My Father's Mansions - Billy Bragg

Is it ever really no one's fault? The history is cloudy, memories I'm doubting And I'm remembering the curtain call Holding your ground underneath the waterfall Oh-oh-oh-oh, mm And I blame it on myself Blame it on myself Oh-oh-ooh You never needed my help, but never asked why Oh, why? Blame it on myself, blame it on myself Oh-oh-ooh You never needed my help, but never asked why You stumbled in as it was winding down I didn't think you'd make it out this way, we're just- Empty mansions on a road in shores Falling down so slowly, no one notices at all Oh-oh-oh-oh, mm And I blame it on myself Blame it on myself Oh-oh-ooh You never needed my help, but never asked why Oh, why? Blame it on myself, blame it on myself Oh-oh-ooh You never needed my help, but never asked why And I blame it on myself Blame it on myself Oh-oh-ooh You never needed my help, but never asked why Oh, why? Blame it on myself, blame it on myself Oh-oh-ooh You never needed my help, but never asked why

Through all the circuitry we'll find time Symmetrical moments in mind Those eyes begin to think Styrofoam magic marker moons or tombs Superglue all your pretty wounds Though I begin to drink Milk from a dead end star, astro-physically out of shape Waking up the metal mercenary, suffocating in the room outside Paper mache manawar-lords of course Plastic champagne and sliding doors Those eyes begin to think Planetal Targets in my mind, sometimes Losing perspective on my kind. Milk from a dead end star, astro-physically out of shape Have you met the jewel architect, he's burning slowly in the room outside CRIME OF THE SEASON Gown down on a mister mold Fried Eyed, who you think you are? One's man, one's money Gore tied to the centerfold Show and tell me your omens (so many dogs) Salmonella you're golden (so many dogs) So you better get it around Vacant pageant, yo-yo gods Caught in the moment I pity on the underboss To show me your name Kerosene just for drinking (so many dogs) Cut kaleidoscope blinking (so many dogs) While you're passing all my test tube dummies, You knock around the guts on the front-page funnies Croquet promenade Gown down on a mister mold Fried Eyed, who you think you are? One's man, one's money Gore tied to the centerfold Asleep in the deep end (so many dogs) Little garden of Eden (so many dogs) Pagan, raven, no one's ark Petty addendum Our pity is beyond desire, to suck on the rain Sucker punch if you let us (so many dogs) Sayonara vendettas (so many dogs) Cause it's Polly to Paulie, you're fickle and floating away But now she feels so scared. Croquet promenade, they know what they are I pity on the underboss to give me a reason, they know what they are Our pity is beyond desire, it's the crime of the season, they know what they are MONK If I promise that I'll be real good you wanna take me out No touching or feeling anything If I promise that my hands don't move, you wanna tuck me in No touching or feeling anything If I promise that my legs stand still, you wanna run your mouth No touching or feeling anything If I promise that my head don't spin, you want a piece of my mind No touch or feeling Whatchu two timing for? (Avatar) I'm on my way, I'm alive. I think you started in my head, but I'd stop anything for you. If I promise that my nose don't bleed, you wanna cut my chase If I promise our eyes don't lock, you wanna steal my soul Fall asleep at the door committing a statutory folklore, you let yourself Faking out the mall lines, sucking up your cosigns, poster prima-don't minds

I walked out your life this morning It's burning in my heart I closed your door this morning Now my world's falling apart again... You had to do it again... 'Cause you said, I was perfect You said, I was great But you'll never see You'll never change You said, I'm a lady I tried to play your game But you don't even know my father's name (My father's name) (My father's name) I got out of sight this morning No more kisses and fights I broke your life, this morning And now you can't look in my eyes again... (Again, again) No, not ever again (No not ever again) 'Cause you said, I was perfect You said, I was great But you'll never see You'll never change You said, I'm a lady I tried to play your game But you don't even know my father's name (My father's name) (My father's name) You had your face in your hands And your head on my shoulder Sweet honest eyes, 'Till your heart got colder Then rocks started flying from, Out of your mouth So baby I'm gone and you're On your own now Oh, oh, oh You said, I was perfect You said, I was great But you'll never see You'll never change You said, I'm a lady I tried to play your game But you don't even know my father's name (My father's name) My father's name whooh, oh (My father's name) You said, I was perfect You said, I was great But you'll never see You'll never change You said, I'm a lady I tried to play your game But you don't even know my father's name (My father's name) My father's name whoah, oh (My father's name)

