Boomtown Rats Album

The world owes me a living
I've waited on this dole queue too
long
I've been standin' in the rain for
fifteen minutes
That's a quarter of an hour too long.

I'll take all they can give me
And then I'm gonna ask for more
Cos the money's buried deep in the
bank of England
And I want the key to the vault

CHORUS:
I'm gonna take your money
Count your loss when I'm gone.
I'm alright, Jack,
I'm lookin' after number one.

If I want something I get it
Don't matter what I have to do
I'll step on your face, on your mother's
grave
Never underestimate me I'm nobody's
fool

(repeat chorus)

Don't wanna be like you.
Don't wanna live like you.
Don't wanna talk like you, at all.

Don't give me love thy neighbour
Don't give me charity
Don't give me peace and love or the
good lord above
You only get in my way with your
stupid ideas

I am an island
Entire of myself
And when I get old, older than today
I'll never need anybody's help in any
way.

(repeat chorus)

Don't wanna be like you.
Don't wanna live like you.
Don't wanna talk like you, at all.

I'm gonna be like
I'm gonna be like
I'm gonna be like ME!

Life pours down into the neon heart
(It's late at night)
Cement City is all a-spark (Yeah that's
right)
The whores are loose and the dames
are abroad (My pants are tight)
There's a price on their hearts you
can't fail to afford.

Drink to the bitch and we'll dance for
a while
If you can't do the module than you'll
have to try the slide
It was all cool enough if you had the
zazz
The night was still young and it was
all we had

I picked her up at the bar that night
(What did you do)
I took her home she didn't put up a
fight (What did you do)
She was real good-lookin' but she
wasn't too bright (So what's new)
We pulled the curtains and then
locked out the night

I was fighting to maintain my cool
I walked the thin line between animal
and fool
'Til I felt her hand in mine and said
"Your wrong about me"
"I'm a boy from a good family" I told
her

The juke box played an out-of-time
tune (So what's new)
Made Tricia cry, oh her mascara was
ruined (So what's new)
She looked such a sight, the
sorrowful bitch (What did she do)
She rushed to the bathroom and she
slashed both her wrists

Everybody screamed and roared for
more
Lonestar Angels shouting "Encore"
Time was the enemy, we had to kill it
dead
The clock kept creeping round so we
went to bed instead.

Sooner or later when the dawn was
breaking
The joint was jumping and the walls
were shaking
Joey sneaked in the backdoor way
Pretending he was with the band, he
never used to pay
He was no great draw at pulling the
chicks
He used to lie against the wall like he
was holding up the bricks
And all the things that guy used to do
to get his kicks
He was a legand in his lifetime with
the neighborhood kids

They said "Joey did this" and "Joey
did that"
Oh that guy was crazy, what a crazy
cat
Then something strange would
happen, there's trouble on the way
And trouble only means one thing....
Joey's on the street again.

Joey grew older, older without a
cause
Got married, had some kids and had
his brushes with the law
Settled down and got a job, then said
"I'm leaving" one day
"I've gotta hang loose a while, take
care while I'm away."
People said they'd seen him, they
were nearly always wrong
'Cause no one knew how much he
had, where he'd gone or for how long
'Til one day there came a rumor,
floating from the docks
Saying a crazy stranger had been
found lying among the rocks.

The said "Joey was this" and "Joey
was that"
Oh that guy was crazy, what a crazy
cat
But no one quite believed it, all
rumors are the same
And now if something happens they
say....
Joey's on the street again.

When Joey moved away
A lot of the kids said "I can't stay
around here"
They said "I'm moving out, going
away
They said "I'm leaving, getting out
"I'm gonna go somewhere where it
doesn't stink
Away from the alleys, somewhere I
can think
Wash the dirt from my hands, watch it
wash down the sink
It's a strain on the brain living close to
the brink

Look at the brickwall gravestone
where some kid was sprayed
Saying nobody could be bothered
here to rule O.K.
Don't believe it, don't believe it what
they say on TV
There's no romance, no romance
For Joey in this city.

Tell me what you're doing coming in
so late at night
I wanna know
You say you're going out with
childhood friends from way back
when
Where do you go?
Tell us what you want, we'll give you
what you need
Just show respect for your daddy,
little girl,
You know you never bite the hand
that feeds.

