Journeyman
Spine-tingling railway sleepers ---
Sleepy houses lying four-square and firm
Orange beams divide the darkness
Rumbling fit to turn the waking worm.
Sliding through victorian tunnels
Where green moss oozes from the pores.
Dull echoes from the wet embankments
Battlefield allotments. fresh open sores.
In late night commuter madness
Double-locked black briefcase on the floor
Like a faithful dog with master
Sleeping in the draught beside the carriage door.
To each journeyman his own home-coming
Cold supper nearing with each station stop
Frosty flakes on empty platforms
Fireside slippers waiting. flip. flop.
Journeyman night-tripping on the late fantasic
Too late to stop for tea at gerards cross
And hear the soft shoes on the footbridge shuffle
As the wheels turn biting on the midnight frost.
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song performed by Jethro Tull
Added by Lucian Velea
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Rocks On The Road
Theres a black cat down on the quayside.
Ships lights, green eyes glowing in the dark.
Two young cops handing out a beating:
Know how to hurt and leave no mark.
Down in the half-lit bar of the hotel
Theres a call for the last round of the day.
Push back the stool, take that elevator ride.
Fall in bed and kick my shoes away.
Rocks on the road.
Cant sleep through the wild sound of the city.
Hear a car full of young boys heading for a fight.
Long distance telephone keeps ringing out engaged:
Wonder who youre talking with tonight.
Who you talking with tonight?
Rocks on the road.
Tired plumbing wakes me in the morning.
Shower runs hot, runs cold playing with me.
Well, Im up for the down side, lifes a bitch
And all that stuff:
So come and shake some apples from my tree.
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song performed by Jethro Tull
Added by Lucian Velea
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Down At The End Of Your Road
I am your neighbor. I seem most respectable,
But underneath Im an iniquitous toad.
So many dreadful mishaps have befallen you ---
Down at the end of your road.
And I live down the end of your road.
Im working on ways to remove you from paradise ---
From your striped lawn and your new swimming pool.
I place broken bottles in your geraniums ---
Sabotage your gardening tools.
And I live down the end of your road.
By day I am a real estate gentleman.
I deal in fine properties --- cheap at the price.
After dark, I plan my most devious practices
Which you might think are not very nice.
Designing a system to reverse your plumbing ---
Welling up, as you sit on your private throne.
Will come up all kinds of vile and despicable nasties
You would rather not have in your home.
And I live down the end of your road.
Dispensed loathsome creatures in your drawing room,
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song performed by Jethro Tull
Added by Lucian Velea
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Man Of Principle
One day hell walk from out of this place.
Youll see a quiet determination on his face.
Hell toe no lines. suffer no fools.
But hell raise three cheers to the losing team
From the other school.
A little dedication. a little pair of daddys shoes to fill.
Compleat education. one day hell be a man of principle.
And the battles on. and hell play to win.
Feel the blue blood rushing quick beneath his skin.
And grim they stand. and hard they fall.
Harder still, when their backs are up against the wall.
Gonna get your attention. but hes carrying his cross
To the other hill.
With divine intervention, he can be a man of principle.
In the evening light, with a fair-ground girl--
He stops himself as his head begins to whirl.
And he walks her home. and theres a kiss goodbye.
She feels a chill as she looks him in the eye.
Well, theres a time and a place now
And its not tonight shell bend his will.
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song performed by Jethro Tull
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Hard Liner
Hard liner, she brings ice when I bring fire.
Shes a hard liner.
Tightrope cross niagara
Shed cut the wire
Never feel a thing.
Walked the sidewalk of another strange avenue.
Kicked my heels and wished my feet were in some other shoes.
But Im not running from that hard liner.
Well she brings ice when I bring fire.
Shes a real hard liner.
How does she retain my hearts desire?
Its a funny thing.
Knows what she wants, knows how to get it, too.
Scares me with cold logic, scares me with the witchs brew.
But I keep on drinking.
Hard liner.
Hard liner.
Im framed and Im hanging on the wall.
Shes a hard liner.
Im like some big game trophy hat-stand in the hall.
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song performed by Jethro Tull
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Working John, Working Joe
When I was a young man (as all good tales begin)
I was taught to hold out my hand
And for my pay I worked an honest day
And took what pittance I could win
Now Im a working john and Im a working joe
And Im doing what I know
For God and the economy
Big brother watches over me
And the state protects and feeds me
And my conscience never leaves me
And Im loyal to the unions
Who protect me at all levels
And as I grew, the winds of fortune blew
And the bank smiled down upon me
And mortgaged to the hilt I threw
The breeze of caution behind me
Now Im a working john and Im a working joe
And Im good at what I know
And God and the economy
Have blessed me with equality
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song performed by Jethro Tull
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Heat
When the rats are running
And the boys are gunning
For heads on a tin plate ---
You can hear the footfall
Softly in the back yard.
And the black jack is called
Face up on the last card.
Youd better call your witness
In your dirty business.
Trop tard sera le cri.
Better run while you can ---
Better set the tall sail.
Better make deep cover
Before the boys have you nailed.
Theres just one chance to get away ---
Ill catch up with you another day.
Ill close my eyes and count to ten
And come right after you again.
Grab your credit cards ---
Cash in on your resources.
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song performed by Jethro Tull
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Out Of The Noise
Glued to the kerbstone, staring.
Frozen at the stop-sign too.
See that crazy suicide mongrel.
Hes going to try to cross that avenue.
Old dog of experience,
Ripping through the black and yellow cabs,
Dodging rickshaws and the bicycle boys.
Hes got his mind on someone elses dinner --
Over the road, round the corner, out of the noise.
Lives down in some cool, cool basement --
Sharing with a family of bouncy, ratty little guys
Works to a discipline of ritual undertakings --
Sleep, eat, and gentle exercise
Old dog of experience,
Ripping through the black and yellow cabs,
Dodging rickshaws and the bicycle boys.
Hes got his mind on someone elses dinner --
Over the road, round the corner, out of the noise.
Some towns I know, he could end up in a restaurant --
Wrong side of a table for two.
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song performed by Jethro Tull
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Doctor To My Disease
Ive been treated for mild depression
And Ive been treated for growing pains.
Ive been treated for hallucinations;
Now I can see it all coming again.
Well, you can wind me up. yeah, you can slow me down.
You can dig a little, and you can mess me around.
But theres one thing I should tell you, to which
You must agree:
Theres no use you playing doctor to my disease.
Said its no use you playing doctor to my disease.
I got no cure for this condition
That youve been causing me tonight.
Well, you put my heart in overdrive:
Hand me the bullet I must bite.
You can stir me up and you can cut me down.
You can probe a little, push that knife around.
But theres one thing I should tell you, to which
You must agree:
Its no use you playing doctor to my disease.
Do you have to break my engine
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song performed by Jethro Tull
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Heavy Water
I walked out in the city night,
A burning in my eyes, like it was broad daylight.
And it was hot, down there in the crowd.
The stars went out behind a thunder cloud.
Chatter in the air, like a telegraph line.
Big drops hissing on the neon sign.
Thumping in my heart, and its hurting me to see.
Smokestack blowing, now theyre pouring
Heavy water on me.
She was a southern girl. we stared man to man.
I move like a stranger in this strange land.
She was a round hole, I was a square peg.
I watched the little black specks running down her leg.
Didnt seem to mind that dirty rain coming down ---
Shirt hanging open. she was wet and brown.
Thumping in my heart, and its hurting me to see.
Smokestack blowing, now theyre pouring
Heavy water on me.
What goes up has to fall back down.
Its no night to be out dancing in a party town
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song performed by Jethro Tull
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