lyrics
What Does Anything Mean? Basically - The Chameleons
Silence, Sea And Sky (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - Ok not a song in the full sense but a beautiful instrumental in my view, written by Dave on his favourite instrument, the Solina, a 'strings' keyboard. Instrumental <return to top>
Perfume Garden (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - When we fell out with Statik Records we were in a difficult situation because we couldn't officially record anything for any other label. When we were invited back to do the third Peel session it was a god-send and we came up with the songs so we could do the session. The lyrics of the Peel versions are different from that of the album and I think as a result I like the radio versions much better 'cause they feel more spontaneous than the album, which was just a way to get out of the Statik thing, to be honest. As usual the session came so fast I hadn't had time to develop the idea and so I just made it up on the spot, but later I thought I owed it to myself to write something proper. The live version became a kind of combination of the two. The themes deal with the lies and rigidity that existed in the British education system at that time, they probably still exist, worse if anything, I couldn't say. The opening verse is a swipe at pop-stars in general. It always struck me as strange, that, with the odd exception, artists only got played on the radio when they were saying nothing of any importance whatsoever. That's definitely more true today than then. You can shake your hips
You can seal your lips
I can't make that trip
And all life's fears
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
I can laugh with a friend
And remember the faces we wore at school
Making the madness
And solitary sadness
A friendly fool
I thought of stories
They told us long ago
Of how the world was a perfume garden
I haven't yet learned to tame the creature there
And that at least I think is something good
All across the town
And across the street
You could feel the heat
Let me tell you friend
They can hardly wait
To chain your feet
Now it's maximum joy
For the men they employ
To hold you down
Well I hope now you know
That this isn't the bliss
That you thought you'd found
Endless emptiness
Endless ringing bells
I couldn't show you
But I hope to one day
Pretty promises to teach the tender child
To welcome madness every Monday
Beck and call
It didn't seem to matter at all
Beck and call
You told us how to conquer it all
Beck and call
These children have nothing at all
Listening hard
For the voice of a child
I thought I heard an alarm bell ringing
Pulled from my sleep
By invisible hands
The distant sound of a lady singing
"Peel Sessions" version
You can seal your lips, you can shake your hips
I can't make that trip
And all life's fears can invade my ears
I can handle it
I can call on a friend, I can laugh with a friend
That I've known from school
Oh some have awoken but still not discovered the golden rule
I thought of stories I heard from long ago
As I peer through the perfumed garden
I haven't yet learned to tame the creature there
I think I might be on to something
All across the town and across the street
You can feel the heat
Let me tell you friend they can hardly wait
To mark your sheet
Well it's maximum joy for the men they employ
To hold you down
And I hope now you know that this isn't the bliss
That you thought you found
I thought of stories I heard from long ago
Meant for my ears, no-one else's
I haven't yet learned to tame the creature there
I think I might be on to something
I think I might be on to something
Listening hard for the voice of the child
I thought I heard an alarm bell ringing
Pulled from my sleep by invisible hands
The lady dances, the lady singing
I see their faces come into the light
A carpet of light that they wrap around me
I had the good sense to bide my time
From here on in we must move more slowly
You can seal your lips, you can shake your hips
I can't make that trip
And all life's fears could invade my ears
I can handle it
I can call on a friend, I can laugh with the friends
That I've known from school
Oh some have awoken and still not discovered the golden rule
Listen hard for the voice of the child
And you may hear an alarm bell ringing
Pulled from your sleep by invisible hands
The distant sound of a lady singing Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):You can shake your hips
You can seal your lips
I can't make that trip
And all life's fears
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
I can laugh with a friend
