I am trying to be heroic in an age of modernity
I am trying to be heroic, because all around me history sings
So I enjoyed and I devoured flesh and wine and luxury
But in my heart I am lukewarm nothing ever really touches me
At Les Trois Garçons
We meet at precisely
9 o'clock.
I order the foie gras and I eat it with complete disdain
Bubbles rise in champagne flutes,
But when we kiss I feel nothing
Feasting on sleeping pills and Marlboro Reds
(So busy, won't save you)
Oho, How our, how our parents they suffered for nothing
Live the dream, live the dream, live the dream
Like the 80's never happened
People are afraid, are afraid
To merge on the freeway
Disappear here
Stroll the pier
Into the magazine launch party
I am handed a pill, and I swallow with complete disdain
Kick-drum bangs off the high-hat; remembered to look bored
We suck each others' faces and make sure we are noticed
(Cocaine won't save you)
Because East London is a vampire
It sucks the joy right out of me
How we look for corruption in these golden years
Oho, How our, how our parents they suffered for nothing
Live the dream, live the dream, live the dream
Like the 80's never happened
People are afraid, are afraid
To merge on the freeway
Disappear here.
Disappear here.
Disappear here.
Disappear here.
Disappear here.
Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City Album Lyrics
Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City Lyrics
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Hunting For Witches
I was sitting
On the roof of my house
With a shotgun
And a six pack of beers, six pack of beers, six pack of beers
The newscaster says the enemy's among us
As bombs explode on the thirty bus
Kill your middle class indecision
Now is not the time for a liberal thought
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to roll
I go hunting for
Nineties, optimistic as a teen
Now its terror
Airplanes crash into towers
The Daily Mail says the enemys among us
Taking our women and taking our jobs
The reasonable fool is being drowned out
By the non-stop baying, baying, baying for blood
Fame to go
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to roll
I go hunting for
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
I watched TV and it formed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
There must be accountability
Despaired and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to
I go hunting for
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
I watched TV and it formed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
There must be accountability
Despaired and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
On the roof of my house
With a shotgun
And a six pack of beers, six pack of beers, six pack of beers
The newscaster says the enemy's among us
As bombs explode on the thirty bus
Kill your middle class indecision
Now is not the time for a liberal thought
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to roll
I go hunting for
Nineties, optimistic as a teen
Now its terror
Airplanes crash into towers
The Daily Mail says the enemys among us
Taking our women and taking our jobs
The reasonable fool is being drowned out
By the non-stop baying, baying, baying for blood
Fame to go
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to roll
I go hunting for
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
I watched TV and it formed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
There must be accountability
Despaired and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to
I go hunting for
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
I watched TV and it formed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
There must be accountability
Despaired and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Waiting For The 7:18
Waiting for the seven eighteen
January is endless
Weary-eyed and forlorn
The Northern Line is the loudest
Sitting in silence in bars after work
I've got nothing to add or contest
Can still kick a ball a hundred yards
We cling to bottles and memories of the past
(Give me moments)
Just give me moments (give me moments)
Not hours or days (give me moments)
Just give me moments (give me moments)
Grinding your teeth in the middle of the night
With the sadness of those molars
Spend all your spare time trying to escape
With crosswords and sudoku
If I could do it again
I'd make more mistakes
I'd not be so scared of falling
If I could do it again,
I'd climb more trees
I'd pick and I'd more wild
blackberries
(Give me moments)
Just give me moments (give me moments)
Not hours or days (give me moments)
Just give me moments (give me moments)
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend [x4]
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend [x4]
January is endless
Weary-eyed and forlorn
The Northern Line is the loudest
Sitting in silence in bars after work
I've got nothing to add or contest
Can still kick a ball a hundred yards
We cling to bottles and memories of the past
(Give me moments)
Just give me moments (give me moments)
Not hours or days (give me moments)
Just give me moments (give me moments)
Grinding your teeth in the middle of the night
With the sadness of those molars
Spend all your spare time trying to escape
With crosswords and sudoku
If I could do it again
I'd make more mistakes
I'd not be so scared of falling
If I could do it again,
I'd climb more trees
I'd pick and I'd more wild
blackberries
(Give me moments)
Just give me moments (give me moments)
Not hours or days (give me moments)
Just give me moments (give me moments)
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend [x4]
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend [x4]
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
The Prayer
Lord give me grace and dancing feet
And the power to impress
Lord give me grace and dancing feet
Let me outshine the moon
Is it so wrong to crave recognition?
