Shine On Brightly
Album - 1968 - Debaser id 153017

For you (whose eyes were opened wide
whilst mine refused to see)
I'm sore in need of saving grace.
Be kind and humour me
I'm lost amidst a sea of wheat
where people speak but seldom meet
And grief and laughter, strange but true
Although they die, they seldom cry

An ode by any other name
I know might read more sweet
Perhaps the sun will never shine
upon my field of wheat
But still in closing, let me say
for those too sick, too sick to see
though nothing shows,
yes, someone knows
I wish that one was me

My Prussian-blue electric clock's
alarm bell rings, it will not stop
and I can see no end in sight
and search in vain by candlelight
for some long road that goes nowhere
for some signpost that is not there
And even my befuddled brain
is shining brightly, quite insane

The chandelier is in full swing
as gifts for me the three kings bring
of myrrh and frankincense, I'm told,
and fat old Buddhas carved in gold
And though it seems they smile with glee
I know in truth they envy me
and watch as my befuddled brain
shines on brightly quite insane

Above all else confusion reigns
And though I ask no-one explains
My eunuch friend has been and gone
He said that I must soldier on
And though the Ferris wheel spins round
my tongue it seems has run aground
and croaks as my befuddled brain
shines on brightly, quite insane

Skip softly, my moonbeams, avoid being seen
Pretend that perhaps you are part of a dream
which (seen by some other such person as me)
would only glow smiling and nod and agree

Skip softly, my moonbeams, for I have heard tell
that the stairs up to heaven lead straight down to hell
that pride is the last thing which comes before fall
I'd as soon talk to you as make love to a wall

(Brooker / Reid)

You know I caught a glimpse, thought I understood
but I left it all far behind
Now if I'd known then what I know now
do you think I would've been so blind?
Gonna take myself to the wishing well
I'm gonna make myself one last wish
and if you follow me there, better bring what you've found
'cause my night has come and I'm going down

Gonna buy myself a big rocking chair
and when I'm sitting in that, then no-one will peek
And my friends will come, they'll see what I'm suffering from
How I wish, how I wish I could rock myself to sleep
Gonna take myself to the wishing well
gonna make myself one last wish
If you follow me there, better bring what you've found
'cause my night has come and I'm going down

Our local picture house was showing a Batman movie
You see this guy fly up in the sky,
thought to myself, 'Why shouldn't I?'
So I bought a pair of wings, went up upon a wall
I was about to jump into the air
when a guy from the street called
He said, 'Hey wait a minute! Don't you realize the danger?
What do you think you are, some kind of angel?'

I considered for a minute,
realized he spoke the truth.
For the barbells on my eyelids
only emphasised my youth
and the sawdust in my plimsolls
means the same to him as me
But that's neither here nor further,
so I spoke considerately
'Now if you understand just what I'm trying to say,
whatever you do, don't grin, you'll give the game away!'

By now a crowd had gathered and it seemed that all was lost
In the anger of the moment I had diced with death and lost
It seemed to me the time was right so I burst into song
In the anger of the moment the crowd began to sing along
I could not see a way out of this predicament
Just then a breeze came through the trees
and up in the air I went

I must have flown a mile, or maybe it was eight
Thought to myself pretty soon I'd hit the Golden Gates
Just then a passing bird for no reason I could see
took a peck at my wings and that was the end of me
I went down, hit the ground faster than the speed of sound
Luckily I broke no bones only tore my underclothes

Though I know the night has fallen
and the sun's sailed out to sea
I will wait here for the band
to play the trumpet voluntary
And with one foot on the seashore
and the other in the sand
I will stand here plaiting daisies
whilst you play the piano-grand

Caprice, your bugle blew away
the cobwebs from my ears
and for once I stood quite naked.
Unashamed, I wept the tears
which I tried to hide inside myself from me,
I mean from you
but the shame I found too painful
and the pain it only grew

Magdalene, my Regal Zonophone