And remember the faces we wore at school
Making the madness
And solitary sadness
A friendly fool
I thought of stories
They told us long ago
Of how the world was a perfume garden
I haven't yet learned to tame the creature there
And that at least I think is something good
All across the town
And across the street
You could feel the heat
Let me tell you friend
They can hardly wait
To chain your feet
Now it's maximum joy
For the men they employ
To hold you down
Well I hope now you know
That this isn't the bliss
That you thought you'd found
Endless emptiness
Endless ringing bells
I couldn't show you
But I hope to one day
Pretty promises to teach the tender child
To welcome madness every Monday
Beck and call
It didn't seem to matter at all
Beck and call
You told us how to conquer it all
Beck and call
These children have nothing at all
Listening hard
For the voice of a child
I thought I heard an alarm bell ringing
Pulled from my sleep
By invisible hands
The distant sound of a lady singing <return to top>
Intrigue In Tangiers (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - Again, recorded only half written for the last John Peel session the lyrics came from frequent visits to a home for retired service men called Broughton House, in Salford Manchester, were I'd often go to visit my grandfather. It made me very aware of my own relative youth and how precious my time was. There was one chap there, a former seaman in the merchant navy, who was bound to a wheelchair and likened his life there to being buried alive. I use to take him some hash whenever I went over and he'd sit in his chair, getting stoned and watching TV. He'd call them "funny cigarettes." He used to talk of all these far-away exotic sounding places he'd visited, like Tangier. When it's summer
And the skies are glass
I just have to make the evenings last
They're always flying past
When it's raining and the sky is black
I just love to hear the thunder roll
And see the lightning crack
With fading powers
We sit for hours
By a television screen
With funny cigarettes
And talk for hours
Of the places we have seen
Brother can you hear my voice
Every second that you cling to life
You have to feel alive
It's an easy thing to sell your skin
When the Devil's banging on your door
You always let him in
With fading powers
We dream of hours
That will never come again
Old defenders are themselves defenceless
When the mad attack the sane
What can you do
When you see no future
In front of you
Food for the few
So many it seems are in front of you
I see my face
Reflected there in your sweating brow
You hate what you see
What can you do
When there's no way out
Well there's one way out
Brother can you hear my voice
Every second that you cling to life
You have to feel alive
But when you sleep
Where do you go? Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):When it's summer
And the skies are glass
I just have to make the evenings last
They're always flying past
When it's raining and the sky is black
I just love to hear the thunder roll
And see the lightning crack
With fading powers
We sit for hours
By a television screen
With funny cigarettes
And talk for hours
Of the places we have seen
Brother can you hear my voice
Every second that you cling to life
You have to feel alive
It's an easy thing to sell your skin
When the Devil's banging on your door
You always let him in
With fading powers
We dream of hours
That will never come again
Old defenders are themselves defenceless
When the mad attack the sane
What can you do
When you see no future
In front of you
Food for the few
So many it seems are in front of you
I see my face
Reflected there in your sweating brow
You hate what you see
What can you do
When there's no way out
Well there's one way out
Brother can you hear my voice
Every second that you cling to life
You have to feel alive
But when you sleep
Where do you go? <return to top>
Return Of The Roughnecks (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - The title came from the notebook I had with me the evening of the acid trip at Tandle Hill. I'd written down all these weird phrases like 'Script of the bridge,' and 'What does anything mean? And 'the return of the roughnecks.' The lyric is pretty self-explanatory. The politics of the day constantly went on about a glowing material future. A sort of anti-yuppie anthem. The end is a snippet from a very early song called 'Turn To The Vices' which never got recorded in itself. Up and down
These days are up and down
They call it elevated living
A faster future for a faster breed
Unforgiving, unfulfilling
The spirit's willing
But the mind is weak