Second best, runner-up
Is it so wrong to want rewarding?
To want more than is given to you?
Than is given to you
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle, I will outshine them all
Standing on the packed dance floor
Our bodies thrown in time
Silent on the weekdays
Tonight I claim what's mine
Is it so wrong to crave recognition?
Second best, runner-up
Is it so wrong to want rewarding?
To want more than is given to you?
Than is given to you
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle, I will outshine them all
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle, I will outshine them all
And the power to impress
Lord give me grace and dancing feet
Let me outshine the moon
Is it so wrong to crave recognition?
Second best, runner-up
Is it so wrong to want rewarding?
To want more than is given to you?
Than is given to you
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle, I will outshine them all
Standing on the packed dance floor
Our bodies thrown in time
Silent on the weekdays
Tonight I claim what's mine
Is it so wrong to crave recognition?
Second best, runner-up
Is it so wrong to want rewarding?
To want more than is given to you?
Than is given to you
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle, I will outshine them all
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle, I will outshine them all
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Uniform
There was a sense of disappointment as we sped away
Every town now just felt the same
The tear on my cheek just dried up; it wasn't there
All the young people looked the same
'Cause we're so handsome and we're so bored
So entertain us, tell me a joke
Make it long, make it last
Make it cruel, just make me laugh
We can't be hurt, we can't be hurt
Did you forget your blues on the weekend?
The internet will keep us together
MTV taught me how to sulk and love nothing
And how to grow my hair long
'Cause we're so handsome...
Why do you go picking fights that you'll lose?
So why do you go thinking thoughts that are above you?
'Cause I was brave, intelligent; I could have been a hero
No-one can be trusted under the age of fourteen
...my joy and pain is relative
I've gotten so good at lying to myself
Oh!
Well my pain and honour is used up
Oh! Oh! Oh!
My guns are rusted
So when're you gonna realise
Those are not your wrongs to right?
Have another life, have another...
I am a martyr, I just need a motive
I am a martyr, I just need a cause
I'm a believer, I just need a motive
I'm a believer, I just need a cause
We're finding it hard to be alone
We're finding it hard to break the mould
We're finding it hard to excite myself
We have nothing at all to say
Uniform
There was a sense of disappointment as we sped away
All the young people looked the same
Every town now just felt the same
The tear on my cheek just dried up; it wasn't there
All the young people looked the same
'Cause we're so handsome and we're so bored
So entertain us, tell me a joke
Make it long, make it last
Make it cruel, just make me laugh
We can't be hurt, we can't be hurt
Did you forget your blues on the weekend?
The internet will keep us together
MTV taught me how to sulk and love nothing
And how to grow my hair long
'Cause we're so handsome...
Why do you go picking fights that you'll lose?
So why do you go thinking thoughts that are above you?
'Cause I was brave, intelligent; I could have been a hero
No-one can be trusted under the age of fourteen
...my joy and pain is relative
I've gotten so good at lying to myself
Oh!
Well my pain and honour is used up
Oh! Oh! Oh!
My guns are rusted
So when're you gonna realise
Those are not your wrongs to right?
Have another life, have another...