Yeah Im back in my back man I just like to Bragg Split you with bullets yeah my bars comes with mags Tossing the flags the yellow the red the white Surrender when Im on the mic Im feeling alright man I just like to brag These rappers aint f with me Thats a fact Over they head so they over react Back in my bag man I just like to brag Yeah Im back in my back man I just like to brag Split you with bullets yeah my bars comes with mags Tossing the flags the yellow the red the white Surrender when Im on the mic Im feeling alright man I just like to brag These rappers aint f with me Thats a fact Over they head so they over react Back in my bag man I just like to brag Back in my bag yeah Im back on my shit though You need to hop up off my dick ho I got a lot of money to show But imma keep it on the low low yeah Dreams getting vivid the styles they copy They might need a printer Up to the top man I feel like a winner Reading the lines in my mind like a scripture I eat em for dinner Im talking about all these beats Got em standing on the seats Out in the streets The realest who they claims to be But we is yet to see the feats Where do they be Me I been bringing the heat Me I been bringing the heat Y'all just finally heard me spinning these words Hating I know that it hurts Back in my bag yeah Im back in my bag Smoking on doobies I feel like Im shaggy Pants they been a little baggy Why your girl calling me daddy Ha, raising the bar Need a hot hook Im the one that they call When you the highest they need you to fall Royal rumble man this s is a brawl Yeah Im back in my back man I just like to Bragg Split you with bullets yeah my bars comes with mags Tossing the flags the yellow the red the white Surrender when Im on the mic Im feeling alright man I just like to brag These rappers aint f with me Thats a fact Over they head so they over react Back in my bag man I just like to brag Yeah Im back in my back man I just like to brag Split you with bullets yeah my bars comes with mags Tossing the flags the yellow the red the white Surrender when Im on the mic Im feeling alright man I just like to brag These rappers aint f with me Thats a fact Over they head so they over react Back in my bag man I just like to brag

Jeane The low-life has lost its appeal And I'm tired of walking these streets To a room with a cupboard bare Jeane I'm not sure what happiness means But I look in your eyes And I know that it isn't there We tried, we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried Jeane There's ice on the sink where we bathe So how can you call this a home When you know it's a grave? But you still hold a greedy grace As you tidy the place But it'll never be clean Jeane We tried, we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried Oh, cash on the nail It's just a fairytale Oh, and I don't believe in magic anymore Jeane But I think you know I really think you know Oh, I think you know the truth Jeane, oh No heavenly choir Not for me and not for you Because I think that you know I really think you know I think you know the truth Oh, Jeane That we tried, and we failed That we tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed Oh, oh, Jeane

Shirley, it's so exciting to be sleeping here in this new room Shirley, you're my reason to get out of bed before noon Shirley, you know when we sat out on the fire escape talking Shirley, what did you say about running before we were walking? Sometimes when we're as close as this It's like we're in a dream How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team? Shirley, your sexual politics have left me all of a muddle Shirley, we're joined in the ideological cuddle I'm celebrating my love to you With a pint of beer and a new tattoo And if you haven't noticed yet I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet Politics and pregnancy are debated as we empty our glasses And how I love those evening classes Shirley, you really know how to make a young man angry Shirley, can we get through the night without mentioning family? The people from the church agree It's not much of a career Trying the handles of parked cars Whoops there goes another year, whoops there goes another pint of beer Here we are in our summer years Living on ice cream and chocolate kisses And would the leaves fall from the trees If I was your old man and you was my missus? Give my greetings to the new brunette Shirley Greetings to the new brunette Shirley Greetings to the new brunette Shirley Greetings to the new brunette Shirley

Kiss me goodnight and say my prayers Leave the light on at the top of the stairs Tell me the names of the stars up in the sky A tree taps on the window pane That feeling smothers me again Daddy is it true that we all have to die At the top of the stairs Is darkness I closed my eyes and when I looked Your name was in the memorial book And what had become of all the things we planned I accepted the commiserations Of all your friends and your relations But there's some things I still don't understand You were so tall How could you fall? Some photographs of a summer's day A little boy's lifetime away Is all I've left of everything we've done Like a pale moon in a sunny sky Death gazes down as I pass by To remind me that I'm but my father's son I offer up to you This tribute I offer up to you This tank park salute

She said it was just a figment of speech And I said "You mean figure", And she said "No, figment" Because she could never imagine it happening. But it did When we first met I played the Shy boy When she spoke to me for the first time my nose began to bleed She guessed the rest The next day we went on a bus ride to the ferry And when nobody came to collect our fares Well I knew then this was something special I couldn't stop thinking about her And every time I switched on the radio There was somebody else singing a song about the two of us It was just like being on a fast ride at the fun fair The sort you want to get off because its scary And then as soon as you're off you want get straight back on again But all love is strange And you have to learn to take the crunchy with the smooth I suppose She began going out with Mr. Potato Head It was when I saw her in he car park With his coat around her shoulders that I realized I went home and thought about the two of them together Until the bathwater went cold around me I thought about her eyes and the curve of her breasts And about the point where their bodies met I confronted her about it I said, "I'm the most illegible bachelor in town, And she said "Yeah that's why I Could never understand any of those silly letters you sent me" And then one day it happened She cut her hair and I stopped loving her

One by one the teardrops fall as I write you One by one my words come falling on the page One by one my dreams are fading in the twilight One by one my schemes are fading fast away One by one the flowers fading in my garden One by one the leaves are falling from the trees One by one my hopes are vanished in the clouds clear One by one like snowflakes melting in the breeze One by one my hair is turning gray One by one my dreams are fading fast away One by one I read your letters over One by one I lay them all away One by one the days are slipping up behind you One by one the sweetest days of life go by One by one the moments stealing out behind you One by one she'll come and find not you or I One by one I hear the soft words that you whispered One by one I feel your kisses soft and sweet One by one I hope you'll say the words to marry One by one to one by one forever be