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25:20 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981) | |||||
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2:57 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
On cheap returns to summer places
Awayday herd, all out in the heat Kicking black looks in sunshine faces A race to vote with their feet Back to front Flock off to find someone to play with He's not like us he must be done Buckets and spades to make your day with It hurts so good it must be fun [Chorus] And it's "Made in London town Fists are up to knuckle down Because we are the boys who've got the noise and clout" And it's argue upside down Black and white and wrong way round Infight, outright, uptight, downright, inside out Back to front Fight on the beaches and back home streets Welcoming in with outclenched hands Standing on others with your own feet You've got to prove that you're a man [Chorus] I glance over my shoulder As they head for the past But I've still got my eyes up ahead I'm not going back to front Back to front Back to front Back to front, upside down, inside out, wrong way round Back to front, upside down, inside out, wrong way round Back to front |
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3:26 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
Just because you're nobody
It doesn't mean that you're no good Just because there's a reason It doesn't mean it's understood (Chorus:) It doesn't make it all right It doesn't make it all right It's the worse excuse in the world And it doesn't make it all right Just because you're a black boy Just because you're a white It doesn't mean you've got to hate him Doesn't mean you've got to fight (Chorus) Some people think they're really clever To smash your head against a wall Then they say 'You got it my way' They really think they know it all Just because you're a black boy Just because you're a white It doesn't mean you've got to hate him Doesn't mean you've got to fight (Chorus) It doesn't make it all It doesn't make it all It doesn't make it all right |
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2:22 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
When I'm away I think of you
And how you're where I want to be And there's on thing I gotta do Get back to you to be free to be me 'cause anytime I don't like it I keep a doorway in my mind When I want to be with you I just walk through Gate 49 It gets me down and makes me sick To be somewhere I hate to be So I'll escape I'll take a trip I'll fly so high to be free to be me 'cause anytime I don't like it I find that doorway in my mind When I want to be with you I just walk through Gate 49 Just for a time though miles away I can put up with what must be But pretty soon I'll have to take My one way out to be free to be me I may be tired of life itself But here bores me I like it somewhere else When I'm away I think of you And how you're where I want to be And there's one thing I gotta do Get back to you to be free to be me Where I'm mine all the time just behind Gate 49 |
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3:07 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
You got to pass the bowl and make the food go round
'Cos that's the only way to trample crime to the ground Equal rights and justice for one and all 'Cos only through liberty freedom shall form Don't fight against no color, class Nor creed for on discrimination Does violence breed We are all in a one and one in all So throw away the guns and the war's all gone Throw away the hunger and the war's all gone Throw away the fighting and the war's all gone Throw away the guns and the war's all gone Throw away the hunger and the war's all gone Throw away the fighting and the war's all gone Throw away the grudges and the war's all gone |
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3:49 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
Look at every man you meet
It can be him on every street The woman's waiting for the next attack Bold black headlines made in dark Show how the man can make his mark The woman learned it from her dad How he can be like Jack the lad Hits and misses I do you will Love and kisses Yours in hell Look at him in every face The woman sees and takes her place He rips at her heart till death them part Everywhere she sees his power Sees how Michael Caine takes a shower Sees herself in houseproud ads Gatefold Miss World Page Three Miss X Hits and misses I do you will Love and kisses Yours in hell I'm not talking about a psycho-killer Sonny, it's not one of those It could be you It could be me It's someone we all know See him walk down any street The woman fears and hears his feet If his team lost then she gets beat Neighbours shrug, go back to chatter Just a man who's on the batter Then he gets his legal way On just another Saturday Hits and misses I do you will Love and kisses Yours in hell |
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3:03 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
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 |
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2:43 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
I sit and I don't make a sound
While I watch the speakers pound And mum shouts up to turn it down 'cause I'm waking up half the town But I don't hear a word that's said While the needles hit the red I'm just - Kicking up a racket Kicking up a racket I don't smoke and I don't drink But like to see the max lights blink They say that they can't sleep a wink But I don't want to hear me think Life's no fun and life is dull Unless you turn the knobs up full I like - Kicking up a racket Kicking up a racket I know a shop that sells All you need for decibels As long as what they got ain't quiet Spend every penny in trying to buy it I like electric toys I like making noise I love - Kicking up a racket Kicking up a racket I don't care what mom don't allow Gonna play it my way anyhow Bashy tunes speak volumes Gimme a row, gimme a row, gimme a row Louder louder louder louder - Kicking up a racket Kicking up a racket So here I stand and in my hand This guitar is really the man As long as I can go blam blam Don't care if you can't hear the band Don't care what who else does Turn it up and feel the buzz Hear me - Kicking up a racket Kicking up a racket Attack attack attack it It's a racket racket racket Kicking up a racket |
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4:52 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981) | |||||
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4:41 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
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 |
