The Half Man Half Biscuit Lyrics Project

Busking this at Embankment Tube tomorrow

160 pop songs picked over by pedants (in 2,784 comments!)

Careful with that spliff Eugene

Time Flies By (When You’re a Driver of a Train) may well be the most famous Half Man Half Biscuit song ever, in terms of people saying “Weren’t they the band which did…?” And I suppose it still brings a smile to your face, even if it only vaguely hints at the more sophisticated genius which was to come.

See lyrics of Time Flies By (When You’re a Driver of a Train)

10 Letters Sent:
  1. Exapno Mapcase

    Lyric book says “Gotta” on syringes line.

    Me, I disagree, “gonna” sounds right. Hey, who knows?!?

  2. Nick Mad Dog

    I always thought it was ‘touching down in Camberwick Green stoned out of my brain…’ ?? Just replayed the song 5 times over (well the bit between 1m 15s – 1 m 20s) and I’m convinced he sings ‘Green’ at 1m 17s…Am I sad??

  3. …and some people think it’s “I’m” (not “and” or “Green”). Anyone have the old lyric book to hand?

  4. Dave F.

    Hmm… yeah, somewhere… let me see… Yep, got it.

    OK, Differences:
    The Y or N is whether I agree with the booklet

    The list of the brigade members have commas between them. (Y)

    Let it happen.. line is in brackets (Y)

    Speeding out of Trumpton… (N)

    Touching down in Camberwick I’m stoned out of my brain (Y)

    And they always smash my windows ‘cause the home side always wins (N)

    On the next line ‘Yeah’ is not written (N)
    Time flies by when you’re the driver of a train (N)

    Gotta get these syringes out… (N)

    to crank up once again (Y)

  5. Thanks Dave – made a couple of changes accordingly.

  6. Dave F.

    The CD booklet says

    Speeding out of Trumpton… (N)

    Gonna (Y) get my (N) syringes out and (N) crank up once again

  7. OK, hope it’s OK now.

  8. Bill Stow

    Having had my ears recently syringed I think its time to revisit the disputed lyrics of ‘Time Flies By’ and the votes of the Weston-Super-Mare jury are as follows:

    I think it should be ‘speeding out of Trumpton’ not ‘into Trumpton’
    and I also think its
    ‘get me syringes out and crank up once again’ but I could be persuaded that its ‘my’ not ‘me’ if the Oxford jury insist.

    regards

    Bill

  9. I played it on my nice CD player for once, and I’m going to agree with both “out of” and “me”, Bill.

    Also, I’ve come down on the side of “Gonna get me syringes out and crank up once again”, which means we’re getting perilously close to the as-printed lyrics (thanks Dave F) after all…

  10. Poolio

    I’m in agreement with “out of”.

    The me/my ambiguity is just due to the scouse mis-pronunciation of “my” so err that clears that up!

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