28 Jan 2008
Late Lunch audience, we’ve got all your addresses!
I’m starting to get a bit more ambitious (at last, you may say!) with Uffington Wassail, as this is one of those tracks which nobody else seems to have been brave enough to transcribe, at least according to Google. So I’m all on my own here, he said nervously, and any comments would be more than helpful. Great song though – definitely a follow-up to A Country Practice in many ways.
See lyrics of Uffington Wassail
42 Letters Sent:
grim
Good effort! I don’t know what you think of these, but here’s how I hear a couple of lines:
“Defied capricious mistrals on which tragedies are blown”
“The morgue was my considered guess, or maybe Martinique”
I eagerly await your take on PRS Yearbook – Quick The Drawbridge!
Feb 6th, 2008
chris
Yep, I think I’ll go with both of those suggestions!
Feb 6th, 2008
Paul F
I agree with Grim – and would also (very minor point) change to: go “down” Woodchurch Lane.
May 19th, 2008
leigh
one of my favourite ever songs, this.
and woodchurch lane is right near nigel’s abode.
Jun 19th, 2008
Fredorrarci
Some minor points:
Sounds like “my wariness consumes me yet still protects me from…”;
“A dimmer switch and a membership of Britannia Music Club”;
A purely typographical point: my guess is that it’s not ‘Raine’ but ‘Rain’, a would-be hippyish type of name to give your kid, like River or Liberty.
Also, I think it’s “Late Lunch audience, we’ve got all your adresses”, a kind of ‘we know where you live and we’re coming to get you’ thing. (I can’t remember of the audience was particularly annoying on that show, but Sue Perkins suddenly being on every TV and radio programme going is.)
I’m with Leigh on this – a particularly fine song. The month-of-floppiness verse is the sort of quietly deranged stuff that only Nigel could come up with.
And I don’t think I’ve said this before, which is remiss of me, but this is a great site. There was a big HMHB-lyrics-site gap on the web before this and frankly, I wish I’d thought of it first…
Oct 1st, 2008
Chris The Siteowner
I guess we’ll never know on “Rain(e)”.
What do others think re:
- “my wariness consumes me yet still protects me from…” (not and)
- “A dimmer switch and a membership of Britannia Music Club”
- “Late Lunch audience, we’ve got all your adresses” (not they’ve)
???
Oct 1st, 2008
Paul F
Rain / yet / the / we’ve for me!
Oct 22nd, 2008
Neil G
The name should be ‘raine, short for Lorraine. I knew several Lorraines as a child. Most of them had their names shortenend to ‘raine. That’s my guess anyway. It is typical of the way that names that used to be diminutives of other names, such as Jim, Fred and Archie, are now given to children as full names.
Oct 22nd, 2008
Peter Gandy
I’d definitely go for Rain as the sort of hippy name for Nigel to poke fun at. The only Raine I can think of is Raine Spencer, although I can accept Neil’s point. Is it Chelsea, Chelsey, or Chelsi with Chantelle and Jordan? We will probably never (k)now.
Oct 22nd, 2008
simon smith
I suppose since Nige uses `call` instead of `name` (which would have some alliterative quality) that a diminutive of Lorraine could be favourite.
Oct 22nd, 2008
Chris The Siteowner
The Peel Session version makes it quite clear it’s “yet” (above) and leans towards “the” (also above). I like “Rain” too, but more because it’s a female equivalent of “River”. And finally, I’m sure from that version it’s “we’ve” too. I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s “correspondence closed”, but those changes are going on to the page, so there.
Oct 23rd, 2008
Fredorrarci
I wasn’t aware of the Lorraine —> ‘Raine thing. It’s a good shout, though I would still edge towards Rain.
Three out of four! (Not that I’m keeping score or anything.)
Oct 23rd, 2008
Dave F.
As Paul F, I’m going for:
Rain/yet/the/we’ve.
For the past two years at Glastonbury, I’ve camped next to a couple with a six year old called Stone. I kept asking him where his siblings Paper & Scissors were.
He would look up at me as if I was stupid. He’s probably right.
