Third album proper from Babybird released June 2000.

Tracks:

1. The F-word (3.03)
2. Getaway (4.59)
3. Out of Sight (4.28)
4. Fireflies (3.39)
5. Eyes in the Back of my Head (3.53)
6. Till you Die (3.10)
7. Wave your Hands (4.15)
8. All I Want (4.17)
9. The Way you Are (4.51))
10. One Dead Groove (6.23)
11: Christmas God of New York (4.04) (bonus track)

“It feels like a proper album for the first time. All the other albums, apart from the last one, were like compilations, all the styles were very different. This time it’s all been written in one go. It’s got a particular sound”.

- Stephen Jones, March 2000, The Fly

Catalogue numbers

UK CD:echcd32
UK LP: echlp32
Echo 4 Track Promo
Echo 10 Track Promo (card sleeve)
German/European CD: Road Runner: rr8085482
Aus CD: Festival Mushroom: MUSH332812

Preview

Babybird - Xmas God of New York [ 4:11 ] Play Now | Play in Popup

Release trivia

• This is Babybird’s last album released by Echo before being dropped (excluding The Best of babybird)
• The F-word, Out of Sight and Fireflies/Getaway were released as singles
• ‘The F-Word’ was later featured as the theme tune for Gordon Ramsay’s television series of the same name
• After a few minutes of silence following One Dead Groove, you’ll find a hidden bonus track called Christmas God of New York.
• People credited on this album: Steve Bloom (Photography), Ben Castle (Horn). Matt Hay (Programming, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Instrumentation), Ben Hiller (Programming, Engineer), Stephen Jones (Producer, Instrumentation), Paul Newton (Horn), Steve Osborne (Producer, Mixing), Luke Scott (Producer, Instrumentation) and Nichol Thompson (Horn)
• Reached #104 in the UK Charts.

Bugged track by track

The F-Word

“Well, that’s about the word “FUCK” basically. It’s just playing with the idea of people’s standards: Actually so many people are using that word and still they are very disturbed by that in the media. That seems to be the standard. Do you know the watershed? Whether it should be after nine o’clock in the night or before that? And there are just so much more things to be worried about than something like the ‘F-Word’.”

Getaway

“It’s about escaping… I always write about escaping, because music is escapist and people do not want to listen really to challenging lyrics. But music is to be listened to, to loose yourself. So it’s a song on me going away on a holiday and lying there in the sun and feeling guilty for the first two days that I’m not doing any work. I can’t let loose but I do so after a few days and then I always feel guilty for not being busy. Out Of Sight.”

Out Of Sight

“It Is about being overprotective and trying to keep an eye on someone too much and to let them go and develop in their own way. If I had children I would love to have a daughter. For some reason why, I don’t know – but I guess that’s what fathers always say… I think I can write about subjects like this.I can write about religion and I’m not religious – but I could be. And I could be a father so I can write about that as well.”

Fireflies

“I spent four years in New Zealand between the ages of four and eight. And I used to keep little fireflies and different bugs in a jar. So I was reading my old diaries from when I was seven years old and was inspired by that. When boys are very, very small they like to control things – more than girls maybe. So it was just me putting this in a jar and trying to control something.”

Eyes In The Back Of My Head

“That’s just keeping an eye on things. It’s about going forward and just making sure you have an eye on people that are behind you.

Till You Die

“I always write sinister love songs and I like playing with that. I don’t think they are “normal” love songs. It’s got a double meaning: I’m going to love you till you die. It’s quite sinister because it could apply that this person that I’m writing about is making sure that the loved one is always there. And it’s a romantic thing as well, saying that ‘I will love you till I’m old’.

Wave Your Hands

“It’s just another one like ‘Getaway’. Do you know the ’sheep mentality’ where everyone does the same? So it’s trying to play with the idea of being an individual.”

All I Want

“It was my attempt to be slightly sarcastic and ironic. This ‘All I want is love’ thing. Obviously everyone wants love and that’s the stereotypical view. But there are so many other things to love as well. And it’s about not changing someone.”

