Live At The Bbc

Red sun go down way over dirty town
Starling are sweeping around crazy shoals
A girl is there high heeling across the square
Wind blows around in her hair and the flags upon the poles
Waiting in the crowd to cross at the light
She looks around to find a face she can like.

Church bell clinging on trying to get a crowd for evensong
Nobody cares to depend upon the chime it plays
They're all in the station praying for trains
Cogregations late again
It's getting darker all the time these flagpole days
Drunk old soldier he gives her a fright
He's crazy lion howling for a fight.

Strap hanging gunshot sound
Doors slamming on the overground
Starlings are tough but the lions are made of stone
Her evening paper is horror torn
But there's hope later for capricorns
Her lucky stars give her just enough to get home
Then she's reading about a swing to the right
But she's thinking about a stranger in the night
I'm thinking about the lions tonight
What happened to the lions.

You get a shiver in the dark
It's been raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing dixie double four time
You feel all right when you hear that music ring

You step inside but you don't see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down
Too much competition too many other places
But not too many horns can make that sound
Way on downsouth way on downsouth london town

You check out guitar george he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
And an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing

And harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job he's doing alright
He can play honky tonk just like anything
Saving it up for friday night
With the sultans with the sultans of swing

And a crowd of young boys they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And the sultans played creole

And then the man he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
'thank you goodnight now it's time to go home'
And he makes it fast with one more thing
'we are the sultans of swing'

High and dry in the long hot day
Lost and lonely in every way
Got the flats all around me sky up above
I need a little water of love

I've been too long lonely and my heart feels pain
Crying out for some soothing rain
I believe i have taken enough
I need a little water of love

Water of love deep in the ground
No water here to be found
Some day baby when the river runs free
It'll carry that water of love to me

There's a bird up in a tree sitting up high
Waiting for me to die
If i don't get some water soon
I'll be dead and gone in the afternoon

Once i had a woman i could call my own
Once i had a woman now my woman is gone
Once there was a river now there's a stone
You know it's evil when you're living alone

Getting crazy on the waltzers but it's the life that i choose
Sing about the sixblade sing about the switchback and a torture tattoo
And i been riding on a ghost train where the cars they scream and slam
And i don't know where i'll be tonight but i'd always tell you where i am

In a screaming ring of faces i seen her standing in the light
She had a ticket for the races just like me she was a victim of the night
I put a hand upon the lever said let it rock and let it roll
I had the one arm bandit fever there was an arrow through my heart and my soul

And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
And i'm just high on the world
Come on and take a low ride with me girl
On the tunnel of love

It's just the danger when you're riding at your own risk
She said you are the perfect stranger she said baby let's keep it like this
It's just a cake walk twisting baby step right up and say
Hey mister give me two give me two cos any two can play

And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
And i'm just high on the world
Come on and take a low ride with me girl
On the tunnel of love

Well it's been money for muscle another whirligig
Money for muscle and another girl i dig
Another hustle just to make it big
And rockaway rockaway

And girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
Like the spanish city to me when we were kids
Oh girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
Like the spanish city to me when we were kids

She took off a silver locket she said remember me by this
She put her hand in my pocket i got a keepsake and a kiss
And in the roar of the dust and diesel i stood and watched her walk away
I could have caught up with her easy enough but something must have made me stay

And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
And i'm just high on the world
Come on and take a low ride with me girl
On the tunnel of love

And now i'm searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades
Searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades
In any shooting gallery where promises are made
To rockaway rockaway from cullercoats and whitley bay out to rockaway

And girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did
Like the spanish city to me when we were kids
Girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did
Like the spanish city to me when we were kids