Welcome To Burning-By-Sea

It's a tart of a town, but she's still holding on
And still looking sexy in the right kind of light
Where the good days are coming, and the good days are gone
Come for the funfair, stay for a fight

It's a tramp of a town, and it gets in your blood
Like Red Bull, champagne, lager and coke
'Til you fly like like an angel, feet in the mud
And wind up face down braggin' and broke

(We got)
Sushi bar / Greasy spoon – Steak and Ale / Vindaloo
Peppa Pig / Daisy Bell – Little Mix / Little Nell
Hampshire wine / Yorkshire Tea – Single malt / Mickey D
We got the sand, we got the sea
We got fish and chip's with an apostrophe

Burning-by-the-Sea – is a bloody place to be
Talk about history – Burning-by-the-Sea
Burning-by-the-Sea – Take a little trip with me
Better bad company – Burning-by-the-Sea

Go up over the hill, it's a beautiful scene
White sheep, grey skies, fields of green
Into the woods where the Green Man rules
And resists being dissed by political fools

Back to the seaside, kick off the dust
Stone kings and queens, Great War monument
A terminal town, made of marble and rust
And seaweed, seagull shit and cement

(We got)
Stately home / Council flat – Cherry Reds / Bowler hat
Rugby club / Church bazaar – Candy floss / bumper car
Scones and jam / Village green – Ken's Kebabs / Nicotine
We got the Noz, we got the Speed
We bugged out walkin' like a centipede

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Published by Pokazuka LLC
Reproduced by permission

I'm Not Sorry

Hello cruel world, I'm not going away
So I might as well have my say
For all the damns that I never gave
And for every damn whale that I failed to save
For every little fad I didn't chase
And every little fool who just didn't like my face

I know that you like it
I know that you want it
I know that you need it
Leave it alone because I'm not gonna say it

I'm not sorry
I'm not sorry at all
I'm not sorry
I'm not sorry at all

For every cause that I didn't support
And any law that I broke saying what I thought
For every California dude
Who had the nerve to observe I had an attitude
For every flag I didn't choose to fly
And all the crocodile tears I refused to cry

I know that you like it
I know that you want it
I know that you need it
Leave it alone because I'm not gonna say it

I'm not sorry
I'm not sorry at all
I'm not sorry
I'm not sorry at all

Don't pass the matches
When someone's burning a witch
And don't apologise
When someone just wants to make you their bitch

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Published by Pokazuka LLC
Reproduced by permission

Made God Laugh

Everything is still the same
Which means you never know what's coming next
The stroke of luck, the stroke of ten
The fickle flash of fame

So now you're down, but that's not dead
So listen to what the wise man said
Another day, another song
It's not easy to see where you could be wrong

You made god laugh when you told him your plans
Come on, you know it's true
And you made god laugh when you made your demands
More fool you

What you get is what you see
Even a love affair just comes as is
No sell-by date and no rebate
No cash-back guarantee

So put that tongue back in your head
The thing won't die 'cause you wish him dead
So get a life, or get along
It's not easy to know where you could go wrong

You made god laugh when you told him your plans
Come on, you know it's true
And you made god laugh when you made your demands
More fool you

The light comes on, the light goes out
Before we know what it's all about
And some get weak, and some get strong
But one thing I know is we all go wrong

You made god laugh when you told him your plans
Come on, you know it's true
And you made god laugh when you made your demands

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Published by Pokazuka LLC
Reproduced by permission

Do Do Do

Dough Dough Dough [1] – Is what I should be making
Instead of always taking
My time off just to play

Dough Dough Dough – Is what they use in baking
The kind of stuff that's making
Me fatter by the day

Ray Ray Ray coming from the sun
I like grey but then I'm not everyone

Me Me Me – When I look in the mirror
It's getting ever clearer
The best thing is to laugh

Me Me Me – This is the face I'm stuck with
I wish you lots of luck with
Your iPhone photograph

Far Far Far – Better get on your bike
Soul Soul Soul – Is some music I like
La La La – When you don't know the words
Tea Tea Tea – Is a drink for the birds

Doh! Doh! Doh! – Is what I keep exclaiming
It's me I'm always blaming
For messing up again

Doe Doe Doe – A guy who isn't living
And John 's the name we give him
When we don't know his name

Ray Ray Ray from a spaceship gun
Day Day Day of the Dead for everyone
Me Me Me – Is all I ever hear of
Some people have a fear of
Not being seen or heard

Me Me Me – Is really kind of boring
I see you've started snoring
This whole thing is absurd

Do Do Do!
Re Re Re!
Mi Mi Mi! [1]

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Published by Pokazuka LLC
Reproduced by permission

Fabulous People

Billy grew up in the middle of everywhere
He never had a say
Billy wondered every weekend
What he was doing there
Everything was grey

Then he looked at the rainbow
Flying on the shopping mall (on the shopping mall)
How could anyone say no
Billy had to have it all
And he said:

Can I be one of the fabulous people
Always fun, and never scared
I tried being myself, but no one cared

Soon Billy was like a kid in a makeup store
He had to get away
Especially because Sodom-on-Sea was
The place he headed for
Happy, glad and gay

Then he looked at the rainbow
Flying on the city hall (on the city hall)
How could anyone say no
Billy had to have it all
And he said:

Can I be one of the fabulous people
Always fun, and never scared
I tried being myself, but no one cared

One night Billy went in a place where
There were no girls
O happy day!
A genie appeared, whispered in his ear:
'You wanna give it a whirl?'
Billy ran away

But he looked at the rainbow
Hanging by the mirror ball (by the mirror ball)
How could anyone say no
Billy had to have it all
And he said:

Can I be one of the fabulous people
Always fun, and never scared
I tried being myself, but no one cared

(Never mind, Billy)

Na na na na...

