A Secret History: Best of the

The Divine Comedy A Secret History: Best of the Lyrics
1.National Express

Take the National Express when your life's in a mess

It'll make you smile

All human life is here

From the feeble old dear to the screaming child

From the student who knows that to have one of those

Would be suicide

To the family man

Manhandling the pram with paternal pride

And everybody sings 'ba ba ba da..........'

We're going where the air is free

On the National Express there's a jolly hostess

Selling crisps and tea

She'll provide you with drinks and theatrical winks

For a sky-high fee

Mini-skirts were in style when she danced down the aisle

Back in '63 (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

But it's hard to get by when your arse is the size

Of a small country

And everybody sings 'ba ba ba da.....'

We're going where the air is free

Tomorrow belongs to me

When you're sad and feeling blue

With nothing better to do

Don't just sit ther feeling stressed

Take a trip on the National Express


2.Something For The Weekend

She said There's something in the woodshed
and I can hear it breathing
it's such an eerie feeling, darling
He said There's nothing in the woodshed
It's your imagination
end of the conversation, darling
Something in his heart told him to come clean
He was not who he claimed to be
Something in his genes told him to pretend
'Twas something for the weekend
But she said There's something in the woodshed
I know because I saw it
I can't simply ignore it, darling
So he said Now baby don't be stupid
Get this into your sweet head
There ain't nothing in the woodshed (except maybe some wood)
Something in his heart told him to come clean
He was not who he claimed to be
Something in his jeans told him to pretend
'Twas something for the weekend
I'll go all the way with you, if you'll only do the same for me
- go and see
If it's nothing like you say
then you can have your wicked way with me'
He went down to the woodshed
They came down hard on his head
Gagged and bound and left for dead
When he woke she was gone with his car and all of his money


3.Everybody Knows(Except You)

Everybody knows that I love you
Everybody knows that I need you
Everybody knows that I do, except you
I told the stars above
About the one I love
I told the morning sun
Yeah I'm telling everyone
I told my mum and dad
They seemed to understand
And I'll get through to you
If it's the last thing that I do
Everybody knows that I love you
Everybody knows that I need you
Everybody knows that I do, except you
Everybody knows that I live for you
Everybody knows that I adore you
Everybody knows that it's true, except you
I told all of my friends
Again and again and again
I drove them round the bend
So now you're my only friend
I told the passers by
I made a small boy cry
And I'll get through to you
If it's the last thing that I do
'Cos everybody knows that I love you
Everybody knows that I need you
Everybody knows that I do, except you
I'm going crazy baby
What do I have to do ?
You know I love you baby
Maybe you love me too
Everybody knows that I live for you
Everybody knows that I adore you
Everybody knows that it's true, except you
Except you, except you, except you
How come everybody knows, except you ?
Oh everybody knows that I love you
And everybody knows that I need you
Everybody knows that I do, except you


4.Generation Sex

Generation sex respects the rights of girls
Who want to take their clothes off
As long as we can all watch that's o.k.
And generation sex elects the type of guys
You wouldn't leave your kids with
And shouts 'off with their heads' if they get laid
Lovers watch their backs as hacks in macs
Take snaps through telephoto lenses
Chase Mercedes Benz' through the night
A mourning nation weeps and wails
But keeps the the sales of evil tabloids healthy
The poor protect the wealthy in this world
Generation sex injects the sperm of worms
Into the eggs of field-mice
So you can look real nice for the boys
And generation sex is me and you
And we should really all know better
It doesn't really matter what you say


5.Becoming More Like Alfie

Once there was a time
when my mind lay on higher things
And once there was a time
I could find pretty words to sing
But now, well now I find
it saves time to say what you mean
I know it seems so unrefined
but it's time to let off some steam
Oh come on!
Everybody knows that No means Yes
just like glasses come free on the N.H.S.
But the more I look through them the more I see
I'm becoming more like Alfie
Once there was a time
when a kind word could be enough
And once there was a time
I could blindfold myself with love
But not now - now I'm resigned
to the kind of life I had reserved
for other guys less smart than I
Y'know - the kind who will always end up with the girls
And besides
everybody knows that No means Yes
just like glasses come free on the N.H.S.
But the more I look through them the more I see
I'm becoming more like Alfie
Oh come on!