I am a martyr, I just need a motive
I am a martyr, I just need a cause
I'm a believer, I just need a motive
I'm a believer, I just need a cause
We're finding it hard to be alone
We're finding it hard to break the mould
We're finding it hard to excite myself
We have nothing at all to say
Uniform
There was a sense of disappointment as we sped away
All the young people looked the same
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
On
I am on
Switched on
A sudden clearness, a clarity
Hidden away, in every locked toilet
I've been waiting for you in the Joiners Arms
I know your name
I know your name
I've danced with you
We're all friends here
Silver slugs lined up like bullets
Rolled up twenties, they disappear
You make my tongue loose
You make my tongue loose
I am hopeful and stutter-free
You make my tongue loose
You make my tongue loose
I am hopeful
Friday night I do all the talking
A pint and a fight, the dance floor is mine
Truth serum and limbs that won't listen
Drunken "I love yous", on top of the world
And when it runs out
We're chasing something we'll never catch
And when it runs out
We buy more
A flatness so bleak, I've been bitten by a vampire
A flatness bleaker than the one it replaced
You make my tongue loose
You make my tongue loose
I am hopeful and stutter-free
You make my tongue loose
You make my tongue loose
I am hopeful
I can charm
I can charm them all
Switched on
A sudden clearness, a clarity
Hidden away, in every locked toilet
I've been waiting for you in the Joiners Arms
I know your name
I know your name
I've danced with you
We're all friends here
Silver slugs lined up like bullets
Rolled up twenties, they disappear
You make my tongue loose
You make my tongue loose
I am hopeful and stutter-free
You make my tongue loose
You make my tongue loose
I am hopeful
Friday night I do all the talking
A pint and a fight, the dance floor is mine
Truth serum and limbs that won't listen
Drunken "I love yous", on top of the world
And when it runs out
We're chasing something we'll never catch
And when it runs out
We buy more
A flatness so bleak, I've been bitten by a vampire
A flatness bleaker than the one it replaced
You make my tongue loose
You make my tongue loose
I am hopeful and stutter-free
You make my tongue loose
You make my tongue loose
I am hopeful
I can charm
I can charm them all
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Where Is Home?
After the funeral, breaking kola nuts
We sit and reminisce about the past
And in her voice, only sadness
Her only son taken from her
In every headline we are reminded that this is not home for us
The second generation blues
Our points of view not listened to
Different worlds and different rules
A question of allegiance
Clinging to her bible and her scapula
And the memory of the way things were
I don't see hope, I cannot smile
I burn with anger all the time
We all read what they did to the black boy
In every headline we are reminded that this is not home for us
Where is it?
Where is home?
I'll walk this modern tightrope
Of humility and belligerence
...
Is getting me down
I want to stamp on the face of every young policeman
To break the fingers of every old judge
To cut off the feet of every ballerina
But I can't
So I just sigh and I just sigh
And I pretend that there's nothing wrong
The teeth of this world tear me in half
And everyday I must ask myself
Where, where, where:
Where is it?
Where is home?
In every headline we are reminded that this is not home for us
We sit and reminisce about the past
And in her voice, only sadness
Her only son taken from her
In every headline we are reminded that this is not home for us
The second generation blues
Our points of view not listened to
Different worlds and different rules
A question of allegiance
Clinging to her bible and her scapula
And the memory of the way things were
I don't see hope, I cannot smile
I burn with anger all the time
We all read what they did to the black boy
In every headline we are reminded that this is not home for us
Where is it?
Where is home?
I'll walk this modern tightrope
Of humility and belligerence
...
Is getting me down
I want to stamp on the face of every young policeman
To break the fingers of every old judge
To cut off the feet of every ballerina
But I can't
So I just sigh and I just sigh
And I pretend that there's nothing wrong
The teeth of this world tear me in half
And everyday I must ask myself
Where, where, where:
Where is it?
Where is home?
In every headline we are reminded that this is not home for us
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Kreuzberg
There is a wall that runs right through me
Just like the city, I will never be joined
What is this love? Why can I never hold it?
Did it really run out in the strangers' bedrooms?
