Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter

That's When The Trouble Starts

(Ian Hunter)

It looks so easy, ain't nothin' to it
Fast food, anyone can do it
You got your start on Karaoke, Heading straight down the sewer of reality
You think you're cool, you think you're wicked. Ahhh, fifty shades of stupid
After your 15 minutes of fame
Look out, here comes the howlin' rain

That's when the trouble starts
That's when the trouble starts
Ego messin' with your brain
That's when the touble starts
That's when the trouble starts
Now trouble is your middle name

You got no soul, you got no passion, 
who cares - it's goin' outta fashion
You got the gutter, you're takin' up space,
Pretty soon you're vanishing without a trace
The lowest common denominator, ahh I'll see you later
After your 15 minutes of fame
Look out, here comes the howlin' rain

That's when the trouble starts, that's when the trouble starts
Trouble going to screw ya, that's when the trouble starts
That's when the trouble starts, and you ain't gotta clue
That's when the trouble starts, that's when the trouble starts
Trouble gonna get ya (yeah)

That's when the trouble starts, that's when the trouble starts
And you don't know what hit ya
You don't know what hit ya
You don't know what hit ya
You don't know what hit ya

Dandy

(Ian Hunter)

Something is happening, Mr Jones
My brother says you're better than the Beatles or the Stones
Saturday night 'n Sunday morning
You turned us into heroes, can you hear the heroes sing?

Dandy, you're the prettiest star
There ain't no life on Mars but we always thought there might be
Dandy, you opened up the door
You left us wanting more, and then we took the last bus home

Who let the genie outta the lamp?
And little Lord Fauntleroy, who let him outta his amp?
Saturday night 'n Sunday morning, 
Well Trevor's getting bolder, 'n Woody likes to hit things

Dandy, this world was black 'n' white
You showed us what it's like to live inside a rainbow 
Dandy, You thrilled us to the core
You left us wanting more, and then we took the last bus home

You beat up Goliath, you had it all
The voice, the look, the songs that shook
The gift of the gab 'n the gall
Saturday night 'n Sunday morning
When all we had to look forward to was the weekend, you made our lives worth living

Dandy, you're still the prettiest star
There ain't no life on Mars but we always thought there might be
Dandy, you took us to the fair
Cabaret Voltaire - and then we caught the last bus home

Dandy, you know we've waited long enough
They should put a statue up in Piccadilly Circus
Dandy, you blew us all away moutta the drab and the grey
And then we caught the last bus home

Dandy, the keeper of the flame, we won't see your like again
No, Dandy was a one-off
Dandy, look at what you've become
I guess I owe you one, so thanks for the memories

Ghosts

(Ian Hunter)

I was dreaming of another place when the phone rang by my bed
"You wanna go, I'll take you there - like now" the walrus said
You wanna see the pyramids on the Mississippi Nile
Well, grab your heart and grab your soul, this is gonna take a while

And there I was in the lap of the gods with these voices in my head
I saw three crosses on the floor, "Stand there" the walrus said
All the wonders of the world assembled here to jam
The gang of four and plenty more are playin' here for Uncle Sam

I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, turntables spinning round
I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts 
Why don't ya put the needle down down down
Why don't ya put the needle down down down
Why don't ya put the needle down 

I'm like some kid in a candy store, always been a fan
It's all still here, the atmosphere, it's where it all began
"If you believe," the walrus said "this room comes back to life"
The hair was standin' on the back 'o' my head
I must be doing something right

I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, turntables spinning round
I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts 
Why don't ya put the needle down down down
Why don't ya put the needle down down down
Why don't ya put the needle down 

When every light went down on me, when every star was crossed
You scratched the surface of my soul 'n' you told me who I was

I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, be still my foolish heart
I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, 'n' I don't know where to start
I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, you showed me what to do
I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, 'n' I'm still haunting you
I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, turntables spinning round
I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, why don't ya put the needle down down down
Why don't ya put the needle down down down, why don't ya put the needle down down down
Why don't ya put the needle down

Fingers Crossed

(Ian Hunter)

I was pressed into service through no fault of my own
I was dragged from the gutter by nefarious rogues
I don't like to dwell upon what happened to me
From the land of the living to the land of the lost
Just a pawn in the system, (woh-oh) got my fingers crossed

I've seen skulls, I've seen crossbones
As near as I can see you
I felt the cold cloak of terror, the fog 'n' grog got us through
Pirate or privateeer
I am both am I not, in a land unforgiving from the land of the lost
With my fate in the balance, (woh-oh) and my fingers crossed

