Tindersticks

I know it's wrong
I know it's selfish
YOU'VE SUCH A SHORT LIFE
You've so little time
You know this pattern
Patchwork of any direction
Cobbled together
In odd shape and size
Take my hand, we'll walk through this together
But my hand gets sweaty
You somehow slip away
Try to call you, but I don't call too loud, no
Try to love, and never look that hard

*Cos this blue's a swirling ocean
The green, the ambition
The red is the guilt
There's a lot of red
I know it's wrong
I know it's selfish
Such a short life
So little time
Try to call you, but I don't call too loud, no
Try to love, but never look that hard

* Repeat

The yellow is my sunshine
Comes out on odd occasion
Barely enough to keep you around

Her haircut, she looked virtually naked
In that dress growing ever tighter
It was saddening the lengths she had gone to
To appear more attractive
In the process losing something
We never knew but still missed
You knew you were lost as soon as you saw her
You saw your life as a series of complicated dance steps
Impossible to learn, they had to come naturally
Together you squirmed and wriggled
And I could only jerk along behind

*They're going to hurt you
They always will

She is now with me, inside of you
And I could only stare wide-eyed
As everything closed in around the three of us
Things you never saw, talking of the power and rescue
The blood rushing through our body,it was good

* Repeat

She opened the door his face bruised and swollen
Before he knew, pushed, falling down curved stairs
Our message lost and our plans forgotten
Surrounded by men in suits, and black shiny shoes
Moving in, kicking, stamping
Bland expressionless faces
A handful of marbles thrown in a dustbin
Memories, memories

* Repeat


In a northern town there were amazing
[ ? ] stones arranged on the southern slope
They got out in the last few seconds of consciousness
Look for their inscriptions one day,
the most distant ocean plains, those who
make the desert island
I saw you in a tin bath in red water
Were the ones who went to Washington to do their laundry
They wanted to see the mysterious hurricane
I never believed in New York, or where you intended to stand
But we don't actually want to see the shipwrecked
I just had to go
They came

Scared of my shadow
Afraid of myself
Never thought I could be so shallow
Resort to playing a man
It's a thin line that I walk for her
A thin line that I walk
Between myself and what I have to do
The action and the thought

*Oh her, her, it's her
Oh, her, her
Feel like I've been dancing
The lights have finally come on
Just waiting for my eyes adjusting
To see how ugly I've become
She asked me for no promises
I made them to myself
I've given myself no choices now
It's the only way out


She tied back her hair
Wrapped the band around
Pulled off her rings
And dropped them in a jar
I'm not there, not waving my arms round
I've gotten the `flu
It's blocking my heart
To her

* Repeat

I'm crawling, don't know where to or from
The centre of things from where everything stems
Is not where I belong
And the city sickness, growing inside me
So this is where I ran for freedom
Where I may not be free

*I have these hands beating with love for you
And you're not here to touch
Sent you away, what else can I do
When I need something that much?
I'm hurting babe, in the city there's no place for love
It's just used to make people feel better
It's not like us
I got this sickness as I got off the train
Now it chafes away at my heart
Until nothing remains


I'm okay afterwards
Afterwards lasts for minutes only
I'm okay during
You kind of fill up my mind
It's just that before, may last forever
It's just that before, may just fuck my mind

* Repeat

There are places I don't remember
There are times and days, they mean nothing to me
I've been looking through some of them old pictures
They don't serve to jog my memory

I'm not waking in the morning,
staring at the walls these days
I'm not getting out the boxes, spread all over the floor
I've been looking through some of them old pictures
Those faces they mean nothing to me no more

*I travel light
You travel light
Everything I've done
You say you can justify, mmm you travel light
I can't pick them out,
I can't put them in these sad old bags
Some things you have to lose along the way
Times are hard, I'll only pick them out,
wish I was going back
Times are good, you'll be glad you ran away


Do you remember, how much you loved me?
You say you have no room in that thick old head
Well it comes with the hurt and the guilt, and the memories
If I had to take them with me I would never get from my bed
There's a crack in the roof where the rain pours through
That's the place you always decide to sit
Yeah I know I'm there for hours,
the water running down (my) (your)face
Do you really think you keep it all that well hid?

No but I travel light
You don't travel light
Everything I've done
It's just a lie, you don't travel light

I'm travelling light
No you don't travel light
I'm travelling light
No, no, you don't travel light
I'm travelling light
You don't travel light

I've been loving you too long
Should stop now
You're tired and you want to be free
My love grows stronger as you become a habit to me
I've been loving you a little too long
I can't stop now
With you my life has been so wonderful
I can't stop now
You're tired and your love is growing cold
My love grows stronger as our affair grows old
I've been loving you a little too long
I can't stop now
I've been loving you a little too long
I can't stop now
Don't make me stop now
Don't make me stop now

Plus de liaisons
Plus de trahisons
Plus de liaisons
Comment devineras-tu ?
Si je tremble dans tes bras
Si je soupire dans tes cheveux
Cette derniere liaison
Maintenant plus de trahisons
Plus de liaisons
Comment devineras-tu ?
Si mes bras tremblent
Si j'evite ton regard
Cette derniere liaison

Plus de liaisons
Plus de trahisons
Plus de liaisons
Non, plus de trahisons
Plus de liaisons
Comment devineras-tu ?

