The Stranglers : The Raven

Punk-Rock / United-Kingdom
(1979 - United Artists Records)
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Lyrics


1. LONGSHIPS

Instrumental

*****

2. THE RAVEN

Fly straight with perfection
Find me a new direction
You never realised the things they said
We'll never realise until we're dead

The ebony embittered souls of children
We'll seek another way before too long
But will you stop my wind before I'm gone

And when you find me all alone
Your world has never been my own

And when you find me
And when you find me all alone
Your world has never been my own

My friend you're black and when you fly you're wild
I am white sometimes I behave just like a child
The northern seas are cold but they're our own
We'll sail your southern seas before too long

When I was a viking
My friend he was the raven

*****

3. DEAD LOSS ANGELS

The plastic peaches there
On concrete beaches there
You see the leaches there
You see the leaches there
They're soft marshmallow there
It's oh so shallow there
In Dead Loss Angeles
In Dead Loss Angeles

The dedged up mastodon
Has got his glasses on
He's never seen the shit
From the La Brea pit

The lunar base camp there
With burning midnight lamp
They call it frisbeeland
It's just a disneyland
Android americans
Live in the ruins there
In Dead Loss Angeles
In Dead Loss Angeles

The dedged up mastodon
Has got his glasses on
He's never seen the shit
From the La Brea pit

From the La Brea pit
From the La Brea pit
From the La Brea pit

From the La Brea pit
From the La Brea pit
From the La Brea pit

They get the tremors there
Been given Babylon
Plenty of companies
Such lonely company
I hear a symphony
Of lonely timpanis
In Dead Loss Angeles
In Dead Loss Angeles

The dedged up mastodon
Has got his glasses on
He's never seen the shit
From the La Brea pit

*****

4. ICE

Die like cherry blossom
Hagakure with perfume
Deadly with make up on
But it just won't do

I have ice instead of heartburn
She has ice on her fingers
We have ice in the oven
But it just won't do

If there's no reason for your words
Then your silence ain't absurd
If there's no reason for your breathing
Then it just won't do

There is ice in my vision
There is ice always in season
I want cold air not your treason
It won't do

Hagakure with perfume
Hagakure with perfume
Hagakure with perfume
Hagakure with perfume
Hagakure with perfume
Hagakure with perfume
Hagakure with perfume
Hagakure with perfume

*****

5. BAROQUE BORDELLO

See a picturesque decay there
Something for all time to tell
See the woman of your dreams there
In a baroque bordello

Swing doors and a blind venetian
Keep her in a walnut shell
Has to rub your eyes to bathe you
In a baroque bordello

All the words are written for you
Finds your heaven, finds your hell
Finds your love but keeps it hidden
In a baroque bordello

Seven days and seven nights spent
Sleeping in her wishing well
Climb her rope and find her trailer
In a baroque bordello
In a baroque bordello
In a baroque bordello
Baroque bordello
Baroque bordello
Baroque bordello
Baroque bordello
Baroque bordello

*****

6. NUCLEAR DEVICE

I'm the wizard of aus
And I've got it all planned
For my first nuclear device

I don't really care about which way you vote
'Cos my gerrymander works out fine
I sell desert stretches like a big rubber glove
To Japan for a nuclear device

Nuclear device
Nuclear device
Nuclear device

If I could get lucky I'd secede from the states
I'd buy the country at an incredible rate

Brisbane men stay at home at night
'Cos I outlawed all of the vice (outlawed all of the vice)
I'm the wizard of aus
And I've rolled the streets
Dreaming of a nuclear device (nuclear device)

If I could get lucky I'd go out on my own
And sell Australia the rice (rest of aus' their rice)

Nuclear device
Nuclear device
Nuclear device

If I could get lucky I'd secede from the states
I'd buy the country at an incredible rate
If I could get lucky I'd secede from the states
I'd buy the country at an incredible rate
If I could get lucky I'd secede from the states
I'd buy the country at an incredible rate
at an incredible rate
at an incredible rate
at an incredible rate
at an incredible rate
at an incredible rate
at an incredible rate
at an incredible rate
at an incredible rate

Way down under Australia (Australia)
Very different from over here (Australia)
Getting rid of Abo's one by one (Australia)
Buy cheap land for uranium (Australia)
It reminds me of Sweden (Australia)
All the animals look so strange (Australia)
All victims of a testing range (Australia)
Of a testing range (Australia)
Of a testing range (Australia)
Of a testing range (Australia)
Of a testing range (Australia)
Of a testing range (Australia)

*****

7. SHAH SHAH A GO GO

Did you hear about the man
Used to live out in Iran
He was luxury's greatest fan
People ate out of his hand
People ate out of his hand

Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go

Sold the English all their oil
Made the people work the soil
Thought his kind had got it made
But his kind just had to pay to fade
But his kind just had to fade

Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go

Then a priest in Paris France
Made the people get up and da da dance
Sold cassettes for 60p.
Said he'd set the people free
We shall see we shall see

Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go

Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go
Shah shah a go go

*****

8. DON'T BRING HARRY

Harry and me we live in a dream
With a friend like him I don't need enemies

I don't know where morning is
It might not come today
That's the trouble when harry's around
He forces me to play

I should have refused to meet this midnight cheat
He likes to prey on my mind with his own special treat

I don't know when morning comes,
It might not come today.
Harry likes to play all night
I'll do what harry says

Don't bring harry I don't need him around
Don't bring harry I don't need him around

Ah you've met harry - I can see by your eyes
If once there was life there, now there's compromise

Harry is a beast of luxury
He just wants my body and soul - leaves the bones behind

Ah you've met harry - I can see by your eyes
If once there was action - Now there is no life

Don't bring harry I don't need him around
Don't bring harry I don't need him around

*****

9. DUCHESS

Duch of the terrace never grew up
I hope she never will
Broken down TV sits in the corner
Picture's standing still
Standing still

Duch of the terrace knows all her heritage
Says she's Henry's kid
Knows all her history in the family
Needs a man God forbid!
God forbid!

And it sounds like an empty house
Standing still
And it's quieter than a mouse
Standing still

Duch of the terrace never grew up
I hope she never will
Says she's an heiress, sits in her terrace
Says she's got time to kill
Time to kill

And the Rodney's are queuing up
God forbid!
And they all want to win the cup
God forbid!

Duchess Duchess
Duchess Duchess
Duchess Duchess

And the Rodney's are queuing up
God forbid!
And the Rodney's are queuing up
God forbid!
And the Rodney's are queuing up
God forbid!

*****

10. MENINBLACK

We're not here to destroy
We are here to employ

We have come to make you function
So we can eat at our functions

We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack

Information can destroy
So we'll treat you just like toys

Healthy livestock so we can eat
Human flesh is porky meat hee hee heeeeeeeeeeeeeee ...

We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack
We don't approve of artificial food
We grow you for our own good

First we gave you the wheel
Then we made you live to kill

So the best stock will survive
We eat you all alive

We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack

We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack
We are the meninblack

*****

11. GENETIX

See the little nuclei
Bursting full of information
There's a need to regulate
Bring it down to cells and plasma

Tell you what they're gonna do
Started doing it already
Got to find something new
Looking for it in genetix

Found a new game to play
Think it's impossible to lose
Messing round at playing God
Easy way to play genetix

Gene regulation

"The first law of Segregation
States that any gamete male
Or female can carry the
Determinant gene of only one
Pair of alternative characteristics.
The second law of free assortment
States that in a cross involving
One pair of alternative characteristics,
The characteristics will segregate
In the second filial generation,
In the relative proportions of
9, 3, 3, 1"

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