Joy Division: the lyrics

Ian's complete writings are available in the book Touching from a Distance

Visit Chris Warren's site Joy Division - Shadowplay to find out about alternative versions with minor differences

Digital  (1978)

Feel it closing in,
Feel it closing in,
The fear of whom I call,
Every time I call
I feel it closing in,
I feel it closing in,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out ...

I feel it closing in,
As patterns seem to form.
I feel it cold and warm.
The shadows start to fall.
I feel it closing in,
I feel it closing in,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out ...

I'd have the world around,
To see just whatever happens,
Stood by the door alone,
And then it's fade away,
I see you fade away.
Don't ever fade away.
I need you here today.
Don't ever fade away.
Don't ever fade away ...

Glass  (1978)

Hearts fail, young hearts fail,
Anytime, pressurised,
Overheat, overtired,
Take it quick, take it neat,
Clasp your hands, touch your feet,
Take it quick, take it neat,
Take it quick, take it neat.

Hearts fail, young hearts fail,
Anytime, wearing down,
On the run, underground,
Put your hand where it's safe,
Leave your hand where it's safe.

Do it again,
Do it again and again and again ...

Anytime, that's your right.
Don't you wish you do it again,
Overheat, overtired.
Don't you wish you do it again ...
Anytime, that's your right ...
Don't you wish you do it again ...
I bet you wish you do it again
Do it again ...

Disorder  (1979)

I've been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand,
Could these sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man?
These sensations barely interest me for another day,
I've got the spirit, lose the feeling, take the shock away.

It's getting faster, moving faster now, it's getting out of hand,
On the tenth floor, down the back stairs, it's a no man's land,
Lights are flashing, cars are crashing, getting frequent now,
I've got the spirit, lose the feeling, let it out somehow.

What means to you, what means to me, and we will meet again,
I'm watching you, I'm watching her, I'll take no pity from your friends,
Who is right, who can tell, and who gives a damn right now,
Until the spirit new sensation takes hold, then you know,
Until the spirit new sensation takes hold, then you know,
Until the spirit new sensation takes hold, then you know,
I've got the spirit, but lose the feeling,
I've got the spirit, but lose the feeling.
Feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling.

Day of the Lords  (1979)

This is the room, the start of it all,
No portrait so fine, only sheets on the wall,
I've seen the nights, filled with bloodsport and pain,
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained.

Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?

These are your friends from childhood, through youth,
Who goaded you on, demanded more proof,
Withdrawal pain is hard, it can do you right in,
So distorted and thin, distorted and thin.

Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?

This is the car at the edge of the road,
There's nothing disturbed, all the windows are closed,
I guess you were right, when we talked in the heat,
There's no room for the weak, no room for the weak.

Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?

This is the room, the start of it all,
Through childhood, through youth, I remember it all,
Oh, I've seen the nights filled with bloodsport and pain,
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained.

Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?

Candidate  (1979)

Forced by the pressure,
The territories marked,
No longer the pleasure,
Oh, I've since lost the heart.

Corrupted from memory,
No longer the power,
It's creeping up slowly,
That last fatal hour.

Oh, I don't know what made me,
What gave me the right,
To mess with your values,
And change wrong to right.

Please keep your distance,
The trail leads to here,
There's blood on your fingers,
Brought on by fear.

I campaigned for nothing,
I worked hard for this,
I tried to get to you,
You treat me like this.

It's just second nature,
It's what we've been shown,
We're living by your rules,
That's all that we know.

I tried to get to you,
I tried to get to you,
I tried to get to you,
I tried to get to you.

Insight  (1979)

Guess your dreams always end.
They don't rise up just descend,
But I don't care anymore,
I've lost the will to want more,
I'm not afraid not at all,
I watch them all as they fall,
But I remember when we were young.

Those with habits of waste,
Their sense of style and good taste,
Of making sure you were right,
Hey don't you know you were right?
I'm not afraid anymore,
I keep my eyes on the door,
But I remember ...

Tears of sadness for you,
More upheaval for you,
Reflects a moment in time,
A special moment in time,
Yeah we wasted our time,
We didn't really have time,
But we remember when we were young.

And all God's angels beware,
And all you judges beware,
Sons of chance, take good care,
For all the people not there,
I'm not afraid anymore,
I'm not afraid anymore,
I'm not afraid anymore,
Oh, I'm not afraid anymore.