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4:00 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981) | |||||
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5:29 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
She makes a home and she stays mum
About the things she might have done She keeps her eyes firm on the ground To set her own life Makes up her face and not her mind To be a wife There was a time away back then She might have thought to think again But then through dolls and schoolyard games Like ma before her She learned girls play the family way Don't look for more She's just playing Playing safe Playing houses Safe as houses Here on this street when they were kids He built his dreams with coloured bricks But comes the time for him to prove That he's a man now He gets a wife and he makes his move To three doors down He's playing Playing safe Playing houses Safe as houses For there was no-one there to say It didn't have to be that way You never get the best of you When you do what they expect you to You've heard it all How you're no use You're born to fail So follow suit But if you feel and got a dream Don't dare ignore it 'cause that is what you've got to be You must got for it Don't play it Play it safe A plague on houses Safe as houses |
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3:01 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
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 |
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4:17 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Go For It (1981)
It makes you so angry, You rage and rage again
But you can't spit it outside, it's bottled in your brain You feel it in the darkness, the rage inside you grow And you know you're a stranger, in the room below (Chorus:) There are no words to say just what it is you mean But if you feel it's real it's real it's real It makes you so angry, why can't they see red? Can no-one else imagine, what can't be said? You try to put it over, but that gets you nowhere You wouldn't have to bother, if you didn't care (Chorus) And as for all the rest, they think you're in a mess And say that the know best But you know better, you keep your temper It proves that you're still alive It makes you so angry, a rage that's all your own It makes you fell so lonely, but you're not alone For I still feel it that way, and he and she do too And it's enough for us to know, that it's enough to know. (Chorus) What you feel is real You're not the only one. |
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2:54 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994) | |||||
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4:17 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
"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 |
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3:37 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
You're holding on to something I don't believe is real
You're living in the past and you refuse to reappraise Your ridiculous commitment to an outmoded ideal Are you honestly that stupid or will these wounds never heal (Chorus:) You can keep your flags and emblems I don't need them anymore So just take your age-old hatred and then walk out of the door I hope that you die and burn tonight I hope that you die and burn tonight You think of all your neighbors as just scum upon the earth And you live inside a bubble where a badge is all you're worth All your dreams are built on loathing All your hopes are built on hate I can't see any way out of this hell that you create (Chorus) I wish you could see yourself as others all see you Then maybe you'd realise that you seem such a fool (Chorus) |
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3:17 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
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! |
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3:27 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
How do you propose to live your life in times like these
Growing up surrounded by the fear and hate disease I believe that we all need protection from the world And our friends enfold us like a barrier unfurled I believe in the human shield I believe in the human shield People try to use you and abuse you every day Doesn't seem to matter what you do or what you say Then you need a friend that you can count on when you're down Someone who will ward off all the hatred all around (Chorus:) The human shield protects your soul And keeps you on the ground The human shield protects your heart from being ground down Dreams will all be shattered and your hopes dashed on the ground As you grow to realise, this world's a real hard town I believe that we all need protection every day And our friends will form a shield that works in every way I believe in the human shield I believe in the human shield (Chorus) |
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8:59 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994) | |||||
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3:49 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
I remember back so long ago
Where I went you'd always go Never left my side, I never felt alone Just you and me always on our own Those were the days I loved but now it seems so strange It's all so different I guess everything has to change [Chorus:] Johnny 7 now where are you Johnny 7 help me see it through Johnny 7 I need you right by my side Was all so easy way back then I pull the trigger just fire and end No need to run Johnny 7 no need to hide The years go by and you are gone Never thought I'd miss you for so long A world like this needs a seven too I guess I'd still run back to you They told me I'd forget as time goes by But they can say what they want I know I'll never try Could this all be a dream So what I'll live my dream I guess it's wrong to look back to you What can you change what can you do Is it so wrong is it all pride Why pretend what I feel inside But then I look around and I still want you back I pull the trigger now - come on let's attack |
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4:04 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
Here's your mask 'nd here's your glove, it's all an arcade game
We call it 'Virtual Reality' so nothing's what it seems Although we may want you to kill just do it now for fun You play on the computer screen while these men load your gun Men who only think of fortune no matter the price Men who kill for sand and petrol never thinking twice (Chorus:) So let the young men fight, die in battle for the glory And we know it's right so shoot son never worry That your mother cries, she can't see the reason Your battle cry is 'No surrender here at all' Here's your mask and here's your gun it's no longer a game This is absolute reality though it's not what it seems We told you we need you to fight for freedom and for right But what we want is our man restored, to hell with what he's like Our man sells us oil and petrol at a price that's fair Our man kills collaborators in the Public Square (Chorus) I believe in hopes and dreams, I believe in life I don't believe in hate and greed, tyranny or spite Might is right my will be done I pull the trigger you fire the gun No surrender |
