The Kinks Album

Woke up in a panic,
Like somebody fired a gun
I wish I could be dreaming,
But the nightmare's just begun.
There's flooding in the basement,
There's water all around.
There's woodworm in the attic
And the ceiling just fell down.
I'm in a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).
I'm in a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).

All the dirty dishes
Are still in the kitchen sink.
The tumble dryer's broken,
Now the telly's on the blink.
My girlfriend's packed her bags
And moved out to another town.
She couldn't stand the boredom
When the video broke down.
Don't know why I feel so bad.
Is it the weather, or am I going mad?
Don't know why I feel this way.
I don't know whether I'm coming or I'm going,
Can't cover up 'cause it's obviously showing.
It's a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).
We're in a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).
I don't know whether I'm coming or I'm going.

Should feel happy, should feel glad.
I'm alive and it can't be bad,
But back on planet Earth they shatter the illusion,
The world's going 'round in a state of confusion.

Standing on an island
In the middle of the road.
Traffic either side of me,
Which way will I go?
I should've stayed at home,
I should have never come outside.
Now I wish I never tried
To cross the other side.
I'm in a state (state)
State of confusion (whooooh).
It's a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).

Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat,
Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt?
It gets worse, the older that you get.
No escape from the state of confusion I'm in.
State of confusion I'm in.
Whooooh

Got a letter through the post that says I don't exist.
Apparently the new computer thinks I won't be missed.
We need more facts, perhaps you would find out and forward them.
There's no proof or trace or date or place or where or when.
Central Information's got no news today (today).
Is there a change in my position?
No decision, no decision.

All I ever get is a definite maybe.

Head office thinks I'm dead,
But I'm not even ill.
How do I get attention,
Tell me who I have to kill.
Is there a change in my condition?
Not today.
The answer comes with repetition,
No decision, no decision.

'Round and 'round the circle goes,
Stood in line but the counter was closed.
And when I ask who is responsible,
Nobody knows, "Try one of those."

All I want is a yes or a no,
(All he wants is a yes or a no).
But all I ever get is a definite maybe.
Tried to make my life a misery,
But they don't want to know,
They don't want to know,
They don't want to know.

And all I ever get is a definite maybe.
No decision, no decision.

Surely there must be a way to open all the doors,
And wade through all the petty bureaucratic little laws.
Frustration everywhere I turn, I just get more and more.
Everyone's got problems and they've heard all mine before.

Oh, I'm tired of making endless calls.
(Somebody help this poor man.)
Banging my head against the wall.
I walk along an endless corridor,
Then I knock on the door, then I realize
That I've been there before.
No one here can hear my case.
So all I ever get is a definite maybe.
When they say, "no news today, get back in the queue,"
What can I do? What can I do? What can I do?
No decision, no decision.
No decision.
All I ever get (no decision) is a definite maybe (no decision)

Marriage is a two-headed transplant,
Sometimes that's how it seems.
When the sex wears off it's all give and take,
And it's good-bye to all your dreams.
One head wants to go to a movie
While the other wants to stay at home,
And just like a two-headed transplant
You get the feeling that you're never alone.

Mr. and Mrs. Horrible are an example of what I say.
They used to be so in love, now they fight so much
That they've frightened all their friends away.
They never get visits from neighbors,
They've alienated everyone.
And what started off as all cuddles and kisses
Has finally become

A labour of love, labour of love.
The torment, the worry and woe,
Love's full of fears, bruises and tears,
That's the way that a true love grows.
It's a labour of love, labour of love.
It's a struggle, without a doubt,
But if they keep on trying, screaming and crying,
Somehow they're gonna work it all out.

It turned into a two-headed transplant,
But it started off as "Here Comes the Bride."
But cut off one of the heads and you'll soon find out
That the other just couldn't survive.
Because they couldn't stand to be separated
They're still each other's to have and hold.
And anyone who thinks the transplant is easy
Really ought to be told

It's a labour of love, labour of love.
The torments, the worries and whoas,
The battles, the fights, the bruises and bites,
That's the way that a true love grows.

They took the vows, for better or worse,
And they had it blessed by heaven above,
But what started so brightly as a tender romance
Turned into a labour of love.
Turned into a labour of love

They put a parking lot on a piece of land
When the supermarket used to stand.
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local palais.
That's where the big bands used to come and play.
My sister went there on a Saturday.

Come dancing,
All her boyfriends used to come and call.
Why not come dancing, it's only natural?

Another Saturday, another date.
She would be ready but she's always make him wait.
In the hallway, in anticipation,
He didn't know the night would end up in frustration.
He'd end up blowing all his wages for the week
All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek.

