Steve Harley And
Cockney Rebel
The Best Years
Of Our Lives
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Steve Harley - vocals
Stuart Elliot - drums, all percussion, marimbas
Jim Cregan - electric and acoustic guitars, vocal backing
Duncan Mackay - electric and grand pianos,elka, clavinet, all
synthesisers and Hammond organ
George Ford - bass guitars and string bass,vocal backing
All songs written by Steve Harley
Side One
Introducing The Best Years
The Mad Mad Moonlight *YouTube
Mr Raffles
It Wasn't Me
Side Two
Panorama
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) *YouTube
Back To The Farm
49th Parallel
The Best Years Of Our Lives
Introducing "The Best Years"
Instrumental
It was just like a dream, yeah, a surreal scene, like a blue orange
I thought my senses had gone, like I was writing a song about a foot-long
Syringe
And she said, hello, dear, it’s my party
So I hope you’ll be smart, hee hee
And I said,i don’t know, but I think I’ll go fix me a stiff drink
Well, I sat there and stared, because at first I was scared of this female
Tarzan
And while she talked with the apes about champagne and grapes, I approached
her
Garden
And she said,now, now, don’t try to leave me,
It’s unfair to deceive me
I could kill if you try to escape me, come upstairs my friend
Now I knew, I knew, I couldn’t be that mean,
So I tried, yeah I really tried to leave her but she was a
Big, big, big, big girl, big girl
Hurled out the door, it was becoming more of a test of honour
Would I go, would I stay, could I do it all day and be a certain gonnor
And she said,now you’re so young and tender,
And don’t be concerned with my gender
It was hard but I managed to send her away up to those fluffy white clouds
It was hard on the brain but I would do it again for the satisfaction
She weighed 203 but that was ok by me, there was lots of action
And she said,shall we dance in the moonlight
It would be so nice on a june night
But I said,if it’s ok by you, I’ll just sit here a take me a rest
Man, it was mean to be seen in the robes you wore for Lent
You must've known that it was Easter
There for a while, in your smile, I could see Mexico blood
Say this is true, I was a teaser
There were a thousand man-eaters being exchanged for Pesetas
Man, it was hard not to laugh out loud
I couldn't believe the size of the crowd
You must have fooled them into coming
Wow! There were women and children, too
They would have hanged us if they knew
I think I know for certain
Inside you sniggered so hearty, you only came for the party
Man, it was mean, it was mean, man, it was mean
Remember the time, what a time, we had down in Barcelona
After you'd been slaying babies
There, for a time, I was fooled by your disguises
But I never thought of smashing rules
You wore the yellow bandana and gave out Heavenly Manna
Then in Amsterdam you were perfect fun
You never let on you had a gun
And then you shot that Spanish Dancer
The speed at which we ran for a mile or two
They would have crucified us if they knew
I think I know for certain
Inside you sniggered so hearty, we only killed for the party
Man, it was mean, it was mean, man, it was mean
You think you're important and clever
I tell you now where that's at
You can be this way forever and ever
Sooner or later you'll fall
Man, show me something I've never seen
You're only real in your Dream Machine
And all your games are a little drastic
Just throw me out if I get obscene
But that's the way that I've always been
I think I know for certain
Inside you sniggered so hearty, we're only living a party
Man, it was mean, it was mean, man, it was mean
Ooh ooh we're having a party, ooh ooh we're having a party ....
It wasn’t me who wrote the epitaph
I only burned the old girl’s photograph
And threw the kitten in the fire, see
You ask me your father he’ll remember me
It was so fantastic, he burned like a matchstick
You know I’m sorry for what I’ve done
I wasn’t me who wrote to gideon
I only ate the homing pigeon
And ordered taxis in the early hours
And sent a wreath of withered flowers
I broke both her heels, that was quite a deal
I’ve said I’m sorry for having fun
Now you say I’m responsible for killing them
I say it was God, he was willing them
It wasn’t me who lit the kerosene
I only polished the floor with vaseline
And asked the doctor not to come around
And hid her savings in the lost and found
It was all electric when her cuts went septic
I then apologized again
It wasn’t only me who blew their brains
I certainly admit to putting chains
Around their necks so they couldn’t move
But there were others being quite crude
That was quite a gang waiting for the bang
I only take the blame for lighting the fuse
Now you say I’m responsible for killing them
I say it was God, he was willing them
It wasn’t me who put your ma away
It wasn’t me who put your pa away
It wasn’t me who stole their plastic teeth
It wasn’t me who caused this awful grief
I did it all in jest, this I must confess
Anything I did was for the best
Now you say I’m responsible for killing them
I say it was God, he was willing them
Murder follows me like a leech from sunset, hard on my heels to the midnight
Beach
Multitudes of every skin, around the glowing sparks they begin
To sing
Everybody is watching the dancer, all the way from barcelona
Teddy boy’s are farming, it’s all a little alarming
I felt forty-five and was barely alive
I saw a human tribe and was terrified
Cross-legged and nonchalant, I try to make the sermon read
Back to front
Laughing all the time, this soeech goes like a dream and all
Of us hits the streets
Everybody screams follow the leader and begging now for food from
The feeder
Murder taps my shoulder, I fell the air getting colder
I felt forty-five and was barely alive
I saw a human tribe and was terrified
Simply, now it’s matter of time, everything is loose but soon
It will be fine
Giving out whiskey and rules, we’re just dangling our feet sitting
Here by the pool
Everybody is calling me something (all the time we’re looking for something)
Teddy boys in armour, threatening my whole panorama
I felt forty-five and was barely alive
I saw a human tribe and was terrified
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)
"You've done it all
You've broken every code
And pulled the rebel to the floor
You've spoilt the game
No matter what you say
For only metal, what a bore
Blue eyes, blue eyes
How can you tell so many lies?
