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Acting Thick for Money (volume 2)

by The Wind-up Birds

/
1.
And these paths down the back of the houses didn’t offer much protection There were only limited exits unless you cut through the old people’s home There was one way through the bushes but not many people new it You were better off in the cafe but you had to get there early The trick was to stay in the cafe until they realised that you had no money Lurking round the pool table with your back to the bloke at the counter But any day when it was raining you didn’t stand a chance ‘Cause the place was already packed with the ones who had got out early And they were saying Well, what’s a punch in the face between friends? Well, what’s a punch in the face between friends? This is the conflict that never ends So what’s a punch in the face between friends? I remember once in a canteen there was a bloke who was South African He said “If I won the lottery I’d be out of this country” The lottery was new then and still fairly exciting There was this feeling that everyone would be winning The Asian bloke who controlled the speed of the main machine said “What’s wrong with this country?” he was getting quite angry The South African never answered, just stared at the front of his paper There was a bad atmosphere when we got back to the machine room And we were muttering Well, what’s a punch in the face between friends? Well, what’s a punch in the face between friends? This is the conflict that never ends So what’s a punch in the face between friends? At the back the girls are calling other girls to hand out warnings Of how they’ll get them in the morning for the things that they’ve been saying At the back the girls are calling other girls to hand out warnings Of how they’ll get them in the morning for the things that they’ve been saying Then this in the office everyone was glued to the TV Watching all the bulletins with disbelieving expressions Nobody was talking, some people were barely breathing And the fire warden nervously fingered his armband The coffee machine had broken and the buzz of the air conditioning Was becoming overwhelming, some people felt like fainting Now its barely two days later the staff room is practically empty There’s a couple of ladies watching one of those antique programmes I bet they’re thinking Well, what’s a punch in the face between friends? Well, what’s a punch in the face between friends? This is the conflict that never ends So what’s a punch in the face between friends?
2.
A year has passed and any thoughts she had That things would get easier have gone She should have moved away but she had to stay In the forlorn hope that she could right all the wrongs In the shed at the back, boxes are packed With all the things that she said she had thrown She sifts through them every now and again But somehow it just makes her feel more alone Trapped within these walls And adrift between two lives She said “Watch me as I fade, love Right before your eyes” She feels the neighbour’s eyes as she walks by There’s an awkward kind of sympathy, shabbily expressed They say his name every now and again Just testing the water, working out what’s best The hours are gone avoiding the sun A cascade of photographs flowing down the wall The months drag on, the money has gone The theatre is empty but the curtain never falls Trapped within these walls And adrift between two lives She said “Watch me as I fade, now Right before your eyes” A flower dying in time lapse photography Aware they’ll never name a road after me A flower dying in time lapse photography Aware they’ll never name a school after me A flower dying in time lapse photography Aware they’ll never name a pub after me A flower dying in time lapse photography Aware they’ll never name a film after me A flower dying A flower dying A flower dying A flower dying A flower dying A flower dying A flower dying A flower dying now
3.
Spoils 03:42
They scooped all her ornaments into a case In twenty-five minutes they had ransacked the place What was a home now reverts back to space What was a home reverts back to space Her telly and her hi-fi were the first in the van Routing through the drawers as fast as they can Clothes in plaggy bags left for the binman Clothes in plaggy bags left for the binman Left the bed where it was ‘cause the springs were all shot No one bothered with the sofa ‘cause it weighed such a lot The seats were too threadbare so they left them to rot The seats were threadbare They left them The teachers said I was lonely But it was only a matter of time Until I came out of my shell They can tell They see it all the time The teachers said I was lonely But it was only a matter of time Until I came out of my shell They can tell They see it all the time No one fancied the wardrobe, no bedroom would it fit in Smashed it to pieces and the pieces were put in The skip round the corner when no one was looking Skip round the corner when no one was looking Everybody scrambling, claiming their share “She promised me this, do you remember? You were there” “Careful with her pictures” “She’s dead, she don’t care” “Careful with her pictures...” The teachers said I was lonely But it was only a matter of time Until I came out of my shell They can tell They see it all the time The teachers said I was lonely But it was only a matter of time Until I came out of my shell They can tell They see it all the time The time of her life Holding hands through a serving hatch The time of her life And they chased each other round the garden at the back The post war years in a cul-de-sac Then he was taken away, her very best friend The clues were there but it was hard to comprehend The years left were easier than you might expect Four kids and a grandson who could never connect The years left were easier than you might suspect Four kids and a grandson who could never The teachers said I was lonely But it was only a matter of time Until I came out of my shell They can tell They see it all the time The teachers said I was lonely But it was only a matter of time Until I came out of my shell They can tell They see it all the time Pocketing jewelry when there’s no one around Getting light-headed with the booty they’ve found Its open season now that she’s in the ground Open season now that she’s in the ground