Si je tremble dans tes bras
Si je soupire dans tes cheveux
Cette derniere liaison
Quelque part dans ma tete
Je sais ce qui se passe
Mais tout ca a grandi
Ne me laisse pas le choix
S'amuser seulement
Ca me semble un tel crime a present
Va jouer, jouer sur la route
Et tu mourras ecrasee

Plus de liaisons
Plus de trahisons
Plus de liaisons
Comment devineras-tu ?

C'etait spontane
Mais on a rappele les autres
On s'est amuse avec nos precedents amants
Il y a foule la-dedans

Plus de liaisons

I was dressed for success
But success, it never comes
And I'm the only one who laughs
At your jokes when they are so bad
And you're jokes are always bad
But they're not as bad as this

*Come join us in a prayer
We'll be waiting, waiting where
Everything's ending here
And all the sterile striking it
Defends an empty dock you cast away
And rain upon your forehead
Where the mist's for hire
If it's just too clear
Let's spend our last
1/4 stance randomly
Go down to the outlet once again
Painted portrait of minions and slaves
Crotch mavens and one night plays
Are they the only ones who laugh?
At the jokes when they are so bad
And the jokes are always bad
But they're not as bad as this

* Repeat

And all the Spanish candles unsold
Have gone away to this
And a "run-on piece of mount on"
Trembles, shivers runs down the freeway
I guess she spent her last quarter randomly
I guess a guess is the best I'll do

You've been lying in bed for a week now
Wondering how long it'll take
You haven't spoken or looked at her in all that time
It's the easiest line you could break
She's been going (about) around her business as usual
Always with that melancholy smile
But you were too busy looking into your (affairs) head
To see those tiny tears in her eyes

Tiny tears make up an ocean
Tiny tears make up a sea
Let them pour out, pour out all over
Don't let them pour all over me

How can you hurt someone so much your supposed to care for
Someone you said you'd always be there for
But when that water breaks you know you're gonna cry, cry
When those tears start rolling you'll be back

Tiny tears...

You've been thinking about the time, you've been dreading it
But now it seems that moment has arrived
She's at the edge of the bed, she gets in
But it's hard to turn the opposite way tonight

Tiny tears...

There's a city filth that lingers

All over my naked hands
Deep into the weave of the clothes I wear

And every step brings another

Every hour adds some more
Till I'm on the other side leaning on your door
Are the taps running, darling?
Is the air thick with steam?
Can I find some place to cry these tears of shame?

Every step brings another

Every hour adds some more
Till I'm on the other side leaning on your door

There's a smell so sweet it's sickly

It follows me into the room
Hangs in the air like rotting perfume

I never bathe in it, darling
Got down on my hands and knees
Got in so far, I became, well, a part of it all
I've been wading through it
Don't you know it's up to my neck?
And it won't be long 'fore it's over my head
And it's the thought of you in my mind, keeps me. . .

Thought I knew these streets, and how they turn

Could always find my way home
There's something there, can't leave it alone

The trains they run all night

We could leave everything behind
Just bring that dress you bought when we first met

I know it's faded, darling
I know it's tattered and worn
In that dress, I could never love you more
I've been wading through it
Don't you know it's up to my neck?
And it won't be long 'fore it's over my head
And I can suck it into my love, breathe it in

She fell in love with my singing
She knew the bells started ringing
She thought there was only her there
But, me, I just live for the clapping
A hand delivery of an invite to my premiere
When he fell in love, I was acting
I sent her flowers, asked her to marry me
But all I heard was their clapping
Now she cries with a cigarrette at the window
He croons and moans like he's hurting
She cries so well
He croons and moans, just croons and moans
Now, I never thought [I had no idea] she needed direction
And he was at the mercy of his writers
For the songs I needed [for me] to touch her
Those sad, sad songs to make me happy
Now she cries with a cigarrette at the window
He croons and moans like he's hurting
She cries so well
He croons and moans, just croons and moans
We re-enact the love scenes from her/my movies
But I never thought, but she uses a stand-in
His voice is croakier every day now
And she cries so well

Two hours twenty minutes
To one, five past
Now it's laying somewhere out there in the ground
And I've lost you
I was cheated
It was something belonged only to me
And now it's gone through my own stupidity
And I lost you
I was cheated

Two whole years spent earning your love
Now it's hanging around in the clouds
Well I've lost you
I was cheated
I'm cheated by my own vanity
Whispering rumours, bullying me
Well I spent it
It wasn't worth it
And for those who are not so beautiful as her
Not giving excuses, but oh...
When it's originally tossed away
It can easily be reclaimed by her
By her

All those years spent building myself up
Trying to stop my staring
And start taking two steps instead of one
But they're so gone now

chorus

You've been lying in bed for a week now
Wondering how long it'll take
You haven't spoken or looked at her in all that time
For that was the easiest line you could break

She's been going round her business as usual
Always with that melancholic smile
But you were too busy looking into your affairs
To see those tiny tears in her eyes

Chorus:
Tiny tears make up an ocean
Tiny tears make up a sea
Let them pour out, pour out all over
Don’t let them pour all over me

How can you hurt someone so much
you're supposed to care for
Someone you said you'd always be there for
But when that water breaks
you know you're gonna cry, cry
When those tears start rolling you'll be back

Chorus
Tiny tears make up an ocean
Tiny tears make up a sea
Let them pour out, pour out all over
Don't let them pour all over me

You've been thinking about the time,
you've been dreading it
But now it seems that moment has arrived
She's at the edge of the bed, she gets in
But it's hard to turn the opposite way tonight

Chorus

Don't let them pour all over me