Belle And Sebastian

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN

TIGERMILK (1993)

  1. The State I Am In
  2. Expectations
  3. She's Losing It
  4. You're Just A Baby
  5. Electronic Renaissance
  6. I Could Be Dreaming
  7. We Rule The School
  8. My Wandering Days Are Over
  9. I Don't Love Anyone
10. Mary Jo

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN

TIGERMILK

1. THE STATE I AM IN

I was surprised, I was happy for a day, in 1975
I was puzzled by a dream, it stayed with me all day, in 1995
My brother had confessed that he was gay
It took the heat off me for a while
He stood up with a sailor friend
Made it known upon my sisters wedding day

Got married in a rush to save a kid from being deported
Now she's in love
I was so touched, I was moved to kick the crutches
From my crippled friend
She was not impressed
'Cause I cured her on the Sabbath
I went to confess
When she saw the funny side, we introduced my child bride
To whisky and gin
To whisky and gin

The priest in the booth had a photographic memory
For all he had heard
He took all of my sins and he wrote a pocket novel called
"The State I Am In"
So I gave myself to God
There was a pregnant pause before he said OK
Now I spend my day turning tables round in Marks & Spencer's
They don't seem to mind

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

Oh love of mine, would you condescend to help me
'Cause I am stupid and blind
Desperation is the Devil's work
It is the folly of a boys empty mind
And now I'm feeling dangerous
Riding on city buses for a hobby is sad
Why don't you lead me to a living end
I promised that I'd entertain my crippled friend
My crippled friend

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to Providence
And I've been there and back again
The state that I am in

I gave myself to sin
And I've been there and back again
Oh yeah.

2. EXPECTATIONS

Monday morning wake up knowing that you've got to go to school
Tell your mum what to expect
She says it's right out of the blue
Do you wanna work in Debenham's, because that's what they expect
Start in Lingerie, and Doris is your supervisor

And the head said that you always were a queer one from the start
For careers you say you wanna be remembered for your art
Your obsessions get you known throughout the school for being strange
Making life-size models of the Velvet Underground in clay

In the queue for lunch they take the piss, you've got no appetite
And the rumour is you never go with boys and you are tight
So they jab you with a fork, you drop the tray and go berserk
While you're cleaning up the mess the teacher's looking up your skirt

Hey, you've been used
Are you calm? Settle down
Write a song, I'll sing along
Soon you will know that you are sane
You're on top of the world again

Monday morning wake up knowing that you've got to go to school
Tell your mum what to expect
She says it's right out of the blue
Do you wanna work in C&A, 'cause that's what they expect
Move to Lingerie and take a feel off Joe the Storeman

Tell Veronica the secrets of the boy you never kissed
She's got everything to gain 'cause she's a fat girl with a lisp
She sticks up for you when you get aggravation from the snobs
'Cause you can't afford a blazer, girl, you're always wearing clogs

At the interval you lock yourself away inside a room
Head of English gets you, asks you, 'What the Hell do you think you're doing?'
'Do you think you're better then the other kids? Well get outside'
You've got permission, you've got to make the bastard think he's right

Hey, you've been used
Write a song, I'll sing along
Are you calm? Settle down
Soon you will know that you are sane
You're on top of the world again

Hey, you look cool, do you know
You're a star, you go far
Listen to me, listen, friend
Not just there for a fray guitar
You're on top of the world again.

3. SHE'S LOSING IT

Lisa knows a girl who's been abused
It changed her philosophy in '82
She's always looking for a fight
She keeps the neighbours up all night

I go to her when I'm feeling slack
The girl's using me as a punching bag
I think that I could help her out
But the girl's got a lot to be mad about

But in the first moment of her waking up
She knows she's losing it, oh yeah she's losing it
When the first cup of coffee tastes like washing up
She knows she's losing it, oh yeah she's losing
Oh yeah she's losing it

Lisa met Chelsea at the knocking school
Chelsea didn't feel like following the rules
They left the place for another school
Where the boys go with boys and the girls with girls

Chelsea was the one who's been abused
It changed her philosophy in '82
She says, 'Inch for inch and pound for pound'
'Who needs boys when there's Lisa round?'