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3:21 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
It's time to ask yourself just what you want to be
Just look around tell me exactly what you see No sitting out no chance to settle in your place You're with us now don't be a name without a face (Chorus:) Stand up and shot for what you want to be Stand up and shout what you believe Stand up and shout for those you want to free Stand up for the one and only Get on your feet and raise your fist up for the count What's yours is yours if you will just stand up and shout No looking back you got to play the cards you're dealt Break down the barricades and speak up for yourself (Chorus) Don't you know who speaks up for you You can't rely on no-one else to pull you through So what you're think might be what we want to hear Don't keep it hidden got to shout your message clear No easy answers when the question is self doubt Better wrong than silent gotta let your feelings out |
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3:34 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
Everything is turning upside down in this town
The crime rate's rising up as employment swoops down Kids can't trust their parents to protect them no more And if you're black or Irish you just can't trust the law Winos on the corner with no hope and no plan Kids on 5 quid drug deals waiting for their man Estates in states of chaos, hatred scrawled on the walls The men of law and order writhe about on the floor No-one dream of living, those hopes lie on the rocks Your newly detached haven is a cardboard box (Chorus:) And it seems, and it seems Someone's used the cosh and the country's on its knees Old folk freeze to death in flats where damp streams down the walls Poll tax bailiffs scream unheard in countless council halls Plans for new development that never cure the mess Benefits that won't be paid unless you've an address And no-one dream of living, those hopes lie on the rocks Your newly detached haven is a cardboard box (Chorus) Our Welfare State's collapsing and no-one seems to care As long as money's being made and profits there to share Buy into a service that belonged to you and me Soon you'll find our country is the UK pic And no-one dream of living, those hopes lie on the rocks Your newly detached haven is a cardboard box (Chorus) Down on its knees, down on its knees Someone's used the Cosh and the country's down on its knees Down on its knees, down on its knees |
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3:37 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
Everything is turning upside down in this town
The crime rate's rising up as employment swoops down Kids can't trust their parents to protect them no more And if you're black or Irish you just can't trust the law Winos on the corner with no hope and no plan Kids on 5 quid drug deals waiting for their man Estates in states of chaos, hatred scrawled on the walls The men of law and order writhe about on the floor No-one dream of living, those hopes lie on the rocks Your newly detached haven is a cardboard box (Chorus:) And it seems, and it seems Someone's used the cosh and the country's on its knees Old folk freeze to death in flats where damp streams down the walls Poll tax bailiffs scream unheard in countless council halls Plans for new development that never cure the mess Benefits that won't be paid unless you've an address And no-one dream of living, those hopes lie on the rocks Your newly detached haven is a cardboard box (Chorus) Our Welfare State's collapsing and no-one seems to care As long as money's being made and profits there to share Buy into a service that belonged to you and me Soon you'll find our country is the UK pic And no-one dream of living, those hopes lie on the rocks Your newly detached haven is a cardboard box (Chorus) Down on its knees, down on its knees Someone's used the Cosh and the country's down on its knees Down on its knees, down on its knees |
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3:22 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Flags And Emblems [Bonus Track Edition] (1994)
From the minute you're born
Til the day you die Y'know they put you on trial Yeah, they make you strive, strive, strive Here's my little warning It's a word to the wise Don't get too involved in The Game of Life When the wheel of fortune Grinds your face in the sand And opportunity's knocking Only bruises your hand They call it enterprise culture I call it pressure and strife And the winners stay winners In the Game of Life [Chorus:] The Game of Life You're born to play The Game of Life You play to win The winners stay winners In the game of life Putting the pressure on you Your head is on the block With every day more frantic You've gotta beat the clock Try to slow down sometime If you don't you'll find You've no time for living The Game of Life [Chorus Repeat] From the minute you're born Til the day you die Yeah they put you on trial Yeah they make you strive, strive, strive They call it enterprise culture I call it pressure and strife And the winners stay winners In the Game of Life [Chorus x3] |
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4:07 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997) | |||||
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3:25 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
Judgement man
On the bench again Telling me what I've done wrong Judgement man Throws away the key Says he's putting me where I belong Government man On my TV screen Telling me what's right for me But the government man On the TV screen Doesn't see things that I can see He's calling : Trust me need me Put your faith in my lies Believe me Trust me need me We're moving on Cos we're past believing Chorus: We are a river flowing And you can't turn the river round We are a river flowing Why don't you jump in the river and drown Police man On the beat again Beating all that he can find Criminal man On the street again Steal instead of serving time Preacher man On the satellite Says he gonna save my heart All it takes is a telephone call And a current credit card He's crying: Hold me feel me Put your hands on my head and heal me Hold me fleece me We're moving on Cos we're past believing For too long now You've denied the truth Now you have to face your fear Cos for too long now You've had all the power But you can't last another year C'mon: Face me see me Realise that I'm what you made me Hear me join me Or stand aside as the tide come sweeping |
