Sultans of Swing

You get a shiver in the dark

It's been raining in the park but meantime

South of the river you stop and you hold everything

A band is blowing Dixie double four time

You feel all right when you hear that music ring

You step inside but you don't see too many faces

Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down

Too much competition too many other places

But not too many horns can make that sound

Way on downsouth way on downsouth London town

You check out Guitar George he knows all the chords

Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing

And an old guitar is all he can afford

When he gets up under the lights to play his thing

And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene

He's got a daytime job he's doing alright

He can play honky tonk just like anything

Saving it up for Friday night

With the Sultans with the Sultans of Swing

Amd a crowd of young boys they're fooling around in the corner

Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles

They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band

It ain't what they call rock and roll

And the Sultans played Creole

And then the man he steps right up to the microphone

And says at last just as the time bell rings

'Thank you goodnight now it's time to go home'

and he makes it fast with one more thing

'We are the Sultans of Swing'

Down to the Waterline

Sweet surrender on the quayside

You remember we used to run and hide

In the shadow of the cargoes I take you one at a time

And we're counting all the numbers down to the waterline

Near misses on the dogleap stairways

French kisses in the darkened doorways

A foghorn blowing out wild and cold

A policeman shines a light upon my shoulder

Up comes a coaster fast and silent in the night

Over my shoulder all you can see are the pilot lights

No money in our jackets and our jeans are torn

Your hands are cold but your lips are warm

She can see him on the jetty where they used to go

She can feel him in the places where the sailors go

When she's walking by the river and the railway line

She can still hear him whisper

Let's go down to the waterline

Portobello Belle

Bella donna's on the highstreet

Her breasts upon the off beat

And the stalls are just the side shows

Victoriano's old clothes

And yes her jeans are tight now

She got to travel light now

She got to turn up all her roots now

She got to turn up for the boots now

She thinks she's tough

She ain't no English rose

But the blind singer

He's seen enough and he knows

Do a song about a long gone Irish girl

But I got one for you Portobello Belle

She sees a man upon his back there

Escaping from a sack there

And Bella donna lingers

Her gloves aint got no fingers

The blind man says he Irish

He gets his money in a tin dish

Just a corner serinader

Upon a time he could of made her

She thinks she's tough

She ain't no English rose

But the blind singer

He's seen enough and he knows

Do a song about a long gone Irish girl

But I got one for you Portobello Belle

This time a pair a boys are hawking

And the paraket is squawking

Upon a truck there is a wino

She get the crying off the wino

And then she here the raggy rumble

Bella donna is in the jungle

But she is no garden flower

There is no distress in the tower

Bella donna walks

Bella donna taking a stroll

She don't care about your window box or your button hole

Sing a song about a long gone Irish girl

But I got one for you Portobello Belle

Romeo and Juliet

a lovestruck romeo sings a streetsuss serenade

laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made

finds a convenient streetlight steps out of the shade

says something like you and me babe how about it?

juliet says hey it's romeo you nearly gimme a heart attack

he's underneath the window she's singing hey la my boyfriend's back

you shoudn't come around here singing up at people like that

anyway what you gonna do about it?

juliet the dice were loaded from the start

and i bet and you exploded in my heart

and i forget i forget the movie song

when you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong juliet?

come up on different streets they both were streets of shame

both dirty both mean yes and the dream was just the same

and i dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real

how can you look at me as i was just another one of your deals?

when you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold

you can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold

you promised me everything you promised me thick and thin

now you just say oh romeo yeah you know i used to have a scene with him

juliet when we made love you used to cry

you said i love you like the stars above i'll love you till i die

there's a place for us you know the movie song

when you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?

i can't do the talk like they talking on the tv

and i can't do a love song like the way its meant to be

i can't do everything but i'd do anything for you

i can't do anything except be in love with you

and all i do is miss you and the way we used to be

all i do is keep the beat and bad company

all i do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme

julie i'd do the stars with you any time

juliet when we made love you used to cry

you said i love you like the stars above i'll love you till i die

there's a place for us you know the movie song

when you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?

a lovestruck romeo sings a streetsuss serenade

laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made

finds a convenient streetlight steps out of the shade

says something like you and me babe how about it?

Where do you Think You're Going?

