The Ballad of Darren Album Lyrics by Blur

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The Ballad

I just looked into my life
And all I saw was that you're not coming back
Oh, can't you see when the ballad comes for you
It comes like me?
But I won't be afraid
I can't seem to find you in this midnight parade
I know it's all true
When the ballad comes for me, it comes like you

Up close
I fell in love with you (I met you at an early show)
You fall and
I'll fall along with you (we travelled 'round the world together)

I just looked out to the point
Where the words, they are hitting me
In a full-on assault
Oh, can't you see when the ballad comes for you
It comes like me?
Well, I know I can't change the times
I know I'm already breaking when I look into your eyes
Oh, can't you see when the ballad comes for you
It comes like me?

Up close
I fell in love with you (I met you an early show)
You fall
I'll fall along with you (we travelled 'round the world together)

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St. Charles Square

I f*cked up
I'm not the first to do it
Must forgo now, your smile
Off the wall, beige
I'm fixtures and fittings now
Call me out but call me

'Cause there's something down here and it's living under the floorboards (ah)
It's grabbed me round the neck with its long and slender claws (ah)
Oh, don't leave me here, baby, don't leave me completely
'Cause I might not get back to myself at all

St. Charles Square
This year's migration
Basement flat with window bars
Pauli's outside
Spare me the gloaters and the pain
I don't want it anymore

'Cause there 's something down here and it's living under the floorboards (ah)
It's up and down the clock of the townhall back in time (ah)
Oh, I'll ride with you, baby, I'll ride with you forever
But we might not get back to ourselves at all
No Tesco disco

The room is shrinking fast around me
It's grabbed me by the ankle and pulled me under
Loneliness I've been here before
'Cause every generation has its gilded poseurs

Weird vibrations in the basement
I don't like this scene
Pauli's ghost come back to haunt me
Think I'm gonna

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Barbaric

Ah, who blinks first
You're gonna win
The fallen doves of lovers' vows
In the world all around us
And I'd like if you've got the time
To talk to you about
What this breakup has done to me

I have lost the feeling that I thought I'd never lose
Now where am I going?
At what cost, the feeling that I thought I'd never lose?
It is barbaric

Ah, you can't play to every taste
The powder keg of common cause
All of us carry trauma
And in lieu of an explanation
I will pour oil from the cup
On the pyre of abdication

You have lost the feeling that you thought you'd never lose
Now where are you going, darling?
At what cost the feeling that you thought you'd never lose?
And it is barbaric

Empty grove, winter darkness
We're taking down the scaffolds very soon
Crow dappled the lonely baubles on the plane tree
The can of soup and heating up to ten
Which leads me to the part
Where we agreed on different dreams

And that we'd lost the feeling that we thought we'd never lose
Now where are we going?
At what cost the feelings that we thought we'd never lose?
It is barbaric

We have lost the feeling that we thought we'd never lose
Now where are we going?
We have lost the feeling that we thought we'd never lose
And it is barbaric, darling

We have lost the feeling that we thought we'd never lose (at what cost?)
Now where are we going?
We have lost the feeling that we thought we'd never lose
It is barbaric

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Russian Strings

Where are you now?
Where are you now?
Are you coming back to us?
Are you online?
Are you contactable, again?

Where the blue lights?
Where the red-dressed puppet?
Dancing on a string?
Balalaikas and singing

The tenement blocks come crashing down
With headphones on, you won't hear that much
There's nothing fake on earth
The strings attached to all of us
There's nothing in the end, only dust
So turn the music up
I'm hitting the hard stuff

Flew to Belgrade
Stayed in a hotel, sinking
Went to museums
Tobacco and mid-week grave diggers

The tenement blocks came crashing down
With headphones on, you won't hear that much
There's nothing fake on earth
The strings attached to all of us
There is nothing in the end, only dust
When you pull the lever down
I'll be hitting the hard stuff

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The Everglades (For Leonard)

You of grace
Many ghosts alive in my mind
Many paths I wish I'd taken
Many times I thought I'd break
Because in kind it seems to be
A way beyond the bends
There be songs to play
There be grace for everyone
And calmer days will arrive
And we would not need to ask

Why everything
In this world been lost ever since
And we're not giving in
We're not gonna shy away
We're growing tall with the pain
We're searching the everglades
And suing God with change
And furthermore, I think it's just too late

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The Narcissist

Looked in the mirror
So many people standing there
I walked towards them
Into the floodlights
I heard no echo (no echo)
There was distortion everywhere (everywhere)
I found my ego (my ego)
I felt rebuttal standing there
Found my transcendence (transcendence)
It played in mono painted blue (painted blue)
You were the pirot (the pirot)
I was the dark room (the dark room)

I'ma shine a light in your eyes (in your eyes)
You'll probably shine it back on me
But I won't fall this time
With Godspeed, I'll heed the signs

I saw the solstice (the solstice)
The service station on the road (on the road)
I took the acid (the acid)
Under the white horses (the road)
My heart, it quickened (it quickened)
I could not tear myself away (myself away)
Became addiction (addiction)
If you see darkness, look away (look away)

I'ma shine a light in your eyes (look away, look away)
You'll probably shine it back on me (look away)
But I won't fall this time
With Godspeed, I'll heed the signs

Oh, glorious world (glorious)
Oh, potent waves, valleys gone wild (potent waves)
Connect us to love (us to love)
And keep us peaceful for a while (for a while)

I'ma shine a light in your eyes (for a while)
You'll probably shine it back on me (for a while)
But I won't fall this time
With Godspeed, I'll heed the signs

I'ma shine a light in your eyes (in your eyes, in your eyes)
You'll probably shine it back on me (in your eyes)
But I won't fall this time
With Godspeed, I'll heed the signs
I won't fall this time
With Godspeed, I'll heed the signs