New Dawn Fades  (1979)

A change of speed, a change of style.
A change of scene, with no regrets,
A chance to watch, admire the distance,
Still occupied, though you forget.
Different colours, different shades,
Over each mistakes were made.
I took the blame.
Directionless so plain to see,
A loaded gun won't set you free.
So you say.
We'll share a drink and step outside,
An angry voice and one who cried,
'We'll give you everything and more,
The strain's too much, can't take much more.'
I've walked on water, run through fire,
Can't seem to feel it anymore.
It was me, waiting for me,
Hoping for something more,
Me, seeing me this time,
Hoping for something else.

She's Lost Control  (1979/1980)

Confusion in her eyes that says it all.
She's lost control.
And she's clinging to the nearest passer by,
She's lost control.
And she gave away the secrets of her past,
And said I've lost control again,
And of a voice that told her when and where to act,
She said I've lost control again.

And she turned around and took me by the hand
And said I've lost control again.
And how I'll never know just why or understand
She said I've lost control again.
And she screamed out kicking on her side
And said I've lost control again.
And seized up on the floor, I thought she'd die.
She said I've lost control.
She's lost control again.
She's lost control.
She's lost control again.
She's lost control.

Well I had to phone her friend to state my case,
And say she's lost control again.
And she showed up all the errors and mistakes,
And said I've lost control again.
But she expressed herself in many different ways,
Until she lost control again.
And walked upon the edge of no escape,
And laughed I've lost control.
She's lost control again.
She's lost control.
She's lost control again.
She's lost control.

I could live a little better with the myths and the lies,
When the darkness broke in, I just broke down and cried.
I could live a little in a wider line,
When the change is gone, when the urge is gone,
To lose control. When here we come.

Shadowplay  (1979)

To the centre of the city where all roads meet, waiting for you,
To the depths of the ocean where all hopes sank, searching for you,
I was moving through the silence without motion, waiting for you,
In a room with a window in the corner I found truth.

In the shadowplay, acting out your own death, knowing no more,
As the assassins all grouped in four lines, dancing on the floor,
And with cold steel, odour on their bodies made a move to connect,
But I could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left.

I did everything, everything I wanted to,
I let them use you for their own ends,
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you,
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you.

Wilderness  (1979)

I travelled far and wide through many different times,
What did you see there?
I saw the saints with their toys,
What did you see there?
I saw all knowledge destroyed.
I travelled far and wide through many different times.

I travelled far and wide through prisons of the cross,
What did you see there?
The power and glory of sin,
What did you see there?
The blood of Christ on their skins,
I travelled far and wide through many different times.

I travelled far and wide and unknown martyrs died,
What did you see there?
I saw the one sided trials,
What did you see there?
I saw the tears as they cried,
They had tears in their eyes,
Tears in their eyes,
Tears in their eyes,
Tears in their eyes.

Interzone  (1978)

I walked through the city limits,
Someone talked me in to do it,
Attracted by some force within it,
Had to close my eyes to get close to it,
Around a corner where a prophet lay,
Saw the place where she'd a room to stay,
A wire fence where the children played.
Saw the bed where the body lay,
And I was looking for a friend of mine.
And I had no time to waste.
Yeah, looking for some friends of mine.

The cars screeched hear the sound on dust,
Heard a noise just a car outside,
Metallic blue turned red with rust,
Pulled in close by the building's side,
In a group all forgotten youth,
Had to think, collect my senses now,
Are turned on to a knife edged view.
Find some places where my friends don't know,
And I was looking for a friend of mine.
And I had no time to waste.
Yeah, looking for some friends of mine.

Down the dark streets, the houses looked the same,
Getting darker now, faces look the same,
And I walked round and round.
No stomach, torn apart,
Nail me to a train,
Had to think again,
Trying to find a clue, trying to find a way to get out!
Trying to move away, had to move away and keep out.

Four, twelve windows, ten in a row,
Behind a wall, well I looked down low,
The lights shined like a neon show,
Inserted deep felt a warmer glow,
No place to stop, no place to go,
No time to lose, had to keep on going,
I guessed they died some time ago.
I guessed they died some time ago.
And I was looking for a friend of mine.
And I had no time to waste.
Yeah, looking for some friends of mine.

I Remember Nothing  (1979)

We were strangers.
We were strangers, for way too long, for way too long,
We were strangers, for way too long.
Violent, violent,
Were strangers.

