Alone

The Beautiful South

 Like the contents of your handbag 
 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 girls 
 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 
 Between bored and lonely anyway