Come up and see me, make me smile
I'll do what you want, running wild
There's nothing left
All is gone and run away
Maybe you'll tarry for a while
It's just a test
A game for us to play
Win or lose, it's hard to smile
Resist, resist
It's from yourself you'll have to hide
Come up and see me to make me smile
I'll do what you want, running wild
There ain't no more
You've taken everything
From my belief in Mother Earth
Can you ignore my faith in everything?
'Cos I know what faith is
And what it's worth
Away, away
And don't say maybe you'll try
To come up and see me, make me smile
I'll do what you want, just running wild"
Only twilight, calm and barkless, no more daylight, only darkness
Only twilight, only twilight made the change without delay
Hope ’n’ psyche, open brainy, they throw my key to the drainy
Open psyche, open psyche, a chance to take without decay
Many attempts to swim puddles, lead to contempt, often muddled
Many attempts, many attempts, someone’s listening again
Nothing, no more come from judy, lots of colour come from moody
Nothing, no more, nothing/no more, I’m putting new coaches on the train
We was angry, no, disheartended, stole the pantry, not the garden
We was angry, we was angry, back to the farm, back to the farm
No more angry, no, more busy, got me sanctuary, ask who is he
No more angry, no, no angry, we’re rolling around in hyper schemes
Think I’ll have lines on my face
When I get out of this place
So I guess I’ll be ever so carefull
It wouldn’t help to deny
I’m well advised to comply
By the rules or be ever so tearful
I caught a vulture, he came up behind me
I put a chain on his claws
I caught another, been trying to find me
I slit a vein in his jaws
Tied the two of them up with guitar strings (only fed them a bone)
Grinned and put my hands in my pockets
To drift away to a land of my own
Think I’ll have lines on my face
When I get out of this place
So I guess I’ll be ever so carefull
It wouldn’t help to deny
I’m well advised to comply
By the rules or be ever so tearful
We played a game of cowards and heroes
We lay the rules on the floor
But then we spoke of flowers and quiros
It ended up in a draw
But all the time they were bound and belittled
I wouldn’t let them go, go, go!
I only want to use them for skittles
And drift away to a land of my own
They were begging over and over
If we behave can we feed?
Began to throw them piece of clover
And said;now count the leaves!
I realised it was only a battle
And went to look for the war (haw! haw!)
My brains began then to rattle
And drift away to a land of their own
European Maids, hard to ignore
You, me and the boys, barred from the shore
Fresh-faced imbeciles, laughing at me
I've been laughing myself, is that so hard to see?
Do I have to spell each letter out, honestly!
If there's no room for laughter, there's no room for me
For me
Try looking at you, rather than me
No truth is in here, it's all fantasy
Since the last time we met I've been through
About seven hundred changes and that's just a few
And the changes all tend to be something to do
But you've got to believe that they're all done for you
For you
Oh, you'll think it's tragic when that moment first arrives
Oh, but it's magic, it's the best years of our lives
Lost now for the words to tell you the truth
Please banter with me the banter of youth
If I knew how to say it, I would say it for you
If I knew how to whisper, I'd whisper for you
If I knew how to waltz, I'd get up and dance for you
If I thought I could run, I'd come running to you
To you
I've discovered now how to be fair
And this I could teach you if only I dare
The only conclusion that I've reached in my life
Is that if I should die, I should die by the knife
Since it's only a matter of courage all right
Die a man or a martyr, the two would be nice
So nice
Oh, you'll think it's tragic when that moment arrives
Oh, oh, but it's magic, it's the best years of our lives
Oh oh oh oh, you'll think it's tragic when that moment first arrives
Oh oh, oh, but it's magic, it's the best years of our lives
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