Come dancing,
That's how they did it when I was just a kid,
And when they said come dancing,
My sister always did.

My sister should have come in at midnight,
And my mum would always sit up and wait.
It always ended up in a big row
When my sister used to get home late.

Out of my window I can see them in the moonlight,
Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate.

The day they knocked down the palais
My sister stood and cried.
The day they knocked down the palais
Part of my childhood died, just died.

Now I'm grown up and playing in a band,
And there's a car park where the palais used to stand.
My sister's married and she lives on an estate.
Her daughters go out, now it's her turn to wait.
She knows they get away with things she never could,
But if I asked her I wonder if she would,

Come dancing,
Come on sister, have yourself a ball.
Don't be afraid to come dancing,
It's only natural.

Come dancing,
Just like the palais on a Saturday.
And all her friends will come dancing
Where the big bands used to play

My bags are packed, I guess it's time for me to go.
I can't say where I'm headed, 'cause I just don't know.
When I think of what I'll be losing,
It's hard to move along,
But it's harder just to stay here,
Knowing that I don't belong.

I'll be in touch, don't worry, I'll be calling you.
I've got no plans, I'm not sure where I'm going to.
It's hard to keep from crying,
After all that we've been through.
I've taken everything I need,
Now all that's left belongs to you.

You take the photographs, the ones of you and me,
When we both posed and laughed to please the family.
Nobody noticed then we wanted to be free,
And now there's no more love,
It's just the property.

It's hard to keep from crying,
After all that we've been through.

Now that it's all over, now that you and I are free,
Now there's nothing left except the bit of property.
Started off with nothing, started off just you and me,
Now that it's all over you can keep the property.

And all the little gifts we thought we'd throw away,
The useless souvenirs bought on a holiday.
We put them on a shelf, now they're collecting dust.
We never needed them, but they outlasted us

You look out of your window,
Into the night.
Could be rain, could be snow,
But it can't feel as cold as what you're feeling inside.

And all of you friends are either married, vanished,
Or just left alone.
But that's no reason to just stop living.
That's no excuse to just give in to a sad and lonely heart.

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Don't forget to smile.
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Forget it for a while.

'Cause darling, darling,
I bet you danced a good one in your time.
And if this were a party
I'd really make sure the next one would be mine.
Yes, you with the broken heart.

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Don't forget to smile.
Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Forget it for a while.

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Forget it for a while.

You walk down the street
And all the young punks whistle at you.
A nice bit of old,
Just goes to show what you can achieve
With the right attitude.
As you pass them by
They whisper their remarks one to another,
And you give them the eye
Even that you know that you could be their mother.
You do the thing you love the best.
What separates you from the rest,
And what you love to do the most?
And when they ask me how you dance,
I say that you dance real close.

Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,
Don't forget to dance

Have you heard the word?
The revolution's over.
Now the anger's disappeared
And the rebels are much older.
And the schools and universities
Are turning out a brand new breed of young conservatives.

Get yourself a brand new scene,
Keep your collars white and clean,
It's time to come and join the young conservatives.

Revolution used to be cool,
But now it's out of fashion.
Politeness is the rule,
And not an angry young man's passion.
And they've used up all the alternatives,
And they're rushing down the street to join
The young conservatives.
Conservatives.

Ban the bomb, oh how contemporary,
In your parents' car.
Another chip off the block, is that all that you are?
Look at all the young conservatives
Hanging out in the bars.
It's got to stop before it goes to fa-fa-fa-fa-far.

Get yourself some new attire,
Set your sights a little higher,
You're going to join the young conservatives.

The establishment is winning,
Now the battle's nearly won.
The rebels are conforming,
See the father, now the sons.
All the urgency and energy
Have turned into complacency,
Now the schools and universities are turning out a
Brand new breed of young conservatives.
Conservatives.

Rebel, rebel found a cause,
Now it's Hampstead not East End
And now he's such a well respected man.
The only action that you see
Is in the Sunday Times.
Content to sit in bed and read between the lines.

Rebel, rebel join the young conservatives.
Be a devil join the new conservatives.

It's a victory for order
Now they've beaten everyone.
The rebels are too old now,
And the young just want to be young.
All the urgency and energy
Have turned into complacency.
Now the schools and universities are turning out a
Brand new breed of young conservatives.
Conservatives.

Look at all the young conservatives.
Look at all the young conservatives

Growing up isn't easy to do,
Especially for one who always knew,
You would always come up second best.
Is that why you have such bitterness?

The apple of your father's eye,
And always by your brother's side.
Then a little sister came along,
And you found all the affection suddenly gone.