Get weak all the time, may just pass the time,
Me in my own world, and you there beside,
The gaps are enormous, we stare from each side,
We were strangers for way too long.

Violent, more violent, his hand cracks the chair,
Moves on reaction, then slumps in despair,
Trapped in a cage and surrendered to soon,
Me in my own world, the one that you knew,
For way too long.
We were strangers for way too long.
We were strangers,
We were strangers for way too long,
For way too long.

Transmission  (1978)

Radio, live transmission.
Radio, live transmission.

Listen to the silence, let it ring on.
Eyes, dark grey lenses frightened of the sun.
We would have a fine time living in the night,
Left to blind destruction,
Waiting for our sight.

And we would go on as though nothing was wrong.
And hide from these days we remained all alone.
Staying in the same place, just staying out the time.
Touching from a distance,
Further all the time.

Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio.
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio ...

Well I could call out when the going gets tough.
The things that we've learnt are no longer enough.
No language, just sound, that's all we need know,
To synchronise love to the beat of the show.

And we could dance.

Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio.
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio ...

Autosuggestion  (1979)

Here, here,
Everything is by design,
Everything is by design.

Here, here,
Everything is kept inside.
So take a chance and step outside,
Your hopes, your dreams, your paradise.
Heroes, idols, cracked like ice.

Here, here,
Everything is kept inside.
So take a chance and step outside.
Pure frustration face to face.
A point of view creates more waves,
So take a chance and step outside.

Take a chance and step outside.
Lose some sleep and say you tried.
Meet frustration face to face.
A point of view creates more waves.

So lose some sleep and say you tried.
So lose some sleep and say you tried...

From Safety to Where...?  (1979)

No I don't know just why.
No I don't know just why.
Which way to turn,
I got this ticket ot use.

Through childlike ways rebellion and crime,
To reach this point and retreat back again.
The broken hearts,
All the wheels that have turned,
The memories scarred and the vision is blurred.

No I don't know which way,
Don't know which way to turn,
The best possible use.

Just passing through, 'till we reach the next stage.
But just to where, well it's all been arranged.
Just passing through but the break must be made.
Should we move on or stay safely away?

Through childlike ways rebellion and crime,
To reach this point and retreat back again.
The broken hearts,
All the wheels that have turned,
The memories scarred and the vision is blurred.

Just passing through, 'till we reach the next stage.
But just to where, well it's all been arranged.
Just passing through but the break must be made.
Should we move on or stay safely away?

Atmosphere  (1979)

Walk in silence,
Don't walk away, in silence.
See the danger,
Always danger,
Endless talking,
Life rebuilding,
Don't walk away.

Walk in silence,
Don't turn away, in silence.
Your confusion,
My illusion,
Worn like a mask of self-hate,
Confronts and then dies.
Don't walk away.

People like you find it easy,
Naked to see,
Walking on air.
Hunting by the rivers,
Through the streets,
Every corner abandoned too soon,
Set down with due care.
Don't walk away, in silence,
Don't walk away.

Dead Souls  (1979)

Someone take these dreams away,
That point me to another day,
A duel of personalities,
That stretch all true realities.

That keep calling me,
They keep calling me,
Keep on calling me,
They keep calling me.

Where figures from the past stand tall,
And mocking voices ring the halls.
Imperialistic house of prayer,
Conquistadors who took their share.

That keep calling me,
They keep calling me,
Keep on calling me,
They keep calling me ...

Love Will Tear Us Apart  (1980)

When routine bites hard,
And ambitions are low,
And resentment rides high,
But emotions won't grow,
And we're changing our ways,
Taking different roads.

Then love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.

Why is the bedroom so cold?
You've turned away on your side.
Is my timing that flawed?
Our respect runs so dry.
Yet there's still this appeal
That we've kept through our lives.

But love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.

You cry out in your sleep,
All my failings exposed.
And there's a taste in my mouth,
As desperation takes hold.
Just that something so good
Just can't function no more.

But love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.

These Days  (1980)

Morning seems strange, almost out of place.
Searched hard for you and your special ways.
These days, these days.

Spent all my time, learnt a killer's art.
Took threats and abuse 'till I'd learned the part.
Can you stay for these days?

These days, these days.

Used outward deception to get away,
Broken heart romance to make it pay.

These days, these days.

We'll drift through it all, it's the modern age.
Take care of it all now these debts are paid.
Can you stay for these days?

