TRIBE (1987)
Friend of the Flag
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
There's people live in fear
Of a sickle and hammer
I was born for the ensign
Now I wave that Yankee banner
Pride ain't so ugly
Hate ain't so young
And it ain't so far
This country's come
But I'm a friend of the flag
I hope you understand
I'm a pilgrim on the water
All the way from
England
The tall ships sail on through
Into the harbour
Dark skins on the deck
But the immigrant
He works hard here
Race ain't a colour
White ain't the world
But I still love
My American girl
I'm a friend of the flag
I hope you understand
I'm a pilgrim on the water
All the way from
England
And I married Miss America
And gave her all I had
I'm a born again American
A friend of the flag
And you paid the price the day you hunted buffalo
And you've just begun to tell us what the Hopi told us long ago
Peace in the heart shelters your life
No roof over doubt when the spirit flies
I'm a friend of the flag I hope you understand
I'm a pilgrim on the water
All the way from England
And I married Miss America and gave her all I had
I'm a born again American a friend of the flag
Hold on, sail on
Friend of the flag
Hold on, sail on
Friend of the flag
Corrugated Iron
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
Poor family got a lean-to
Now the rainy season's gone
Coloured kids playin' in the hard mud
Kicking that skinny dog
He works on irrigation
Moving water to the herd
And he dreams of being a spear someday
In the heart of Johannesburg
He dreams of being a spear someday
In the heart of Johannesburg
And we live in
And we live on
And we die in
Corrugated iron
Pray to Tokoloshe
When the red dirt comes back
Cattle try to find the river bed
And in-between the cracks
Chief man he got his hard hat
From the civilized Western man
He's got a ton of 'em down in Capetown
He's gonna grease the poor black hand
He's got a ton of 'em down in Capetown
He's gonna grease the poor black hand
And we live in
And we live on
And we die in
Corrugated iron
And we're building
And we're trying
Our tribes are born in corrugated iron
You gotta stand to the left
Remain at the back
And give 'em corrugated iron
To put on their shacks
Stand to the left
Remain at the back
And give 'em corrugated iron
To put on their shacks
And he dreams of being a spear someday
In the heart of Johannesburg
He's got a ton of 'em down in Capetown
He's gonna grease the poor black hand
And we live in
And we live on
And we die in
Corrugated iron
And we're building
And we're trying
Our tribes are born in corrugated iron
Citizen Jane
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
Oh the press is down
And the flesh is black and white
Eager workers turning the pages
Dirty fingers touch your life
All you pretty maids
With all your charms on view
Farm the wasteground in your head now
Your sisters can't get through
Oh hey, hey, Citizen Jane
What will your sisters say
Oh they'll say ain't it a shame
After comin' such a long, long way
Citizen Jane
Now they're trading skin
And the cause is pushed away
Greedy piggies live on Fleet Street
Dealing meat out every day
Oh hey, hey, Citizen Jane
What will your sisters say
Oh they'll say ain't it a shame
After comin' such a long, long way
Citizen Jane
What a picture, what a woman
What a curve on the great white way
A little touch up, a little airbrush
What will your sisters say
What a picture, what a woman
What a curve on the great white way
A little touch up, a little airbrush
What will your sisters say
Hold Back the Night
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
I walk a night beat
I walk for miles and I work hard
Eyes like a flashlight
Skimming through the alleys and the backyards
I’m not a brave man
I make mistakes and I lose my nerve
They try to convince me
This shield I wear will protect and serve
Wide awake each evening I read the writing on the wall
You can't bribe the stars
You can't buy the moon
You can't hold back the night
Can't hold back the night
When the night begins to fall
When the night begins to fall
Now I live alone
And I take a drink and I lose my faith
She couldn't take
Those sleepless nights praying I was safe
I walk a mean street
Uneasy in this uniform I wear
Sometimes I wonder
Who's right, who's wrong, do I even care
Wide awake each evening
I read the writing on the wall
You can't bribe the stars
You can't buy the moon
You can't hold back the night
Can't hold back the night
When the night begins to fall
When the night begins to fall
What are heroes made of
When a shadow falls across the badge
I feel the fear inside me
And holding back the night
Holding back the night
Is the only chance I have
I'm not a brave man
I make mistakes and I lose my nerve
They try to convince me
This shield I wear will protect and serve
She Sends Shivers
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
Like a short walk on a razor's edge
Like a warm body in a cold, cold bed
Like a strong drink you go to my head
She sends shivers through me