But underneath that cold exterior
I know you've got a heart of gold.
So aloof, so superior,
But you've got a heart of gold.

Watch out, don't get caught in the crossfire.
Watch out, she's still growing up, she's in a rage,
I guess she's reached that difficult age.

Growing up is very hard to do,
Everybody watching your every move.
Your private life always on view,
But jealously never really suited you.
But I know that

Underneath that rude exterior,
There's got to be a heart of gold.
Underneath that hard exterior,
Is a little girl waiting to be told,
You've got a heart of gold.
She's got a heart of gold.

I couldn't understand your attitude.
I only wanted to take a photograph of you,
But I was shocked when I heard what you had to say.
You picked up my camera, threw it away,
I didn't really mean to ruin your day.

Now I see you've got a little girl of your own.
Little princess suddenly grown,
And there's a man, he's smiling at you.
He must have been the one who always knew.
You had a heart of gold.

Underneath that rude exterior,
You've got a heart of gold.
So aloof, so superior,
But you've got a heart of gold.
Underneath that rude exterior,
You've got a heart of gold.
Underneath that hard exterior,
You've got a heart of gold.

Watch her, she'll give you a broadside,
But I know that inside,
She got a heart of gold

Sunset over the high-rise,
By a motorway,
A little man looks up at the sky.
An uneventful end to a wasted day.
Close-up on the man at the window,
Looking at the street down below.
It's obvious he's got things on his mind.
He shakes his head, pulls down the blind.

He start's writing a letter,
To make it perfectly clear.
He's just a man who's reached the end of his rope,
Expressing his doubts and his fears.
In a world, feels so lonely and afraid,
Disillusioned by the promises they made,
It's a pity that it ended up this way,
Life is just a cliche.

I'm gonna do tomorrow
What I did yesterday.
It's such a dull routine,
Somebody cut this scene,
It's such a boring cliche.

Live life, day to day,
Seems so passe.
Everything you hear and say,
Just another cliche.

Like an actor on a movie screen,
Living out someone else's dream.
Living out a total misconception,
Reality, a false perception.

It's such a wasted life,
Without any conclusion.

Days drift into days,
His life just slips away.
People so blase,
Everything's a cliche.
Yes it is.
Yes it is.
Just an illusion.
Just an illusion.

Moonlight over the high-rise,
At the end of the day.
The little man is asleep in his bed,
Tucked up, safely away.

In his dreams he's taken away by alien beings to another
Galaxy, deep in space. To a planet where a man can live
Out his fantasies, and experience unimaginable pleasures.
But morning comes and soon the realities of life will
Shatter his illusions, and the cliches of the world will
Bring him down. But still he's waiting for a change.

Days drift into days,
His life just slips away.
Everything is passe,
Everything's a cliche.
Yes it is.
Yes it is.
Just an illusion.
Just an illusion.
Yes it is.

Yes it is.

See the sunlight over the motorway,
The little man, with anger in his eyes,
Stands by the window, looks at the sky

I don't wanna leave, Bernadette,
But I don't wanna live with the jet set.
I don't wanna leave with you payin' all my debts,
With that alimony, palimony, whatever it is you get.

Ooh, Bernadette, you are so expensive.
You've never done a day's work in your life,
You've got no incentive.
You've made a career out of punting off all of the men you've slept with.
Ooh, Bernadette, you are so expensive.

I can't get a job, Bernadette,
So all that I can offer are a lot of bad debts
If you marry me, Bernadette,
You'll lose the alimony, palimony, whatever it is you get.

Ooh, Bernadette, you are so expensive.
You've never done a day's work in your life,
You've got no incentive.
You've made a career out of punting off all of the men you've slept with.
Ooh, Bernadette, you are so expensive.
Ooh, Bernadette, Bernadette.
Ooh, Bernadette, Bernadette.

[Bernadette's got a house in the country,
She's really got it made.
Her lawyers made her filthy rich,
She's got all expenses paid.]

Maybe a famous rock star will fly you away,
Then you'll eat him all up,
And spit him out,
With a dash of Perrier.

And when you've had enough
You'll throw him away,
And take him for all you can get.
Yeah, you like it don't you, Bernadette?

I don't want to leave Bernadette,
But I wanna keep a little bit of self respect.
I don't want to leave with you paying all my debts,
With that alimony, palimony, whatever it is you get.
Ooh, Bernadette, you are so expensive.
You've never done a day's work in your life.
You've got no incentive.
Women like you oughta be locked up,
For giving others a bad name.
Ohh, Bernadette, you are so expensive.
Ooh, Bernadette, Bernadette.
Ooh, Bernadette.

I think you're sad