But in the first moment of her waking up
She knows she's losing it, oh yeah she's losing it
When the first cup of coffee tastes like washing up
She knows she's losing it, oh yeah she's losing it
She goes to the mirror to put on her stuff
She knows she's losing it, oh yeah she's losing it
She doesn't speak to anyone till four o'clock
She knows she's losing it, oh yeah she's losing it
Oh yeah she's losing it.

4. YOU'RE JUST A BABY

You're just a baby, baby girl
So kiss me on the cheek and then go off to school
You're just a baby, baby girl
So kiss me on the cheek before you know what's cool
You will be leaving in the morning
And I won't be there to see you go off your head
You will be working in the morning
And I won't be there to see you go off your head

There must be a reason for all the looks we gave
And all the things we never said before
So what's the score?
There must be a reason for all the looks we gave
And all the things we never said before
Before

You're just a baby, baby girl
So kiss me on the cheek before you know what's sweet
You're just a baby, baby girl
So kiss me on the cheek before you go to sleep
You will be working in the morning
And I won't be there to see you go off your head
Yeah, you will be crying in the morning
And I won't be there to see you go off your head

There must be a reason for all the looks we gave
And all the things we never said before
So what's the score?
There must be a reason for all the looks we gave
And all the things we never said before
Before

You're such a baby, baby girl
So kiss me on the cheek before you go to sleep
You're such a baby, baby girl
So let go of my hand so we can get some sleep
You will be crying in the morning
And I won't be there to see you go off your head
'Cause you will be married in the morning
And I won't be there to see you go off your head

There must be a reason for all the looks we gave
And all the things we never said before
So what's the score?
There must be a reason for all the looks we gave
And all the things we never said before

So what's the reason for all the looks we gave
And all the things we never said before
Before
Before
Before.

5. ELECTRONIC RENAISSANCE

Play a game with your electronics
Take a step to the discotheque and people

Go outside where there's someone watching cars go by
And the city tall with steeples

Hand in hand with the Electronic Renaissance is the way to go, yeah
Hand in hand with the Electronic Renaissance is the way to go, boy
Hand in hand with the Electronic Renaissance is the way to go
You're learning, soon you will do the things you wanted
Since you were wearing glitter badges

If you dance for much very longer
You'll be known as the boy who's always dancing
If you work for much very longer
You'll be known as the boy who's always working

Monochrome in the 1990's
You go disco and I'll go my way
Monochrome in the 1990's
You go disco and I'll go my way
Monochrome in the 1990's
You go disco and I'll go Funkadelic, man
Is the way to go
So drop a pill and then say hello.

6. I COULD BE DREAMING

I could be sleeping
I could be dreaming
I could have ordinary people chasing me from town to town
Mission Impossible
They've got a spy for every blink of your eye

I'm feeling awkward
I'm feeling tongue-tied
They've got a knife for every time you take the same train into work
A family's like a loaded gun
You point it in the wrong direction
Someone's going to get killed

If you had such a dream
Would you get up and do the things you believe in

Is he your husband?
Or just your boyfriend?
Is he the moron who's been beating you and keeping you inside?
I've never done this kind of thing
But if I kill him now, well, who's gonna miss him?

I went up to the school
Took a walk up Castlehill
For every step there was a local boy who wants to be a hero
Do you wanna do it now?
Outside the butchers with a knife and a bike chain

If you had such a dream
Would you get up and do the things you believe in

If you had such a dream
Would you get up and do the things

If you had such a dream
Would you get up and do the things
While your head is clear
While your head is clear
While your head is clear
While your head is clear.

7. WE RULE THE SCHOOL

On a beech tree rudely carved
NC loved me
Why did she do it?
Was she scared
Was she bored?

On a beech tree rudely carved
NC loved me
Why did she do it?
Was she scared
Was she pushed

Do something pretty while you can
Don't fall asleep
Skating a pirouette on ice is cool

Do something pretty while you can
Don't be a fool
Reading the Gospel to yourself is fine

On a bus stop in the town
'We Rule The School'
Written for anyone to read and to see

On a bus stop in the town
'We Rule The School'
Written for anyone with eyes in their head

Do something pretty while you can
Don't fall asleep
Riding from Califor-na-yeah to New York

Call me a prophet if you want
It's no secret
You know the world was made for men
You know the world was made for men
You know the world was made for men
Not us.