Why talk when it's all been said
Your heart's so blue
But your blood's so red
Can't you bury the past along with the dead
Oh like a knife made of ice
So deep I could freeze
She sends shivers through me
All down my spine
From my head to my heals
She sends
She sends shivers through me
Like sweat runs on a hot hot face
Like the devil dancing in your fireplace
Like a bullet hole shot through a red ace
You send shivers through me
Words get strangled in a wire noose
Tempers flare up
On a short short fuse
We got nothing to gain and everything to lose
Oh like a knife made of ice
So deep I could freeze
All down my spine
From my head to my heals
She sends shivers through me
Like a bite white hot
I could bleed
She sends shivers through me
On my pale pink cheek
Leave the mark of your teeth
She sends
She send shivers through me
And I'm willing to pay the cost
Our souls are already lost
You grab the stake
I'll grab the cross
She sends shivers through me
Like a knife made of ice
She sends shivers through me
All down my spine
From my head to my heals
She sends shivers through me
Like a bite white hot
I could bleed
She sends shivers through me
On my pale pink cheek
Leave the mark of your teeth
She sends
She sends shivers through me
Billy Fury
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
Mirror, mirror won't you give me
Reflections of another wanna be, wanna be
Lam and silky lingerie
Satin hearts and dolls at center stage
His lip and left leg quivered
He'd stand and he'd deliver
And on my knee in sixty-three
I was Billy Fury in my mirror
Oh I'd wanna be, I wanna be
Like Billy Fury
I wanna be mean and blond
Wanna mumble perfect jumbo
With a little innuendo
I want it to be "Like You've Never Been Gone"
Stereo monaural, both compatible
Dansette playing another shake, rattle and roll
The D.J.'s say this boy really matters
Pre-fab four on a disc and platter
And his quiff was sprung with grease
He was torn up underneath
But in my room I played my broom
While Billy Fury made them scream
I Still Can't Believe That You're Gone
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
In the mirror I see guilt
In your shoes I see myself
But I still can't believe that you're gone
In the dust of an 8 x 10
I can still caress your frame
But I still can't believe that you're gone
Oh I just can't believe
That you'd do this to me
No I just can't believe that you're gone
What am I supposed to do
One is not as fun as two
No I still can't believe that you're gone, no
I still can't believe that you're gone
In your cup I drink your health
On the phone
I still can't believe that you're gone
And in a pinch I hold your things
And brush them up against my skin
'Cause I still can't believe that you're gone
Oh I just can't believe
That you'd do this to me
No I just can't believe that you're gone
What am I supposed to do
One is not as fun as two
No I still can't believe that you're gone
I still can't believe that you're gone
And it used to be just like heaven
Living hand, hand in glove
Used to be that you and I
were building on the property of love
Oh I just can't believe
That you'd do this to me
No I just can't believe that you're gone
What am I supposed to do
One is not as fun as two
No I still can't believe that you're gone
I still can't believe that you're gone
Conquistador
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
Every fable you've ever sown
In every building you've ever owned
Any chance to cheat or beat the clock
With every oil slick sticking to the rocks
What you see is what you get
Manhattan skyline, a California sunset
Truth decay and the breadline poor
But honey's what the bees make Conquistador
Conquistador
Whatta ya fighting for
Whatta ya want from life
You've got such an appetite for more
They laid down the Incas
You lay down the law
So hungry for more like Conquistadors
Whatta ya fighting for
Only the lonely big leather chair
Holds it's position year after year
With every wave on every shore
You wash away your sins like Conquistadors
Conquistador
Whatta ya fighting for
Whatta ya want from life
You've got such an appetite for more
They laid down the Incas
You lay down the law
So hungry for more like Conquistadors
Oh they laid down the Incas
You lay down the law
So hungry for more like Conquistadors
Whatta ya fighting for
So where's the party
Your sense of humor
Rumors on Wall Street
They're diggin' up
Montezuma
The New Lone Ranger
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
Do we need a new Lone Ranger
Fightin' on our side
Are we looking for a stranger
To give us one last ride
I heard them say the strip is dying
She's calling it murder one, no minor crime
Television stars
Falling from the sky
We have lived exciting lives
We’re looking for a change
A chance to play the game
Do you miss the singing cowboy
Will Hollywood ride again
Are we looking for a stranger
For one last ride
Do we want a new Lone Ranger
Fightin' on our side
If we need a second coming
To deal with danger
There's a shakedown or a showdown
For a new Lone Ranger