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5:20 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
Walk the streets at midnight
As the rain pours down and freezes on the ground Lean against a street light Try to work out where it all went wrong I can see you in my mind's eye I have no choice I can hear you in the wild wind I hear your voice Your voice Can't believe it's over I can't believe that I walked out the door A misplaced sense of honour Led me to believe I knew the score I can see you in reflections You're there all the time And if only you would let me I'd change my mind Chorus: In the dead of night (I would be there for you) I'd be on your side (My help would see you through) Trust in me don't cry (There now you'll be all right) In the dead of night It happened all so quickly One day we were there and now we are gone I wish that you'd forgive me Now I know that I'm the one who's wrong Can't believe I'm so stupid I would not see That you never gave up trying Or loving me (Chorus) And I couldn't blame you now If you didn't want me back No I couldn't blame you now Walk the streets at midnight As the rain pours down and mixes with my tears And I know I've no right To try to see you after all these years But you're always with me I have no choice And I know I'll remember And I'll hear your voice (Chorus) |
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2:42 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
I need no help, no aid
I don't need your assistance I stand alone my friend And you can walk on by Don't think I'm lonely Cos I'm drinking here alone Sometimes it's easier To spend time on my own Chorus: You didn't mean to make me sad You didn't aim to make me cry I wouldn't really feel so bad It's just dust in my eye You were my yesterdays I'm looking for tomorrows You keep the fun you had And I will keep the sorrows I know it's over And I'm happy that you're gone At least I realise That I'm the lucky one Chorus: You didn't mean to make me sad You didn't aim to make me cry I wouldn't really feel so bad It's just dust in my eye |
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4:00 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
Gimme a country that's red white and blue
Gimme the British way honest and true Gimme the chance to be one of the few Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme Gimme a nation where people are free Free to do and free to be Free to screw you before you screw me Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme (Chorus:) Cos, I'm all right, I'm all right Union Jack, fly the flag Gimme a Britain that's got back the Great a race of winners not cramped by the State And only the helpless get left at the gate Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme (Chorus) |
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3:29 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
(Jake Burns)
So you're living on a false reputation You're a big man in this town And it seems by your own estimation That you're a character of renown But it's all deceptive Your facade's defective Yet it's what's expected When you're really just the same as all of us Chorus |
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4:23 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
Hey you, yeah I'm trying to get through
Past that chip upon your shoulder Come here need a word in your ear This can't go on much longer You break what we try to create And I'm sure that you enjoy it Don't care if it's proper or fair Just as long as it's annoying I see a stillness in your eyes Says it's a game And it's a shame Hurricane As chaos rages round you You're sure that you're not to blame I know your name Hurricane You smile as you flatter and lie And twist the knife behind us So what if the problems we've got Will tie us up and bind us It's tough no-one's calling your bluff But I have made my mind up Take care now you'd better prepare I've taken my last wind up You stand there smiling Like you weren't the one to blame You're in the frame Hurricane I stand here screaming That I've taken all I'll take I know your game Hurricane I see a stillness in your eyes Says it's a game And it's a shame Hurricane As chaos rages round you You're sure that you're not to blame I know your name Hurricane I stand here screaming That I've taken all I'll take |
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4:00 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
It's all or nothing
That's how you've always been All or nothing With nothing in between You can't compromise You can't quit while you're ahead You won't see reason You think that's giving in We try to tell you But you're not listening Now I realise The only help you'll take Chorus: It's in your hand The power to change To make a stand To come of age It's in your hand It's worse than pointless To try to talk to you You've made your mind up There's nothing we can do Gets worse every day You'd think you had it planned Throw it all away Chorus rpt: In your hand but you won't use it Rather throw your life away (Rpt above couplet) It's all or nothing So nothing it'll be You see I've made my mind up And I won't intervene Throw it all away Throw it all away I don't care Throw it all away |
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2:49 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
Well, I find it hard to concentrate
While you sit there and contemplate Why success is such an aphrodisiac Cos when push comes down to shove And you start to talk of love I don't know why I don't get up And give your face a smack When I think of all the lies I've told It's a wonder I can stand myself Chorus: It's just my ever changing moral stance is up for grabs again My ever changing moral stance is up for grabs again Though you leave no room for guessing I guess I ain't learnt my lesson Cos it's getting to the point Where there's no turning back I don't need this anymore And I should just walk out the door If I stay here any longer Then I'm bound to crack When I think of all the lies I've told It's a wonder I can stand myself Chorus I didn't dream my being here would hurt you I didn't mean to hurt no-one I didn't think But then I never do So now I find I hate you And I find I just berate you Cos you played along With all the things I asked you to So please now don't come near Cos I've had it up to here And I thought I'd made it clear That I feel such a fool When I think of all the lies you told It's a wonder you can stand yourself Chorus: It's my ever changing moral stance is up for grabs again My ever changing moral stance is up for grabs again My ever changing moral stance is up for grabs again My ever changing moral stance is up for grabs again |
