The Kinks Album

Life grinds on day after day.
In the city streets and motorways.
The tension spreads just like a plague,
Killing reason on the way.
Like wildfire it spreads through the nation
Chocking us with aggravation.

Who needs it? The aggravation the daily goddam hassle.
It's a bummer, who gives a dam?
Bumper to bumper in the traffic jam.
Clench your jaw, getting all up tight
Breathing fumes, stuck in a tin can,
Trapped, trapped.
Hate, frustration, no escape.
Glaring eyes all filled with hate.
Arteries throb, coronaries pound
Aggravation all around.
Like wildfire it spreads through the nation
Choking us with aggravation.
They won the peace, we lost the war.
So what are we still fighting for?
The highway's blocked, is this my end
To follow a Mercedes Benz?
Hey, Mitzibushi and Toyota, who said that the war was over?
Aggravations everywhere, get outta my way get out of my hair.
Another jam, another day, another hair is turning grey,
I wanna scream, I wanna say,
Get outta my hair, get out of my way
Who needs it? Aggravation, aggravation
Had enough of all this aggravation,
Tension choking up blocking my circulation.
I've had enough, I've had enough of all this aggravation.
While traffic jams and tempers break,
The city streets are full of hate,
The lights are red, it's all too late.
How much can a poor man take?

Aggravation in my mind my body and my soul
There's no solution to it all, it's out of control.
Out of control.
Is it my imagination, am I seeing what is true?
If we are living in damnation,
I'd live in hell to be with you, what more can I do?

I gotta violent streak caused by
We're getting uptight, wanna fight, everybody back bite
Now we can't turn back the future's bleak,
I gotta mean appetite,
I gotta get my daily fill of aggravation.
Don't push 'cos I'm really pumped,
I'm ready when you are, punk.

So step aside, unless your dumb,
I'm all wound up with aggravation.

Had enough of all this aggravation
Winding up, stress filled, mad intimidation.
And it touches all the passers-by.
As dog eats dog to stay alive,
Then moves on through the population,
Till there's mass contamination.
With violent streets all filled with fear,
Pollution in the atmosphere,
The ozone's gone and that's no fun
I've had enough of this, old son
Who needs it? Aggravation.
And I don't have any answers
I just got an attitude,
Do what it takes just to survive it,
Another day but I'll get through,
What more can I do?

Living in a world where the flesh is cheap.
Body touches body but it's only skin deep.
I can hold you in my arms every time that you weep
But we've lost that emotional flow.
Living on a planet full of emptiness
With maximum exposure full of sleaziness
But the make up on your face can't disguise loneliness
Where designer feelings are in vogue, what do they know?

Darlin' Darlin' how do I get close to you when I'm
Trying, trying my heart is reaching out to you
How do I get close to you?
In this world without feeling,
Where words have no meaning,
If I were lying, lying,
I'd have more chance of reaching you but I'm,
Crying, crying, but I can't get my message through,
How do I get close to you?

Get close to the sinners trying hard to repent
Get close to the homeless wasters and the innocent
Get close to the souls ignored and forgotten by the
Establishment.
People get afraid to touch in case it rubs off on them
Gotta get close, yeah people gotta stay close, close.
People gotta stay close.

Though we seem together, it's breaking my heart.
This world is full of barriers that keep us apart.
Keep it superficial before feelings can start
In a world that's all glitter and glow, what do they know?

Darlin', darlin', I can't communicate to you without
Crying, crying, I can't get a message through
How do I get close to you?
How can I get close?
How can I get close?
Darlin', darlin', how do I get close to you when you're
Surviving surviving in a world that's making us confused
Guess I'm afraid of losing you.
In this world without feeling.
Somehow we gotta stay close

Another Saturday night and everybody gets together
The pubs are turning out and all the streets are alive
But the people wanna party so they come back to our house
Everybody gonna do the U.K Jive
Dad's got a crate of beer and it's an open invitation
He's ever-so elated and so are his mates.
Everybody's welcome to bring all their dates home
To syncopate and celebrate the U.K. Jive.
Swing your partner to the left, swing he back to the right.
Don't stand in the middle and act cool all night.
Everybody act a fool, jump around, lose your mind
Celebrate and typify the sign of the times.

Do that U.K. Jive
Do that U.K. Jive
U.K. O.K. U.K. O.K. gimme that U.K. Jive
[Repeat]
You gotta swing to the left, then back to the right
You gotta learn to swing both ways.
When you're jiving in the U.K. O.K. U.K.

