Afternoon Malaise

[1. The Shimmer Of Optimism's Mirage]

[2. Bored Drummer]

[3. Furious Activity For No Discernible Reason]

[Instrumental]

[4. You You]

When are you you?
You seem so far away
From the man who climbed the mountain on some halcyonic day
Supervisor's closing in on methods you prefer
Waving your appraisal forms like weapons, built for her

Do you meet approval from the people at the top?
Could you stand for them in the shop?
Are you a good team player in a side that want your art
To mould into their die casts? The truth is:
They can't take it with them, they can try, but they'll fail

When are you you?
Just who is it in there?
Behind the stingy plastic staff pass and slightly maintained hair
You play the Bullshit Bingo but the pain inside you smarts
As they salute the flagpole you know that
They can't take it with them, they can try, but they'll fail
So you pretend you know their ropes
They can try, but they'll fail
At least that's what you hope

[5. Deleted Trumpet Bit]

[Instrumental]

[6. Steve Wright In The Afternoon]

Steve Wright in the Afternoon, friendly DJ
A bit of humour, bit of music
Helps pass the time
News bulletin at four o'clock, so you know you're on the homestretch
But the minutes drag on your analogue watch

Steve's like a car that you follow in the dark - he's your friend
We've got some time that we don't wanna spend with you
We're only here 'cos there's nothing else we can do
And Steve knows, - he's under no illusions
So he gives us a factoid or something to make the time go by
It ain't gonna be "Yours Is No Disgrace" (But he has a good try)

All the factories and offices all playing the same tune
Singing "Happy Birthday" to a man in Bodmin who's getting married soon
And if you're on the M25 you'd better run for your life
Because the Ant Hill'll be emptying soon
And all the flyovers and tunnels that circle round the church
To the soundtrack of an innocuous tune
Hey Steve! Are you just like me?
Waiting for the wall clock to set you free?

We've got some time that we don't wanna spend with you
We're only here 'cos there's nothing else we can do
But Steve's gone! He's already in the car park
Left another Cheerful Charlie in the hotseat to make time go by
Listen while you drive:

All the traffic news and the Tuesday blues
Join the drizzle and the rain
A million ants by the Dartford Tunnel wait to pay 2 pounds again
And they'll take away the car and house and stick you on the streets
Unless you do this journey every day
And the landlord's on your tail again, the Queen Ant needs her lunch
And there's gas and electricity to pay

Hey Steve! - Can I be like you?
Everything seems so laid back on Radio Two
We've got some time that we don't wanna spend with you
We're only here 'cos there's nothing else we can do

[7. No Luggage Allowed]

I shear the bolt, he turns the screw
We all have our part, and there's one for you
And we're all alone, yet surrounded by peers
Try to make our mark as we work off the years ... crawling, marching

And we keep our homes if we pay our tax
I ask myself, "Just who struck that deal and just how far back?"
And some work for fortunes, some work for a dime
And some work for pensions, and some just do their time
And some of 'em build empires and some bring them down
Some work for recognition, ain't we all just the clowns?

'Cos you can't take it with you
There's no luggage allowed
No you can't take it with you
No matter how rich or proud
Your kids will sell it off on Ebay
For God's sake don't waste their time
'Cos you can't take it with you
You can leave just a little bit behind

[8. Coming Up On The Hour]

[9. Startled Drummer]

[10. Strange Flute Intake]

[Instrumental]