8. MY WANDERING DAYS ARE OVER

You know my wandering days are over
Well, does that mean that I'm getting boring?
You tell me
I'm tired of listening to myself, yeah
I'm tired of fixing things for Michael and the rest of them

You know my bip-bopping days are over
I hung my boots up and then retired from the disco floor
The centre of my so called being is
The space between your bed and wardrobe with the louvre-doors
With the louvre-doors

You know my celibate days are over
You put me straight on the finer points of my speech rehearsed
In the mirror of my steamy bathroom
Where the lino tells a sorry story in a monologue
In a monologue

Six months on, the winter's gone
The disenchanted pony
Left the town with the circus boy
The circus boy got lonely
It's summer and it's sister song's
Been written for the lonely
The circus boy is feeling melancholy

It's got to be fate that's doing it
A spooky witch in a sexy dress has been bugging me
With the story of the way it should be
With the story of Sebastian and Belle the singer, yeah

You know my one man band is over
I hit the drum for the final time and I walked away
I saw you in Japanese restaurant
You were doing it for business men on the piano, Belle
You said it was a living hell
You said that you were in hell

Six months on, the winter's gone
The disenchanted pony
Left the town with the circus boy
The circus boy got lonely
It's summer and it's sister song's
Been written for the lonely
The circus boy is feeling melancholy

Six months on, the winter's gone
The disenchanted pony
Left the town with the circus boy
The circus boy got lonely
It's summer and it's sister song's
Been written for the lonely
The circus boy is feeling melancholy
Kind of lonely.

9. I DON'T LOVE ANYONE

I don't love anyone
You're not listening
You're playing with something
You're playing with yourself

I don't love anyone
You're not listening even now
Playing with something
You're playing with someone else

If there's one thing that I learned when I was still a child
It's to take a hiding

I don't love anything
Not even Christmas
Especially not that
I don't love anything

No, I don't love anyone
Well, maybe my sister
Maybe my baby brother too, yeah
I don't love anyone

But if there's one thing that I learned when I was still a child
It's to take a hiding
If there's one thing that I learned when I was still a child
It's to be alone

But if there's one thing that I learned when I was still a child
It's to take a hiding

Out in the street today
The kids are out playing, having fun
Well, I pass them by, I'm not a kid, no
I don't love anyone

I met a man today
He told me something pretty strange
There's always somebody saying something
He said, 'The world is as soft as lace.'

But I don't love anyone
But I don't love anyone
I don't love anyone (6 x)

But if there's one thing that I learned when I was still a child
It's to take a hiding.

10. MARY JO

Mary Jo, living alone
Drinking tea, on her own
She wants, I don't know what you want

Mary Jo, living alone
Drinking gin and the telly's on
She wants

The night to follow day and back again
She doesn't want to sleep
Well, who could blame her if she wants?
The night to follow day and back again
She doesn't want to sleep
Well, who could blame her, if she sleeps?
Well, who could blame her, if she sleeps?
Well, who could blame her, if she's sleeping?

Mary Jo, back with yourself
For company, keep telling yourself you're young
It'll happen soon

Mary Jo, no one can guess
What you've been through
Now you've got love to burn

It's someone else's turn to go through hell
And you can see them come from twenty yards
Yeah you can tell
It's someone else's turn to take a fall
And now you are the one who's strong enough to help them
The one who's strong enough to help them
The one who's strong enough to help them all

Mary Jo, you're looking thin
You're reading a book, 'The State I Am In'
But oh, it doesn't help at all
I guess what you want is a cigarette
And a thespian with a caravanette in Hull

Your life is never dull in your dreams
A pity that it never seems to work the way you see it
Life is never dull in your head
A sorry tale of action and the men you left for
Women, and the men you left for
Intrigue, and the men you left for dead

Your life is never dull in your dreams
A pity that it never works out, Mary
Life is never dull in your dreams
A sorry tale of action and the men you left for
Women, and the men you left for
Intrigue, and the men you left for dead
The men you left for dead.

back to main page