The Sound of Music  (1979)

See my true reflection,
Cut off my own connections,
I can see life getting harder,
So sad is this sensation,
Reverse the situation,
I can't see it getting better.

I'll walk you through the heartbreak,
Show you all the out takes,
I can't see it getting higher,
Systematically degraded,
Emotionally a scapegoat,
I can't see it getting better.

Perverse and unrealistic,
Try to make it all stick,
I can't see it getting better,
Hollow now, I'm burned out,
All I need to break out,
I can't see life getting higher,
Love, life, makes you feel higher,
Love, of life, makes you feel higher,
Higher, higher, higher, higher,
Higher, higher, higher, higher,
Love of life, makes you feel higher.

The Only Mistake  (1979)

Made the fatal mistake,
Like I did once before,
A tendency just to take,
Till the purpose turned sour,

Strain, take the strain, these days we love,
Strain, take the strain, these days we love.

Yeah, the only mistake was that you ran away,
Avenues lined with trees, strangled words for the day,
Yeah, the only mistake, like I made once before,
Yeah, the only mistake, could have made it before.

Strain, take the strain, these days we love,
Strain, take the strain, these days we love.

And the only mistake, led to rumours unfound,
Led to pressures unknown, different feelings and sounds,
Yeah, the only mistake, like I made once before,
Yeah, the only mistake, could have made it before.

Atrocity Exhibition  (1980)

Asylums with doors open wide,
Where people had paid to see inside,
For entertainment they watch his body twist,
Behind his eyes he says, 'I still exist.'

This is the way, step inside.
This is the way, step inside ...

In arenas he kills for a prize,
Wins a minute to add to his life.
But the sickness is drowned by cries for more,
Pray to God, make it quick, watch him fall.

This is the way, step inside.
This is the way, step inside ...

This is the way, step inside.
This is the way, step inside ...

You'll see the horrors of a faraway place,
Meet the architects of law face to face.
See mass murder on a scale you've never seen,
And all the ones who try hard to succeed.

This is the way, step inside.
This is the way, step inside ...

And I picked on the whims of a thousand or more,
Still pursuing the path that's been buried for years,
All the dead wood from jungles and cities on fire,
Can't replace or relate, can't release or repair,
Take my hand and I'll show you what was and will be.

Isolation  (1980)

In fear every day, every evening,
He calls her aloud from above,
Carefully watched for a reason,
Painstaking devotion and love,
Surrendered to self preservation,
From others who care for themselves.
A blindness that touches perfection,
But hurts just like anything else.

Isolation, isolation, isolation.

Mother I tried please believe me,
I'm doing the best that I can.
I'm ashamed of the things I've been put through,
I'm ashamed of the person I am.

Isolation, isolation, isolation.

But if you could just see the beauty,
These things I could never describe,
These pleasures a wayward distraction,
This is my one lucky prize.

Isolation, isolation, isolation ...

Passover  (1980)

This is a crisis I knew had to come,
Destroying the balance I'd kept.
Doubting, unsettling and turning around,
Wondering what will come next.
Is this the role that you wanted to live?
I was foolish to ask for so much.
Without the protection and infancy's guard,
It all falls apart at first touch.

Watching the reel as it comes to a close,
Brutally taking its time,
People who change for no reason at all,
It's happening all of the time.
Can I go on with this train of events?
Disturbing and purging my mind,
Back out of my duties, when all's said and done,
I know that I'll lose every time.

Moving along in our God given ways,
Safety is sat by the fire,
Sanctuary from these feverish smiles,
Left with a mark on the door,
Is this the gift that I wanted to give?
Forgive and forget's what they teach,
Or pass through the deserts and wastelands once more,
And watch as they drop by the beach.

This is the crisis I knew had to come,
Destroying the balance I'd kept,
Turning around to the next set of lives,
Wondering what will come next.

Colony  (1980)

A cry for help, a hint of anaesthesia,
The sound from broken homes,
We used to always meet here.
As he lays asleep, she takes him in her arms,
Some things I have to do, but I don't mean you harm.

A worried parent's glance, a kiss, a last goodbye,
Hands him the bag she packed, the tears she tries to hide,
A cruel wind that bows down to our lunacy,
And leaves him standing cold here in this colony.

I can't see why all these confrontations,
I can't see why all these dislocations,
No family life, this makes me feel uneasy,
Stood alone here in this colony.
In this colony, in this colony, in this colony, in this colony.