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Goodbye Albert

Goodbye to you and me
Goodbye to the shallows like refugees, singing
We crossed the world
We disappeared
And no one looks to see if we are coming back soon
I was not ready yet
Let it go

Goodbye to you and me
You sat me with me at dawn
Then you left for sea, singing
I tried to find you there
Blue parasol
But I could not find it
In this world, denied it
But I think you'd rather
Let it go

I stayed away
I gave you time
Why don't you talk to me anymore?
Don't punish me forever

Goodbye, depression parade
Like a weather front at dawn
It could fade
I was crushed by sleep and unravelled dreams
Washed away for hours
I'd be there, not just send flowers
But I think you'd rather

I stayed away
Got pulled inside
Why don't you talk to me anymore?
Don't punish me

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Far Away Island

It's on my mind
As the light fades
What you doing tonight?
Are you dancing?
Are there new tunes to play?
As I sail further away from you

Far away island, I miss you
I know you think I must be lost now
But I'm not, anymore

It's on my mind
We're away now
Down, down into the shadows
I'm cut to pieces
And I am dancing alone with the moon
And the white whale

Far away island, I miss you
I know you think I must be lost now
But I'm not anymore

Far away island, I miss you
I know you think I must be lost now, but I'm not anymore

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Avalon

What's the point in building Avalon
If you can't be happy when it's done?
Who is in the race again
Doesn't seem a long time since the last one?

Wishing I could still make you happy
Torn apart somehow
Must be the waves we were carried on
Crashing on the shores of Avalon

Then grey-painted aeroplanes fly over
On their way to war
And I'm dialling in, I'm dialling out
There's darkness at the door
Then I overdo my dose and I don't even know I'm here anymore
It's just something that comes to us all

What's the point in painting Avalon
If you can't be present when it's done?
Who is in the vale again
Picking up the apples of Avalon?

Then grey-painted aeroplanes fly over
On their way to war
And I'm dialling in, I'm dialling out
But the glass is still half full
Then I overdo my dose and I don't even know I'm here anymore
It's just something that comes to us all

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The Heights

Suppose I'm on my own tonight
Suppose I've got to find the heights
I gave a lot of heart, so did you
Standing in the back row, this one's for you

Seeing through the coma in our lives
Something so bright out there, you can't even see it
Are we running out of time?
Something so momentary that you can't even feel it

I'll see you in the heights one day
I'll get there too
I'll be standing in the front row
Next to you

Seeing through the coma in our lives
Something so bright out there, you can't even see it
Are we running out of time?
Something so momentary that you can only be it?
So momentary

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The Rabbi

On the last message you sent to me
You seem confused to get an offering
At the events, they brought us to this juncture
Cause where's the joy in the self-delusion?
We're all practitioners of vague illusions
Hieroglyphics and pictures

[?] at high speed
The loneliness of the long-distance driver

I was lost (I was lost)
Lost (I was lost)
And you saved me

Now who's gonna be tomorrow's hero
While the system grinds [?]
[?] apologize to the streets and the rivers
The [?] is out in the 1980s
There's no going back now
The message degraded
And the storms evaded

[?] at high speed
The loneliness of the broken hearted

I was lost (I was lost)
Lost (I was lost)
And you saved me
Lost (I was lost)
Lost (I was lost)
And you saved me
Lost (I was lost)
I was lost (I was lost)
And you saved me

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The Swan

Rage is a force sometimes
That we all
That we all go cry and back to [?]
But it [?] all to forgive
Know that I will always be here
For you even

When I'm gone from this world (Gone from this world)
(Deep waters) Deep waters of [?]

What do you really want?
What do you really need?
What do you really want from me?

The swan [?]
She [?] reflections down beyond
The willow tree
Do you miss me?
[?]
Know that I will always be here
For you even

When you've gone from this world (Gone from this world)
(Deep waters) Deep waters of´[?]

What do you really want?
What do you really need?
What do you really want from mе?

The [?] of the morning star
They [?] rеflections down beyond
The broken hearts
Do you miss me now I've gone?
Know that I will always be here
Even though I have to let you go
What do you really want?
What do you really need?

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Sticks and Stones

Rage is a force sometimes
That we all
That we all go cry and back to [?]Chaos on a Friday
I tip-tow by
No need to get excited
I step outside
Smooth exterior
Mess inside
Fight the inferior
Across city lines

It's written over my face
No sleep zone
Open up my suitcase
Sticks and stones

Iron filings
Breathe 'em right in
Catch my breath
Air too thin
Floating in the darkness (floating in the darkness)
Talking to the ghosts (talking to the ghosts)
The ones that want you dead (the ones that want you dead)
Are the ones you love the most

It's written over my face
No sleep zone
Open up my suitcase
Sticks and stones
Sticks and stones
Breaking bones


Why do I want to be released
You're the past, not the future

It's written over my face
No sleep zone
Open up my suitcase
Sticks and stones
But it [?] all to forgive
Know that I will always be here
For you even

When I'm gone from this world (Gone from this world)
(Deep waters) Deep waters of [?]

What do you really want?
What do you really need?
What do you really want from me?

The swan [?]
She [?] reflections down beyond
The willow tree
Do you miss me?
[?]
Know that I will always be here
For you even

When you've gone from this world (Gone from this world)
(Deep waters) Deep waters of´[?]

What do you really want?
What do you really need?
What do you really want from mе?

The [?] of the morning star
They [?] rеflections down beyond
The broken hearts
Do you miss me now I've gone?
Know that I will always be here
Even though I have to let you go
What do you really want?
What do you really need?