The Way You Are

“That’s the same thing. Those songs ‘The Way You Are’ and All I Want’ were kind of meant to be together. Again there’s a little line there “I can’t change you” and it’s not wanting to change someone.”

One Dead Groove

“That’s kind of a metaphor for being kind of stuck in a moment or in a groove. Like being stuck on the floor and not being able to lift yourself out of doing the same thing every day. Escaping again. “

The Xmas God Of New York

“Well, I absolutely love New York. I like a lot of ‘tacky’ things, of things that are extremely over the top. And Christmas is meant to be a religious festival, but go to New York and you wouldn’t even know that religion exists. So it’s quite a pagan view: New York is like a huge Christmas tree and that’s what I like about it…”

by Megalomaniac Productions

Lyrics

The F-word

Wanna get low
Wanna get high
Glue’s in the bag
like the clouds in the sky
Sticks to the cider, sticks to your lips
Wanna get the spiders off my hips
Try and make out
when you don’t get kissed
You wanna get it up but
she broke you wrist
Dad’s got your arms
and mothers got your firsts
Crossing off the kids on the Xmas list

The F-Word’s here
But the F-Word’s bad
Cuss my mother
And cuss my dad
But I love my mother
And I love my dad
Wanna have all that they never had

Wanna get high
Wanna get low
Girl’s got your bottle
and she won’t let go
So you grow up fast
You can’t slow down
Make another kid
with a bag for a crown
Mother’s in a car, dad’s at the door
Love’s got an applehead
bitten to the core
Plugged-up eyes
Sockets all raw
Try to plug the gap
but you wonder what for

Chorus

Out of sight

 Sometime
When you’re home late
And no-one comes down
Don’t make a sound
Keep your mouth shut
And sleep on the couchDon’t let her out of your sight
Look at your kids
Look at your wife
This was your life
Your life was her life
Don’t let her out of your sight.

Sometime
When you’re lonely
And no-one comes around
It’s too late
Make it right now
You were wrong to leave

Chorus

Getaway

Here you go
You have the power
To turn the rain off
Leave the shower
Start the plane
Stop your brain
Like a flowerGet away with you
Get away from me
Get away from all of it across the sea
Get away with you
Get away with me
Get away with all of it across the seaWhen you get there
Don’t let your brain tease
Just let the suncream
Burn your knees
Feel the sunshine
Empty your mind
Drift it all out on the breeze

Chorus

Fireflies

There’s bug in the jam jar
They choking
They forgot to put in holes
Their legs are broken
With their wings sprinkled on the floor

If I find them, I’m gonna kill them
It wasn’t me it was my friends
If I find them, I’m gonna kill them
It wasn’t me it was my friends

There’s bugs in the room
And they’re listening
I can’t see the fire in their tails
The fireflies are hiding
And listening to every single word

Chorus

Eyes In the Back Of Your Head

You got music in the palm of your Hands
And there’s money for the drugs and the band
You got pretty little kids you can bruise
But you can’t get the talent off your shoes

You got eyes in the back of my head

He’s got a tiny little radio mind
And a pale green face at the stop sign
He’s a dram for the misunderstood
Now black’s the new blue and bad’s the new good

You got eyes in the back of my head

They got eyes in the back of your head
It’s like a blind man sleeping in your bed
You pay him absolutely nothing for relief
But you need it much more than self-belief

You got eyes in the back of my head

Till You Die

One is you
Two is me
Three’s a baby
Four’s the family

Buy the cake
Buy the ring
Get the knife
Stick it in
Cos it all adds up you’ve got one stab at love

Cos I’m gonna love you till you die
Cos I’m gonna love you till you die

Five is love
Six is plastic
Sven’s money
Eight’s fantastic

Buy the car
Buy the House
Get the Wheels
Flick the mouse
Cos it all adds up you’ve got one stab at love

Slap your kids
Hit your wife
Cos you hate your life
Screw the f-word in your fist
Cross the numbers off your list
You’ll never be much wiser than a failed womaniser
For once in your life be a man and expire