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4:27 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997) | |||||
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3:07 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
Broken glass everywhere
People pissing on the station Y'know they just don't care I can't take the smell I can't take the noise I got no money to move out I guess I got no choice Rats in the front room Roaches in the back Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat I tries to get away but I couldn't get far Cos a man with a truncheon re-possessed my car Chorus: Don't push me cos I'm close to the edge I'm trying not to lose my head It's like a jungle sometimes It makes me wonder how I keep from going under My son said: "Daddy, I don't wanna go to school Cos the teacher's a jerk, he must think I'm a fool And all the kids smoke reefer I think it'd be cheaper If I just got a job learned to be a street sweeper I'll dance to the beat, shuffle my feet wear a shirt and tie And run with the creeps" Cos it's all about money ain't a damn thing funny You got to have a car in this land of milk and honey A child is born with no state of mind Blind to the ways of mankind God is smiling on you but he's frowning too Because only God knows what you'll go through You'll grow in the ghetto living second rate And your eyes will see a song of deep hate The places you play and where you stay Looks like one great big alleyway You'll admire all the number book takers The pimps the pushers and the big money makers Driving great big cars spending twenties and tens And you want to grow up to be just like them Smugglers scramblers burglars gamblers Pickpocket pedlars even panhandlers You say I'm cool I'm no fool But then you end up dropping right outa school Now you're unemployed null and void Walking round like you're Pretty Boy Floyd Turn stick up kid look what you done did Got sent up for an eight year bid Being used and abused to serve like hell Till one day you was found hung dead in the cell |
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6:06 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997) | |||||
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4:55 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
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 |
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3:55 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
Then the rain came down
And washed all hope away And your life's a train But it only goes one way What about the times when you were happy Balance them against the times you're sad Was there once a time when you felt lucky Or do you regret the times you've had Chorus: Cos sometimes I feel I live in a tinderbox And just one spark Sets the whole thing off And sometimes I see The light die within me And the flame go out Leave me in the dark When your world's a mess And imbecility gets you down When you can't accept The stupidity that's around What about the times when you were focused What about the times you know who you are Do you find it hard containing your emotions Do you find it hard to just get out the door I'm hangin' in you're hangin' on (x2) |
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3:29 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
I could be a soldier
Go out there and fight to save this land Be a people's soldier Paramilitary gun in hand I won't be no soldier I won't take no orders from no-one Stuff their fucking armies Killing isn't my idea of fun They wanna waste my life They wanna waste my time They wanna waste my life And they've stolen it away I could be a hero Live and die for their 'important' cause A united nation Or an independent state with laws And rules and regulations That merely cause disturbances and wars That is what I've got now All thanks to the freedom-seeking hordes They wanna waste my life They wanna waste my time They wanna waste my life And they've stolen it away I'm not gonna be taken in They said if I don't join I just can't win I've heard that story many times before And every time I threw it out the door Still they come up to me With a different name but the same old face I can see the connection With another time and a different place They ain't blonde-haired or blue-eyed But they think that they're the master race They're nothing but blind fascists Brought up to hate and given lives to waste They wanna waste my life They wanna waste my time They wanna waste my life And they've stolen it away |
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3:04 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997) | |||||
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4:15 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
And if life starts to get you down
Don't fall and go under Or if it's pushing you around Don't think of surrender Or if you feel like crying Don't give up you can't give up no Just give it one more try And don't give up the fight Chorus : Cos you can move mountains You can do anything you choose You can move mountains When you find it's down to attitude And when the boss gets on your back And you've got to take it Don't think it's something that you lack Just believe and you'll make it And if he's grinding you down Don't give lip you can't give up no I know you'll turn it around And don't give up the fight |
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3:24 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
Why should I apologise for things I haven't done?
You always crucify me and look like you're having fun You say that I'm a stranger when I walk through my front door But if this keeps on keeping on I won't go in there no more You hate my friends you hate the hours I keep the job I do I can't believe I ever thought I'd spend my life with you You don't believe in me I can't believe you ever will Why should I explain myself when everything's alright You make me feel so guilty I can't get to sleep at night You push me and harass me making all my life seem small The way you're acting lately's bound to drive me up the wall You take my dreams and smash them leave them broken on the floor I think it might be better if I just walked out the door [Chorus rpt:] You don't believe in me No you don't believe in me You don't believe in me No you don't believe in me |
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2:54 | ||||
from Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox (1997)
You never hear the one that hits you, no!