I had an empty education
I want to speak
But when I try to speak
It doesn't help the situation
And some they fly while others fall
And some they walk while others crawl
It stops them feeling small
That's all
Shake your hand
They'll always shake your hand
Without a moment's hesitation
Burning bridges
And snapping strands
That support a generation
You want to climb
But when you try to climb
You see the ladder getting shorter
You want to drink
But when you try to drink
There's someone
Pissing in the water
Your soul is something they can buy
So softly, softly step inside
Says the spider to the fly
Nice try
And for every day you're crucified
If you can't look them in the eye
Smile and wave goodbye
Nice try
Vices embraced in times of crisis
That's all Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):Up and down
These days are up and down
They call it elevated living
A faster future for a faster breed
Unforgiving, unfulfilling
The spirit's willing
But the mind is weak
I had an empty education
I want to speak
But when I try to speak
It doesn't help the situation
And some they fly while others fall
And some they walk while others crawl
It stops them feeling small
That's all
Shake your hand
They'll always shake your hand
Without a moment's hesitation
Burning bridges
And snapping strands
That support a generation
You want to climb
But when you try to climb
You see the ladder getting shorter
You want to drink
But when you try to drink
There's someone
Pissing in the water
Your soul is something they can buy
So softly, softly step inside
Says the spider to the fly
Nice try
And for every day you're crucified
If you can't look them in the eye
Smile and wave goodbye
Nice try
Vices embraced in times of crisis
That's all <return to top>
Singing Rule Britannia (While The Walls Close In) (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - When 'Basically' was reviewed in the NME the hack said something like "only someone completely insane would write a song called ...." The song refers to those people, at the time that included my father, that would go on and on about how great The Conservative Party was, while their lives and the country in general were disintegrating around them. This song was actually one of the very first we did and the words were a response to the election of Thatcher in 1979. I'm reminded of the first song I remember seeing Dave Gedge play with his band in 1980, 'Thatcher The Snatcher.' A prisoner of my paradox
Heaven or hell
Pacing up and down my cage
It's too soon to tell
What a suffocating state to be
Working class heroes
Mean nothing to me
I'm a working class zero
Chained to the tree of life
A dangerous thing to be
And now the baby needs to grow
But the mother is crazy
What lies behind the mask
Behind the wave and the smile
Your appearance is deceptive
Sweet crocodile
What a fascinating thing to see
Revealing all your secrets
You'd better beware
Revealing all your secrets
You wouldn't dare
Reveal yourself to me
Would you?
It must have been like this before
But my memory's hazy
So I'll stand in line
With all the desperados
There's hope for me
For some the story's different
They'll stand in line
They'll bide their time
Waiting for a sign
Counting out the time
Clever, clever creatures
Death in your kiss
Playing with the future
In innocent bliss
What a suffocating state to be
But what a fascinating thing to see Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):A prisoner of my paradox
Heaven or hell
Pacing up and down my cage
It's too soon to tell
What a suffocating state to be
Working class heroes
Mean nothing to me
I'm a working class zero
Chained to the tree of life
A dangerous thing to be
And now the baby needs to grow
But the mother is crazy
What lies behind the mask
Behind the wave and the smile
Your appearance is deceptive
Sweet crocodile
What a fascinating thing to see
Revealing all your secrets
You'd better beware
Revealing all your secrets
You wouldn't dare
Reveal yourself to me
Would you?
It must have been like this before
But my memory's hazy
So I'll stand in line
With all the desperados
There's hope for me
For some the story's different
They'll stand in line
They'll bide their time
Waiting for a sign
Counting out the time
Clever, clever creatures
Death in your kiss
Playing with the future
In innocent bliss
What a suffocating state to be
But what a fascinating thing to see <return to top>
