One More Time

Tell me one more time as I hold your hand, that you don't love me
Tell me one more time as teardrops start to fall
Shout it to me and I'll shout it to the skies above me
That there was nothing after all

Baby, baby, tell me that you never wanted my loving
Baby, baby, tell me that you never, tell me, tell me
One more time, one more time, say you're leaving, say goodbye
One more time, one more time, say you're leaving, say goodbye

Tell me one more time that we never had a thing in common
Tell me one more time as you turn and face the wall
Tell me I should know you were never my kind of woman
Tell me we were fools to fall

Baby, baby, tell me that you never wanted my loving
Baby, baby, tell me that you never, tell me, tell me,
One more time, one more time, say you're leaving, say goodbye
One more time, one more time, say you're leaving, say goodbye

Tell me one more time your tears are only sad confusion
Tell me it's just been so long and that is all
Tell me one more time that love was only my illusion
You never answered to my call

Baby, baby, tell me that you never wanted my loving
Baby, baby, tell me that you never, tell me, tell me,
One more time, one more time, say you're leaving, say goodbye
One more time, one more time, say you're leaving, say goodbye

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Sunday Papers

Mother doesn't go out anymore
Just sits at home and rolls her spastic eyes
But every weekend through the door
Come words of wisdom from the world outside

If you wanna know about the bishop and the actress
If you wanna know how to be a star
If you wanna know about the stains on the mattress
You can read it in the Sunday papers [1]
Sunday papers

Mother's wheelchair stays out in the hall
Why should she go out when the TV's on
Whatever moves beyond these walls
She'll know the facts when Sunday comes along

If you wanna know about the mad punk rockers
If you wanna know how to play guitar
If you wanna know 'bout any other suckers
You can read it in the Sunday papers
Read it in the Sunday papers

Chorus:
Sunday papers don't ask no questions
Sunday papers don't dead no lies
Sunday papers don't raise objections
Sunday papers ain't got no eyes

Brother's heading that way now, I guess
He just read something made his face turn blue
Well I got nothing against the press
They wouldn't print it if it wasn't true

If you wanna know 'bout the gay politician (Oh yeah!)
If you wanna know how to drive your car
If you wanna know 'bout the new sex position
You can read it in the Sunday papers
Read it in the Sunday papers

Chorus (twice)

Read all about it
Sunday papers
Read all about it
Sunday papers

Get your Sunday paper
Read all about it

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Is She Really Going Out With Him?

Pretty women out walkin' with gorillas down my street
From my window I'm starin' while my coffee goes cold
Look over there (Where?)
There! There's a lady that I used to know
She's married now or engaged or somethin', so I'm told

Chorus:
Is she really going out with him? [2]
Is she really gonna take him home tonight?
Is she really going out with him?
Cause if my eyes don't deceive me
There's something going wrong around here

Tonight's the night when I go to all the parties down my street
I wash my hair and I kid myself I look really smooth
Look over there (Where?)
There! Here comes Jeannie with her new boyfriend
They say that looks don't count for much and so there goes your proof

Chorus

But if looks could kill
There's a man there who's marked down as dead
Cause I had my fill
Listen you take your hands from her head
I get so mean around this scene
Hey, baby

Chorus

Something going wrong around here
Something going wrong around – here

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Happy Loving Couples

I just been to see my best friend
He's found another girl
Says she's just about the best thing
In the whole damn world
And he says, can't you see
What the little lady's done for me
Says it like he thinks I'm blind
But the things that you see
Ain't necessarily the things you can find
But those...

Chorus:
Happy loving couples make it look so easy
Happy loving couples always talk so kind
Until the time that I can do my dancing with a partner
Those happy couples ain't no friends of mine

People say I'm too damn fussy
When it comes to girls
Happy couples say I must live
In a lonely world
Wanna be, wanna really be
What my friends pretend to be
Be it in my own good time
Being kind to myself
Till I become one of two of a kind
But those...

Chorus

You ain't no friends of mine
You ain't no friends of mine

(spoken):
You know what I mean
Happy loving couples
In matching white polo-neck sweaters
Reading Ideal House magazine [3]
Yeah!

Wanna be, wanna really be
What my friends pretend to be
Be it in my own good time
Being kind to myself
Till I become one of two of a kind But those ...