Well, you work real hard and you stay in line Got your nose to the grindstone all the time Then they say, "I'm sorry and I know it's hard But there ain't no work, just pick up your cards" And you never hear the one that hits you no Never did, never will You never hear the one that hits you no Never did, never will You never hear the one that hits you no, no, no So you send applications all over town and the only replies are to turn you down Then after months someone's on the phone And you get to the interview the job's long gone And you never hear the one that hits you no Never did, never will You never hear the one that hits you no Never did, never will You never hear the one that hits you no, no, no Sneaks up behind you and hits you in the head So you reach the point where you just don't care And you've made up your mind to live on fresh air Cos it doesn't matter what's been done or said And you better start living, you're a long time dead And you never hear the one that hits you no Never did, never will And you never hear the one that hits you no Never did, never will And you never hear the one that hits you no, no, no |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
(Burns/Grantley)
When you're facing up to trouble And your mind has drawn a blank You've no money in your pocket Even less stashed in the bank When your friends seem to desert you And your family's offside Want to leave this mess behind you Want to run away and hide Chorus: |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
(Jake Burns/Steve Grantley)
He's drinkin' supermarket cider In a doorway in the town And he's shouting 'bout the government And how they let him down He's got a sister lives in Brixton Always tried to do her best Yet she winds up broke and shafted Just the same as all the rest He's got a torn and greasy greatcoat And a New York Yankees vest And some strongly held opinions That he must get off his chest Yet his friends don't think about him They all gave him up for dead And they all got real embarrassed About the problems with his head Chorus: |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
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) |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
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... |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
(Jake Burns)
A lot of people come to me And talk at my face Try to tell me all that's wrong in my life They give me all of their opinions And their strongly held convictions And all of them sure that they're right I'll give the truth, the whole truth And nothing like the truth 'Cos confession id good for the soul But bad for the neck Bad for the neck Everyone believes they've something to reveal And they're offering me their advice This can only help me get my life in line They never stop to ask themselves why I need some help, some guidance Some backing and belief But really all I need is a rest And if you really want to help me Just stay out of my way I need some time to reflect Just leave me alone Chorus: |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
Someone's falling down tonight
While facing front you stand and scream for more The room jumps hot and chucked aside The empty cans teeter across the floor But at the edge the girl who shows in every crowd And never seems to have enough Is tossed by waves of sound and up on music loud When all at once it gets too much Someone's falling down Someone's falling down Because she can't stand no more Someone's falling down She says her mother kicked her out She's got no name and no home to telephone She's hitching rides and sleeping out But she's OK with nowhere else to go So what else can you do but simply pick her up And watch her simply walk away Does no-one care enough you know it's not enough To put her on her feet again Someone's falling down Someone's falling down Is it me or you or who? Someone's falling down |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
Gimme a country that's red white and blue
Gimme the British way honest and true Gimme the chance to be one of the few Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme Gimme a nation where people are free Free to do and free to be Free to screw you before you screw me Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme (Chorus:) Cos, I'm all right, I'm all right Union Jack, fly the flag Gimme a Britain that's got back the Great a race of winners not cramped by the State And only the helpless get left at the gate Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme (Chorus) |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
(Burns/McCallum)
Gill and Galloway were working late On a summers night in '58 In a small town Alabama hideaway In the U.S.A. The two cops were knocking on the door Of a young black boy It was a quarter to four They said: "Hey nigger! Hit the floor. You're about to be history." Pop Bickham was the young black man He couldn't work it out, he didn't understand But when they come with their guns you do what you can So he picked up his rifle and he shot them down They said he killed them in cold blood And the jury they agreed They said: "you'll be sorry for what you've done" And the whole town they agreed Chorus: |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
(Jake Burns)
Time after time The world is pressing down On your shoulders I know how you feel Like you're the only one Taking orders It's hard to come to terms With what seems so unfair But somewhere in your life You've got someone who cares Chorus: |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
(Jake Burns)
So you're living on a false reputation You're a big man in this town And it seems by your own estimation That you're a character of renown But it's all deceptive Your facade's defective Yet it's what's expected When you're really just the same as all of us Chorus |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
Yes, I know you did your bit back then. But what was it you won?