Chorus

Wave You Hands

We got love on our fingers
And hate on our knuckles
We just can’t get it off
We just can’t get it off

We might as well give it up
Throw our hands in the air
And wave them in the air
Like you just don’t care

We got an apple in our forehead
And love’s got a gun
We just can’t shake it off
We just can’t shake it off

Chorus

L-O-V-E on our fingers
L-O-V-E on our knuckles
I just can’t get enough
We just can’t get enough

Chorus

All I want is Love

Your heart is like a swarm of bees
A little breeze that makes a sound
I want to climb up
You want to climb down
You want to run
I want to freeze
See my heart, it’s on the outside
Boom boom, you smell the blood
Show me know, pretty please
Where’d you hide the loveAll i ever really wanted
All i want is love

So I was wrong
It wasn’t love
At first sight
Tonight
So I’ll sleep on the couch
If you turn out the light

I can’t change you
I just love the way you are
The way you are

So I was wrong
To drive you home
WE were drunk
And all alone
I said I loved you
You said OK
But that was last night
Now it’s today

Chorus x 2

We’ll buy you new skin
We’ll buy you clothes
Get you glass shoes
Break your toes
We’ll out new fists in
On bust-up wings
Squeeze you in
And let you sing

On golden fingers
Some knuckle dust
You’ll never break
You’ll never rust
You’ll always be this pretty thing
That spins around
And sings

Chorus

One Dead Groove

Take a look at the sky
Take a look at the ground
Take a look ahead
You’ll hear the sound
Take a look at the ground
The way your feet don’t move
Spinning like car wheels
In one dead Groove

In one dead groove

Take a look at your eyes
Like the holes in the ground
Uncover your face
Till you hear the sound
Somewhere you shouldn’t be
before your ears got wings
Things you never want to hear
So high the air stings

In one dead groove
You can get so high
From one dead groove
You can touch the sky

In one dead groove

Christmas God of New York (Bonus track)

The Apple went bad and lost its smile
It was heaven for a while
You get it all at any price
God I’m so glad you named it twice

Shut up, sit down, don’t talk
It’s the Christmas God of New York
Shut up, sit down, don’t walk
It’s the Christmas God of New York

There’s Christmas light around the spire
My little bulldog’s all on fire
Wish I could walk across the sea
That bad old apple’s where I should be

Chorus x 2

Related singles:Lyrics from The F-Word

(thanks to badpenny)

Just a Little

Not too much
Just a little
Just a little

Not too much
Just a little
Just a little

Not too much
Just a little
Just a little

Not too much
Just a little
Just a little

You got sharp sticks for your eyes
Chuck them at me I will die
I pick them up and start a fire
I’ll heat your tears up till they’re dry

I don’t need coke in my cup
I don’t need coffee to keep me up
I just need you in my ear
A little love, a little fear, a little freer

We make it up around a fire
Sat like little kids on a tire
I watch your eyes stream like a sieve
I hope that one day you will forgive

Don’t need wine in my cup
Don’t see god when I look up
I just need you in my ear
Heavens above! What next, my dear?

I don’t need coke in my cup
I don’t need caffeine to keep me up
I just need you in my ear
A little love, a little fear, a little freer

We get some gas from the car
Spray it round where we are
I light two cigarettes from the fire
And flick the black lung skins at the stars I don’t need coke in my cup
I don’t need caffeine to keep me up
I just need you in my ear
A little love, a little fear, a little freer

Don’t need wine in my cup
Don’t see god when I look up
I just need you in my ear
Heavens above! What next, my dear?

Beat the Boys Up

What the boys say is that the girls are crazy
They want our money for being lazy
And what the girls say is that the boys are phasey
They go right through ‘em like picking daisies Let’s beat the boys up x6
Let’s beat the x6
Let’s beat the boys up

And what the people say is let’s live together
Give up all the (courtship?), start to be clever
All the girls in the house with your plastic cups
Thank god for being (?), let’s beat the boys up

Repeat chorus x3