Chorus

You ain't no friends of mine
You ain't no friends of mine
You ain't no friends of mine
You ain't no friends of mine
You ain't no friends of mine
You ain't no friends of mine

(spoken:)
Right, that's enough

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Throw It Away

Woke up this mornin' and the paper's on the mat
Poor getting poorer and the rich are getting fat again
Up in the towers all the bosses sitting sneezing
A half asleep and the rest all start to squeezing tight

Don't worry 'bout it baby, don't try to understand
You got your answer in your hand, throw it away
Throw it away, throw it away
Throw it away, throw it away

Woke up this morning there's a letter on the mat
Big brother [4] wanna know where little brother's at again
Life is a piece of paper, goes on forever
Sign on the dotted line or end up in the river drowned

Don't worry 'bout it baby
Don't try to understand
You got the answer in your hand
Throw it away, throw it away
Throw it away, throw it away

(spoken:)
Among the rule of men entirely great
The typewriter is mightier than the machine gun [5]

Woke up this morning there's a letter on the mat
Big brother wanna know where little brother's at again
Life is a piece of paper, goes on forever
Sign on the dotted line or end up in the river drowned

Don't worry 'bout it baby
Don't try to understand
You got the answer in your hand
Throw it away, throw it away
Throw it away, throw it away

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Baby Stick Around

Come on, you people, get your dancing shoes on
Reds and yellow and pinks and blues on
Too late, too late
To stay home and sit around

Purple leopard skin and see-through plastic
Whatever you want, but just make it drastic
Too late, too late
To stay home and sit around

Chorus:
What you wanna bet
We ain't started yet
Baby stick around
Baby stick around

Pushin' and shovin' and sweat wet leather
Up and down we go chained together
Too late, too late
To stay home and sit around

Somebody tellin' me the latest scandals
Somebody steppin' on my plastic sandals
Too late, too late
To stay home and sit around

Chorus

Too late, too late
To stay home and sit around

Chorus

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Look Sharp!

Big shot, tell you what
Tell me what goes on around here
Go on and get me in the corner
Smoke my cigarettes and drink my beer
Tell me that this world is no place for the weak
Then you can look me in the eye
And tell me if you see a trace of fear

Chorus:
You gotta look sharp
You gotta look sharp
And you gotta have no illusions
Just keep going your way looking over your shoulder

Okay, what you say
Tell me what they're wearing this year
Go on and laugh at me cause you don't see
That I got something going right here
Say I'm just a dreamer
Say I'm just a kid
Well ace, shut your face
Maybe you will see or hear

Chorus

Big shot, thanks a lot
Gotta go it's getting late
I got a date with my tailor now
Thanks for putting me so straight
Tell me how they run the crime down every street
But check your watch and wallet now
Before I go and you're too late

Chorus

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Fools In Love

Fools in love
Well, are there any other kind of lovers?
Fools in love
Is there any other kind of pain?

Everything you do, everywhere you go now
Everything you touch, everything you feel
Everything you see, everything you know now
Everything you do, you do it for your Lady Love
Your Lady Love, your Lady Love, your Lady Love

Fools in love
Are there any creatures more pathetic?
Fools in love
Never knowing when they've lost the game

Everything you do, everywhere you go now
Everything you touch, everything you feel
Everything you see, everything you know now
Everything you do, you do it for your Lady Love
Your Lady Love, your Lady Love, your Lady Love

Chorus:
Fools in love they think they're heroes
Cause they get to feel more pain
I say fools in love are zeros
I should know
I should know because this fool's in love again

Fools in love
Gently hold each other hands forever
Fools in love
Gently tear each other limb from limb

Everything you do, everywhere you go now
Everything you touch, everything you feel
Everything you do, even your rock'n'roll now
Nothing mean a thing except you and your Lady Love
Your Lady Love, your Lady Love, your Lady Love

Chorus (twice)

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

(Do The) Instant Mash

In the supermarket there is music while you work
It drives you crazy, sends you screaming for the door
Work there for a year or two and you can't get to like it
I don't work in supermarkets anymore

It's so easy, it's so easy
Grab can, lift arm, stack can, turn around
It's so easy, it's so easy
Do the instant mash, do the instant mash
Do the instant mash, make an instant smash
Doin' the instant mash

In the Discorama there's a DJ tries to charm ya
They got flashin' lights to dance to if you're shy
Red for treble, green for bass, they're wired in sequence round the place
You wait till ten, then try take off your tie

It's so easy, it's so easy
Lift hand, flick wrist, drop hand, turn around
It's so easy, it's so easy
Do the instant mash, do the instant mash
Do the instant mash, make some instant cash
Doin' the instant mash

In the cinema tonight they sit and watch the robots fight
The human beings don't have much to say [6]
Robots making lots of cash and all they eat is instant mash [7]
Oh wouldn't you just love to be that way?

