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Dotted Line

by The Unstable Tables

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1.
Dotted Line 03:37
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Dotted Line Make up your mind, it’s not my job to do We can either shop at Asda, or just enjoy the view I need a crisis loan, to buy a tin of beans The Wolf is at the door, with a pistol in his jeans Neither do the bad It’s really not so bad The ugly good and bad Do what you want and do it all the time You don’t have to sign on the dotted line Everything is shut, or either closing down, The streets are getting dark, the Sun is winding down Money to burn, wealth galore, A little on the side, and then some more Neither do the bad It’s really not so bad The ugly good and bad I turned a big corner Another one appeared I counted to ten And made it disappear Make up your mind, it’s not my job to do We can either shop at Tescos, or just enjoy the view I need a crisis loan, to buy a tin of beans The Wolf is at the door, with a pistol in his jeans
2.
Ramshackle Blues 03:36
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The Ramshackle Blues It’s a crazy old world, stuck in a rut Karl Marx said, read my book The price of oil, is thick and crude The cost of living, has just been sued Have you heard the news, about the ramshackle blues The Bank of England, has blown a fuse Eyes like coins, smile like cash The ghost of Mammon, has come to pass Tell you something, without a shadow of doubt I’m not really sure, which way is out Have you heard the news, about the ramshackle blues Buckingham Palace, is not amused Dead Calm sea, storm overhead, boat sailing all alone Sitting on top a mountain of debt There’s one way down but not quite yet, Count your blessings, pay your dues Stand up straight when the deal goes down You’ve only got nothing to lose! Well it’s one for the money, two for the show, Three to get ready NOW GO CAT GO! The law of the jungle, has run amok Karl Marx Said, read my book Have you heard the news, about the ramshackle blues The Houses of Parliament, they don’t have a clue Dead Calm sea, storm overhead, boat sailing all alone
3.
The Great American Dream 05:50
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The Great American Dream We were talking about Frank Sinatra And how he loved the Mafia’s might, We were singing Frank Sinatra’s ‘Strangers in the night’ We were saying how the Rat Pack Snapped their fingers in time, We were talking about Frank Sinatra ‘Buddy can ya spare a dime?’ We were talking about Elvis Presley The King of Rock and Roll, And how Colonel Tom Parker Owned his mortal soul, We laughed about his movies And his rhinestone Vegas years, But we sang those early songs Then raised a glass of beer. We were talking about Michael Jackson And his disastrous fall from grace We were talking about Michael Jackson And the mask he calls a face, We were talking about Neverland And the room without a view, We all agreed animals should be free And not kept in a Zoo. We were talking about the Great Gatsby And the Great American Dream, We were talking about feet of clay And the fame and wealth machine, We talked about the President And how the last one was a fool, And how Gatsby lost his American Dream Face down in a pool. We did a lot of talking that night As the flags and banners waved, We talked about the land They call the home of the brave, We talked about the truth How nothing’s what it seems, We talked about Martin Luther King And his Great American Dream.
4.
Topsy-Turvy 02:57
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Topsy Turvy Colonel Chaos and General Malaise Are determined never to change their ways They walk around in a permanent state Of never been early or even being late It's been this way Forvever it seems A man built a cage For another man's dreams to die. Here comes Nigel with a takeaway for Anne She's working over time, he's a new age man The stock market's crashed but the Vindaloo is nice Peshwari Naan and a plate of Pilau rice. What's wrong with suburbia? It used to be so dull Now they're fighting for survival In the economic cull Topsy Turvy, you're havin' a laugh Topsy Turvy, you're havin' a laugh You must think I'm daft You're havin' a laugh You're havin' a laugh at me. Humans learnt survival like no other creature But soon became bored with this extra feature They invented the bow, the arrow and the spear And just for good measure, they cultivated fear Now this did the trick Things were looking bad And with guns and bombs They really went mad Topsy Turvy, you're havin' a laugh Topsy Turvy, you're havin' a laugh You must think I'm daft You're havin' a laugh You're havin' a laugh at me.
5.
Excuse Me, Do You Have A Problem With Me? 04:41
