I'd forgotten about this one.

[zotz]

Something I haven't dug out of the record collection in a while. I've really liked this song right since it came out, partly because by any sane standard it's bloody awful - but then The Fall have always had a knack of doing great songs that are terrible by conventional standards. This is, to be honest, a very minor Fall work, but it's always appealed to me for very obvious reasons.

The Fall - Edinburgh Man (from the LP Shift-work)

It's springtime but I still miss your streets at dawn
And in the morning walking your bridges home
As I sit and stare at all of England's souls
I tell you something
I wish I was in Edinburgh

I don't mind being by myself
Don't wanta be anywhere else
Just wanna be in Edinburgh
How I wish I was in Edinburgh

You can leave me on the shelf
I'm an Edinburgh man myself
I will always give you help

It's summertime but I still miss your skies so clear
Sitting and staring on a beach somewhere
I'll tell you something
I wish I was in Edinburgh

Don't give a toss about private wealth
And history just repeats itself
Keep me away from the Festival
And just give me a warm quarter-gill

They say you project yourself
But I'm an Edinburgh man myself

It's wintertime and I still see the cobble stones
Clacking over your streets at dawn
I was really poor since I left Edinburgh

I'm OK just by myself
Cause our miserable kings won't protect us from ourselves
How I wish I was in Edinburgh
How I wish I was in Edinburgh

I was always in good health
I'm an Edinburgh man myself
I will always give you help
I'm an Edinburgh man myself



Addendum:
Actually, "The War Against Intelligence" is pretty fantastic too.

Comments

[jtemperance.livejournal.com]

I saw an interview with him where he said he worked on the words to that song for like 6 months.

[zotz]

Which I think is abut as long as he lived there for.

Time well spent, in my view. Actually, at his usual work rate, that would have left about three months to write the rest of the album and record it. I guess he didn't work on it for six months solid, then.

[devilgate.livejournal.com]

partly because by any sane standard it's bloody awful

We don't apply normal standards to The Mighty Fall.

Thanks for that, though; among other things, I could never work out what the "warm quarter gill" lyric was. I shall listen to it with fresh ears. It's probably my favourite Fall song.

Whenever I hear the phrase "The War on Terrorism" I think of "The War Against Intelligience". At first this was just soundalike-ism; but as time goes on it seems more and more appropriate.

[bootpunk.livejournal.com]

I take it that it is now clear to you that a warm quarter gill is a shot of whisky? Altho' in these EU days, I suspect that it is 25ml - which might actually scan (thinks warm quarter gill vs warm 25 ml).

[zotz]

A spirit measure is usually now 25ml, except in the case of Scotch where it can be 35ml. This doesn't get rid of any possible confusion, but does stop any extra confusion arising.

HTH.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Damn. Now you're making me miss Edinburgh (six and a half years since I lived there now).

[zotz]

Well, you'll just have to come visit, won't you?