4.
Meet me at the depot We can commandeer a wagon We can hit the road to London Seek adventure without caution Meet me at the depot Early Sunday morning We’ll take off without warning While the city’s sleeping There is nothing of value here This is what the angels say I know you got tired of dreaming This is what the angels say They say meet me at the depot With your hip flask ready There’s this fire in your belly And there’s nothing on the telly Meet me at the depot We’ll leave notes on the conveyors For the gaffer and the packers Tell them not to miss us There is nothing of value here This is what the angels say I know you get tired of dreaming This is what the angels say They say meet me at the depot Promise me your coming I didn’t plan all this for nothing I know I’ll be left waiting Meet me at the depot We’ll leave notes on the conveyors For the gaffer and the packers We’ll tell them not to miss us Meet me at the depot With your hip flask ready There’s this fire in your belly And there’s nothing on the telly Meet me at the depot Early Sunday Morning We’ll take off without warning While the city’s sleeping Meet me at the depot We can commandeer a wagon We‘ll hit the road to London Seek adventure without caution There is nothing of value here This is what the angels say I know you get tired of dreaming This is what the angels say You were left on your own You had nowhere to go This is what the angels say You were left on your own You had nowhere to go This is what the angels say They say
5.
On the top deck of the bus out of Beeston Eyes drawn to the window smeared in something Turns out its a pack-up left on the bus by Some guy with sad eyes Some school-kids had found it Here we are the neutral countries We’re born, we’re compromised and then we Find somewhere to hide ‘til its all washed over us Here we are, neutral countries We are compromised and then we Find somewhere to hide ‘til it washes over us He is distracted (hence the lost pack-up) Sat in the toilet at his workplace Avoiding his duties Left in the dark ‘Cause the light in the toilet is on some kind of timer Here we are the neutral countries We’re born, we’re compromised and then we Find somewhere to hide ‘til its all washed over us Here we are, neutral countries We are compromised and then we Find somewhere to hide ‘til it washes over us We we’re never young We saw the coat tails and grabbed on We we’re never fun We were empiricists to a man We we’re never young We saw the coat tails and grabbed on Now he’s in the canteen replacing his pack-up He might get a pasty or maybe a fry up And though he chooses a seat with his back to the rest They still involve him in the same conversations Here we are the neutral countries We’re born, we’re compromised and then we Find somewhere to hide ‘til its all washed over us Here we are, neutral countries We are compromised and then we Find somewhere to hide ‘til it washes over us
6.
There’s a quarter of a pig in the middle of the road Maybe a butcher’s van shed its load Or someone tried to thieve it and dropped it in a chase Or thought it was funny left rotting in this place A girl with a phone not looking where she’s going Trips on the pig, ends up with a toe In between the ribs that are lying there exposed Flat on her back, crying in the road All I ever see are pig fractions Lying in front of me A distraction All we’ll ever be is pig fractions La la la la A lady tries to help but she gives her a mouthful That’s what you get for trying to be helpful An elderly gent walks out to shift the pig He’s watched from the side by a couple of kids Get a lump in my throat when they rush out to help him Easy to forget not everyone’s a villain Move the pig to the side of the road by the bin They can’t put it in ‘cause the bin is overflowing All I ever see Pig fractions Lying in front of me A distraction All we’ll ever be is pig fractions La la la la Between the office blocks, a square, the height of our culture With seats you can’t sit on and a rubbish sculpture The blokes have suits on but they don’t wear ties A sartorial decision that’s wrong to my eyes They’re chewing on quirky sandwiches now Pureed fruit on their pig and their cow And all I ever see is pig fractions Lying in front of me A distraction All I’ll ever be is pig fractions La la la la
7.
This bailiff’s bravado He clucks like a chicken On spit dappled streets that can barely contain him This bailiff’s bravado He’s constantly flexing his gym tortured muscles Though he pretends that he isn’t And the letter from the service provider lies beside her The language within seems deliberately ambiguous This bailiff’s bravado Soft taps at the door Practiced politeness brings fear all the more This bailiff’s bravado The tricks of his trade Feigned concern hiding threats that are made And the letter from the service provider lies beside her The language within seems deliberately ambiguous This bailiff’s bravado He thinks of his kids Its an easy excuse for the things that he did This bailiff’s bravado The job that exists ‘Cause the people won’t live within their means like he did And the letter from the service provider lies beside her The language within seems deliberately ambiguous