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Excuse me, do you have a problem with me? I see you speaking to people on ignore Nodding and smiling to the biggest bore Am I too uncivil for your unaquired taste? A blot on the margins of your space of waste Excuse me, do you have a problem with me? You’ve had my cash my pin number too You’ve never had to take an I.O.U I’ve bought your books of conscience and faith Is it the cut of my cloth or the angle of my face? Excuse me, do you have a problem with me? Well I fled the sleepy suburbs For the vibrant inner city I felt like Billy Liar And I looked like Walter Mitty But I’d never turn my back, on my sister or brother I’d walk naked through Hell, and never run for cover Excuse me, do you have a problem with me? The Cathedral’s standing beside the sandwich bar Taste and belief are on a same par I’m pushing through the aisles in the Soul Supermarket You’re standing at the checkout and I feel like a target Excuse me, do you have a problem with me? Confess, confess, you know it’s for the best Galileo, confess, confess, you know it’s for the best! Excuse me, do you have a problem with me?
6.
Some Other Place 05:30
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Some other place It’s nice to arrive back here After being some other place I can see through the rear window Now she’s finally removed her case I could have driven her home But I’ll never forget her face It’s nice to arrive back here After being some other place The ring she slipped on me Hurts my wedding finger Clouds gathering in the South Are carried by the stormbringer I could easily carry on driving Disappear without a trace It’s nice to arrive back here After being some other place I’ve been trying to iron out All the creases in my life Given all my shirts to Oxfam My jacket to the Vicars Wife I’m gonna get a new look And not give up the chase It’s nice to arrive back here After being some other place I’ve carried this ladder too long Foot stuck on the bottom rung It’s time to rise above All the things that I’ve done wrong Chesney Hawkes ain’t the one and only I simply fell from grace It’s nice to arrive back here After being some other place The service station’s a shell of light Sanctuary from the road I can taste black coffee on my lips From a cup too hot to hold The music and the heat is piped It’s time that I touched base It’s nice to arrive back here After being some other place It’s nice to arrive back here After being some other place I can take my foot off the pedal and move at a slower pace I could have driven her home But I’ll never forget her face It’s nice to arrive back here After being some other place
7.
Cross Eyed Horse 03:13
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Cross Eyed Horse You’re stupid Put all your money in a bank made of ice You’re stupid You didn’t do it once but you went and did it twice You placed a bet on a cross eyed horse You got a good tip about a cross eyed horse The Jockey on the horse was cross eyed too When the winner crossed the line They were still coming into view You’re selfish You knew it was folly but still spent the lolly You’re selfish Now you’re standing in the rain and you can’t afford a brolly You look your best but you could look better You love yourself even though you’ve never met her The food you eat is clearly undercooked The grass on your patio is fake like your butt It’s a cartoon world full of badly drawn folk It’s a cartoon world going up in smoke It’s a cartoon world acting like it’s real In a cartoon world it’s difficult to feel You’re silly You could have had more but you settled for less You’re silly I don’t know why and I couldn’t care less You placed a bet on a cross eyed horse You got a good tip about a cross eyed horse The Jockey on the horse was cross eyed too Was cross eyed too When the winner crossed the line They were still coming into view
8.
Midnight Train 04:47
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Midnight Train Never had my heart so badly broken Never had a dream so rudely awoken I lost a part of me on Bushbury Hill The part of me that loves you still CHORUS: If I had my time all over again I’d make damn sure I caught that plane If I had my time all over again I’d get on board that midnight train When I was a boy my heart was a fort My soul was a ship that was never in port Now the moat's dried up & the river has turned There's a man overboard losing all that he earned CHORUS: So how many chances does a prisoner get? When the keys are in the lock & the guards have fled? Freedom & love they're a threat to the state They're the enemies of power stranded by the gate CHORUS: I see you everyday but it's not really you I thought I had the answer but I didn't have a clue The Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind Now there's a film I like to rewind (inside my mind) CHORUS:
9.
Old Love Never Dies (It Simply Fades Away) 04:41
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Old love never dies (it simply fades away) You knocked on my door like a hammer to the chest Cleared out memories that caused you unrest Stamped your authority without delay Controlled the night, seized the day The Bard of Stratford was heard to say Old love never dies, but simply fades away One broken night on the journey South You couldn't resist opening your mouth Pin point sharp and steel bright Your needle words could puncture light The Queen of England's been heard to say One’s love never dies, but simply fades away If the Universe were white And the stars were deepest black I wouldn't reverse my opinion I still wouldn't want you back I thought you were a gift from God Throwing me a line for doing a good job Now we've slipped of the page like earth from a spade Nothing remains of the life we made My friends have heard me say (Of late) Old love never dies, but simply fades away Old love never dies it simply fades away
