The Best Of James

Come Home

It's that time again when I lose my friends
Go walkabout, I've got the bends from pressure
This is a testing time when the choice is mine
Am I a fool for love or foolish with desire
You can throw him out you can spit on him
Call what he does a sin if it makes you feel better

And I can't believe you're all I'll ever need
And I need to feel that you're not holding me
And the way I feel just makes me want to scream
Come home, come home, come home
Come home, come home, come home

After thirty years I've become my fears
I've become the kind of man I always hated
I am pulled apart, and my swollen heart
Has flipped out of the pan into the fire
I am in love insane with a sense of shame
That I threw stones at the condemned and
Now I'm slated

And I don't believe you're all I'll ever need
And I need to feel that you're not holding me
And the way I feel just makes me want to scream
Come home, come home, come home
Come home, come home, come home
Come home, come home, come home

Sit Down

I’ll sing myself to sleep
A song from the darkest hour
Secrets I can’t keep
Inside of the day
Swing from high to deep
Extremes of sweet and sour
Hope that God exists
I hope I pray

Drawn by the undertow
My life is out of control
I believe this wave will bear my weight
So let it flow

Oh sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down, down, down, down
In sympathy

Now I’m relieved to hear
That you’ve been to some far out places
It’s hard to carry on
When you feel all alone
Now I’ve swung back down again
It’s worse than it was before
If I hadn’t seen such riches
I could live with being poor
Oh sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down, down, down, down
In sympathy

Those who feel the breath of sadness
Sit down next to me
Those who find they’re touched by madness
Sit down next to me
Those who find themselves ridiculous
Sit down next to me
Love, in fear, in hate, in tears
Love, in fear, in hate, in tears
In love, in fear, in hate, in tears
In love, in fear, in hate, in tears
Down
Down

Oh sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down, down, down, down
In sympathy

Oh sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down, down, down, down
In sympathy
Down

She’s a Star

Whenever she’s feeling empty
whenever she’s feeling insecure
Whenever her face is frozen
Unable to fake it anymore

Her shadow is always with her
Her shadow could always keep her small
So frightened that he won’t love her
She builds up a wall

Oh no, she knows where to hide in the dark
Oh no, she’s nowhere to hide in the dark
She’s a star
She’s a star

She’s been in disguise forever
She’s tried to disguise her stellar views
Much brighter than all this static
Now she’s coming through

Oh no, she knows where to hide in the dark
Oh no, she’s nowhere to hide in the dark
She’s a star
She’s a star

Don’t tell her to turn down
Put on your shades if you can’t see
Don’t tell her to turn down
Turn up the flame
She’s a star
She’s a star

It’s a long road
It’s a good call
It’s a long road
Its a good call

You got it
You got it
She’s a Star

Laid

This bed is on fire
With passionate love
The neighbours complain about the noises above
But she only comes when she’s on top

My therapist said not to see you no more
She said you’re like a disease without any cure
She said I’m so obsessed that I’m becoming a bore, oh no
Ah, you think you’re so pretty

Caught your hand inside the till
Slammed your fingers in the door
Fought with kitchen knives and skewers
Dressed me up in women’s clothes
Messed around with gender roles
Dye my eyes and call me pretty

Moved out of the house, so you moved next door
I locked you out, you cut a hole in the wall
I found you sleeping next to me, I thought I was alone
You’re driving me crazy, when are you coming home

Waltzing Along (Single Version)

Help comes
When you need it most
I’m cured by laughter
Mood swings - not sure I can cope
My life’s in plaster (In plaster)

May your mind be set you free (Be opened by the wonderful)
May your heart lead you on
May your mind let you be through all disasters (Be opened by the wonderful)
May your heart lead you on

These wounds are all self-imposed
Life’s no disaster
All roads lead onto death row
Who knows what’s after

May your mind be wide open
May your heart beat strong
May your minds will be broken
By this heartfelt song

Arriba!

May your mind set you free (Be opened by the wonderful)
May your heart lead you on
May your mind let you be through all disasters (be opened by the wonderful)
May your heart lead you on (may your heart lead you on)

May your eyes let you see through all disasters (be opened by the wonderful)
May your heart lead you on (may your heart lead you on)
(May your mind let you be opened by the wonderful)
Set you free (May your heart lead you on) etc.