Dear God in his wisdom took you by the hand,
God in his wisdom made you understand.
God in his wisdom took you by the hand,
God in his wisdom made you understand.
God in his wisdom took you by the hand,
God in his wisdom made you understand.
God in his wisdom took you by the hand,
God in his wisdom made you understand.
In this colony, in this colony, in this colony, in this colony.

A Means to an End  (1980)

A legacy so far removed,
One day will be improved.
Eternal rights we left behind,
We were the better kind.
Two the same, set free too,
I always looked to you,
I always looked to you,
I always looked to you.

We fought for good, stood side by side,
Our friendship never died.
On stranger waves, the lows and highs,
Our vision touched the sky,
Immortalists with points to prove,
I put my trust in you.
I put my trust in you.
I put my trust in you.

A house somewhere on foreign soil,
Where ageing lovers call,
Is this your goal, your final needs,
Where dogs and vultures eat,
Committed still I turn to go.
I put my trust in you.
I put my trust in you ...

Heart and Soul  (1980)

Instincts that can still betray us,
A journey that leads to the sun,
Soulless and bent on destruction,
A struggle between right and wrong.
You take my place in the showdown,
I'll observe with a pitiful eye,
I'd humbly ask for forgiveness,
A request well beyond you and I.

Heart and soul, one will burn.
Heart and soul, one will burn.

An abyss that laughs at creation,
A circus complete with all fools,
Foundations that lasted the ages,
Then ripped apart at their roots.
Beyond all this good is the terror,
The grip of a mercenary hand,
When savagery turns all good reason,
There's no turning back, no last stand.

Heart and soul, one will burn.
Heart and soul, one will burn.

Existence well what does it matter?
I exist on the best terms I can.
The past is now part of my future,
The present is well out of hand.
The present is well out of hand.

Heart and soul, one will burn.
Heart and soul, one will burn.
One will burn, one will burn.
Heart and soul, one will burn.

Twenty Four Hours  (1980)

So this is permanence, love's shattered pride.
What once was innocence, turned on its side.
A cloud hangs over me, marks every move,
Deep in the memory, of what once was love.

Oh how I realised how I wanted time,
Put into perspective, tried so hard to find,
Just for one moment, thought I'd found my way.
Destiny unfolded, I watched it slip away.

Excessive flashpoints, beyond all reach,
Solitary demands for all I'd like to keep.
Let's take a ride out, see what we can find,
A valueless collection of hopes and past desires.

I never realised the lengths I'd have to go,
All the darkest corners of a sense I didn't know.
Just for one moment, I heard somebody call,
Looked beyond the day in hand, there's nothing there at all.

Now that I've realised how it's all gone wrong,
Gotta find some therapy, this treatment takes too long.
Deep in the heart of where sympathy held sway,
Gotta find my destiny, before it gets too late.

The Eternal  (1980)

Procession moves on, the shouting is over,
Praise to the glory of loved ones now gone.
Talking aloud as they sit round their tables,
Scattering flowers washed down by the rain.
Stood by the gate at the foot of the garden,
Watching them pass like clouds in the sky,
Try to cry out in the heat of the moment,
Possessed by a fury that burns from inside.

Cry like a child, though these years make me older,
With children my time is so wastefully spent,
A burden to keep, though their inner communion,
Accept like a curse an unlucky deal.
Played by the gate at the foot of the garden,
My view stretches out from the fence to the wall,
No words could explain, no actions determine,
Just watching the trees and the leaves as they fall.

Decades  (1980)

Here are the young men, the weight on their shoulders,
Here are the young men, well where have they been?
We knocked on the doors of Hell's darker chamber,
Pushed to the limit, we dragged ourselves in,
Watched from the wings as the scenes were replaying,
We saw ourselves now as we never had seen.
Portrayal of the trauma and degeneration,
The sorrows we suffered and never were free.

Where have they been?
Where have they been?
Where have they been?
Where have they been?

Weary inside, now our heart's lost forever,
Can't replace the fear, or the thrill of the chase,
Each ritual showed up the door for our wanderings,
Open then shut, then slammed in our face.

Where have they been?
Where have they been?
Where have they been?
Where have they been?

Komakino  (1980)

This is the hour when the mysteries emerge.
A strangeness so hard to reflect.
A moment so moving, goes straight to your heart,
The vision has never been met.
The attraction is held like a weight deep inside,
Something I'll never forget.

