second-best
But it might be a good deal worse
Third world peasants get even less

So don't be told
Don't be consoled
Things are so bad
You can never make do
And there's always someone better off than you

Do you care that it's not fair?
Is this the way we have to live?
I know I care
And I want an equal share
Even if it means I have to give

The people who are on top
Say that you should keep your chin up
And they are keen to show you
The unhappy ones below you
But I want no more of that stuff
That's looking at it upside down
And the world has got money enough
For us to make it go around

Don't be told
Don't be consoled
Don't be ruled
Don't be fooled
Because things are so bad you can never make do
And there's always someone better off than you

When we started we thought we were great
Tho' nobody else agreed
Just you and I wasting our time
Playing and singing out of key
And they said we played too loud
Cos we didn't play for their crowd
We just told them 'Wait and see'

We had no money but still we went on
Trying to get some gear
A smashed up cymbal and an old snare drum
Our financial state was clear
And they said we should give up
They said we didn't have a hope
And we still told them 'Wait and see'

We worked harder got better in every way
Got some other friends involved
Pretty soon we found we knew how to play
We'd got all our problems solved
But I swear to this day
I could see you drifting away
But I told myself 'Wait and see'

Then came the day you said goodbye
We tried to smile but had to cry
You knew that you'd be missed
And we wished you all the best
But still we wished you would stay

Till then you were a part of everything
And everything that might have been
And now that everything has turned into what is
If you'd have waited you'd have seen
But you gave yourself the sack
Now there's no turning back
Now all your future's 'Wait and see'

You're not good enough, You're not good enough
You're not good enough to be a dance band
They told us
But we're not giving up, We're not giving up
we're not giving up
We'll show them

She asks for more and I give less
Why can't she see it's obvious
I mean no but she takes yes
I make it clear but she don't guess

She comes round it gets me down
But she don't catch a hint I drop
She turns up it turns me off
And she don't know when to stop

What am I supposed to do?
How to gently break the news?
How to get the message through?
Perhaps I should just fade away

She asked me out and I gave in
Then she gave out and I felt mean
I really want no more of us
So I stay home, she comes across

She comes round I turn her down
But she bounces back again
She comes on I turn her off
But she don't get what's really plain

What am I supposed to do?
Got to get the message through
Got to make her see the truth
I wish she would just fade away

Do you want to know do I love you?
The answer's no
Is that straight enough for you?

She asked for it I told her flat
That I don't want no more of that
I've really had you up to here
And I don't even like you near
If you come round I won't be in

I can't stand to see your face
If we meet up then count me out
Why don't you just fade away?

Fade away
When love's not love
When love's not love
When love's not love
Fade Away

Back when I was younger they were talking at me
Never listened to a word I said
Always yap yap yapping and complaining at me
Made me think I'd be better of dead
I don't want to talk about it
I don't want to hear no lip
Take your share don't shout about it
That's your lot remember you're a kid

They would always teach me that to swear was a sin
Always speak your mind but not aloud
Think of something that you want to do with your life
Nothing that you like that's not allowed
I've no time to talk about it
All your stupid hopes and dreams
Get your feet back on the ground son
It's exams that count not football teams

(Chorus:)
And I'm running at the edge of their world
They're criticising something they just can't understand
Living on the edge of their town
And I won't be shot down

Taught me to defend myself and to be a man
How to kick someone and run away
Gave me everything that any young man could need
But don't understand why I won't stay
Here's your room and here's your records
Here's your home and here you'll stay
Here's somewhere I don't believe in
Wish someone would take it all away

(Chorus)