Say Something

You’re as tight as a hunter’s trap
Hidden well, what are you concealing
Poker face, carved in stone
Amongst friends, but all alone
Why do you hide

Say something, say something, anything
I’ve shown you everything
Give me a sign
Say something, say something, anything
Your silence is deafening
Pay me in kind

Take a drug to set you free
Strange fruit from a forbidden tree
You’ve got to come down soon
More than a drug is what I need
Need a change of scenery
Need a new life

Say something, say something anything
I’ve shown you everything
Give me a sign
Say something, say something, anything
Your silence is deafening
Pay me in kind

Say something, say something anything
I’ve shown you everything
Give me a sign

I’m open wide, open wondering
Have you swallowed everything
Pay me in kind

Born of Frustration

All this frustration
I can’t meet all my desires
Strange conversation
Self-control has just expired
All an illusion
Only in my head you don’t exist
Who are you fooling
Don’t need a shrink but an exorcist

Show me the movie
Of who you are and where you’re from
Born of frustration
Caught up in the webs you’ve spun
Where’s the confusion
A vision of what life is like
Show me the movie
That doesn’t deal in black and white

Stop stop talking about who’s to blame
When all that counts is how to change

All this frustration
All this frustration
Who put brown owl eyes on the butterfly’s wings
All this frustration
All this frustration
Who gave the leopards spots and taught the birds to sing

Born of frustration
Born of frustration

I’m living in the weirdest dream
Where nothing is the way it seems
Where no one’s who they need to be
Where nothing seems that real to me
How can we build our lives upon
No wall of stone, no solid ground
The world is spinning endlessly
We’re clinging to our own beliefs

Born of frustration
Born of frustration

Tomorrow

I see you falling
How long to go before you hit the ground
You keep on screaming
Don’t you see me here
Am I a ghost to you

Now your grip’s too strong
Can’t catch love with a net or a gun
Gotta keep faith that your path will change
Gotta keep faith that your luck will change tomorrow
Tomorrow

Why are you phoning
What am I to do when you’re miles away
You’re always calling from the darkest rooms and we’re both scared

Now your grip’s to strong
Can’t catch love with a net or a gun
Gotta keep faith that your path will change
Gotta keep faith that your love will change

Now your grip’s to strong
Can’t catch love with a net or a gun
Gotta keep faith that your path will change
Gotta keep faith that your love will change tomorrow

I’m just out of your range
Tomorrow
All your suffering’s in vain
Tomorrow

Now your grip’s to strong
Can’t catch love with a net or a gun
Gotta keep faith that your path will change
Gotta keep faith that your love will change tomorrow

I got out of your range
Tomorrow
All your suffering seems vain
Change tomorrow
Some forgiveness now
Tomorrow
Love’s no sacred cow

Destiny Calling

So we maybe gorgeous
So we maybe famous
Come back when we’re getting old

Cover us in chocolate
Sell us to the neighbours
Frame us in a video

Clone us in a test tube
Sell us to the multitude
Guess that’s the price of fame

She likes the black one
He likes the the posh one
Cute ones are usually gay

Here we come this is our destiny calling
We’re freaks
This is our destiny calling
Unique
This is our destiny calling now

Don’t believe the adverts
Don’t believe the expert
Everyone will sell our souls

Get a little wiser
Get a little humble
Now we know that we don’t know

Tell us when our time’s up
Show us how to die well
Show us how to let it all go

Here we come this is our destiny calling
We’re freaks
This is our destiny calling
Unique
This is our destiny calling now

Some fat cat’s playing roulette with lives
This game is fixed it’s all a lie
Some fat cat’s playing roulette with lives
This time is curved, there’s no straight lines
Some fat cat’s playing roulette with lives
Forget myself we’re all entwined
There’s no straight lines

Here we come this our destiny calling
We’re freaks
This is our destiny calling
Unique
This is our destiny calling now

Here we come this our destiny calling
We’re freaks
This is our destiny calling
Unique
This is our destiny calling now

This is our destiny calling
This is our destiny calling
This is our destiny calling
Now
Now

Out To Get You

I’m so alone tonight
My bed feels larger than when I was small
Lost in memories, lost in all the sheets and old pillows
So alone tonight, miss you more than I will let you know
Miss the outline of your back, miss you breathing down my neck
All out to get you, once again
They’re all out to get you, once again