The pattern is set, her reaction will start,
Complete but rejected too soon.
Looking ahead in the grip of each fear,
Recalls the life that we knew.
The shadow that stood by the side of the road,
Always reminds me of you.

How can I find the right way to control,
All the conflict inside, all the problems beside,
As the questions arise, and the answers don't fit,
Into my way of things,
Into my way of things.

Something Must Break  (1980)

Two ways to choose,
On a razor's edge,
Remain behind,
Go straight ahead.

Room full of people, room for just one,
If I can't break out now, the time just won't come.

Two ways to choose,
Which way to go,
Decide for me,
Please let me know.

Looked in the mirror, saw I was wrong,
If I could get back to where I belong, where I belong.

Two ways to choose,
Which way to go,
Had thoughts for one
Designs for both.

But we were immortal, we were not there,
Washed up on the beaches, struggling for air.

I see your face still in my window,
Torments yet calms, won't set me free,
Something must break now,
This life isn't mine,
Something must break now,
Wait for the time,
Something must break.

Ceremony  (1980)

This is why events unnerve me,
They find it all, a different story,
Notice whom for wheels are turning,
Turn again and turn towards this time,
All she ask's the strength to hold me,
Then again the same old story,
Word will travel, oh so quickly,
Travel first and lean towards this time.

Oh, I'll break them down, no mercy shown,
Heaven knows, it's got to be this time,
Watching her, these things she said,
The times she cried,
Too frail to wake this time.

Oh, I'll break them down, no mercy shown,
Heaven knows, it's got to be this time,
Avenues all lined with trees,
Picture me and then you start watching,
Watching forever, forever,
Watching love grow, forever,
Letting me know, forever.

In a Lonely Place  (1980)

Caressing the marble and stone,
Love that was special for one,
The waste in the fever I heat,
How I wish you were here with me now.

Body that curls in and dies,
And shares that awful daylight,
Warm like a dog round your feet,
How I wish you were here with me now.

Hangman looks round as he waits,
Cord stretches tight then it breaks,
Someday we will die in your dreams,
How I wish we were here with you now.

And even more:

Inside The Line  (1977)

Hey you! You too!
I could make the choice for you
Dirt sticks close to you - it's all around me
Everything I try to do
I can't even seem to find the room to move

But you think you're number one
Actors though the film has gone
Crowded in a room for one
Darkness when the lights are on
Turn me on for good - it's so exciting
Slogans on the wall don't need no advertising
I can't even seem to find the room to move

Shackled up in fantasy
Hoping for some time to breathe
Suffocation comes too easy
I just want some time to breathe
Dirt sticks close to you - it's all around me
Everything I do - they're always trying to crowd me
I can't even seem to find the room to move

Watching every move I make
Choice of one that's hard to take
In fact it's just a big mistake
The effects that make it feel like you
Maggots run inside the line
Ready for the perfect crime
Say there is no right or wrong
I don't know what's right or wrong
I don't know what's right or wrong

Gutz  (1977)

Warsaw!

Don't talk to me girl - you know it's not nice
Don't laugh at murder - I won't pay the price
The facts are too high-powered - it's such a big thrill
I'd do it myself, 'cause it makes you so ill

Blame bad things on me, whatever you do
When I come home my world is different from you
You're such a chic tart - you're really dressed up
Don't wanna talk to you - just left with your mum

Don't be a puppet - always rush you around
One just for your photo - try and tie me down
I won't tell him I talk like this all night
He must be worried 'cause you're sounding so trite

Respect is only normal - the way to your lives
Ever tried to sleep around - once I begged for a wife
Wouldn't have to change you - start acting that way
If we don't keep our heads alive, I'll never get a say
You know what's special - it's as black as I say
Can you see me, just ourselves - no comment, copycat!

