Cocker / Senior / Mackey / Doyle / Banks

Intake, Manor Park, The Wicker, Norton, Frechville, Hackenthorpe, Shalesmoor, Wombwell, Catcliffe, Brincliffe, Attercliffe, Ecclesall, Woodhouse, Wybourn, Pitsmoor, Badger, Wincobank, Crookes, Walkley, Broomhill, Oh. The city is a woman bigger than any other. Sophisticated lady I wanna be your lover, not your brother or your mother, yeah. The sun rose from behind the gasometers at 6.30a.m., crept through the gap in your curtains and caressed your bare feet poking from beneath the floral sheets. I watched him flaking bits of varnish from your nails trying to work his way up under the sheets, Jesus, even the sun’s on heat today, the whole city getting stiff in the building heat. I just wanna make contact with you, that’s all I want to do. Now I’m trying hard to meet her but the fares went up at seven. She is somewhere in the city, somewhere watching television. Watching people being stupid, doing things she can’t believe in. Love won’t last ‘til the next installment 10 o’clock on Tuesday evening. And the world is going on outside, the night is gaping open wide. The wardrobe and the chest of drawers are telling her to go outdoors. He should have been here by this time, he said that he’d be here by nine. That guy is such a prick sometimes, I don’t know why you bother really. Oh babe, I’m sorry but I just had to make love to all the cracks in the pavement and the shop doorways and the puddles of rain that reflected your face in my eyes. The day didn’t go too well, too many chocolates and cigarettes, I kept thinking of you and walking into lampposts. Why is it so hot? The air coming to the boil, rubbing up against walls and lampposts trying to get rid of it. Old women clack their tongues in the shade of crumbling concrete bus shelters. Dogs doing it on the central reservation and causing multiple pile ups in the centre of town. I didn’t want to go in the first place but I’ve been sentenced to three years in the housing benefit waiting room. I must have lost your number in the all-nite garage and now I’m wandering up and down your street calling your name. In the rain. Whilst my shoes turn to sodden cardboard. Where are you? (I’m here) Where are you? I’m still trying hard to meet you but it doesn’t look like happening ‘cos the city’s out to get me but I won’t sleep with her this evening. Though her buildings are impressive and her cul-de-sacs amazing, she’s had too many lovers and I know you’re out there waiting. And now she’s getting into bed he’s had his chance now it’s too late. The carpets screaming for her soul and the darkness wants to eat her whole. Tonight must be the night it ends, tomorrow she will call her friends or go out on her own somewhere. Who needs this shit anyway? Oh listen, I wandered the streets the whole night trying to pick up your scent, writing messages on walls. And the puddles of rain reflected your face in my eyes. We finally made it...on a hilltop at 4a.m. The whole city is your jewellery box. A million twinkling yellow street lights. Reach out and take what you want. You can have it all. Jesus it took a long time. I didn’t think we were going to make it. So bad during the day but now snug and warm under an eiderdown sky. Oh the things we saw: everyone on Park Hill came in unison at 4.13 a.m. and the whole block fell down. The tobacconist’s caught fire and everyone in the street died of lung cancer. We heard groans coming from a T-reg chevette. You bet. And tomorrow...? Oh I was trying hard to meet her but the fares went up at seven. She was somewhere in the city somewhere watching television. Watching people being stupid doing things she can’t believe in. Love won’t last till next installment, 10 o’clock on Tuesday evening. Oh the world was going on outside, the night was gaping open wide. The wardrobe and the chest of drawers were telling her to go outdoors. He should have been there by that time, he said that he’d be there by nine. The guy is such a prick sometimes. Oh yeah, I want to tell you that there’s nothing to worry about because we can, we can get it together, oh yeah. We got it together tonight, didn’t we? I’d say we did, yeah we’ve got a hope.

NB: The spoken part in the middle of the song is taken from Nancy Friday's 'The Secret Garden'.