It's A Steal

(album: I'm Not Following You - 1997)

The first two chords I chanced upon
Became the bedrock of this song
Don't ask me where it all went wrong
That's for you to sit and ponder upon
Sometimes I'm thinking to myself
Should have left my dreams upon the shelf
I don't want to reveal too much about how I feel
It's a steal

I built my dreams on a bed o nails
When the twilight fails I'll fall off the rails
I might end up on that railside verge
Where my conscience merged with a Celtic dirge
When the black cap sings at the crack of dawn
I'll be so far gone he won't hear me yawn
It's not as if my boots are down at heel
It's a steal

Ho hum I might be dumb
But I can't compete with you old chum
I can't compete so I won't compete
'Cause I'm never gracious in defeat
Sometimes I'm thinking to myself
It's down to me and no one else
And then I fall to earth and I get real
It's a steal

Ninety-nine new pence is fine
But I draw the line at the one pound sign
I draw a line that I dare not cross
Where a rich man's gain is poor man's loss
Where the outlaw gang in Lincoln green
Work undercover for the Queen
But it's just a yarn it's not as if it's real
It's a steal

Sometimes I'm thinking to myself
Should have left my dreams upon the shelf
(Tell me what you really want)