Your mother's driven up the walls, you
make too many calls
Who do you phone?
You use this place like some hotel,
you want something you ring the bell
That's wrong
So tell us what you want, we'll give
you what you need
Just show some love for your mother,
daughter dear
You know you never bite the hand
that feeds

I don't know what went wrong
I couldn't understand
You grew up much too fast for me,
I wish it was before, like back when
you were four
I had you on my knee and I told you
lots of pretty things

Familial attention can't be bought like
other toys, it can't be sold
And even if it could it wouldn't do you
any good, you ought to know
I'll tell you what I want, I'll tell you
what I need
I just need some money from my
parents, daddy dear
And I'm going to bite your hand 'til it
bleeds

I don't know what went wrong
I couldn't understand
You grew up much too fast for me,
I wish it was before, like back when
you were four
I had you on my knee and I told you
lots of pretty things

With her friend Bill, and on the pill,
she took a smallish flat in Sandycove
He wheels and deals, she cooks the
meals and soon it ended up just like
before
Way back at home
He tells her what he wants, he tells
her what he needs
He says "just show respect for your
man, little girl"
"You know you never bite the hand
that feeds"

Sittin' in the front row
Mary of the fourth form
Turnin' all the boys on
She's turnin' all their heads around
Hitchin' up her short skirt
Stretchin' out her long legs
Pullin' up her stockings
She's combing out her long hair
Starin' at the teacher
Openin' her lips wide
Shiftin' in her seat. Yeah,
She slowly moves her hips aside

But in the middle of the night
She wakes her Mom to turn out the
light
Her make-up's on and her jeans are
skintight
And she's heading to the Pillar Bar
Johnnie looks alright tonight she
thinks
He gives her a smoke and he buys
her a drink
He shoots a frame and they head off
into the night.

Mary of the fourth form.
Mary of the fourth form.
Mary of the fourth form.
Mary of the fourth form.

Teacher's losing control
Thankfully the bell rings
Mary's left all alone
With no one but the teacher
She quickly drops her pencil
And slowly bends to get it
Teacher is a natural man
His hand moves out to touch her
She straightens and looks around,
yeah
She laughs and leaves the room,
yeah
Heartbreak for the teacher
Sweet dreams for young Mary

But in the middle of the night
She wakes her Dad to turn out the
light
Her make-up's on and her jeans are
skintight
And she's headed to the Pillar Bar

Johnnie looks great tonight, she
thinks
He gives her a smoke and he buys
her a drink
Shoots off a frame and they head off
into the night.

Mary of the fourth form.
Mary of the fourth form.
Mary of the fourth form.
Mary of the fourth form.

[No lyrics]

[No lyrics]

Somewhere a screen door slammed
Somewhere, someplace, somebody's
killing a man
Down the road I'm told five people
died
And I wonder are you making love to
anyone tonight.

Cos she and I, we're still sitting here
Our eyes are dry but we're bored to
tears
She said lets talk about the future,
lets forget about the past
Did I forget to tell you time never
lasts,

CHORUS:
Can I hold on that long
Is it worth the same old stringalong
There's been a few rights but there's
plenty wrongs
I can make it if you can.

Don't trust anything, especially love
Be careful of the broken bottles on
the wall above.
They burn your brain and they tear at
your mind
I know I won't be making love to
anyone tonight.

Cos she and I we're still sitting here
Our eyes are dry but we're bored to
tears.
Don't talk about the future, please
don't talk about the past
Lets forget about the present, it
makes me want to laugh.

REPEAT CHORUS

I don't get my kicks no more from
cake or lemonade
Bud I can't get served no smokes or
drinks
They tell me that I'm underage

At sixteen years old I don't stand a
chance
but on Saturday when I get to the
dance
It's time-out from life
Got to learn to boogaloo
'Cos I get my kicks from you

Summer's gone school's back I feel
so black inside
Rules and regulations are a torture
rack
Is there no place for me left to hide?

At sixteen years old things have gone
too far
I wanna be a movie rocker soccer
star
But when you're around I know you'll
treat me good
I get my kicks from you

I dream of you at night
Do you really mean anything at all,
Or am I wasting my time on you?

Those other guys are so much cooler
than me
I find it so hard to score
What's it really like to know a girl
My imagination's not enough I gotta
know more

At sixteen years old I get frightened at
night
Presented with the truth I'm afraid I
take flight
But when you're around I know you'll
treat me good
I get my kicks from you
I get my kicks from you