Where do you think you're going

Don't you know it's dark outside

Where do you think you're going

Don't you care about my pride

Where do you think you're going

I think you don't know

You got no way of knowing

You got no place to go

I understand your changes

How long before you reach the door

I know where you think you're going

I know what you came here for

And now I'm sick of joking

You know I like you to be free

Where do you think you're going

I think you'd better go with me, girl

You say there is no reason

But you still find cause to doubt me

When you ain't with me girl

You're gonna be without me

Where do you think you're going

Don't you know it's dark outside

Where do you think you're going

Don't you care about my pride

And now I'm sick of joking

You know I like you to be free

Where do you think you're going

I think you'd better go with me, girl

Walk of Life

Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies

Be-Bop-A-Lua, Baby What I Say

Here comes Johnny singing I Gotta Woman

Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay

He got the action, he got the motion

Yeah, the boy can play

Dedication devotion

Turning all the night time into the day

He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman

He do the song about the knife

He do the walk, he do the walk of life

Here comes Johnny and he'll tell you the story

Hand me down mu walkin' shoes

Here come Johnny with the power and the glory

Backbeat the talkin' blues

He got the action, he got the motion

Yeah, the boy can play

Dedication devotion

Turning all the night time into the day

He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman

He do the song about the knife

He do the walk, he do the walk of life

Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies

Be-Bop-A-Lula, Baby What I Say

Here comes Johnny singing I Gotta Woman

Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay

He got the action, he got the motion

Yeah the boy can play

Decidation devotion

Turning all the night time into the day

And after all the violence and double talk

There's just a song in the trouble and the strife

You do the walk, you do the walk of life

Private Investigations

It's a mystery to me - the game commences

for the usual fee - plus expenses

confidential information - it's not a public inquiry

I go checking out the reports - digging up the dirt

you get to meet all sorts in this line of work

treachery and treason - there's always an excuse for it

and when I find the reason I still can't get used to it

And what have you got at the end of the day?

what have you got to take away?

a bottle of whisky and a new set of lies

blinds on the windows and a pain behind the eyes

Scarred for life - nocompensation

private investigations

Money for Nothing

Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it

You play the guitar on the MTV

That ain't workin' that's the way you do it

Money for nothin' and chicks for free

Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it

Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb

Maybe get a blister on your little finger

Maybe get a blister on your thumb

We gotta install microwave ovens

Custom kitchen deliveries

We gotta move these refrigerators

We gotta move these colour TV's

See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup

Yeah buddy that's his own hair

That little faggot got his own jet airplane

That little faggot he's a millionaire

We gotta install microwave ovesns

Custom kitchens deliveries

We gotta move these refrigerators

We gotta move these colour TV's

I shoulda learned to play the guitar

I shoulda learned to play them drums

Look at that mama, she got it stickin' in the camera

Man we could have some fun

And he's up there, what's that? Hawaiian noises?

Bangin' on the bongoes like a chimpanzee

That ain't workin' that's the way you do it

Get your money for nothin' get your chicks for free

We gotta install microwave ovens

Custom kitchen deliveries

We gotta move these refrigerators

We gotta move these colour TV's, Lord

Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it

You play the guitar on the MTV

That ain't workin' that's the way you do it

Money for nothin' and your chicks for free

Money for nothin' and chicks for free

Tunnel of Love

getting crazy on the waltzers but it's the life that i choose

sing about the sixblade sing about the switchback and a torture tattoo

and i been riding on a ghost train where the cars they scream and slam

and i don't know where i'll be tonight but i'd always tell you where i am

in a screaming ring of faces i seen her standing in the light

she had a ticket for the races just like me she was a victim of the night

i put a hand upon the lever said let it rock and let it roll

i had the one arm bandit fever there was an arrow through my heart and my soul

and the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above

and i'm just high on the world

come on and take a low ride with me girl

on the tunnel of love

it's just the danger when you're riding at your own risk

she said you are the perfect stranger she said baby let's keep it like this

it's just a cake walk twisting baby step right up and say

hey mister give me two give me two cos any two can play

and the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above

and i'm just high on the world

come on and take a low ride with me girl

on the tunnel of love

well it's been money for muscle another whirligig

money for muscle and another girl i dig

another hustle just to make it big

and rockaway rockaway

and girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did

like the spanish city to me when we were kids

oh girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did

like the spanish city to me when we were kids

she took off a silver locket she said remember me by this

she put her hand in my pocket i got a keepsake and a kiss

and in the roar of the dust and diesel i stood and watched her walk away

i could have caught up with her easy enough but something must have made me stay

and the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above

and i'm just high on the world

come on and take a low ride with me girl

on the tunnel of love

and now i'm searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades

searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades

in any shooting gallery where promises are made

to rockaway rockaway from cullercoats and whitley bay out to rockaway

and girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did

like the spanish city to me when we were kids

girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did

like the spanish city to me when we were kids

Brothers in Arms

These mist covered mountains

Are a home now for me

But my home is the lowlands

And always will be

Some day you'll return to

Your valleys and your farms

And you'll no longer burn

To be brothers in arm

Through these fields of destruction

Baptism of fire

I've watched all your suffering

As the battles raged higher

And though they did hurt me so bad

In the fear and alarm

You did not desert me

My brothers in arms

There's so many different worlds

So many different suns

And we have just one world

But we live in different ones

Now the sun's gone to hell

And the moon's riding high

Let me bid you farewell

Every man has to die

But it's written in the starlight

And every line on your palm

We're fools to make war

On our brothers in arms