6.The Summerhouse

Do you remember
The way it used to be
June to September
In a cottage by the sea
Distant cousins, local kids
We climbed every tree together
And it never ever rained
Till we climbed back on the train
That would take us so far away
From the village and the bay
And the summerhouse
Where we found new games to play
Do you remember
Sunday lunch on the lawn
Daring escapes at midnight
And costumeless bathes at dawn.
You were only nine years old
And I was barely ten
It's kind of weird to be back here again
Do you remember
The summerhouse...?


7.Your Daddy's Car

We took your Daddy's car
And drove it to the sea
We fooled around for hours
And then when we got tired and it got dark
We found a place to park
And we watched the sun set fire to the sea
Can you feel the sadness in our love ?
It's the only kind we're worthy of
Can you feel the madness in our hearts
As the key turns and the engine starts ?
We took your Daddy's car
And drove it into town
We steamed into a bar
And we bought the biggest bottle of champagne
And driving through the rain we sang
'God bless this car, and all who sail in her !'
We took your Daddy's car
And wrapped it round a tree
We didn't know what for
We didn't feel like driving any more
It was so good we got bored
And we are driving from the day we are born


8.The Pop Singer's Fear Of The Pollen Count

Are you ready ?
OK
1, 2, 3, 4
I fall for this season every time
When it's hot and everybody smiles
I can't help myself
I'm in love with the summertime
Even when I get hay-fever I find
I may sneeze but I don't really mind
As long as I'm in love with the summertime
Laugh at the tears you're crying
Smile while your head explodes
Y' don't have to take this lying down
So blow your nose baby
And just get your fingers clicking
To the rhythm and the rhyme
Otherwise you'll just be kicking around
And that's a crime
How can you talk that way
On such a lovely day ?
When sunshine comes your way
It's time to make some hay
I fall for this season every time
When it's hot and everybody smiles
I can't help myself
I'm in love with the summertime
Even when I get hay-fever I find
I may sneeze but I don't really mind
As long as I'm in love with the summertime
Ah, stop your belly-aching
We all know what it's like
There ain't a pill I haven't taken I guess
But that's alright baby
'Cause your Daddy's car is waiting
To take us to the sea
She feels like celebrating life
And so should we
How can you talk that way
On such a lovely day ?
When sunshine comes your way
It's time to make some hay
I fall for this season every time
When it's hot and everybody smiles
I can't help myself
I'm in love with the summertime
Even when I get hay-fever I find
I may sneeze but I don't really mind
As long as I'm in love with the summertime
Summertime


9.The Frog Princess

I met a girl, she was a frog princess
I guess I ought to make it clear
That I saw nothing through her see-through dress
until she whispered in my ear
You don't really love me and I don't really mind
'cause I don't love anybody, that stuff is just a waste of time
Your place or mine ?'
I met a girl, she was a complete mess
I should've left her well alone, but oh no, not me
I had to see if underneath that dress
her heart was really made of stone
I met a girl, she was a frog princess
and yes I do regret it now
But how was I to know that just one kiss
could turn my frog into a cow ?
And now I'm rid of her I must confess
to thinking 'bout what might have been
And I can visualize my frog princess
beneath a shining guillotine
You don't really love me and baby that it alright
'cause I don't love anybody,
I come and go through people's love lives
Your place or mine ?