Mum's all annoyed dad forgot the inflation
He blew all his wages by half past nine.
Now he's bought a gramophone on the never never
And the tally man's gotta have his money on time
But the kids are jumping round
And they're wearing out their leather
Driving all the neighbours out of their minds
Make a noise with boys and girls of the nation
That's the explanation of the U.K. Jive.

Blow in my ear, I like the way you do that.
And that's what I wanna hear.
Is that a fact?
Are you jiving me?
Oh, you bad pussy cat
You'll make papa mad.

Do that U.K. Jive
Do that U.K. Jive
U.K O.K. U.K. O.K.
Do that U.K. Jive
[Repeat]

In the beginning of it all there was the land
And the sea and she sky
Then into the middle of it all there came man
To live on the land.
And then a great nation
Put into operation an evolutionary plan
Now mighty corporations and politicians rule the land
Wish I could remember when
We were more innocent
Than all of those violent bitter men.
The world was much younger then
But we were much wiser then.
Before we were full of discontent.
It's too bad the simple ways came sadly to an end
I guess that's the difference between now and then.
In the beginning of it all there was the land.
We were much younger then
But we were much wiser then
We never questioned why or when
One day we'll be born again
Our lovers and friends will remain
To live in a world without suffering and pain
And I can see a day when enemies are friends.
And there'll be no distance between now and then.
In the beginning of it all there was the Land

What am I doing in a place like this
When it's painfully clear that my face don't fit?
What am I doing acting identikit,
When all I want to do is to be the opposite?
Why am I, why are you,
Who's pretending just who's fooling who
Do we go our way or join in their merry queue.
What are we doing in the pouring rain
Walking hand in hand, I gotta be out of my brain.
What are we doing, is it all for show
Are we drifting along, going along with the flow.
I don't know, I wish I knew
Is it me or you who's fooling
What a bore, where's the door
Are we just for decoration?
What am I doing to you?
What are you doing to me too?
What are they doing to us?
Someone help me, tell me truly.
What are we doing in a place like this
Trying to prove to the world that we really exist
Standing around with all the egotists
Sticking out like a zit knickers all in a twist.
Why are we? I don't know,
Are we merely going with the flow
To prove, who we know
Or drifting along acting a part in a show?
Why am I going through this?
Why are you going through this too?
What are they doing to us?
Someone help me, tell me truly.

So do we go our own way
Or do we join their merry queue
Pretending it's O.K.
Them or us, who's fooling who?

Why are we standing in the acid rain
Watching industrial waste trickling down the drain?
What are we doing under the nuclear glow
What we all gonna do? Where we all gonna go?
What are we doing?
What are we doing?

There's been another assassination
T.V. cameras moving in.
To shoot the bloodstains on the pavement
And get them on the News at Ten.
Will he live or will he die, before we go on the air?
Yes, the networks are all there, in the name of
Entertainment.

Superstar psycho, from a killer to a hero,
An overnight sensation on the lips of all the nation
Is he mad or is he sane? It makes for good conversation
I call it suffering and pain, but they call it entertainment

Sex violence murder and rape. (Entertainment Entertainment)
That's what you came for, that's what you pay for.

Entertainment, Entertainment.

They call it Entertainment
Inform us, educate us with your media machine
(Call it Entertainment)
Tell me what to dream
(Call it Entertainment)
You pay your money, what do you get?
Entertainment.

Real life for Entertainment,
Cheapens my reality,
So that Hollywood can make it into another "B" movie
The vultures get the rating and the people get the thrills
But the victims always pay, I guess they always will.

Sex violence murder and rape (Entertainment Entertainment)
That's what you want, that's what they need,
That's what you came for, that's what your paying for.

They call it Entertainment (Call it Entertainment)
Inform us, educate us with your media machine,
(Call it Entertainment)
Tell me what to dream
(Call it Entertainment)
You pay your money, what do you get?

Entertainment, Entertainment

Old soldiers talk about the battles fought
To build a better world for me and you.
They sacrificed their lives to make a dream come true.
Now they're forgotten men remembered by so few.

But the war is over and the fighting ended many years ago.
The war is over. The battle's won but what is there to show?
Side by side they marched together fighting so their children
Could be free,
To build a better world, a new society
All classes unified to live in harmony

Now the war is over so let's forget and leave the past alone.
The war is over, it's time for all the soldiers to go home.