At A Later Date  (1977)

Why must we be put down when we try to get away?
Why must we all grow up when we could just play and play?
Good things in life are free, can't buy everything, that's true
Only one thing wrong with that, what it don't buy I don't use

Only thing I'm thinking of is "Why are we all here?"
There must be more to do at night than drinking rotten beer
The world's a very shady place, and you can't trust a soul
"Grin and bear it" seemed the thing, when it just gets a hold
At a later date - it might come out a fright
At a later date - I hope that you're alright

Human beings are dangerous and they call me in the dark
But everything gets twice as cold in marching for a lark
There's loads of things I'd like to do if I could find the time
Working really tires me and I think I'll turn to crime
At a later date - I hope they start it soon
At a later date - before we hit the moon

I just can't be bothered to make an effort here at all
People make you feel your contributions are too small
At a later date - I'll be awful great
At a later date - someone somewhere blew it
At a later date - at a later date

You're No Good For Me  (1977)

Don't know what I'm doing - don't know where I'm going
Leading me to ruin - I should have traded you in
Yeah you think you're something but you're no good for me

Don't know if I care - don't know if I'm there
I just sit and stare - making love to thin air
Yeah you're being insulted but you're no good for me
Na na na na na na na na no good --

I do lots of good - surprised at what you would
Don't call me no crud - I really think I'm good
Yeah you think you're something but you're no good for me

Try to call the tune - I'll probably go and rue it
I'll just get it groomed - all sorts of other clues
Yeah you're being insulted but you're no good for me

I get by the local peer group and their pressures
I can wash the dishes - my soups can taste delicious
Yeah you think you're something but you're no good for me

I've forgotten how you feel - to me you're looking real
Come on let's make a deal - think of where you live
Yeah you think you're something but you're no good for me
Na na na na na na na na no good --

I've forgotten how you feel - to me you're looking real
Come on let's make a deal - think of what you need
Yeah you're being insulted but you're no good for me
Yeah you're being insulted but you're no good for me

The Drawback (AKA All Of This For You)  (1978)

Seen the troubles and the evils of this world
I've seen the stretches between godliness and sin
I've had the promise and confessions of true faith
And the hypocrisy that always lies within
And they left it for you - all of this for you --

I've seen the products and the other world of waste
I've seen the colour of corruption deep within
I've seen them lose themselves in dignity and taste
To see in black and white and through to black again
And they left it for you - all of this for you --

And they left it for you - all of this for you
And they left it for you - everything for you
I've seen the troubles and the evils of this world
I've seen the ones who can succeed but always lose
I've seen what's left of poor technology and work
And watched them dying as they leave their ship of fools
And they left it for you - all of this for you --

Novelty  (1978)

When the people listen to you, don't you know it means a lot
'Cause you've got to work so hard for everything you've got
Can't rest on your laurels now - not when you've got none
You'll find yourself in the gutter, right back where you came from

Someone told me being in the know is the main thing
We all need the security that belonging brings
Can't stand on your own in these times against all the odds
I don't want to act uncool like all the other sods

You slap our backs and pretend you knew
About all the things that we were gonna do
What ya gonna do, what ya gonna do when it's over?

You're all on your own now - don't you think that it's a shame
But you're the only one responsible to take the blame
When ya gonna grow up and act, and be yourself
Cause pretty soon you'll find yourself nailed to the shelf
Grab it while you can, but don't ever relax
Cause there's always someone gonna stab your back
What ya gonna do, what ya gonna do when it's over?

Warsaw  (1977)

3, 5, 0, 1, 2, 5, Go!

I was there in the back stage,
When first light came around.
I grew up like a changeling,
To win the first time around.
I can see all the weakness.
I can pick all the faults.
Well I concede all the faith tests,
Just to stick in your throats.

31G, 31G, 31G

I hung around in your soundtrack,
To mirror all that you've done,
To find the right side of reason,
To kill the three lies for one,
I can see all the cold facts.
I can see through your eyes.
All this talk made no contact.
No matter how hard we tried.

31G, 31G, 31G

I can still hear the footsteps.
I can see only walls.
I slid into your man-traps,
With no hearing at all.
I just see contradiction,
Had to give up the fight,
Just to live in the past tense,
To make believe you were right.

31G, 31G, 31G

3, 5, 0, 1, 2, 5

Leaders of Men  (1977)

Born from some mother's womb,
Just like any other room.
Made a promise for a new life.
Made a victim out of your life.

When your time's on the door,
And it drips to the floor,
And you feel you can touch,
All the noise is too much,
And the seeds that are sown,
Are no longer your own.

Just a minor operation,
To force a final ultimatum.
Thousand words are spoken loud,
Reach the dumb to fool the crowd.

When you walk down the street,
And the sound's not so sweet,
And you wish you could hide,
Maybe go for a ride,
To some peep show arcade,
Where the future's not made.

A nightmare situation,
Infiltrate imagination,
Smacks of past Holy wars,
By the wall with broken laws.