10.Gin Soaked Boy

I'm the darkness in the light
I'm the leftness in the right
I'm the rightness in the wrong
I'm the shortness in the long
I'm the goodness in the bad
I'm the saneness in the mad
I'm the sadness in the joy
I'm the gin in the gin-soaked boy
I'm the ghost in the machine
I'm the genius in the gene
I'm the beauty in the beast
I'm the sunset in the east
I'm the ruby in the dust
I'm the trust in the mistrust
I'm the Trojan horse in Troy
I'm the gin in the gin-soaked boy
I'm the tiger's empty cage
I'm the mystery's final page
I'm the stranger's lonely glance
I'm the hero's only chance
I'm the undiscovered land
I'm the single grain of sand
I'm the Christmas morning toy
I'm the gin in the gin-soaked boy
I'm the world you'll never see
I'm the slave you'll never free
I'm the truth you'll never know
I'm the place you'll never go
I'm the sound you'll never hear
I'm the course you'll never steer
I'm the will you'll not destroy
I'm the gin in the gin-soaked boy
I'm the half-truth in the lie
I'm the why not in the why
I'm the last roll of the die
I'm the old school in the tie
I'm the spirit in the sky
I'm the catcher in the rye
I'm the twinkle in her eye
I'm the Jeff Goldblum in 'The Fly'
Who am I ?


11.Lucy

I travelled among unknown men
In lands beyond the sea ;
Nor, England did I know till then
What love I bore to thee.
'Tis past, that melancholy dream !
Nor will I quit thy shore
A second time ; for I still seem
To love thee more and more.
Among thy mountains did I feel
The joy of my desire ;
And she I cherished turned her wheel
Beside an English fire.
By mornings showed, by nights concealed
The bowers where Lucy played ;
And thine too is the last green field
That Lucy's eye surveyed.
She dwelt among the untrodden ways
Beside the springs of Dove,
A Maid whom there were none to praise
And very few to love :
A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye
Fair as a star, when only one
Is shining in the sky.
She lived unknown, and few could know
When Lucy ceased to be ;
But she is in her grave and, oh
The difference to me
A slumber did my spirit seal ;
I had no human fears.
She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly eyes.
No motion has she now, no force ;
She neither hears nor sees ;
Rolled round in earth's diurnal course,
With rocks, and stones, and trees.


12.Songs Of Love

Pale, pubescent beasts roam through the streets and coffee-shops
Their prey gather in herds of stiff knee-length skirts
and white ankle-socks
But while they search for a mate my type hibernate in bedrooms
above
Composing their songs of love
Young, uniform minds in uniform lines
and uniform ties
Run round with trousers on fire and signs of desire
they cannot disguise
While I try to find words as light as the birds
that circle above
To put in my songs of love
Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice
Fortune depends on the tone of your voice
So sing while you have time
Let the sun shine down from above
And fill you with songs of love
Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice
Fortune depends on the tone of your voice
So let's sing while we still can
While the sun hangs high up above
Wonderful songs of love
Beautiful songs of love


13.In Pursuit of Happiness

Hey, I'm not the type
To say one thing and do another
And if it's all right I'd kind
Of like to be your lover
'Cos when you're with me I can't help but be
So desperately
Uncontrollably
Happy!
And hey, I'm not the kind
To fall in love without good reason
And if that's a crime
Then baby I'm committing high treason
'Cos when you're with me
I'm absolutely
And totally
Quite uncontrollably
Happy!
And hey, I'm not so blind
That I can't see where we're all going
And it's no fault of mine
If humankind reaps what it is sowing
Just as long as we are together
Forever
I'll never be anything other than
Happy!
Hey, don't be suprised
If millions die in plague and murder
True happiness lies
Beyond your fries and happy burger


