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Bright Lights and Billboards

by Christopher Moody & The Underground Kings

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1.
Big Star 07:20
Somewhere a girl is sleeping, somewhere she wakes up alone. Somewhere a girl is beginning, somewhere she waits by the phone. Sally rents a flat down on Camden Street, she works the night shift in the factory. She’s got secrets that she cannot keep, the nights are long so in the day she sleeps and dreams of midnight in New York City, a house with white washed walls, a guitar, a dress and her hair up pretty, but no one notices at all. She’s a big star in a small town, she plays the coffee shops and bars. For a small girl she’s got a big sound, she plays a ’68 SJ Gibson guitar. Sally pours herself another memory and in her head she hears harmonies. While all the boys see what they want to see she paints another masterpiece and dreams of midnight in New York City, a house with white washed walls, a guitar, a dress and her hair up pretty, but no one notices at all. Bright lights and billboards, theatres and stalls, all that she wants is a curtain call. Bright lights and billboards, theatres and stalls, all that she wants, all that she wants. Bright lights and billboards, theatres and stalls, all that she wants is a curtain call. Somewhere. Bright lights and billboards, theatres and stalls, all that she wants, all that she wants. Sally rents a flat down on Camden Street. It gets cold in winter but the rent is cheap. A shaft of light hangs upon her sheets and calls her back from her New York scene. Midnight in New York City, a house with white washed walls, a guitar, a dress and her hair up pretty, but no one notices at all. Midnight down in the canyons, Sally’s got her name up in lights. All her dreams, she couldn’t lay her hands on, but Sally’s doing alright, yes she’s doing alright.
2.
Lucky Ones 03:38
Well we wasted all our youth on these dreams that don’t come true yeah we wasted all the things we wanted to. Bathing in the afterglow of trust, restless hearts and teenage lust, the world was ours to lose to the dealer’s hand. But we, oh we were the lucky ones, you miss the things you lost when you’re young. With the echos of our youth still ringing in our ears you fall into the factory and disappear. Waiting on a day that never comes, when you were gonna be someone but you don’t play guitar much these days. All the songs sound the same anyway. But we, oh we were the lucky ones, I guess you miss the things you lost when you’re young. We, we burnt down the setting sun because we, oh we, we were the lucky ones. Another warm, wasted summer night when we were young, when we were young. We wore faded screen print t-shirts of our favourite 90’s bands and the girls slipped like water through our hands. We, we were the lucky ones, I guess you miss the things you lost when you were young Yeah we, we burnt down the setting sun because we, oh we, we were the lucky ones oh we, we were the lucky ones.
3.
Empty Bars 03:38
The factory whistle blows. I grab my boots and change my clothes because everybody knows it’s time to go home. Except me, I change my spots just like you do, paint myself in grey and blue and write the set-list for the show. Then it’s just me and you and whatever lies between the empty bars and dreams that don’t come true, man they never come true. So the music starts to fade into the promises you made on the days you wish you’d stayed, it’s just the saddest serenade. And the band that played well they’re just trying to get paid for all the songs they play but it’s how you play that gets you laid. Then it’s just me and you and whatever lies between the empty bars and dreams that don’t come true. It’s just me and you and these songs about my dreams, guitars are just machines that connect my heart to you and you, yeah you staring back at me, a reflection in the sea of everything I wanted to be. Bathed in the bright light and I’m singing about my past, now the days go by so fast, just leave me here. Just leave me here.
4.
Why do you call? What is on your mind? You’ve had a little bit to drink and it’s making you think love is hard to find. If you ever cared at all tell me why do you call? Why do you call? In the night the heart it will reveal the doubts you have about the love you live without. Can you really say how you feel? Now I’m giving you the ball, tell me why do you call? It’s 2.00 am and you’re alone again. When all the boys are gone you know you’ll think of me. You just dial my number and say my name, break this heart again. Why do you call little girl blue? You tell me that you love me. You tell me that you love me. You tell me that you love me, what am I supposed to do? If you ever cared at all then tell me why do you call? August is gone, September’s rolling on and the rain falls done upon us all if you ever cared at all tell me why do you call?
5.
September 05:40
September’s hanging on like a melody from a ‘Have Nots’ song and she is hanging on to me. I got to get away from all the things I’ve done and everyone that I’ve become, I got to get away from me. When she recognizes the distance between what is and what can never be. Remember everything that reminds you of her when she begins to fade into the dying end of the day. She says “don’t you write a song about me, I don’t want to be one of those girls”. But honey it’s just my way. Then she recognizes the distance in me and what will never be. I didn’t mean to be waiting here tonight. I’ve been leaving too long now that I can’t make it right. Another summer’s bleeding out into photographs and doubt, regret and REM: Find the river. Break her heart and start again. Another memory is all I see where she was meant to be like the records in a box outside my door with a note that says “I’m sorry, I can’t do this anymore. I don’t know what you’re waiting for.” I didn’t mean to be, waiting here tonight I’ve been leaving too long that I can’t make it right. Another summer’s bleeding out into photographs and doubt, regret and REM: Find the river. Close your eyes and start again. Start again, start again, start again, start again, start again. What I do ain’t what I should, it leaves me wrecked upon the coast. Turned my back on something good, turned this girl into a ghost and now she is fading fast into songs of summer’s past, oblivion and me and an ocean between Elisabeth and me and what can never be. September’s nothing now as October leans on November’s bow and she is a million miles from me.