Only ghosts go walking on the wire
So don't cry baby it's only gunfire
One hundred horses
On a freeway west
Heading for the desert escaping death
Looking for a re-run
Of a long forgotten son
Do you think about the masked man
Or how the West was won
Are we looking for a stranger
For one last ride
Do we want a new Lone Ranger
Fightin' on our side
If we need a second coming
To deal with danger
There's a shakedown or a showdown
For a new Lone Ranger
How the West was won
Walk on the wire
This is is how the West was won
Walk on the wire
How the West was won
We're looking for a change
A chance to play the game
Do you miss the singing cowboy
Will Hollywood ride again
Are we looking for a stranger
For one last ride
Do we want a new Lone Ranger
Fightin' on our side
If we need a second coming
To deal with danger
There's a shakedown or a showdown
For a new Lone Ranger
Do we need a new Lone Ranger
Fightin' on our side
A hundred horses heading for the West
Are we looking for a stranger
To give us one last ride
There's a shakedown or a showdown
For a new Lone Ranger
Desperation Train
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
Thereabouts I came across another empty hand
Another tin cup shaken by some raggedy old man
Acting blind and keeping time with his thin white cane
He said that Jesus Christ and Judas rode the Desperation Train
I've been torn down and rebuilt again
Felt the cold fire of madness as it ran through my veins
Signals from the green flag
Steam rising in the front cab
I believe we'd left it all behind
On the Desperation Train, they came
All the king's horses and all the king's men
For all those who ride won't be denied
For we all have rode the Desperation Train
Into view the ice truck flew with a smiling man aboard
All pink cheeks and flashing teeth in a bright white uniform
He said this laugh is just a mask it helps to take the strain
But Charlie Chaplin and Lou Costello rode the Desperation Train
And I've played hard and waited in vain
Seen the red sun of sadness slowly sinking in my brain
I've been driving in the long spikes
Laying rails in the cold night
I believe we'd left it all behind
On the Desperation Train, they came
All the king's horses and all the king's men
For all those who feel fate turns the wheel
Of the last car home on the Desperation Train
We've all been there, been born too late
From Joan of Arc to Norma Rae
Men without shame, we came
The last on this line and freed from our chains
For all those who chose the road leading home
We'll never put them back together again
For all those who ride, they won't be denied
For we all have rode the Desperation Train
Backbone
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
Everyday I've woken up long before the sun
Never cared for politics, I've never voted once
Worked in clay and molded plates your family's eaten from
And I've always needed backbone in everything I've done.
Never been a clever man, I've never had my say
All I ask is honesty for all the tax I've paid
Sown the seed out in the fields and grew the wheat and corn
And I've always needed backbone in everything I've done.
I've always needed backbone
And got along somehow
But the pressures of this modern world
Test my patience now
We're helpless and our hands are tied
They've melted down our ploughs
And it seems to me that no one needs
Our backbone now.
Raised my kids and kept my wife the right and proper way
Families don't pull together, they just pull away
Bound the books that you have read and handed to your sons
And I've always needed backbone in everything I've done.
I've always needed backbone
And got along somehow
But the pressures of this modern world
Test my patience now
We're helpless and our hands are tied
They've melted down our ploughs
And it seems to me that no one needs
Our backbone now.
I was taught that craftsmen
Were the backbone of the land
But heritage has gone forever
And no one gives a damn
Computers and technology
Are built to teach us how
And the giant hands of progress boys
Have crushed our backbone now.
White Boys In Chains
(Martin Page/Bernie Taupin)
White boy make a lot of noise
Revving up their engines
White boys breaking your toys
Cut up paper dolls in vengeance
And white boys wait till dark to tell a lie
Pop little yellow pills
Make Daddy’s little white girl cry
White boys never have enough
Look at how they grab you
White boys drinking too much
And now they wanna stab you
And white boys pay the law to let it slide
Wreck little red convertibles
In the name of God and science
Isn’t it a shame
That they have to live like white boys in chains
Isn’t it a game
That we have to wait for the red light to
Change
White boys walk on all fours
Smokin’ up and spending
White boys play baccarat
Happy in the co-ed syndrome
And white boys hate their mothers coming over
Turn on the techno video
Buy up all those Bruce Lee posters
Oh the white boys pay the law to let it slide
The white boys make Daddy’s little white girl cry
Oh the white boys wait till dark to tell a lie