10.
Dance Around The Dead Man 05:18
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Dance around the dead man Saint Peter told Delilah there’s a hole in your well At the bottom of your bucket there’s another one as well She toiled, she labored, the whole day through Some people never listen but they act like they do Oh Constantine, oh Constantine, You made me wash my feet so clean I caught a train to Waterloo The shops are closed but still they queue Dance around the dead man Dance around the dead man Dance around the dead man You rob Peter and I’ll kill Paul Sunlight beating on a crowded street Geometric slabs of light and heat It’s been a bad winter all this summer The weather is dumb getting dumber I’ve done my tour of duty Three parts truth and one part beauty I’ll return one day to the countryside Where the cycle of life is easier to ride Dance around the dead man Dance around the dead man Dance around the dead man You rob Peter and I’ll kill Paul I lost my zig, I lost my zag The corporate world makes time drag Designer coffins and a family plot No peace for the wicked even as they rot The economy of greed has fallen sick A cash injection’s needed quick Keep your pony fresh and strong The path you take is yours alone
11.
Electric Barn 03:43
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The Electric Barn Make your way to the Amusement Park Closed for the night and laughing in the dark Steal your way through the underpass Through shut down trees and unplugged grass Soft foot through the Graveyard stones Close your ears to the deep Crypt moans Shortcut through the chainsaw farm Peer through the slats of the Electric Barn Scientists in the local pub, trying to find a cure for Love Out of contact out of sight, sitting on a ledge at the edge Of the world tonight Night Owls coughing up Rodent bones A click and a clack like old tap phones Mote notes float on a Raven’s wing A web of chords and a cloud that sings Laboratory rats and perfume cats Smoking dogs and bloodless bats Experiments on DNA A Petri dish on a silver tray Scientists in the local pub, trying to find a cure for Love Out of contact out of sight, sitting on a ledge at the edge Of the world tonight Welcome to the electric barn There’s batteries on the Chicken Farm Parties for the Chimpanzees Ebola strain in cups of tea Step inside the electric barn Securities tight don’t so don’t be alarmed Take your key enjoy your sleep The woods are lovely dark and deep Scientists in the local pub, they’ve finally found a cure for Love Out of contact out of sight Slipping off a ledge at the edge of the world tonight
12.
Interlude 00:26
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Hello.
13.
Pick It Up 04:28
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Pick it up I’m penniless in Gaza, and I want what’s owed Success is a bomb, ready to explode Rabbit playing chicken, in a country road How many times, can a rabbit be told? Pick it up pick it up You dropped your litter on my floor Pick it up pick it up You eat my apple down to the core Pick it up pick it up You drank my wine and still wanted more Pick it up pick it up Take what you left and leave by the door Expiry dates, on packets of food Cash in hand, was never so crude Saw a big light, in Pornography street I heard a voice, and felt the heat Pick it up pick it up You dropped your litter on my floor Pick it up pick it up You eat my apple down to the core Pick it up pick it up You drank my wine and still wanted more Pick it up pick it up Take what you left and leave by the door Standing by a well, I wish I had a coin Been cut so deep, You can still see the join My flexible friend, Just snapped in two The American Express, Is pulling into view
14.
Comeback 05:13
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Comeback Love is like the waves I’m staring at the sea Love is like the waves to me Love is like a cup We went and broke it up Love is like a cup of tea Looking at your letter You could have written it better Looking at your letter to me Life can be so lonely When you know you’re only Thinking that you can’t be free Love is like the sea I’m staring at the waves Love is like the sea to me Love is like a Wolf Hungry as can be Love is like a Wolf to me

about

"The Unstable Tables' 'Dotted Line' is a rather successful attempt to make sense of 21st Century life - if such a thing can be achieved - in 11 songs. Economic and emotional meltdown are the dominant themes. Some songs are hilarious (Cross Eyed Horse), some are heart-breaking (Midnight Train and Old Love Never Dies), and some border on the surreal (Electric Barn). It is the closest thing we will hear to a soundtrack to the financial apocalypse, interspersed with the sounds of someone burying a few personal demons, and coming out the other end much better for it. It's wonderfully entertaining and uplifting." Ian Courtney

credits

released September 4, 2010

All songs by Patrick Snape, all music and performance by The Unstable Tables (Patrick Snape, Ian Briedis, Declan Stewart, Kurt Curtis). Recorded, mixed and mastered by Sean Taylor at The Cluny Studios, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK.

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