Insecure, what ya gonna do
Feel so small, they could step on you
Called you up, answer machine, when the human touch
Is what I need, what I need is you, I need you

Looked in the mirror, I don’t know who I am any more
The face is familiar, but the eyes, the eyes give it all away
They’re all out to get you, once again, they’re all out to get you
Here they come again

Insecure, what ya gonna do
Feel so small, they could step on you
Called you up, answer machine, when the human touch
Is what I need, what I need, is you (What I need)

If you let me breathe, if you let me breathe
They’re all out to get you, once again, they’re all out to get you

Runaground

For every woman you will leave an open door
You find yourself thinking why can’t I have more?
You say there’s nothing you can do
You tried your best but you were only being you

Oh no
She’s gone
Back wherever she came from
You watched
Her go
Your reaction’s far too slow

Runaground
Runaground
Runaground

You don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve lost it all
Might I suggest you find a softer place to fall
You take for granted all the riches of your world
You may have oysters but you’ll never find a pearl

Oh no
She’s gone
Back wherever she came from
You watched
Her go
Your reaction’s far too slow

Oh no
She’s gone
Back wherever she came from
You watched
Her go
Your reaction’s far too slow

Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground

She’s moving on
The love has gone
You left the door wide open
She’s moving on
The just has gone
This anger’s felt not spoken
It got too old
Was too controlled
Could have gone on forever

The love has gone
She’s moving on
When she said now you never

Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground
Runaground

Oh no

Lose Control

Where is the love
Where is the love
Where is the love
That everyone is talking of
Where is the love
Where is the love
That everyone is dreaming of

Come to bed
Come to bed
Come to bed
I cannot sleep in all this heat
Come to bed
Come to bed
This terror’s all within my head

Don’t be deceived, no land in sight
We’re all adrift in this dark night
We float on seas of disbelief
While singing songs of pain relief

Shake my body - release my soul
Punish my senses - lose control
This body’s young but my spirit’s old
Scatter my ashes and let my feelings go

Where is the love
Where is the love
Where is the love
That everyone is talking of
Where is the love
Where is the love
That everyone is dreaming of

Don’t be deceived, no land in sight
We’re all adrift in this dark night
We float on seas of disbelief
While singing songs of pain relief

Shake my body - release my soul
Punish my senses - lose control
This body’s young but my spirit’s old
Scatter my ashes and let my feelings go

Shake my body - release my soul
Punish my senses - lose control

Sometimes (Lester Piggot)

There’s a storm outside, and the gap between crack and thunder
Crack and thunder, is closing in, is closing in
The rain floods gutters, and makes a great sound on concrete
On a flat roof, there’s a boy leaning against the wall of rain
Aerial held high, calling come on thunder, come on thunder
Sometimes, when I look deep in your eyes, I swear I can see your soul
Sometimes, when I look deep in your eyes, I swear I can see your soul
It’s a monsoon, and the rain lifts lids off cars
Spinning buses like toys, stripping them to chrome
Across the bay, the waves are turning into something else
Picking up fishing boats and spewing them on the shore

The boy is hit, lit up against the sky, like a sign, like a neon sign
And then he crumples, drops into the gutter, hurt strings, legs twitching
The flood, swells his clothes, and delivers him on, delivers him on

Sometimes, when I look deep in your eyes
I swear I can see your soul
Sometimes, when I look deep in your eyes
I swear I can see your soul

There’s four new colours in the rainbow
An old man’s taking polaroids
But all he captures is endless rain, endless rain
He says listen, takes my head and puts my ear to his
And I swear I can hear the sea

Sometimes, when I look in your eyes I can see your soul
(I can reach your soul)
(I can touch your soul)
(I can hear your soul)
Sometimes

How Was It For You?