8.
She gives her house a brutal cleaning Exhaustion gives her life a meaning There’s ratpack claptrap on daytime TV Its repackaged cool for everybody While we sing a song We sing a song We sing a song The craze that never caught on We sing a song We sing a song We sing a song The craze that never caught on And they’re down below and they’re trying to talk us down There’s bits of dinner on his face He wears it well Full of grace But when he thinks there’s no one looking He grabs the drip tray and starts drinking While we sing a song We sing a song We sing a song The craze that never caught on We sing a song We sing a song We sing a song The craze that never caught on And they’re down below and they’re trying to talk us down And then they meet and it just works Banish the dark where the nightmare’s lurk In every moment, hidden pearls Shut your curtains Forget the world And they’re down below and they’re trying to talk us down
9.
Its like I know whats going to happen Scan the crowd looking for a pattern I don’t know what to say Today seems staged And the the words that the people are using Don’t seem to be of their own choosing Script read off a page Today seems staged Today the people are hitting their mark A mobile phone and a character arc And all I can see is scenery Today the children run on tracks I’m left waiting for the second act None of this feels real to me And all the movements feel rehearsed The seams on the costumes are fit to burst No one acts their age Today seems staged Everyones looking for a cue Someone to prompt them what to do Think about your wage Today seems staged Today the people are hitting their mark A mobile phone and a character arc And all I can see is scenery Today the children run on tracks I’m left waiting for the second act None of this feels real to me
10.
White Hair 03:18
Someone’s drawn a cock on the old man’s house He sees it every time that he goes out He tried to clean it off but it will need sanding These kids are beyond his understanding Kick a ball outside his door They don’t use the park up the road anymore He played Sunday league into his thirties Now it seems that the don’t want to get their hands dirty White hair Should we blame it on the food we eat White hair Should we blame it on the Sunday league White hair glimpsed through a window Should we blame it on you or me or everybody This lad drew a cock on someone’s house He didn’t see what the fuss was about He thought it’d make the others laugh He’d forgotten about it by the time they reached the caff It was after they’d had a kick around While waiting for the girls to come down They play on the street now instead of the park Can’t go down there when its getting dark White hair Should we blame it on the Sunday league White hair Should we blame it on the food we eat White hair glimpsed through a window Should we blame it on you or me or everybody Someone’s drawn a cock on her dad’s house Its getting to him there is no doubt She doesn’t go down there very much Its hard for her to keep in touch As a child she’d watch him play football in the park Carry her home on his shoulders in the dark Nowadays he rarely steps out doors He’s not the same man anymore He’s not the same man anymore He’s not the same man anymore White hair Should we blame it on the food we eat White hair Should we blame it on the Sunday league White hair glimpsed through a window Should we blame it on you or me or everybody
11.
“Get out of my house” said the boy to the man Who is sat on his couch when he gets home from school “I won’t let you come round here anymore” The man, he just stands, cracks his thumbs, grabs his tools He slams the door, makes a point as he leaves No words sprung to mind so the door slam would do We fixed the raffle Couldn’t take the hassle We fixed the raffle again The club was quite full when the car crashed outside Some ran to the door or window Others stayed sat in the seats where they sit every week Should you make a move when there’s games to be played? He stayed in his seat so the first that he heard Was when he was home the next day, teletext We fixed the raffle Couldn’t take the hassle We fixed the raffle again I thought it would be fun to walk home one night No one else around, complete peace Just the sound of cars and passing motorbikes for hours We fixed the raffle again Finding the time for the things that make me happy Finding the time for the things

about

This is the second of our archive raiding compilations covering the 2 EPS we recorded before releasing our proper debut album.

As we were learning to record as we went the sound quality is a bit up and down but we quite like it so no worries.

The EPs were - "In These Great Times" and We Fixed The Raffle:The Post War Years.

Alongside this we have added the original version of Meet Me at The Depot which we recorded at Ghost Town so you can compare to the single version.

To celebrate this magical moment we have made a video for one of the tunes that we all still really like - What's For Dinner? and you can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SUUcVUIemo

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released January 25, 2013

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The Wind-up Birds Leeds

New EP - "Pop. Thinking" is out now.


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