Close to the Bone

revisited version 5sept96 with thanks to Mark L. Irons

PLEASURE OF LOVE
-----------------------------

I tell you he was a masterpiece
How are you says I
Just cool says he
He never shook my hand
He was no gentleman
But he was o-o-o-over me, oh-oh-oh

I met him hanging out at the park
I was scared 'cos it was after dark
And he wore fast street clothes
And he was clearly posed
But he was o-o-o-over me, oh-oh-oh

Pleasure of love, pleasure of love
I tell you he knew the pleasure of love
Yes it's true he knew the pleasure of love

His smile was rich although his clothes were poor
Something in his eyes of great allure
And I could not resist
A calculated risk
Since he was o-o-o-over me, oh-oh-oh

We broke the rules but we won the game
Nothing to lose, everything to gain
And now I have no doubt
I could not live without him
I am o-o-o-over him, oh-oh-oh

Pleasure of love ..., pleasure of love ...
I tell you he knew the pleasure of love
Yes it's true he knew the pleasure of love

We'll have our babe, or maybe two or three
We'll love that babe our own sweet family
And we will live in style
And make it well worthwhile
'Cos I am o-o-o-over him, oh-oh-oh

I tell you he was a masterpiece
How are you says I
Just cool says he
He never shook my hand
He was no gentleman
But he was o-o-o-over me, oh-oh-oh

Pleasure of love, pleasure of love
I tell you he knew the pleasure of love
Yes it's true he knew the pleasure of love

Pleasure of love, love, love, love ...
Pleasure of love, love, love, love ...
Pleasure of love, love, love, love ...

We broke the rules but we won the game
Nothing to lose and everything to gain
And he will marry me
I'll carry his baby
Because I'm o-o-o-over him, oh-oh-oh

Pleasure of love ..., pleasure of love ...
I tell you he knew the pleasure of love ...
Yes it's true he knew the pleasure of love ...

Pleasure of love, pleasure of love
I tell you he knew the pleasure of love
Yes it's true he knew the pleasure of love

Pleasure of love, pleasure of love ...
I tell you he knew the pleasure of love ...
Yes it's true he knew the pleasure of love ...

ON THE LINE AGAIN [CLOSE TO THE BONE]
--------------------------------------------------------------

* TENTATIVE TRANSCRIPTION ONLY! : Can YOU help to complete it?

Living close to the bone, close to the bone
Living close to the bone, close to the bone

Dark sneak love action on a Friday night
We're going to put on the dog, we're going to do it up right
Better put me in a cage, I'm feeling good and full of fight
You better take my picture quick, I'm going to jump out of sight

Why that's a cool million, wow, taking in the view
Life is but a dream, not about what you do
With your blow and your juice and now you're drinking alone
If you don't know it I can tell you
When you're close to the bone

You're on the line again
Now I can place your face
Brain food down the drain, I recognise the place
You're on the line again
You're far away from home
You're wearing the signs that say you're close to the bone

Living close to the bone, close to the bone

You try to gain a toe-hold, you dig in your heels
Make believe you never worry how to pay for your meals
Edges are eroding, there's a cancer in my head
My magnetism's fading, can't get out of the red

I see you sitting there in your electric blue suit
Shady money men no longer think you are cute
You pass the kids in the park and look how they've grown
Feel your face in the dark, feel it close to the bone

You're on the line again, and its not nice to hurt
Put a lot of love into your life and put that love to work
You're on the line again, perhaps you could meet someone
Who'd show you how to have it all, have fun close to the bone

Living close to the bone, close to the bone

Glass partitions in your thinking cap shatter
Canned music thickened ??? gathered
Hair line fracture visible to anyone
Getting wider by the hour, living close to the bone

Living close to the bone, close to the bone
Living close to the bone, close to the bone

Living close to the bone, close to the bone

Animate your backside
You'll be my inspitation
To the left and to the right
Funk is our salivation

THIS IS A FOXY WORLD
----------------------------------

Hey boy, what you goin' to do
Now you see the world from my point of view
Hey boy, forget what you know
Get down under the far below
Do you see that you are in
Foxy Fox's foxy den
Watch out how you play with her
Mind that you don't rumple her fur

Hey boy, do you really care
Can I really trust you to be fair
Hey boy, tell me if it's real
Promise to be honest about what you feel
You have found the center of
Female devotee of love
Making love's an easy task
With respect is all that she asks

Hey boy, what's it gonna be
Freedom for the sexes full equality
Hey boy, what do you say
Equal work gets equal pay
Pride is keeping us apart
Love is all that cuts to the heart
Keep him by being a friend
Who can tell how well it will end

BAMBOO TOWN
-----------------------

There's a handsome young man down the road from me
A hard working man for a little courtesy
His car go with gas and he go with sensei
Get me driver to Bamboo Town

He never hit the chicken and he never hit the ducks
He goes round the cow and he pass out the trucks
He bet on the horses and he won a hundred bucks
Get me driver to Bamboo Town

Bam, Bam, Bam, Bamboo Town
Bam, Bam, Bam, Bamboo Town
He give me lift
Bum diddly bum

He takes me to the movies and he takes me to the shops
He pushes down the pedal and he pulls out the stops
He never gets a ticket because he's cool with the cops
Get me driver to Bamboo Town

He's got a lot of muscle and he's got a lot of style
He treats me like a lady and he greets me with a smile
He takes me for an inch and he takes me for a mile
Get me driver to Bamboo Town

Bam, Bam, Bam, Bamboo Town
Bam, Bam, Bam, Bamboo Town
Bam, Bam, Bam, Bamboo Town
He give me lift
Bum diddly bum

