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Nashville Tennessee

From the heart of the Southern Downs, to the North-East London reservoirs,
From the start, the land scaped my sound, before I'd ever been to America.

And if I knew anybody who played pedal steel guitar,
I'd get them in my band and then my band would get real far,
But I was raised in middle England, and not in Nashville Tennessee,
And the only person in my band is me.

A simple scale on an old guitar, and a punk rock sense of honesty.
I cannot fail, I've got this far with no knowledge of mid-west geography.

And if I knew anywhere where I could drive in a straight line
For hours in the desert, I'd drive for hours at a time.
But I was raised in middle England, not in Nashville Tennessee,
And the only person in this car is me.

And yes I'm in four-four time, and yes I use cheap cheap rhymes,
But I try to make a sound my own.
I know I don't break new ground, many have travelled this sound,
But I try to make it sound like home.

Well I've been to Texas state, I didn't think it was that fucking great,
And Nebraska is just a bunch of songs,
Holloway and Hampshire where I belong.
And I don't know anybody who plays pedal steel guitar,
All the city roads are twisted and I do not own a car.
I was raised in middle England, not in Nashville Tennessee,
And the only thing I'm offering is me.

Thatcher Fucked The Kids

Whatever happened to childhood?
We're all scared of the kids in our neighboorhood;
They're not small, charming and harmless,
They're a violent bunch of bastard little shits.
And anyone who looks younger than me
Makes me check for my wallet, my phone and my keys,
And I'm tired of being tired out
Always being on the lookout for thieving gits.

We're all wondering how we ended up so scared;
We spent ten long years teaching our kids not to care
And that "there's no such thing as society" anyway,
And all the rich folks act surprised
When all sense of community dies,
But you just closed your eyes to the other sidev Of all the things that she did.
Thatcher fucked the kids.

And it seems a little bit rich to me,
The way the rich only ever talk of charity
In times like the seventies, the broken down economy
Meant even the upper tier was needing some help.
But as soon as things look brighter,
Yeah the grin gets wider and the grip gets tighter,
And for every teenage tracksuit mugger
There's a guy in a suit who wouldn't lift a finger for anybody else.

You've got a generation raised on the welfare state,
Enjoyed all its benefits and did just great,
But as soon as they were settled as the richest of the rich,
They kicked away the ladder, told the rest of us that life's a bitch.
And it's no surprise that all the fuck-ups
Didn't show up until the kids had grown up.
But when no one ever smiles or ever helps a stranger,
Is it any fucking wonder our society's in danger of collapse?

So all the kids are bastards,
But don't blame them, yeah, they learn by example.
Blame the folks who sold the future for the highest bid:
That's right, Thatcher fucked the kids.

This Town Ain't Big Enough For The One Of Me

A free house, a sound-system and a fridge full of beer;
I've known how this story ends for a good few years.
The night lays out before my eyes, there's no new faces, no surprises.
This town is growing old with me, so I'm making a move.
Everybody round here's been out with everybody else,
Which makes talking to girls hazardous to my health.
They've been in this genepool so long they've got wrinkled toes;
I don't want all her exes to be people I know.
There's millions more fish in the sea, so I'm making a move.

I'm bored of this town, bored of this scene, bored of these people, yeah.
I'm an expert at pretending that everything is OK,
But I'm just a kid and it seems as if I've signed my life away.
I need to get out and see what the rest of the world is about.
This toen ain't big enough for the one of me, I'm making a move.

Every guy with long hair round here is a star,
Accorinding to his girlfriend and the way that he holds his guitar.
If anyone gets out they stick in the knife, I don't want to get stuck here for the rest of my life.
I'm sick of these fuckers, I'm moving on.
I still want to be buried here, just like I said, but I'd prefer it if you'd wait until I'm actually dead.
It's easy to get caught inside a town that seems to have a hive-mind,
But I'm packing up and moving on,
When I move out from my parents' house I'm gone, yeah fuck you guys I'm gone.

This town ain't big enough for the one of me,
So why don't you get from in front of me?
We're all going to move to london anyway, so I'll see you in town.

Casanova Lament

I check that I've got all my things before I leave the house,
Because when I'm gone I'm never coming back.
I'm not being melodramatic, it's just I neither have your number or a key.
An evening spent pretending that we're just becoming friends,
Or this goes any further than going back;
I'm not being pessimistic, it's just you and I were never meant to be.

It isn't love, but every time I kind of wish it was.

I've picked up this silly habit in the last few years of going out
In the evening with my friends into the town,
Of packing a spare T-shirt in my bag in case I do not make it home.
It's pathetic and I know it, but the truth is there've been mornings
I've proved prudent taking toothpaste to the pub.
But that's precious little comfort against the knowledge of the person I've become.

It isn't love, but every time I kind of wish it was,
And I can see that in your eyes you wish it was,
But every time I leave you just because
It isn't love.

I Really Don't Care What You Did On Your Gap Year

We were only supposed to go out for the night,
But it's been a few hours now since it got light -
We're a mess, and the worst part is we couldn't care less.
There's water in the ash-tray and ash in the sink,
The carpet's mostly soaking, but there's nothing to drink -
We're a state, and we're starting to regret staying awake.

And I'll pay for my sins when I get paid,
I'll stop talking to girls when I get laid.
I should have gone home when I could, but I stayed.
But then I never was the clever one.

We were only supposed to go out for the night,
I did my best to go home but in the end I lost the fight with myself -
To be honest I was hoping I'd go home with someone else.
And right about now I should be starting my day,
But instead I am sat here downing the dregs of yesterday,
All the while trying to prop up both ends of my smile.

And I'll pay for my sins when I get paid,
I'll stop talking to girls when I get laid.
I should have gone home when I could, but I stayed.
But then I never was the clever one,
But always the one to not see that I'm done and
I need to go home and get to sleep,
Always the last to see the moment has passed and
I need to admit my defeat.
And I'm lonely - there, I said it.
I'm lonely, but it's hard to admit it
When everbody thinks that you're fine all the time and you're not.

So we were only supposed to go out for the night...
But who am I kidding? Try as I might I can't stop
Until I've squeezed out every last drop.

And I'll pay for my sins when I get paid
But I don't have a penny to my name.
I'll stop talking to girls when I get laid
But I haven't had a shower for days.
I should've gone home when I could but I stayed,
And so I stay up alone,
And set off on my own
To the station where I catch the first train.