I
I have decided
At twenty-five
Something must change
Saturday night in East Berlin
We took the U-Bahn to the East Side Gallery
I was sure I'd found love with this one lying with me
Crying again in the old bahnhof
I
I have decided
At twenty-five
That something must change
After sex
The bitter taste
Been fooled again
The search continues
Just like the city, I will never be joined
What is this love? Why can I never hold it?
Did it really run out in the strangers' bedrooms?
I
I have decided
At twenty-five
Something must change
Saturday night in East Berlin
We took the U-Bahn to the East Side Gallery
I was sure I'd found love with this one lying with me
Crying again in the old bahnhof
I
I have decided
At twenty-five
That something must change
After sex
The bitter taste
Been fooled again
The search continues
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
I Still Remember
I, I still remember
How you looked
That afternoon
There was only you
You said "it's just like a full moon"
Blood beats faster in our veins
We left our trousers by the canal
And our fingers, they almost touched
You should have asked me for it
I would have been brave
You should have asked me for it
How could I say no?
And our love could have soared
Over playgrounds and rooftops
Every park bench screams your name
I kept your tie
I'd have gone whereever you wanted
(I still remember)
(I still remember)
And on that teachers' training day
We wrote our names on every train
Laughed at the people off to work
So monochrome and so lukewarm
And I could see our days are becoming nights
I could feel your heartbeat across the grass
We should have run
I would go with you anywhere
I should have kissed you by the water
You should have asked me for it
I would have been brave
You should have asked me for it
How could I say no?
And our love could have soared
Over playgrounds and rooftops
Every park bench screams your name
I kept your tie
I would let you if you asked me
I still remember
How you looked
That afternoon
There was only you
You said "it's just like a full moon"
Blood beats faster in our veins
We left our trousers by the canal
And our fingers, they almost touched
You should have asked me for it
I would have been brave
You should have asked me for it
How could I say no?
And our love could have soared
Over playgrounds and rooftops
Every park bench screams your name
I kept your tie
I'd have gone whereever you wanted
(I still remember)
(I still remember)
And on that teachers' training day
We wrote our names on every train
Laughed at the people off to work
So monochrome and so lukewarm
And I could see our days are becoming nights
I could feel your heartbeat across the grass
We should have run
I would go with you anywhere
I should have kissed you by the water
You should have asked me for it
I would have been brave
You should have asked me for it
How could I say no?
And our love could have soared
Over playgrounds and rooftops
Every park bench screams your name
I kept your tie
I would let you if you asked me
I still remember
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Sunday
Heavy night it was a heavy night
Feels like we come back from the dead
Heavy night it was a heavy night
I cannot remember what I said to anyone
If we get up now we can catch the afternoon
Watch the under 15s playing football in the park
Let's sit in St. Leonard's in this alcoholic day we're doing the best with what we've got
I love you in the morning ,
When you're still hung-over
I love you in the morning,
When you're still strung out,
I love you in the morning,
I work hard all week, and so do you
We deserve to let off some steam
Let all the drugs creep in when we need to rage through this life
There might ones who are smarter than you
That have the right answers
That wear better shoes forget
About those melting ice caps, we're doing the best, with what we've got
I love you in the morning ,
When you're still hung-over
I love you in the morning,
When you're still strung out,
I love you in the morning,
With you I am calm
A pearl in your oyster
Head on my chest a silent smile, a private kind of happiness
You see giant proclamations are all very well
But our love is louder than words
Feels like we come back from the dead
Heavy night it was a heavy night
I cannot remember what I said to anyone
If we get up now we can catch the afternoon
Watch the under 15s playing football in the park
Let's sit in St. Leonard's in this alcoholic day we're doing the best with what we've got
I love you in the morning ,
When you're still hung-over
I love you in the morning,
When you're still strung out,
I love you in the morning,
I work hard all week, and so do you
We deserve to let off some steam
Let all the drugs creep in when we need to rage through this life
There might ones who are smarter than you
That have the right answers
That wear better shoes forget