He takes me for a walk under the coconut trees
He says he is a dreamer and I say he is a tease
He says we should be married and he's down on his knees
Get me driver to Bamboo Town

Bam, Bam, Bam, Bamboo Town
Bam, Bam, Bam, Bamboo Town
Bam, Bam, Bam, Bamboo Town
He give me lift
Bum diddly bum

THE MAN WITH THE 4-WAY HIPS
-----------------------------------------------

He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips

Street level, down in the ground
You can't miss it, so check this out
Lovers and fighters, the girls from next door
Rockin' and shockin' the whole dance floor
Disc-jockeys want him to get up
He can't resist that funky stuff
Soldiers and sailors, policemen, marines
Painters and poets are part of his scene

He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips

Black people, white people too
Hangin' out in the latest hairdos
The sons and the daughters of people on earth
Hippin' and hoppin' and getting to work
Head-waiters and dish-washers too
Billionaires are waiting for you
Hiding his feelings he see what you got
He want you more when the music is hot

He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips

Have mercy, don't need a date
Rock steady, staying up late
Snapping his fingers, tapping his feet
Rocking and rolling into the street

He's the man with the 4-way hips
He's the man with the 4-way hips
He's the man with the 4-way hips
He's the man with the 4-way hips

He's a master operator
He's a moving violator
He's a jumping generator
He's a grinding alligator
He's a smoking fire-cracker
He's a funky cracker-jacker
He's a funny and he's flirty
Just a dancin' herky-jerky

He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips

He's a big bang operator
He's a moonlight aviator
He's a mass communicator
He's a groovy agitator
He's a comprehensive lover
He's a bad nasty mother
He's a sweetheart undercover
And he's not like any other

He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips
He's a man with the 4-way hips

MEASURE UP
-------------------

If you live in the city or you live in the bush
Love is a thing that you just don't rush
Look at my boyfriend and then you'll see what I mean
I'm not gonna blow it by spoiling his dream

I can see that apple high up in a tree
I'm not going to rock it, let it fall to me
Speak of the devil and he'll walk right in
If he talks to me I'll just give him in

Take a little measure, Take a little measure
Measure of my heart
Measure up
The shark could eat me
Or I could eat the shark
Measure up
Take a little measure, Take a little measure
Measure of my soul
Measure up
If there's still cold water, then I'm running cool
Measure Up

If you live in the mountains or down by the sea
Love is a thing to make you make your heart beat
I went for a ride, I just jumped to my feet
I smile so hard, you can see all of my teeth
The boy fills me with such energy
I'll play this hand intuitively
We'll ignore the problems that destroy the rest
Turn good to better, and better to best

Take a little measure, Take a little measure
Measure of my heart
Measure up
The shark could eat me
Or I could eat the shark
Measure up
Take a little measure, Take a little measure
Measure of my soul
Measure up
If there's still cold water, then I'm running cool
Measure Up

If you live in the desert or among the trees
Love is a thing to take at your ease
??? survive the waste
We'll serve the time for the rest of our days
We'll see all the places that we've never been
No matter where our love will begin
I know he's not the only fish in the sea
But, man-oh-man there is no other for me

Take a little measure, Take a little measure
Measure of my heart
Measure up
The shark could eat me
Or I could eat the shark
Measure up
Take a little measure
Measure of my soul
If there's still cold water, then I'm running cool
Measure Up

NEVER TOOK A PENNY
---------------------------------

Never took a penny
Never told a lie
You made me so unhappy
Now I'm goin' to make you cry

You hit me hard
Hard as hell
You may as well
Have left me as for dead

I helped you play the fish
I never steered you wrong
Whatever you might wish
You know it's been my song

It took a long long time to become myself

With your American gift
Where there is money and skill
You gave another twist
To the proverbial screw

I should have looked deeper
Deeper still
Into your very soul

I gave you what was mine
Your wanting more belies
The fact that you've got dollar signs
In both your little eyes

I will cut out
The dead wood
The bad rot
Or find another love

Mercenary people
Messing with my heart
Nasty little devils
Always interfere with ours

I will survive
Despite you
I liked you
But now I'm on my own

I'm making merry music
I don't want to be sad
I've had a lot of trouble
But I'm not gonna stay mad

I will step out
All night
It feels right
To be on my own

All night
It feels right
To be on my own

I will step out
All night
It feels right
To be on my own

I'm making merry music
I don't want to be sad
I've had a lot of trouble
But I'm not gonna stay mad

I will step out
All night
It feels right
To be on my own ...

ATSABABY! (LIFE IS GREAT)
----------------------------------------

Life as I would say
Life as you would say
Life as I will tell you
Life is great

Oh yea!
We had a lot of fun
And we had a lot of good things to eat
And we had a lot of funny things to say
And everybody had a good night's sleep
And no one made us toe the line
And you and I had lots of time
Nobody ever spilled the wine
And everything worked out just fine
Atasababy!

Life as I would say
Life as you would say
Life as I will tell you
Life is great

Oh yea, we really rocked the house
And yea, we broke some hard new ground
You went out to walk the dog
And came back with some brand new sounds
I beat those tom-toms all night long
And set the tempo for the song
Haha, you made me feel like I belong
And it seemed like we could do no wrong
Atsababy!

Life as I would say
Life as you would say
Life as I will tell you
Life is great

Oh yea, I tell you life is great
And we never felt out of place
And we all got famous overnight
And no one there forgot your face
And we made the world our neighbourhood
And it sure looked good from where we stood
And every day we knock on wood
'Cos life is great and life is good
Atasababy!

Life as I would say
Life as you would say
Life as I will tell you
Life is great