On The Beach (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - This song came very quickly to a guitar riff that Dave started playing one afternoon at rehearsal. It's actually a true story of what happened one night at Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness. It took me a very long time to come to terms with what I thought I saw that night, I mean someone who sees angelic visions appear in the sky must be going mad right? Actually many years later, as I stood before a priest in the very same spot waiting for my bride to arrive so the wedding could begin, she walked across the lawn and I thought "That's It! That's what I saw!" Autumn leaves were falling
Hearing nature talking
I thought I heard her calling
Hush now don't you cry
Figure in the sky
Can't stop myself from shaking
My mind at last is waking
Eight minds embracing
Figures in the sky
Hadn't time to analyse
What I saw before my eyes
But nothing would surprise me
Here on our beach
Far away from you all
I thought I heard her calling
Unsure of what we're facing
The precious time we're wasting
I'll always be embracing
The figure in the sky
"Here Today...Gone Tomorrow" version
Photos in my pocket
I keep them in my wallet (next to his heart)
Photos in my pocket
Of figures in the sky
Figures in the sky
Figures in the sky
Photos in my pocket
I keep them in my wallet
Oh, photos in my pocket
Of figures in the sky
Yeah, figures in the sky
Figures in the sky
Figures in the sky
Here on our beach
Unsure or what I'm facing
The precious time we're wasting
I'll always be embracing
Figures in the sky
Figures in the sky (I'll always be embracing)
Here on our beach Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):Autumn leaves were falling
Hearing nature talking
I thought I heard her calling
Hush now don't you cry
Figure in the sky
Can't stop myself from shaking
My mind at last is waking
Eight minds embracing
Figures in the sky
Hadn't time to analyse
What I saw before my eyes
But nothing would surprise me
Here on our beach
Far away from you all
I thought I heard her calling
Unsure of what we're facing
The precious time we're wasting
I'll always be embracing
The figure in the sky <return to top>
Looking Inwardly (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - This was written very early and was recorded for the first Peel session in 1981. It hadn't seemed to fit on 'Script' at the time so we put it in here. It didn't really change much from the improvised Peel version and it seems fresh I think because it wasn't a song we played very often. Confused introspection, very dull in my view. I delve into myself ceaselessly
But I rarely see
What I want to see
Embracing the future
Forgetting the past
Love lost and misfortune
The chaos and the crass
I'm wary of you
But you're oblivious to me
I'm chained to your ego
And there isn't a key
I play with emotions
But never my own
Don't you recognise me
Try looking inwardly
But you won't see me
Such a strange situation
As I wallow in waste
That such a trivial victory
Should put a smile on your face
Using me as the scapegoat
For what you want to believe
So I'll just bow out politely
And tip my cap as I leave
Comme ci, comme ca
My eyes are wide open
Yours are closed
It's time you realised I'm a part of you
Look inwardly
Don't bleed for me
Look to yourself
"Peel Sessions" version
I delve into myself
Frequently
And I rarely see
What I want to see
Embracing the future
Forgetting the past
Lost loves or misfortune
The chaos and the crass
I'm wary of you
But you're oblivious to me
I'm chained to your ego
And there isn't a key
I play with emotions
But never my own
Can you recognize me
Try looking inwardly
But you won't see me
Such a strange situation
As I wallow in waste
That such a trivial victory
Can bring a smile to her face
I don't need these lies
What am I doing here?
Looking for an answer
To looking inwardly
Look inwardly
Don't bleed for me
Look to yourself Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):I delve into myself ceaselessly
But I rarely see
What I want to see
Embracing the future
Forgetting the past
Love lost and misfortune
The chaos and the crass
I'm wary of you
But you're oblivious to me
I'm chained to your ego
And there isn't a key
I play with emotions
But never my own
Don't you recognise me
Try looking inwardly
But you won't see me
Such a strange situation
As I wallow in waste
That such a trivial victory
Should put a smile on your face
Using me as the scapegoat
For what you want to believe
So I'll just bow out politely
And tip my cap as I leave
Comme ci, comme ca
My eyes are wide open
Yours are closed
It's time you realised I'm a part of you
Look inwardly
Don't bleed for me
Look to yourself <return to top>