Well they said you are as good as you look but that
Would be impossible
For you look better than the face of god on a sunny day
You look good enough to eat but I’ve had a bellyful
And now I have this bill I don’t wanna pay

How was it for you
How was it for you
How was it for you

How was it for you
How was it for you
How was it for you

How was it for you

Do you really need that drink to disarm defences
Can you ever face the flak when you’re in control
Well I don’t believe my luck I am defenceless
Do with me what you want but don’t tell a soul
Don’t tell my soul

How was it for you
How was it for you
How was it for you

How was it for you
How was it for you
How was it for you

Was it as good as it was for me
Well that’s the best it’s ever been
And you’re the best I’ve ever seen
How was it for you
How was it for you

How was it for you my love
Was it good for you my dear
How was it for you my love
Was it good for you my dear

If you ain’t out of your head can you ever enjoy yourself
But if you ain’t in your head then who’s at home?
I’m so possessed by sex I could destroy my health
We could be dancing over coals and we’d never know
We’d never know

How was it for you
How was it for you
How was it for you

How was it for you
How was it for you
How was it for you

How was it for you
How was it for you
How was it for you
Was it as good as it was for me
Well that’s the best it’s ever been
And you’re the best I’ve ever seen

Yeah Yeah Yeah
Yeah Yeah Yeah

We lie awake and feel it warm
I need to feel your feeling hands
We lie awake and rise at dawn
Only your fingers can understand
Your feeling warm
Can understand
The feeling calls
Your feeling hands
It’s such a feeling, yeah
It’s such a feeling, woah
It’s such a feeling, yeah
It’s such a feeling, woah
It’s such a feeling

Seven

Blow me away
Was that love you declared
Only a word
Love can mean anything
Understand the world we’re living in

Oceans apart
What’s that view from your wave
Beautiful craft
Weather and change
Understand the world we’re living in
Love can mean anything

God made love to me
Soothed away my gravity
Made me a pair of angel’s wings
Clear vision and some magic things

God is love to me
Thank you for those things
Understand the world we’re living in
Love can mean anything

Darling
I’m open
Unguarded
Unbroken

Now we’ve done our time
We can drift away
Like the heavy cloud
With the weight of rain

Understand the world we’re living in
Love can mean anything

Understand the world we’re living in
Love can change anything

Sound

Ape your father’s sins, your mother’s mood swings
To perfection
Fall into a spin, shed another skin
Strip away all your protection

Laugh at the wonder of it all
Laugh so loud you break the fall
And you see the gathering clouds
Cry at the sadness of the world
Cry so long you break its cold
And you hear the gathering sounds

Do everything you fear
In this there’s power
Fear is not to be afraid of

Laugh at the wonder of it all
Laugh so loud you break your fall
And you hear the gathering sounds

Come, dip on in
Leave your bones, leave your skin
Leave your past, leave your craft
Leave your suffering heart

Ring the Bells

Ring The Bells
Ring ring the bells
Wake the town
Everyone is sleeping
Shout at the crowd
Wake them up
This anger’s deeper than sleep

Got to keep awake to what is happening
I can’t see a thing through my ambition,
I no longer feel my God is watching over me
Got to tell the world we’ve all been dreaming
This is not the end, a new beginning
I no longer feel my God is watching over me

Break break the code
Concentrate
Let the doors swing open
See through all your walls
All your floors
Now you’re in deeper than sleep

Got to keep awake to what is happening
I can’t see a thing through my ambition,
I no longer feel my God is watching over me
Got to tell the world we’ve all been dreaming
This is not the end, a new beginning
I no longer feel my God is watching over me

When you let me fall
Grew my own wings
Now I’m as tall as the sky
When you let me drown
Grew gills and fins
Now I’m as deep as the sea
When you let me die
My spirit’s free
There’s nothing challenging me

Hymn From a Village

This songs made up, made second rate
Cosmetic music, powderpuff
Pop tunes, false rhymes, all lightweight bluffs
Second-hand ideas, no soul, no hate
Wasn't mean to be
Built on complacency
The nightmares ride away
When you refuse to play

Oh go and read a book
It's so much more worth while
Being a song-smith crook
Study death in style
Death in style

This language used is all worn out
A walking corpse that won't play dead
Disease dragged on from bed to bed
Pay for your twist, paid for shout
Wasn't meant to be
Built on complacency
Open your eyes and see
That lie is not for we

Raise a rope and a knife
Cut it out - the lie
I don't want to decay
Take the short cut away
Oh go and read a book
It's so much more worthwhile
Being a song-smith crook
Study death in style
Study death in style

Heard you calling through the drumbeat
Answered with sticks and bones
Scream, shout, and dance about the campfire
You can hear the question, can you feel the reply?

Heard you calling through the drumbeat
Heard you calling through the drumbeat
Can you hear the question, feel the reply?
Can you hear the question, feel the reply?
Hymn from a village
The hymn from a village