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Published by Pokazuka LLC
Reproduced by permission

After All This Time

It's a crying shame
What you did to me
I know who's to blame
Though you won't agree

Sounds like the start of yet another sad refrain
Another link in yet another broken chain

It's a sad affair
What I did to you
If you even care
If it's even true

It seems like breaking up is never hard to do
Why should it be so different for me and you

After all this time
Maybe we should stick together
After all this time
Break the law and start forever now

It's a can of worms
That we opened here
And the world just turns
And nothing gets more clear

Why does this seem like somewhere that I've been before
Some kind of game of who can love or hate who more

It's a sack of woe
And we stuffed it full
Someone has to go
Seems to be the rule

Now we've used every cliché in the book
Must be some other road that we never took

After all this time
Maybe we should stick together
After all this time
Break the law and after all this...

After all this time
Maybe we should stick together
After all this time
Break the law and start forever now

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Published by Pokazuka LLC
Reproduced by permission

The Face

I'm the guy at the back with an oar
You won't find me up front at the helm
I'm not one of the great unwashed, but you could say
I'm one of the great overwhelmed

I'm the face in the crowd
And I do what's allowed
And I'll stand up straight and proud
But only if you do

I'm the face in the crowd
In the sky I'm a cloud
And I'll sing our song out loud
But only if you do

I'm the guy at the desk by the door
You won't see me upstairs with the boss
I'm not one of the left behind, but you could say
I'm one of the left out and lost

I'm the face in the crowd...

I'm gonna do something
(You're gonna do nothing)
I'm gonna get somewhere
(You're gonna get nowhere)
I'm gonna be someone
(You're gonna be no one)
And I'm gonna be free!
(Let's wait and see!)

I'm the face in the crowd...

I gotta do something
(You're gonna do nothing)
I gotta get somewhere
(You're gonna get nowhere)
I gotta be someone
(You're gonna be no one)
I gotta break free!
(Let's wait and see!)

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Published by Pokazuka LLC
Reproduced by permission

End Of The Pier

(1922)
Dad came home half-dead, another hard day down the mine
Brother John was off in Singapore
Mother's head would hurt, from working on the factory line
Cousin Albert died back in the War

Now someone would say, thank God for Saturday
And Sunday when we'd all be singing hymns
And praying that the sun would shine, come next Bank Holiday
Than we'd have the whole world on a string

We mobbed the coach, we packed the train
And spilled out on the coast again
And Marie Lloyd was on that year
At the end of the pier

And all our friends were singing too
Old Sailor Dan, and Saucy Sue
With bawdy jokes and lukewarm beer
At the end of the pier

(2022)
Dad sits there half-dead, another hard day on the wine
Brother Dylan stands guard at the door
Mother's head is hurting, from some news she read online
Cousin Liam died from being bored

Now the doctors say, it's safe, go out and play
Pretend the world is how it's always been
Doctors never tell you what's the point, why get away
When you've got the whole world on a screen

Put on your mask, take your ID
For flashing lights, CCTV
A safe and fun-free atmosphere
At the end of the pier

Your neon friends are there for you
There's Spiderman and Scooby Doo
Under the plastic chandeliers
At the end of the pier

La la la...

Then came the smoke, then came the flames [2]
And no more jokes, no video games
Who's left to cry, who's left to cheer
For the end of the pier

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Published by Pokazuka LLC
Reproduced by permission

See You In September

It's not a bad month for a birthday
I never could complain
It's the time of year when nothing really happens
Coming round again

Though at times it was a tough one
I stayed almost sane
And I know there was a wild time or two
Some of which I still remember

If the years keep going faster
There's not much I can do
I'm just happy no one's bugging me for sleeping
In the afternoon

I'm not falling off the world's end
I'm just standing still
There'll be time enough to climb back up that hill
And I'll see you in September

Don't throw the year away
Like some empty shell of pain and pleasure
No, every year should stay
Another jewel to add on to your trove of treasure

So I'm slumming on the seashore
And switching off my phone
Watching children building castles in the sand
And grownups skipping stones

It's a job that someone must do
Rather me than you
Now I'm scheduled for a sundowner or two
And I'll see you in September

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Published by Pokazuka LLC
Reproduced by permission

Footnotes:

[1] The words dough, ray, me, etc. are homophones of the musical notes do re mi – see solfège.
It is also a reference to the song 'Do-Re-Mi' from the 1959 film 'The Sound of Music' which has a similar structure.

[2] There was indeed a fire on the Southend Pier in Portsmouth during the production of the film Tommy in June 1974.