It's so easy, it's so easy
Heat it, beat it, eat it, turn around
It's so easy, it's so easy
Do the instant mash, do the instant mash
Do the instant mash, make an instant smash
Doin' the instant mash

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Pretty Girls

Here she comes just a-walk just just a-walkin' down the street
Singin' down do be do do wop a do do wop
Singin' down do be do do wop a do do wop

Chorus:
See the pretty pretty pretty girls in the street
Down do be do do wop a do do wop a do do wop
See them walkin' with their pretty shoes on their feet
Down do be do do wop a do do wop a do do wop
Down do be do do wop a do do wop a do do wop

I took a walk round the market downtown
Taking it easy just to see what I could find
I found the girls there, long legs and blond hair
All getting set to make a mess out of my mind

Hey! Eyes left!

Chorus

I got my heart burnt, you know where I hurt
They say the miniskirt is coming back in style
I say it's not fair but what do they care
When you've got power then you use it for a while

Hey! Eyes right!

Chorus

God, if you're up there, listen to my prayer
In future man should have a different design
Give him a switch so he can turn off his libido now
Give him a tranquilizer built into his mind

Hey! Eyes right!

Chorus

Don't talk to me about Women's Liberation
They already got me right just where it hurts
Now here she comes just a-walk just a-walkin' down the street
Singin' down do be do do wop a do do wop
Singin' down do be do do wop a do do wop

Chorus

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Got The Time

Wake up, got another day to get through now
Got another man to see
Got to call him on the telephone
Got to find a piece of paper

Sit down, got another letter to write
Think hard got to get the letter just right
There's a ringing on the telephone
Oh no, got to write a little later
No such day as tomorrow, only one two three go!

Chorus:
Time – got the time tick-tick-tickin' in my head
Time – got the time tick-tick-tickin' in my head
Time – got the time tick-tick-tickin' in my head
Tickin' in my head, tickin' in my head, tickin' in my head

If I tell you what I'm doing today
Will you shut up and get out of my way?
Someone asked me what the time is, I don't know
Only know I gotta go now

No time – trying to get a watch repaired
No time – never got a thing to wear
Hear the ringin' of the telephone no no
Hear a ringin' in my head now
No such thing as tomorrow, only one two three go!

Chorus (twice)

Lyrics written by Joe Jackson
Copyright © Pokazuka Ltd.
Reproduced by permission

Footnotes:

[1] Specifically the British 'tabloid' Sunday newspapers (News of the World (now defunct), The People, etc.) which publish sex, scandal and other sensational stories.

[2] The song's title was inspired by the spoken opening line of The Damned's first single New Rose, released in 1976. In turn, The Damned were inspired by a line from Leader Of The Pack, a 1964 pop song recorded by girl group The Shangri-Las. (Here it is also spoken at the start of song.)
Joe Jackson acknowledged this in his book A Cure for Gravity: I got the song's title from a line on The Damned's first album, and they, of course, had got it from an old hit by the Shangri-Las.

[3] Even though Joe says 'Ideal House magazine' this is apparently a reference to Ideal Home which has been Britain's leading home decorating magazine for many decades.

[4] Big Brother was the non-existent but all-pervading character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, representing the state of Oceania which kept a strict control over its people's thoughts and actions.

[5] These words, spoken by Joe between 1:45 and 1:53, are a variation of the adage 'Beneath the rule of men entirely great the pen is mightier than the sword'. See the Wikipedia entry for 'The pen is mightier than the sword'.

[6] Probably a reference to the film Star Wars, released in 1977, and the many spin-offs and imitators its success generated, where special effects became more important than plot and character.

[7] The line 'Robots making lots of cash and all they eat is instant mash ...'
is probably a reference to the Smash Martians, the stars of a 1974 TV advertising campaign in the UK for Smash instant mashed potatoes.