Oct 24th, 2008
Neil G
I have to admit that I hadn’t considered Rain at all. I always heard it as ‘Raine. There doesn’t seem to be enough evidence about the mother (I’m assuming it’s the mother we’re talking about, could be the father, but I doubt it) of Rain/’Raine to tell either way. Not indicating when going down Woodchurch Lane and being a member of an am-dram class doesn’t really tell you much. I’m willing to accept Rain, though I’ve never heard or seen the name before, simply because I’m such an accommodating chap.
Oct 24th, 2008
Fredorrarci
I probably favour Rain mainly because it was the first thing that occurred to me. In the absence of a ruling from the writer, I suppose either is legitimate.
Oct 25th, 2008
Paul F
Listening to this on the way to work this morning and was surprised to hear it’s “they’ve got all your addresses” not “we’ve” as I’d previously thought. I’ll have to have a listen to the BBC session version now to see if it’s different.
Nov 25th, 2008
Chris The Siteowner
It’s definitely “we’ve” on the Peel Session version, and (IMHO) probably “we’ve” on the studio original. Mind you, on the Peel Session, it’s “Greedy lazy farmers”…
Nov 25th, 2008
Paul F
You could be right – I knew the song from the sessions first, before I got the album, so maybe it has been that way in my head ever since. But I do think it’s “they’ve” on the album.
Nov 26th, 2008
Treadmore
I think it’s just “V Schneider” rather than “Vreni Scheider” (though referring to the same person, obviously)
Oct 24th, 2009
Stuart
This is a long shot I admit, but perhaps worth mentioning.
There’s a book by David Bohm called something like “Thought as a System”. In it he posits the argument that most of what we call feelings aren’t feelings, in the sense that we have felt them before. We should therefore distinguish between new feelings and old feelings. The old ones he suggested should be called Felts (the past participle of the verb feel, transformed into a noun, or plural noun in this case). When I next heard the song, it occurred to me that Nigel is a literate type so may even have read the book, but even so it seemed unlikely, as it’s an obscure book and a bit esoteric, and Nigel from memory ‘scoffs at the mystics.’
It’s not really a book worth reading by the way, so I wouldn’t recommend it, not even to a Radiohead fan. However, the context still seems strangely plausible – I stayed exactly where I was and suffered endless felts …i.e. life can seem a bit repetitive at times.
But as soon as I read the lyrics transcribed here, my romantic conceits were dashed, because obviously “Feltz” fits the bill pretty well, seeing as Nigel apparently spends most of his days watching crap TV.
Mar 24th, 2010
CharlesExford
As long-shots go, Stuart, that rivals Ronnie Boyce, but that’s my kind of post and there’s always a chance you are right.
Mar 24th, 2010
Stuart
I’ve just read some reviews of a recent gig so can now see that my long shot was indeed dramatically optimistic.
However on reflection I prefer my lyric, which I shall stick to. Like I said to my girlfriend, Tracey, who quite enjoyed a period out of work last year, after she was made redundant, cause she got to watch the Kyle show – if you like it so much why don’t you go on the damn show. She’d be good on it too, she’s the naturally lairy type.
Apr 1st, 2010
Ven
Pretty sure it’s Revelation (definitely not Revelations!) bell, given his penchant for eschatological bible quotes. Not sure whether it’s actually a reference to Iain Archer’s album, or they’re both referring to a part of John the Divine’s bibble which I can’t be arsed to look up, but there’s bound to be a bell among the seven-headed dragons and sulphur-spewing badgers etc.
Apr 30th, 2010
Charles Exford
I happen by chance to be in Israel right now, and for that reason alone I feel destined to respond to Ven, even though being on the road means I can’t listen and check. Anyway I’ve just always assumed that someone on the telly described Sharon Cohen (AKA Dana International) as “a revolution” and Nige got all sarky about it.
Anyway when my team went out of the Lux Familiar last night I was on my knees not too far from the Wailing Wall, having spent most of the previous couple of hours trying to explain the away goals rule to the not-particularly-interested folk I was forcing to suffer the match with me in a Jerusalem bar. They couldn’t understand why I was so negative about the Reds’ chances till my prophecies of doom came true in extra time.
I would have got to the final on a freebie an’ all
Apr 30th, 2010
Jason
Many thanks for the lyrics. I took them and made this.
Jul 1st, 2010
chris p
After “Luton Town Millwall 1985″, the drums and guitars crash back in, and Nigel shouts out a word which sounds not unlike …..”SHITE”. I can’t think of an alternative, so can it go in?