One Flesh (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - I'd always had a dim view about the way women were treated in our culture, especially within the traditional British working class marriage. These lyrics were really dedicated to my mother. Again we had half the song sorted but didn't know where to go with the end. As usual we played the new song at a gig in Berlin and we were all wondering what would happen when we got to the end. Having an audience staring at you is great motivation for artistic block and when the end came, we just made it up as we went along. Fortunately the sound engineer recorded the gig and we were able to reference it when we came to record the album. With the sun in your eyes
It's easy mistaking
The truth from the lies
In the love that you're making
Don't pretend it isn't so
With the sun in your eyes
It always reveals
A voluntary bondage
That always appeals
It's how you make the garden grow
But why this weakness
No-one knows
Our conscience cries its sorrow
While we sleep
But once the morning comes
Out the back door
Silently it creeps
With the sun in your eyes
Always reminding
A sense of excitement
You've no hope of finding
With the chains that bind your feet
Belonging or longing
For a few empty hours
In a stranger's bed
To chase away
A fear that's in your head
And why this weakness
No-one knows
The vacant faceless voices on the phone
Bring words that offer no
Consolation when you're on your own
Beaten on the brow of history
A unison forged in slavery
In all that's hope and decency
A hope for you and a hope for me
For every woman, child and man
To those who'll chain you if they can
The babe you're bouncing on your knee
Needs your help now
Can't you see
Beaten on the brow of history
A union forged in slavery
In all that's hope and decency
A hope for you and a hope for me
For every woman child and man
To those who'll chain you if they can
The babe you're bouncing on your knee
Needs your help now can't you see Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):With the sun in your eyes
It's easy mistaking
The truth from the lies
In the love that you're making
Don't pretend it isn't so
With the sun in your eyes
It always reveals
A voluntary bondage
That always appeals
It's how you make the garden grow
But why this weakness
No-one knows
Our conscience cries its sorrow
While we sleep
But once the morning comes
Out the back door
Silently it creeps
With the sun in your eyes
Always reminding
A sense of excitement
You've no hope of finding
With the chains that bind your feet
Belonging or longing
For a few empty hours
In a stranger's bed
To chase away
A fear that's in your head
And why this weakness
No-one knows
The vacant faceless voices on the phone
Bring words that offer no
Consolation when you're on your own
Beaten on the brow of history
A unison forged in slavery
In all that's hope and decency
A hope for you and a hope for me
For every woman, child and man
To those who'll chain you if they can
The babe you're bouncing on your knee
Needs your help now
Can't you see <return to top>
Home Is Where The Heart Is (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - This is one of my all time favourite Chameleons songs which I still play on occasion with the various people I play with these days. It was very influenced by a TV programme I was crazy about in my younger days called 'The Prisoner.' Again it's quite paranoid and sinister in its themes but was aimed at people I knew who just drew the blinds to what was happening around them. Whenever I got into conversations around these themes I would often remark that the Devil's greatest victory was convincing the world that he didn't exist. Imagine my amazement when these very same words cropped up in the script of 'Usual Suspects.' So here we are waking
Savages shaking
The road that we're taking
We've walked before
And if these times
Should seal our fate
You won't see me
At Heaven's gate
Danger is lurking
Evil is working
Yet here we are hiding
Behind our doors
Come out! Come out!
It's time to grow
Enjoy the ride
One more time before we go
According to Hoyle
All cards on the table
What else can you do
When life is unstable
The night's growing colder
The enemy bolder
But as you grow older
You ceased to care
But if we run
Or try to hide
And turn our face
There'll be no hopes
To keep alive
According to Hoyle
All cards on the table
Reactions cool
The world unstable
So here we are hiding
Danger is lurking Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):So here we are waking
Savages shaking
The road that we're taking
We've walked before
And if these times
Should seal our fate
You won't see me
At Heaven's gate
Danger is lurking
Evil is working
Yet here we are hiding
Behind our doors
Come out! Come out!