The leaders of men,
Born out of your frustration.
The leaders of men,
Just a strange infatuation.
The leaders of men,
Made a promise for a new life.
No saviour for our sakes,
To twist the internees of hate,
Self induced manipulation,
To crush all thoughts of mass salvation.

No Love Lost  (1977)

So long sitting here,
Didn't hear the warning.
Waiting for the tape to run.
We've been moving around in different situations,
Knowing that the time would come.
Just to see you torn apart,
Witness to your empty heart.
I need it.
I need it.
I need it.

Through the wire screen, the eyes of those standing outside looked in at her as into the cage of some rare creature in a zoo.
In the hand of one of the assistants she saw the same instrument which they had that morning inserted deep into her body. She shuddered instinctively. No life at all in the house of dolls.
No love lost. No love lost.

You've been seeing things,
In darkness, not in learning,
Hoping that the truth will pass.
No life underground, wasting never changing,
Wishing that this day won't last.
To never see you show your age,
To watch until the beauty fades.
I need it.
I need it.
I need it.

Two-way mirror in the hall,
They like to watch everything you do,
Transmitters hidden in the walls,
So they know everything you say is true,
Turn it on,
Don't turn it on,
Turn it on.

Failures  (1977)

Don't speak of safe Messiahs,
A failure of the Modern Man,
To the centre of all life's desires,
As a whole not an also ran.
Love in a hollow field,
Break the image of your father's son,
Drawn to an inner feel,
He was thought of as the only one,
He was thought of as the only one.

He no longer denies,
All the failures of the Modern Man,
No, no, no, he can't pick sides,
Sees the failures of the Modern Man.
Wise words and sympathy,
Tell the story of our history.
New strength gives a real touch,
Sense and reason make it all too much.
With a strange fatality,
Broke the spirits of a lesser man,
Some other race can see,
In his way he was the only one,
In his way he was the only one.

He no longer denies,
All the failures of the Modern Man,
No, no, no, he can't pick sides,
Sees the failures of the Modern Man.
Now that it's right to decide,
In his time he was a total man,
Taken from Caesar's side,
Kept in silence just to prove who's wrong.
He no longer denies,
All the failures of the Modern Man,
No, no, no, he can't pick sides,
Sees the failures of the Modern Man.
All the failures of the Modern Man.

Ice Age  (1977)

I've seen the real atrocities,
Buried in the sand,
Stockpiled safety for a few,
While we stand holding hands.

I'm living in the Ice age,
I'm living in the Ice age,
Nothing will hold,
Nothing will fit,
Into the cold,
It's not an eclipse.
Living in the Ice age,
Living in the Ice age,
Living in the Ice age.

Searching for another way,
Hide behind the door,
We'll live in holes and disused shafts,
Hopes for little more.

I'm living in the Ice age,
I'm living in the Ice age,
Nothing will hold,
Nothing will fit,
Into the cold,
No smile on your lips,
Living in the Ice age,
Living in the Ice age,
Living in the Ice age ...

The Kill  (1977)

Moved in a hired car,
And I find no way to run,
Adds every moment longer,
Had no time for fun,
Just something that I knew I had to do,
But through it all I left my eyes on you.

I had an impulse to clear it all away,
Oh I used the tactics, make everybody pay,
Just something that I knew I had to do,
But through it all I kept my eyes on you.

Oh, I keep it all clean,
I've paid the graces there,
No kings of misuse,
No sellers of flesh,
Just something that I knew I had to do,
But through it all I kept my eyes on you,
Yeah through it all I kept my eyes on you,
But through it all I kept my eyes on you.

Walked in Line  (1978)

All dressed in uniforms so fine,
They drank and killed to pass the time,
Wearing the shame of all their crimes,
With measured steps, they walked in line.

They walked in line ...

They carried pictures of their wives,
And numbered tags to prove their lives,
They walked in line ...

Full of glory never seen,
They made it through the whole machine,
To never question anymore,
Hypnotic trance, they never saw,
They walked in line ...

They walked in line ...

Exercise One  (1978)

When you're looking at life,
In a strange new room,
Maybe drowning soon,
Is this the start of it all?
Turn on your TV,
Turn down your pulse,
Turn away from it all,
It's all getting too much.

When you're looking at life,
Deciphering scars,
Just who fooled who,
Sit still in their cars,
The lights look bright,
When you reach outside,
Time for one last ride,
Before the end of it all.