The Beautiful South - Alone lyrics

You don't know why it's there

People ask you where you're heading

You just answer "anywhere"

We don't mean to be this vague

It just happens that we are

No-one asked us to elaborate

We just shrug our shoulders and be

And like the stories that just happened

No-one thought of, no-one planned

We could have ruled, we could have conquered

Then we could have been a man

We could be ex-husband

We could be ex-wife

But no-one looks at the menu in a greasy spoon life

Alone, alone

Half an hour is seven hours

One day is several months

Alone, alone

A month is a calendar

A year can be a decade spent

Alone

He knows "hello" in eighteen languages

"I love you" in only one

By the time he's got his phrase-book

The chance is usually gone

And we feel ourselves quite prepared

But quite prepared for what

We always took the lead

Before we actually knew the plot

And you can tell where we've been shopping

By the bags beneath our eyes

Make-up shoulders burden

But the smile never lies

We could be ex-husband

We could be ex-wife

But no-one looks at the menu in a greasy spoon life

Alone, alone

Half an hour is seven hours

One day is several months

Alone, alone

A month is a calendar

A year can be a decade spent

Alone

So empty at the airport

You don't set off the doors

We used to feel like chorus girl

And now we feel like whores

Hearts built like reservoirs

Words built like dams

Thoughts built like juggernauts

Our actions built like prams

And when the wind blows into our face

We should be warmer and not colder

Well, what price the charges

On this cargo that we shoulder

We could be ex-husband

We could be ex-wife

But no-one looks at the menu in a greasy spoon life

Alone, alone

Half an hour is seven hours

One day is several months

Alone, alone

A month is a calendar

A year can be a decade spent

Alone

And we only smoke when bored

So we do two packs a day

And we've lost the difference