About those melting ice caps, we're doing the best, with what we've got
I love you in the morning ,
When you're still hung-over
I love you in the morning,
When you're still strung out,
I love you in the morning,
With you I am calm
A pearl in your oyster
Head on my chest a silent smile, a private kind of happiness
You see giant proclamations are all very well
But our love is louder than words
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
SRXT
Walking in the countryside
It seems that the winds have stopped
I took down the posters from my wall
Left letters for you all
I remember moments of happiness
Endless summer, acoustic guitars
Being a man made me coarse
When I wanted to be delicate
I called up Eugene
Told him I was drowning
Like a castaway on a warm ocean
Waiting for a purpose to rise
They say it's not becoming
For a boy my age
If you want to know what makes me sad
Well it's hope, the endurance of faith
A battle that lasts a lifetime
A fight that never ends
Walking in the countryside
It seems that the winds have stopped
Tell my mother I am sorry
And I loved her
It seems that the winds have stopped
I took down the posters from my wall
Left letters for you all
I remember moments of happiness
Endless summer, acoustic guitars
Being a man made me coarse
When I wanted to be delicate
I called up Eugene
Told him I was drowning
Like a castaway on a warm ocean
Waiting for a purpose to rise
They say it's not becoming
For a boy my age
If you want to know what makes me sad
Well it's hope, the endurance of faith
A battle that lasts a lifetime
A fight that never ends
Walking in the countryside
It seems that the winds have stopped
Tell my mother I am sorry
And I loved her
Writer: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
A Weekend in the City is the second studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded at Grouse Lodge Studios in Westmeath, Ireland, in mid-2006 and was produced by Jacknife Lee. The album was refined and mixed at several locations in London at the end of 2006. It was released on 24 January 2007 in Japan and in the first week of February in the rest of the world, with Wichita Recordings as the primary label. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and on the Irish Albums Chart. In the United States, it entered the Billboard 200 at number 12.
Bloc Party worked to craft an album that distanced them from the conventional guitar band set-up by incorporating more electronically processed beats and additional instrumentation. Computer programs were extensively used to enrich and amend recorded takes, while a string sextet was hired to perform on some of the tracks. The subject matter of frontman and chief lyricist Kele Okereke's lyrics for A Weekend in the City covers issues such as drug use, sexuality, and the media's use of moral panic surrounding issues such as terrorism. The album's three original singles, "The Prayer", "I Still Remember", and "Hunting for Witches", address these themes respectively.
Bloc Party's new musical directions and more forthright lyrics either impressed or alienated critics. Reviewers generally treated A Weekend in the City as an important stepping stone for the band members in their quest for musical maturity, while The Guardian included it in its list of the "1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die". In November 2007, the album was re-released globally—with the final single, "Flux", as a bonus track—to coincide with Bloc Party's extensive touring schedule.
Performed By:
Bloc PartyBloc Party worked to craft an album that distanced them from the conventional guitar band set-up by incorporating more electronically processed beats and additional instrumentation. Computer programs were extensively used to enrich and amend recorded takes, while a string sextet was hired to perform on some of the tracks. The subject matter of frontman and chief lyricist Kele Okereke's lyrics for A Weekend in the City covers issues such as drug use, sexuality, and the media's use of moral panic surrounding issues such as terrorism. The album's three original singles, "The Prayer", "I Still Remember", and "Hunting for Witches", address these themes respectively.
Bloc Party's new musical directions and more forthright lyrics either impressed or alienated critics. Reviewers generally treated A Weekend in the City as an important stepping stone for the band members in their quest for musical maturity, while The Guardian included it in its list of the "1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die". In November 2007, the album was re-released globally—with the final single, "Flux", as a bonus track—to coincide with Bloc Party's extensive touring schedule.
Genre(s): Indie rock, alternative rock
Producer(s): Jacknife Lee
Length: 51:13
Released: January 24th, 2007
Year: 2007