Take a good look round you now. Whose side were you on? And I wonder if you understand at all. And I wonder if you ever ask yourself When everyone has an equal chance to live the life they buy When free health care can save your life. But queue until you die Then I wonder if you understand at all. And I wonder if you ever ask yourself Is that what you fought the war for. Is that what you fought the war for Is that what you fought the war for. Is that what you fought the war for When still the muscles make the man. And men make women pay When Britain's flag is a badge of hate. And just the fair can play When still the homeless, jobless cry. When money shouts and lies And buys off just enough to vote. Pass by the other side Then I wonder if you understand at all. And I wonder if you never ask yourself Is that what you fought the war for. Is that what you fought the war for Is that what you fought the war for. Is that what you fought the war for At the going down of the sun And in the light of day All you need remember is We won't be taken like your generation again Is that what you fought the war for. Is that what you fought the war for Is that what you fought the war for. Is that what you fought the war for |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
Woman hold her head and cry
Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died From a stray bullet Woman hold her head and cry Accompanying her was a passerby Who saw the woman cry Wondering can she work it out Now she knows that the wages of sin is death The gift of God is life Oh, oh, oh, oh Johnny was a good man oh yeah Woman hold her head and cry Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died Just because of the system Woman hold her head and cry Comforting her I was passing by And I saw the woman cry She cried, oh, oh, oh, oh Johnny was a good man Never did a thing wrong Take it down Johnny went out on a Saturday night Never hurt anybody never started no bar room fight Johnny never did nobody no wrong Never hurt anybody never hurt anybody Johnny was a good man Johnny, Johnny, Johnny... Johnny was a good man [Repeat] In a top floor flat in the middle of the night There's a man with rifle and Johnny in his sight, I said oh no, we can't let that kind of thing happen here no more Oh no Johnny, Johnny, Johnny... A single shot rings out in a Belfast night and I said oh Johnny was a good man Can a woman's tender care Cease towards the child she bears Johnny [Repeat] |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
(Jake Burns)
You once were my friend You once cared for the human race Now I see avarice written across your face I tried to help you But you only pushed me away I tried to listen Then I heard you say: Chorus: |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
She makes a home and she stays mum
About the things she might have done She keeps her eyes firm on the ground To set her own life Makes up her face and not her mind To be a wife There was a time away back then She might have thought to think again But then through dolls and schoolyard games Like ma before her She learned girls play the family way Don't look for more She's just playing Playing safe Playing houses Safe as houses Here on this street when they were kids He built his dreams with coloured bricks But comes the time for him to prove That he's a man now He gets a wife and he makes his move To three doors down He's playing Playing safe Playing houses Safe as houses For there was no-one there to say It didn't have to be that way You never get the best of you When you do what they expect you to You've heard it all How you're no use You're born to fail So follow suit But if you feel and got a dream Don't dare ignore it 'cause that is what you've got to be You must got for it Don't play it Play it safe A plague on houses Safe as houses |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
(Jake Burns)
Well I can't lie and I won't try I ain't waited this long just to hide This could be wrong but I don't mind Can't disguise the way I feel tonight I will be there when you're calling I will catch you when you're falling You tantalise I'm hypnotised tonight You say that this feels like a dream Won't deal in dreams I've put them all aside And I believe I've changed for good I feel so strong I know this must be right Just your presence makes me hazy You whip me up when I'm feeling lazy You tantalise I'm hypnotised tonight And though it might seem ideal I worry that it isn't real It's on my mind all the time Feeling fine is that a crime? I won't listen to the people Who tell me it's wrong to feel this way They don't feel the way I feel Electric shock shoots through me every day Now it seems my brain's on fire This reaction you inspire You tantalise I'm hypnotised tonight Just your presence makes me hazy You whip me up when I'm feeling lazy You tantalise I'm hypnotised tonight |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999)
(Jake Burns)
The smallest goal in life's worth having You need the purpose You need the ideal Or the dream Don't waste the impulse or the longing Most precious thing We have in life is time So use it right And it feels like you head's exploding And it feels like you've been set free You've got the hunger and desire You've got the talent Make the move to see what you'll achieve You feel the fever burn inside you This kind of illness Leaves you so alive You know your mind And it feels like you head's exploding And it feels like you've been set free Chorus: |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - And Best of All...Hope Street (1999) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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) |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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... |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
"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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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! |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
Gimme a country that's red white and blue
Gimme the British way honest and true Gimme the chance to be one of the few Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme Gimme a nation where people are free Free to do and free to be Free to screw you before you screw me Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme (Chorus:) Cos, I'm all right, I'm all right Union Jack, fly the flag Gimme a Britain that's got back the Great a race of winners not cramped by the State And only the helpless get left at the gate Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme (Chorus) |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
I remember back so long ago
Where I went you'd always go Never left my side, I never felt alone Just you and me always on our own Those were the days I loved but now it seems so strange It's all so different I guess everything has to change [Chorus:] Johnny 7 now where are you Johnny 7 help me see it through Johnny 7 I need you right by my side Was all so easy way back then I pull the trigger just fire and end No need to run Johnny 7 no need to hide The years go by and you are gone Never thought I'd miss you for so long A world like this needs a seven too I guess I'd still run back to you They told me I'd forget as time goes by But they can say what they want I know I'll never try Could this all be a dream So what I'll live my dream I guess it's wrong to look back to you What can you change what can you do Is it so wrong is it all pride Why pretend what I feel inside But then I look around and I still want you back I pull the trigger now - come on let's attack |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