6.
I kissed you there with my hands in your hair and walked you home to your door. The snow-covered street took prints of our feet like lovers who waltz on the shore. But I must confess that I’m just a mess, Oh darling it’s true. But maybe, baby, you’re a mess too? I don’t know where she’s gone and I don’t know where the hell I went wrong so in the spotlight I stand, strike up the band and sing along to your favourite song, your favourite song, Sha la, sha la la la la. So I can’t say what’s in my heart, there’s a darkness that no man can keep. She’s there in my day, she’s there in my night, lord she’s there when I sleep. But honestly between you and me well I’ve been numb for so long. If I’m alone and you’re alone well isn’t everyone? I don’t know where she’s gone and I don’t know where the hell I went wrong so in the spotlight I stand, strike up the band and sing along to your favourite song, your favourite song, sha la, sha la la la la. I don’t know where she’s gone and I don’t know where the hell I went wrong so in the spotlight I stand strike up the band and sing along to your favourite song, your favourite song, sha la, sha la la la la.
7.
405 03:49
There are girls I haven’t met yet and girls I never knew. There are girls who said they loved me and there’s you. There are things that I regret that I said I’d never do and the only one who ever loved me was you. Take the way home across the open yard, back to the boulevard, past the empty bars and stars and cars that drive down the 405, across Mulholland Drive out to the southern side and come on down, baby come around. There are days that I regret and days that don’t come true, days like silhouettes of the people we once knew. There are days that I forget what I’m supposed to do. The only days I ever needed were with you so take the way home across the open yard back to the boulevard past the empty bars and stars and cars that drive down the 405, across Mulholland Drive out to the southern side and come on down, baby come around. Take the way home across the open yard back to the boulevard past the empty bars and stars and cars that drive down the 405, across Mulholland Drive out to the southern side and down to the sea. Honey that’s where I’ll be, standing in the sand with a guitar in my hand so come on down. Baby come around this side of town.
8.
My Ghost 06:15
She said “You’re a real Romeo aren’t you babe?” I said “maybe that’s true. I just wanted to see the sunrise darling through your eyes so I could see me staring back at you. But it’s never that easy, everybody’s got a ghost that they will hold on to and I guess I just wanted my ghost to be you. I could stay up all night just to watch you breathe” She said, “darling it’s alright, look maybe you should leave”. So I kissed her on the porch and wandered home alone. In the light of the morning sun I thought I’d found someone but she did not come through. Oh I, I wanted ‘someone’ to be you. I see her dance across the room, I see her face up in the moon. I see her standing at the bar, I see her face up past the stars. I see her shadow on the stairs but when I turn she’s not there. No she’s not there. So you sit on the porch because she wanted to talk and the whole wide world is sleeping. She could get better if her heart would let her, you got doubts about what she’s been keeping. She is burning a whole inside you, oh she does what those pretty girls do. So you let her know that the darkness she keeps is just like the darkness in you but her hands are shaking as her heart is breaking and deep down she knows that it’s true. She is burning a whole inside you, oh she does what those pretty girls do. She said “you’re a real Romeo aren’t you babe?” I said “oh honey I’m not sure. I just wanted to be that ‘someone’ I thought I could be that ‘someone’ that you’ve been waiting for.” But it ain’t ever that easy because everyone’s got a ghost that they will hold on to and I, oh I wanted my ghost to be you. Oh I, I wanted my ghost to be you.
9.
Lamp Lights 06:19
There’s a room in a house on a street in this town, where I’ve left a little history. Everybody’s got a place that they go back to or a place that they just can’t be. Growing up my mom would call us home from the corner of the street. Seems like every little thing that I’ve done since is a promise that I could not keep. The light tonight is fading fast, the lamp lights lead us home. There is nothing ever felt so good, so sad, so sweet, so gone. Well my father worked down at Morris’ yard out past the railroad tracks, where the freight train wheels would whine like dogs that got caught up in a trap. He taught me how to be a man in a thousand quiet ways and there are things that you learn from factory men that they never need to say. The light tonight is fading fast, the lamp lights lead us home. There is nothing ever felt so good, so sad, so sweet, so gone. So gone. Now there’s a girl in a room in house somewhere and I don’t see her these days. She’s got the light of December in her eyes and she’s like August when she sways. Now everybody’s got their secrets, everybody’s got their sins. I wish I’d let you carve me up, I wish you’d let me in. We’re all down in the dust and the rubble, the consequences of our past. If I gave you my hand, would you pull me out because these days goes by so fast? The light tonight is fading fast, the lamp lights lead us home. There is nothing ever felt so good, so sad, so sweet, so gone. Yeah the light tonight is fading fast, the lamp lights lead us home. There is nothing ever felt so good, so sad, so sweet, so gone, so gone.

credits

released August 13, 2020

Christopher Moody - Vocals, Harmonica, Acoustic and Electric Guitar
Pete Larkin - Keyboards, Vocals, Percussion
Tom Mapes - Electric Guitar, Vocals, Percussion
Mark Platt - Bass, Mandolin, Vocals, Percussion
Mark Bates - Drums and Percussion
All songs written by Christopher Moody
Produced by Tom Mapes and CMUK
Recorded and Mixed by Tom Mapes for Stonedog Studios
Mastered by Rob Baldock for re:live recordings
©℗ 2020 CMUK Records. All rights reserved.

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