Rich men, poor men make history,
Fighting for the land of hope and glory
A nation's voice will sing as one,
A battle cry until we've won

The was is over and the patriotic comrades are no more.
The war is over
Now they're going home to live just like before.

Arm in arm we sang our patriotic songs of love and sentiment.
Tears of joy to hide the sorrow,
New tomorrows till we meet again,
With a new world to build we'll say auf weidersein.
What did they do for us?
What did it prove to us?
As we stand beside the silent grave
The unknown soldier can't be saved.

The war is over
The war is over, it's time for all the soldiers to go home.
The war is over

Down all the days
Though the past is just a blink away,
The future waits for me and you,
Down all the days to 1992

Here is hope for all the people
And generations yet to come,
An the future's bright tomorrow,
Illuminated by the morning sun.
Here's for all the working people
And me the ordinary man
For assembly workers in the factory
For farmers toiling on the land

Down all the days
All nations will unite as one
A new horizon clear to view
Down all the days to 1992

So lonely on this island ever since she set me free.
Breaking out of my isolation
Reaching out with hands across the sea
Down all the days, down all the days

Hello my Celt and Gaelic ladies.
Bonsoir my green colleen from Ireland
Wilkommen Deutch and Dutch and Dansk
Gutten tag amour prego ola combien

I'm losing all my bitterness
It's time to find some happiness
Around the earth, the sky, the sea
Down all the days

Bon soir, my little senorita, c'est magnifique
Au revoir, my little fraulfin baby, it's so tragique
Achtung parlez vous Englese, bon appetit
Jawohl, mambo Italiano, ca va, O.K. I'm on my way
Down all the days.

Can we heal the wounds of many wars?
And the battle scars that went before
Down all the days to 1992
There's gonna be a celebration in 1992
Somehow we lost communication
But I'll find you girl and come back home to you
Down all the days
There's gonna be a celebration in 1992
Somehow we lost communication
I'll find you girl and come back home to you
Down all the days.
Around the earth, the sky, the sea, down all the days
Around the earth, the sky, the sea, down all the days

The world's spinning round like a looney balloon
Heading for a collision with Saturn and Mars
And we're narrowly missing the man in the moon,
Spinning out of control crashing into the stars.
Have we all lost our gravity, reason and sanity?
Is this the price that we pay?
Have we now lost our way on this looney balloon?

Drift away, just drift away.
It's so easy to just drift away.
Drift away, just drift away.
Drifting away on this looney balloon.

The air is running out, the computer's gone down.
The mechanic just panicked, he's nowhere to be found.
So automatic control is just spinning us round
No point screaming in space, you just can't hear a sound.
Now the pilot's gone mad, he just jumped overboard
With a lunatic smile on his face
And he laughed as he cut the umbilical chord
Now he's drifting forever in space.

Drift away, just drift away.
It's so easy to just drift away.
Drift away, just drift away
Drifting away on this looney balloon.
We're out of control on this looney balloon
Narrowly missing the planets and stars.
Even optimists say that it's all gloom and doom.
We've got to get somewhere or hit something soon.
First class and economy, we all played the game
For selfish profit and gain.
So together we'll all go insane on this looney balloon.

Drift away, hey, just drift away,
Drifting away on this looney balloon.
Drift away, hey, just drift away.
Drifting away on this looney balloon.
Drift away, hey,
Drift away. Drift away

Dear Margaret I beg of you
Dear Margaret gonna tell on you
Don't want to be patronized
By those lying eyes
Dear Margaret I wanted you

You're warming me up
So you can leave me cold
Kissin' up to the rich
Intending to control
All the money money money
Is that all you live for
You're a model and example
Of a greed that will destroy

Dear Margaret I beg of you
Don't you like Rock 'n' Roll
Dear Margaret gonna tell on you
I like your wiggle when you walk
Dear Margaret I trusted you
Don't you let me down
Dear Margaret I wanted you

You had me living the illusion
To be a millionaire
Investing in stocks
Look at you now stringin' other guys along
You're into swinging
Now the money is all gone

Dear Margaret I beg of you
Don't you like Rock 'n' Roll
Dear Margaret I trusted you

Your economic growth
And your cool suntan
But what have you done to your fellow man
You've betrated us all with just a
Wave of your hand
What good is prosperity
When it starves the soul in man

Dear Margaret I beg of you
Don't you like Rock 'n' Roll
Dear Margaret gonna tell on you
I like your wiggle when you walk

Don't want to be patronized
By those lying eyes
Dear Margaret I trusted you
Don't you let me down
Dear Margaret I wanted you