Well..
Hang me high, hang me high, boys
hang me high, hang me high, boys
Hang me high, hang me high, boys
hang me high, hang me high, boys

I have danced with the elements on the South China seas
I've seen gold, I've seen silver, the fruits of our victories
Guilty or innocent, I ask this because, on the steps of the scaffold am I now to be lost
So I make my confession, (woh-oh) with my fingers crossed

Hang me high, hang me high, boys
hang me high, hang me high, boys
Hang me high, hang me high, boys,
hang me high, hang me high, boys

Fire away, fire away, boys
fire away, fire away, boys
Fire away, fire away, boys
fire away, fire away
So I make my confession, (oh-oh) with my fingers crossed

White House

(Ian Hunter)

Income city lost its flair, packed our bags 'n' we're outta there
Gotta get some of that country air, gonna buy a white house

No address, numberless surrounded by a wilderness
I hope we don't get repossessed, livin' in a white house

You are the only one for me, you are the only one
The time, the place, your smile, your face
Livin' in a white house

We got birds, we got bees, we got lots of allergies
We got dogs 'n' they've got fleas, livin' in a white house

You are the only one for me, you are the only one
We've moved around, now we're settling down
Livin' in a white house

A thousand trees look down on me, shadowing the sun
And little rabbits multiply, I wish I had a gun
I wish I had a gun
Cos you are the only one for me, you are the only one

One eager beaver owns the pond
He's got a girlfriend she's a blonde
And on the whole they're rather fond
Of livin' by the white house

You are the only one for me, you are the only one. 
It ain't DC but it's cool with me
Livin' in the white house, 
you are the only one for me, you are the only one
We got our own home sweet home, livin' in a white house
Livin in a white house

Bow Street Runners

(Ian Hunter)

"London Town is crumblin' down" said the 'Penny Post' reporter
"Something's gotta be done 'bout the murderin' scum, there ain't no law and order"

Woh-oh-oh

In the gas-lit alleys 'n' the gin-soaked bars, linin' the streets of the ghetto
In the whorehouses on the open roads, death lurks in the shadows

Stop thief, stop thief, half a million people are running scared
Stop thief, stop thief, and all we need's a hero
To stand up to the gangs, and I know such a man

Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners 
chasin' them scallywags offa the street
blind beak 'n' the bow street runners 
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace

He can smell a rat a mile away, even if he can't see then
Sixty thieves roll in their graves, wrestling with their demons

(I said oh-oh-oh)
(I said oh-oh-oh)

Never force the hand of a highwayman, he'll put a bullet right through ya
Relieve you of your valuables, and sell them right back to ya

Stop thief, stop thief, stop in the name of the law
Stop thief, stop thief, it's just a matter of time
Before we see you hanging off the triple tree, courtesy of

Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners 
chasin' those neanderthals offa the street
Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners
keepin' the peace, 
keepin' the peace, 
keepin' the peace, 
keepin' the peace, 
keepin' the peace, 
keepin' the peace, 
keepin' the peace, 
feelin' the heat

There's a man outside with a horse and cart, the mob screams out for vengeance
A couple of pints at the Hare 'n' Hounds, then it's off to the neck extension

Stop thief, stop thief, they ain't gonna let ya get away
stop thief, stop thief, you shoulda known better
Than to tangle with the boys in blue, and the man they call

Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners 
chasin' those criminals offa the street
Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners 
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace
keepin' the peace...

Morpheus

(Ian Hunter)

You walk thru the door
throw your clothes on the floor 
lie in bed 'n' gaze up at the ceiling
Plugs are in your ears 
Tension disappears and you're off to the land of healing

You slip 'n' you slide 
you sink further inside 
far away from the fast and the furious
Sleep can keep you warm
shelter from the storm 
deep in the arms of Morpheus

And walls start to fall
Every wall must fall
As you break the last line of resistance
Songs you never wrote
You try to catch them as they float
And carry them back to existence

You drift into space
there's no time, there's no place
your eyes have no face but they focus
No such thing as stress
There ain't no east or west
Deep in the arms of Morpheus

Bells are ringin', don't open your eyes
Reality's singin', don't open your eyes
Nerves are tinglin, don't open your eyes
Whetever you do, don't open your eyes

Back in your room 
You'll be surfacing soon
To the tune of the morning chorus
For just another day 
But you wish that you could stay
Deep in the arms of Morpheus 
Deep in the arms of Morpheus
Deep in the arms of Morpheus

