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Take a second of the day
To think about the things that we have done this year
The dog lies down the pouring rain
I'm underneath the smoker's railway arch again
The future's looking colorful
It's the color of blood, chaos and corruption of a happy soul
A happy soul will ride in the field
Ride in the field
Ride in the field
Until the rain dies down
The railway ticket states the destination
But it doesn't mean that we will show
There's a fork upon the line
We'll pay the guard to switch the signs
Off we go
The future's looking wonderful
It's the wonder of the businessman's conspiracy to sell you wares
No one cares
Oh, you care, I know
You care, I know
You care, I know
I forgot for a while
On a sulky afternoon spent in dispute
You'll give yourself a headache, boy
So I spend the day in stories
And in dreaming of the time when we're on stage
(Aren't you?)
Have you seen the loneliness of a middle distance runner
As he stops the race and looks around?
I like the stage
I've seen it now
I'll walk to the station
Walk to the station
Walk to the station
Won't you follow me there?
Walk to the station
Walk to the station
Walk to the station
Won't you follow me there?
To think about the things that we have done this year
The dog lies down the pouring rain
I'm underneath the smoker's railway arch again
The future's looking colorful
It's the color of blood, chaos and corruption of a happy soul
A happy soul will ride in the field
Ride in the field
Ride in the field
Until the rain dies down
The railway ticket states the destination
But it doesn't mean that we will show
There's a fork upon the line
We'll pay the guard to switch the signs
Off we go
The future's looking wonderful
It's the wonder of the businessman's conspiracy to sell you wares
No one cares
Oh, you care, I know
You care, I know
You care, I know
I forgot for a while
On a sulky afternoon spent in dispute
You'll give yourself a headache, boy
So I spend the day in stories
And in dreaming of the time when we're on stage
(Aren't you?)
Have you seen the loneliness of a middle distance runner
As he stops the race and looks around?
I like the stage
I've seen it now
I'll walk to the station
Walk to the station
Walk to the station
Won't you follow me there?
Walk to the station
Walk to the station
Walk to the station
Won't you follow me there?
Lyrics submitted by fratboy_rick
Track duration: 04:34
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Wish there was a delete button on these.
Yes the businessman is corporate America which wants to sell you as everything is alright but you really do have your own inner value.
The railway ticket states the destination
But it doesn't mean that we will show
The band have jumped on the indie rock train, but it doesn't mean they will follow the conventional route.
The future's looking colourful
In comparison to the grainy black and white of British New Wave cinema
A happy soul will ride in the fields
The joy of cross country running
Dreaming of the time when we're on stage
This conjures up ABBAs Glasgow referencing anthem Super Trouper, which also examines the onstage offstage machinations of band life.
Have you seen the loneliness of a middle distance runner
As he stops the race and looks around?
I like the stage
I've seen it now
Spoiler alert, but you have to watch the film/ read the book to get this. The band are happy to be in the race, but on their own terms...
Its a stretch but I still think the closing line might be a Dylan ref... considering the bands media stance 'like Dylan in the Movies'... Don't Look Back also being an excellent film and ahead of its time, in its observation of the media...
Yes the businessman is corporate America which wants to sell you as everything is alright but you really do have your own inner value.
This band is huge.
I like the imagery of rainy fields and railway stations, which places the listener into the landscape of kitchen sink drama (the genre which spawned 'The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner')
When this came out, I always associated the verse about a 'sulky afternoon spent in dispute' with the vitriolic cover article in the NME by the late 'angry young man' Steven Wells, which sort of marked the end of B+S period of not engaging with the media. A strange article where B+S were attacked for somehow betraying 'rock n roll' I somehow doubt there is any connection, could just as well allude to Stuart Murdoch or anyone else's wasted afternoon debating things in their own head.
I would also read this as a reflection on the daily life of a musician... spending so much time in solitude, preparing for those short times when you're 'on stage'. Also the juncture that B+S had reached, following an apparantley tumultous period, 'it doesn't mean that we will show'; the song seems to reflect the adventure of being a successful band, the uncertainty of its future, and its engagement with the commercial world, 'businessman's conspiracy to sell you wares' Less obvious now, but at the time B+S seemed to embrace a DIY ethic and shun the business side of music business. I thought the line was 'I left the stage, I've seen it now'.
Also, always thought the closing line was 'Won't you follow me down?' as in the Dylan song.
It seems obvious but I will add that this song is surely also inspired by Stuart's love of cross country running.
He want's her (his girlfriend) to meet him at his breaking point (midway), the point where he wants to stop loving her and get out of the relationship, and make him change his mind and continue the relationship to the very end so that he won't be a repeat offender of this situation and ultimately be lonely. Because people are meant to finish long distance races and if you don't, well then you're all alone while everyone else is passing you by. You're not a winner but a.... loser.
Beautiful song because there are too people like this and if only they were helped or encouraged along the way somehow, we'd have more long distance runners who finish.
I like the imagery of rainy fields and railway stations, which places the listener into the landscape of kitchen sink drama (the genre which spawned 'The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner')
When this came out, I always associated the verse about a 'sulky afternoon spent in dispute' with the vitriolic cover article in the NME by the late 'angry young man' Steven Wells, which sort of marked the end of B+S period of not engaging with the media. A strange article where B+S were attacked for somehow betraying 'rock n roll' I somehow doubt there is any connection, could just as well allude to Stuart Murdoch or anyone else's wasted afternoon debating things in their own head.
I would also read this as a reflection on the daily life of a musician... spending so much time in solitude, preparing for those short times when you're 'on stage'. Also the juncture that B+S had reached, following an apparantley tumultous period, 'it doesn't mean that we will show'; the song seems to reflect the adventure of being a successful band, the uncertainty of its future, and its engagement with the commercial world, 'businessman's conspiracy to sell you wares' Less obvious now, but at the time B+S seemed to embrace a DIY ethic and shun the business side of music business. I thought the line was 'I left the stage, I've seen it now'.
Also, always thought the closing line was 'Won't you follow me down?' as in the Dylan song.
It seems obvious but I will add that this song is surely also inspired by Stuart's love of cross country running.
I always thought that the lyrics might have been about Sebastian Coe, a very famous middle distance runner who from England who, before the 1984 Moscow Olympics, came under enormous scrutiny as to whether he would boycott the Olympics to protest Russia's invasion of Afghanistan, or compete. No matter which he chose, he was bound to infuriate one half of England or the other. That kind of situation can be pretty lonely.