Woman hold her head and cry
Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died From a stray bullet Woman hold her head and cry Accompanying her was a passerby Who saw the woman cry Wondering can she work it out Now she knows that the wages of sin is death The gift of God is life Oh, oh, oh, oh Johnny was a good man oh yeah Woman hold her head and cry Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died Just because of the system Woman hold her head and cry Comforting her I was passing by And I saw the woman cry She cried, oh, oh, oh, oh Johnny was a good man Never did a thing wrong Take it down Johnny went out on a Saturday night Never hurt anybody never started no bar room fight Johnny never did nobody no wrong Never hurt anybody never hurt anybody Johnny was a good man Johnny, Johnny, Johnny... Johnny was a good man [Repeat] In a top floor flat in the middle of the night There's a man with rifle and Johnny in his sight, I said oh no, we can't let that kind of thing happen here no more Oh no Johnny, Johnny, Johnny... A single shot rings out in a Belfast night and I said oh Johnny was a good man Can a woman's tender care Cease towards the child she bears Johnny [Repeat] |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
It seems so easy in the light of day
And when we're there it always feels OK But then again I'm so alone when I am by myself And can I ever count on someone else? And then you say [Chorus] Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Why don't you listen to your heart Listen to your heart This kind of thing keeps me awake at night It gets so I can't sleep without the light And then again I wonder what I'm really wondering for Cause where we'd be I never felt so sure And so you say [Chorus] Oh, it's not as bad as it seems Oh, it's not as crazy as my dreams As my dreams Alright I know that I can make it through I have no doubts here as I talk to you But then again [Chorus twice] You gotta understand |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
Here's your mask 'nd here's your glove, it's all an arcade game
We call it 'Virtual Reality' so nothing's what it seems Although we may want you to kill just do it now for fun You play on the computer screen while these men load your gun Men who only think of fortune no matter the price Men who kill for sand and petrol never thinking twice (Chorus:) So let the young men fight, die in battle for the glory And we know it's right so shoot son never worry That your mother cries, she can't see the reason Your battle cry is 'No surrender here at all' Here's your mask and here's your gun it's no longer a game This is absolute reality though it's not what it seems We told you we need you to fight for freedom and for right But what we want is our man restored, to hell with what he's like Our man sells us oil and petrol at a price that's fair Our man kills collaborators in the Public Square (Chorus) I believe in hopes and dreams, I believe in life I don't believe in hate and greed, tyranny or spite Might is right my will be done I pull the trigger you fire the gun No surrender |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
It's time to ask yourself just what you want to be
Just look around tell me exactly what you see No sitting out no chance to settle in your place You're with us now don't be a name without a face (Chorus:) Stand up and shot for what you want to be Stand up and shout what you believe Stand up and shout for those you want to free Stand up for the one and only Get on your feet and raise your fist up for the count What's yours is yours if you will just stand up and shout No looking back you got to play the cards you're dealt Break down the barricades and speak up for yourself (Chorus) Don't you know who speaks up for you You can't rely on no-one else to pull you through So what you're think might be what we want to hear Don't keep it hidden got to shout your message clear No easy answers when the question is self doubt Better wrong than silent gotta let your feelings out |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
Everything is turning upside down in this town
The crime rate's rising up as employment swoops down Kids can't trust their parents to protect them no more And if you're black or Irish you just can't trust the law Winos on the corner with no hope and no plan Kids on 5 quid drug deals waiting for their man Estates in states of chaos, hatred scrawled on the walls The men of law and order writhe about on the floor No-one dream of living, those hopes lie on the rocks Your newly detached haven is a cardboard box (Chorus:) And it seems, and it seems Someone's used the cosh and the country's on its knees Old folk freeze to death in flats where damp streams down the walls Poll tax bailiffs scream unheard in countless council halls Plans for new development that never cure the mess Benefits that won't be paid unless you've an address And no-one dream of living, those hopes lie on the rocks Your newly detached haven is a cardboard box (Chorus) Our Welfare State's collapsing and no-one seems to care As long as money's being made and profits there to share Buy into a service that belonged to you and me Soon you'll find our country is the UK pic And no-one dream of living, those hopes lie on the rocks Your newly detached haven is a cardboard box (Chorus) Down on its knees, down on its knees Someone's used the Cosh and the country's down on its knees Down on its knees, down on its knees |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001) | |||||
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
I could be a soldier
Go out there and fight to save this land Be a people's soldier Paramilitary gun in hand I won't be no soldier I won't take no orders from no-one Stuff their fucking armies Killing isn't my idea of fun They wanna waste my life They wanna waste my time They wanna waste my life And they've stolen it away I could be a hero Live and die for their 'important' cause A united nation Or an independent state with laws And rules and regulations That merely cause disturbances and wars That is what I've got now All thanks to the freedom-seeking hordes They wanna waste my life They wanna waste my time They wanna waste my life And they've stolen it away I'm not gonna be taken in They said if I don't join I just can't win I've heard that story many times before And every time I threw it out the door Still they come up to me With a different name but the same old face I can see the connection With another time and a different place They ain't blonde-haired or blue-eyed But they think that they're the master race They're nothing but blind fascists Brought up to hate and given lives to waste They wanna waste my life They wanna waste my time They wanna waste my life And they've stolen it away |
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from Stiff Little Fingers - Live Inspiration (2001)
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 |