Stranded In Reality

(Ian Hunter)

Let me unveil a soberin' tale 
I bought my spaceship second-hand
Should'a known better, the steering jammed 
I'm lookin' all over for a place to land

Episode two: Earth to the rescue
Somebody pulled the emergency cord
Everybody jumped overboard and I wound up in the maternity ward
It was a baptism, baptism, baptism, baptism, baptism, baptism by fire

Stranded in reality
It's a dodgy proposition
They still believe in fairy tales
'n' lots of ammunition

Adolescence, it doesn't make any sense
Anti-social media saw their communication cords
And something in me wants to roar
Bat crazy, bat crazy, bat crazy, bat crazy, bat crazy

Stranded in reality
It's the age of the deluded
Everybody's got a brain
But the batteries ain't included
(let's go)

Let me conclude this sad interlude 
The spaceship's fixed but whaddya know
PCB won't let us go and all I said was UFO
UFO, UFO, UFO, UFO, UFO

Stranded in reality
Well I ain't too optimistic
Realism's upped and left
It's all materialistic
Stranded in reality
I'm beginning to see what this is
Give the people what they want
Or it's gonna be bad for business

Stranded in reality
Why am I losing my enthusiasm

You Can't Live In The Past

(Ian Hunter)

Sally Army on the corner, 
Hope n Anchor, closing time
I watched you stagger I watched you reelin' 
I watched you slowly leaving this world behind

Hark the herald angels singin' 
On the street there's little hope
People all scared to see the postman 
On the doorstep with that little yellow envelope

I can't help you with anything if you can't help yourself
I can't pull you out of this if you wanna be somewhere else

You can never go back, you can never go back 
Yesterday's gone, you've gotta move on
You can't live in the past

When you're lost in the rain 
Try not to go there again
And Vera sings that same old song
On and on and on and on and on

Kiss the toothbrush, kiss the razor
Light the gas and leave it on
Fall asleep upon the sofa
Quietly die inside his ragged uniform

I can't give you anything if you can't give yourself
I can't get you out of this if you wanna be somewhere else

You can never go back, you can never go back
Those days are gone, you gotta move on
You can't live in the past

And all things bright and beautiful
This house was always full of people
Holdin' hands and making plans, wedding bells were gonna chime
But I don't think I'll ever really understand man's inhumanity to man

Sally army on the corner 
Hearse and mourners all in line
Empty glasses, empty ashtrays
Pull the blinds down gov'ner 'cos it's closing time 

You can never go back 
You can never go back
Those days are gone, you gotta move on
You can't live in the past
When you're lost in the rain
Try not to go there again
And Vera sings that same old song
On and on and on and on...

Long Time

(Ian Hunter)

They called me the idiot
My hands were on fire
Blood flowed from my fingers every time I pressed the wires
Exiled to the attic, out of harm's way
I hit that bow and arrow till I hit the hay

I got a suitcase full of energy
I'm following the wind, old enough to know better young enough to join in
Lived opposite a graveyard, you could hear the hookers cry:
"You never paid me last week - so you ain't gettin' nothin' tonight!"

It's been a long time
It's been a long time
Hangin' out in Lynn's Cafe 1959
We ran the streets together and we never had a dime
It's been a long time, it's been a long long long long time

Still life never moved me or the friends that I chose
They was always up to something, as the saying goes
The road to good intentions was starting to fray
And then I met a lunatic who showed me the way

It's been a long time
It's been a long time 
Well 'no' is not an option when your ass is on the line
I didn't need no lawyer, I was desperate to sign
It's been a long time, it's been a long long long long time

Be careful what you wish for
Dreams can come true
I was used to failure
This was something new
We tripped the light fandango till we ran out of steam
And then one by one we fell off the end of a dream

It's been a long time, it's been a long time, 
You take a chance on destiny
You never know what you'll find
Fortune and misfortune are forever entwined, 
It's been a long time - it's been a long long long long time

It's been a long time, it's been a long time, 
You've been going your way
I've been going mine
I wasn't born in the USA but I'm that way inclined, 
It's been a long time
It's been a long long long long long long long long time, 
Oo if you're ever in the vicinity
Drop me a line
It's been a long time
It's been a long long long long...

These lyrics have been determined after careful listening to the tracks in question, and are provided for educational purposes only. Due to the possibility of mis-hearing, we cannot vouch for their accuracy. Copyright remains vested in the lawful copyright holders.

Credits

Transcribed by Adrian Perkins in October 2016