Nov 24th, 2010
chris p
……..at 2 minutes 18 seconds if anyone has an alternative to the “shite” theory……
Nov 24th, 2010
J-Dog
It sounds like ‘shite’ to me but I’m too lazy to go get my headphones and plug them in to make sure. Since I have bemoaned the woeful under-usage of the word ‘shite’ in another post on this site, ‘shite’ gets my vote!
Ô¿Ô
Nov 24th, 2010
Dick Drake
Checking which direction The Mistral comes from, I encountered Wikipedia. There are sections refering to the wind in Provencal culture and American culture. None on English culture. Methinks someone who can be arsed should correct this. Happy Hols!
Here’s a link to said page.
Dec 26th, 2010
Fredorrarci
I’d always thought it was “revolution” as well, but at least on the Peel version and especially this, it’s unmistakably “Revelation”.
Meanwhile, enjoy this tribute to Ms. Schnieder.
Apr 15th, 2011
Chris The Siteowner
Now that’s interesting. A point which was raised much earlier (above) but criminally ignored. I can’t say I’ve heard of a “revolution bell” or a “revelation bell” before now, so it’s hard to say which it might be. Anyone else?
Apr 15th, 2011
TWO FAT FEET
It does all sound a bit Bibblicle. I seem to recall the Book of Revelation does involve an awful lot of trumpets, and silver ones seemed quite popular in Israel. All a bit tenuous. I was always more concerned that that verse sounded like a TV theme tune that I couldn’t quite place, possibly The Liver Birds?
Apr 15th, 2011
S.G.D.A SHROPSHIRE LAD
Yes it does sound like the Liver Birds theme, which is based on “On a Mountain Stood a Lady”
Apr 15th, 2011
John Anderson
The tune’s definitely nicked off the Liver Birds. I must say it’s always been “revolution bell” to me.
Apr 15th, 2011
Bobby String
I agree with ‘revolution bell’ because a) that’s what it’s always sounded like to me and b) there’s a clue in the next line with ‘rising up in Israel’. An uprising and a revolution are one and the same thing aren’t they?
I also think it’s ‘silver trumpet’ singular but with the next word being ‘sound’, the elision between the two S’s would make it impossible to tell either way. But you can only play one trumpet at a time so why would he want more than one? (Sorry, I’m practising for my City & Guilds Nitpicking exam!)
Ô¿Ô
Apr 16th, 2011
Bobby String
P.S. Going back to the ‘Rain’ / ‘Raine’ thing, I would think it’s ‘Rain’ because we know Nigel has a thing about people giving their kids pretentious names, as in the Jack / Rupert debate in Breaking News. I once met a girl whose name was Autumn and I know Summer is also a fairly popular name for girls in some places. Also, in the movie ‘Harold & Maude’ there’s a girl called Sunshine, so naming a child after a weather condition instead of a season would not be beyond the realms of possibility, perhaps for the kind of person who loves all things Pierrot and puts peaches on her cornflakes.
Ô¿Ô
Apr 16th, 2011
Paul F
Revelation for me – I think it works even better with somebody “rising up in Is-ra-el” then Revolution does.
Apr 18th, 2011
TWO FAT FEET
Apparently the Cher Impersonator was knocked out in the semi-finals of Eurovision this year.
May 14th, 2011
chris from future doom
Re: Feltz, I’d actually always thought it was ‘Felts’; as in endless carbon copies of the band Felt. Though the buxom one does fit in a whole lot more with the ‘stern grind of reality’ line, what with daytime telly and all, whenever i listen to this, my first thought is always Felts.
Right, now where did I leave my lyrics? Do’h!
Sep 29th, 2011
graham mccavish
people dont indicate to go down woodchurch lane. maybe its because its a one way street and the only thing that greets you at the end is Tranmere Rovers football ground…THE POINT OF NO RETURN.
Dec 1st, 2011
Paul F
Coming back to Revelation Bell…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfBZoXrB99c
Dec 7th, 2011
Paul F
Three years late but I’d lost the CD I put the relevant Peel session on. Having relistened, Chris is of course correct. The session version is definitely “we’ve” got all your addresses, and on listening to the album repeatedly, it is less clear, but still ultimately probably “we’ve” as well. I don’t know why I suddenly got it into my head that it might be “they’ve”.
Dec 8th, 2011
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