The very best of Tony Christie

Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala

When the day is dawningon a Texas Sunday morning
how I long to be there
with Marie who's waiting for me there
every lonely city where I hang my hat
ain't as half as pretty as where my baby's at

Is this the way to Amarillo
every night I've been hugging my pillow
dreaming dreams of Amarilloand sweet Marie who waits for me
show me the way to Amarillo
I've been weeping like a willow
crying over Amarillo
and sweet Marie who waits for me

Sha la la lala lalala Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala and Marie who waits for me

There's a church bell ringing
hear the song of joy that it's singing
for the sweet Mariaand the guy who's coming to see her
just beyong the highway, there's an open plain
and it keeps me going through the wind and rain

Is this the way to Amarillo
every night I've been hugging my pillow
dreaming dreams of Amarilloand sweet Marie who waits for me
show me the way to Amarillo
I've been weeping like a willow
crying over Amarillo
and sweet Marie who waits for me

Sha la la lala lalala Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala and Marie who waits for me

Sleep like a baby,
my little lady,
Dream till the sunrise
creeps into your eyes
Dream till the sunrise
Turns on the day.
In the Avenues and Alleyways
while you sleep there's a whole world coming alive
Able and his brother, fighting one another
in and out of every dive
The Avenues and Alleyways
where the strong and the quick alone can survive
Look around the jungle
see the rough and tumble
Listen to a squealer cry
Then a little later
in the morning paper
Read about the way he died.
Wake up my pretty
Go to the city
Stay through the daytime
safe in the sunshine
stay till the daytime
turns into night.
In the Avenues and Alleyways
Where a mans gotta work out which side he's on
any way he chooses
chances are he loses
no one gets to live too long
the avenues and alleyways
Where the soul of a man is easy to buy
everybody's wheeling
everybody's steeling
all the low are living high
Every city's got em
can we ever stop em
some of us are gonna try.

Sun rise this is the last day
that I'll ever see
out in the court-yard
they're ready for me
but I go to my Lord without fear
'cos I did what I did for Maria.

As I rode into town
with the sun going down
all the windows were barred
there was noone around
for they knew that I'd come
with my hand on my gun
and revenge in my heart for Maria
my dearest departed Maria.

Take an eye for an eye
and a life for a life
and somebody must die
for the death of my wife
yes I did what I did for Maria
I did what I did for Maria.

Laughter echoed across for
the end of the street
there was the man
I was burnin' to meet
and my mind was so calm and so clear.
as I took my revenge for Maria.

And he fell to the ground
raisin' dust all around
but I knew he was dead
long before he went down
it was quick it was clean
made it easy on him
which is more than he did for Maria.
When he did what he did for Maria.