14.I've Been To A Marvellous Party

You know, quite for no reason
I'm here for the season
And high as a kite- ;
Living in error
With Maud at Cap Ferret
(Which couldn't be right)...
Everyone's here, and frightfully gay ;
Nobody cares what people say,
Though the Riviera
Seems really much queerer
Than Rome at its height!
On Wednesday night
I went to a marvellous party
With Noonoo, and Nada, and Nell -
It was in the fresh air,
And we went as we were,
And we stayed as we were,
(Which was hell)
Poor Grace started singing at midnight,
And she didn't stop singing 'til four -
We knew the excitement was bound to begin
When Laura got blind on Dubonnet and gin
And scratched her veneer with a Cartier pin!
I couldn't have liked it more!
I've been to a marvellous party
We played a wonderful game :
Maureen disappeared
And came back in a beard,
And we all had to guess at her name...
Cecil arrived wearing armour,
Some shells and a black feather boa -
Poor Millicent wore a surrealist comb
Made of bits of mosaic from St. Peter's in Rome,
But the weight was so great that she had to go home!
And I couldn't have liked it more!
I've been to a marvellous party
I must say the fun was intense ;
We all had to do
What the people we knew
Might be doing a hundred years hence...
We talked about growing old gracefully,
And Elsie-who's seventy-four'
Said, 'A) It's a question of being sincere,
And B) If you're supple you've got nothing to fear' -
Then she swung upside-down from a chandelier!
And I couldn't have liked it more!
It was the most fabulous excitement
I've never seen such a carry-on!
Obviously, it couldn't happen
Anywhere else but on the Riviera...
It was most peculiar -
You know, people's behaviour
Away from Belgravia
Would make you aghast!
So much variety,
Watching society
Scampering past...
You know, if you have any mind at all,
Gibbon's divine 'Decline And Fall' -
Well, it sounds pretty flimsy No more than a whimsy...
By way of contrast,
On Wednesday last
I went to a marvellous party
We didn't sit down 'til ten
You know, young Bobby Carr
Did a stunt at the bar
With a lot of extraordinary men!
And then Freda arrived with a turtle,
(Which shattered us all to the core)
And then the duchess passed out at a quarter to three
And suddenly Cyril cried 'Fiddle-de-dee !',
Then he ripped off his trousers
And jumped in the sea!
And I couldn't have liked it more!
I've been to a marvellous party
Elyse made an entrance with May
You'd never have guessed
From her fisherman's vest
That her bust had been whittled away...
Poor Lulu got fried on Chianti
And talked about esprit de corps ;
Louise made a couple of passes at Gus,
And Freddie-who hates any kind of a fuss -
Did half the Big Apple and twisted his truss - ha ha!
I couldn't have liked it more!


15.The Certainty of Chance

A butterfly flies through the forest rain
And turns the wind to the hurricane
I know that it will happen
'Cause I believe in the certainty of chance
A schoolboy yawns, sits back and hits return
While round the world computers crash and burn I know that it
will happen
'Cause I believe in the certainty of chance
And I believe
I can see it all so clearly now
You must go and I must set you free
'Cause only that will bring you back to me
I know that it will happen
I'm sure that it must happen
Oh I know that it's gonna happen
Because I believe in the certainty of chance


16.Too Young To Die

Too young to die, but too old to survive
I've spent too long trying to write this song
The tune is okay, but the words are all wrong
Maybe it's time for a change
I've lived a lie since the day I arrived
Building my dreams-grand romantic schemes
Now I'm twenty eight, but I'm still in my teens
Maybe it's time for a change
Now it's time to say goodbye
To my suit, my shirt, my tie
My youth seems to have passed me by
And I'm too young to die
I will not weep for what we leave behind
I must break free from that part of me
That values the art over the humanity
I think it's time for a change
I thought that I was doing fine
But now I've changed my mind
'Cause now it's time to say goodbye
To my suit, my shirt, my tie
My youth seems to have passed me by
And I'm too young to die
Maybe it's time for a change ...


17.Tonight We Fly

Tonight we fly
Over the houses
The streets and the trees
Over the dogs down below
They'll bark at our shadows

As we float by on the breeze Tonight we fly
Over the chimney tops
Skylights and slates -
Looking into all your lives
And wondering why
Happiness is so hard to find
Over the doctor
Over the soldier
Over the farmer
Over the poacher
Over the preacher
Over the gambler
Over the teacher
Over the rambler
Over the lawyer
Over the dancer
Over the voyeur
Over the builder
And the destroyer
Over the hills and far away
Tonight we fly
Over the mountains
The beach and the sea
Over the friends that we've known
And those that we now know
And those who we've yet to meet
And when we die
Oh, will we be
That disappointed
Or sad
If heaven doesn't exist
What will we have missed
This life is the best
We've ever had