It's time to grow
Enjoy the ride
One more time before we go
According to Hoyle
All cards on the table
What else can you do
When life is unstable
The night's growing colder
The enemy bolder
But as you grow older
You ceased to care
But if we run
Or try to hide
And turn our face
There'll be no hopes
To keep alive
According to Hoyle
All cards on the table
Reactions cool
The world unstable
So here we are hiding
Danger is lurking <return to top>
P.S. Goodbye (The Chameleons)
Notes by Mark - The last of the four recorded for the last Peel session. Very, very rarely does anyone, fortunate enough to get to do a session for John Peel's programme, get asked back to do another, let alone three. I knew there wouldn't be a fourth and so the song was really a post script to all three sessions. I tried to explain in lyrical terms where all the previous songs had come from, in three simple stanzas. I've had too many crazy nights
I've seen too many crazy sights
I didn't want the scars to show
In those moments only mothers know
You know in retrospect it seems
There's always danger in your dreams
Like an actor stealing scenes
All the magic moments in your teens
All the thoughts you fight to hide
Lady Passion, Lady Pride
Sisters side by side
Talking while our tongues are tied
La da
da
Da da
Da da
Da da da
"Peel Sessions" version
I've seen a lot of crazy sights
I've had a lot of crazy nights
I didn't want the scars to show
In those moments only lovers know
You know in retrospect it seems
All of those half-forgotten dreams
Just like an actor stealing scenes
And secrets hidden in my teens Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):I've had too many crazy nights
I've seen too many crazy sights
I didn't want the scars to show
In those moments only mothers know
You know in retrospect it seems
There's always danger in your dreams
Like an actor stealing scenes
All the magic moments in your teens
All the thoughts you fight to hide
Lady Passion, Lady Pride
Sisters side by side
Talking while our tongues are tied
La da da Da da Da da Da da da <return to top>
In Shreds (The Chameleons)
I grasp at life's fading light
I need you tonight
I need to be heard
Your actions speak louder than words
Ignored by you all
I stumble and fall
I suddenly knew
My life meant nothing at all
In shreds, I stare down at the street
Yearning for sleep
That blissful escape
But when it comes it's always too late
The whore in my bed
The noise in my head
A hole in my pride
It's coming and there's nowhere to hide
It seems to me to be self-contradictory
It seems to me you count your victories while they're there
Ignored by you all
I stumble and fall
I suddenly knew
My life meant nothing at all
The whore in my bed
The noise in my head
The hole in my pride
It's coming and there's nowhere to hide
It seems to me to be self-contradictory
It seems to me you count your blessings while they're there
You count your blessings while they're there
Count your victories while they're there
It seems, it seems, it seems
It seems to me
To be
To be self-contradictory
It seems to me you've become part of the machinery
Part of the machinery
Part of the machinery
Become part of the machinery
Machinery Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):I grasp at life's fading light
I need you tonight
I need to be heard
Your actions speak louder than words
Ignored by you all
I stumble and fall
I suddenly knew
My life meant nothing at all
In shreds I stare down at the street
Yearning for sleep
That blissful escape
But when it comes it's always too late
The whore in my bed
The noise in my head
A hole in my pride
It's coming and there's nowhere to hide
It seems to me
To be self-contradictory
It seems to me
You count your blessings while they're there
Ignored by you all
I stumble and fall
I suddenly knew
My life meant nothing at all
The whore in my bed
The noise in my head
A hole in my pride
It's coming and there's nowhere to hide
It seems to me to be self-contradictory
It seems to me you count your victories
While they're there
You count your blessings while they're there
It seems to me
You're becoming part of the machinery <return to top>
Nostalgia (The Chameleons)
Absorbing your words
Battles raging within me
Absorbing your words
Is gradually tearing my soul in two
There isn't much I could do
Despite my fear it helps to
Share my nostalgia with you
There isn't time to stand still
We are constantly changing
You're draining my will
I find myself rearranging my points of view
There isn't much I could do
Despite my fear it helps to
Share my nostalgia with you
Tomorrow I remember yesterday
Tomorrow, remember yesterday
Tomorrow, remember yesterday
Tomorrow I remember yesterday
Whatever lies in my past
Or what is yet in the future
Time passes so fast
Suppose there's always the danger
I won't pull through
I'll have to think this thing through
Despite my fear it helps to
Share my nostalgia with you
Tomorrow I'll remember yesterday
Tomorrow I remember yesterday
Tomorrow, remember yesterday
Tomorrow, remember yesterday
Tomorrow, remember yesterday...
Tomorrow, nostalgia will lead me away Alternative Lyrics from Marks songbook (Dearest dead days):Absorbing your words
Battles raging within me
Absorbing your words
Is gradually tearing my soul in two
There's nothing more I can do
Despite my fear
It helps to share my nostalgia with you
There isn't time to stand still
We are constantly changing
You're draining my will
I find myself rearranging
My points of view
Tomorrow I'll remember yesterday
What ever lies in my past
Or what is yet in the future
Time passes so fast
I suppose there's always the danger
I won't pull through
I'll have to think it all through
Despite my fear
It helps to share my nostalgia with you <return to top>
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