Get all 5 The Distractions releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Nobody's Perfect 2020 (40th anniversary expanded reissue), Kindly Leave The Stage, the end of the pier, Come Home EP, and Black Velvet.
1. |
I Don't Have Time
04:40
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I Don’t Have Time (Perrin)
We're running out of time
If you had any idea what was on my mind
It would scare you half to death
It would take away you your breath
You have no idea what it’s like to live every day like a wounded animal
To have to punch through every wall just to show the world you’re not programmable
And I can’t control my mind; I don’t have time
Your dreams were never mine
And I don’t believe our thoughts aligned
I don’t care if it sounds unkind
But you made me feel confined
I have no idea what I need but I know that I don’t need your assistance
All the therapy made it worse it just made me put up more resistance
And I can’t control my mind; I don’t have time
Too long in anonymity
Means I can't go quietly
And I hope you finally see
That the man you know's not me
I told myself I could stay away but I knew inside I never could
I've been lying to myself for years but it's never done me any good
And I can’t control my mind; I don’t have time
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2. |
Wise
04:26
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Wise (N.J. Halliwell)
I swore I’d never share a room with you again
Yet here we are with twin beds pushed apart
I know full well that I will only get to sleep
If I give myself at least an hour’s start
Time has been gentle with me,
You have not fared so well
And as a lone car passes
The glint of your glasses
By your bedside casts a spell
The girls all used to fall for the twinkle in those eyes
When you came undone, I would be the one to be Wise
Though you stood centre stage with the spotlight all your own
I would take the words and put them in your mouth
Even then I knew full well, that there always comes a time
When the crow’s feet come and swallows must fly south
Time has come calling for you
Whereas I can’t complain
Though we may not have long
I’ll write just one last song
And we’ll try our luck again
The girls all used to fall for the twinkle in your eyes
When you were in despair, I was always there to be Wise
I could tell you that I’m sorry that
I left you in the lurch
But the pair of us were living half our lives
As I hear a once familiar noise,
See the stripes that once we shared
I think we’d best get home now to our wives
The girls all used to fall for the twinkle in those eyes
And as I look at you, there’s still work to do to be Wise
And when all’s said and done, I will be the one to be Wise
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3. |
Girl Of The Year
03:24
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Girl Of The Year (Perrin)
Her endless summer came and went and now it’s cold
She feels like jumping off the pier
She spent it looking for the place no-one grows old
She clearly didn’t find it here
And though she’s smiling her eyes are filled with tears
She’s the girl of the year
She tried to pay a man to take her out of town
He took her money and he left
He never told her that his car had broken down
She’s trying not to look bereft
She’s tried closing her eyes but she can’t disappear
She’s the girl of the year
The boys are running round this way and that
She’d like to join them but she’s scared of looking fat
The shops are boarded up the fairground has closed down
She never felt she fitted in
The beach was not the perfect place to hang around
When you’re lonely and can’t swim
She’d like to go home but it’s even worse than here
She’s the girl of the year
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4. |
Boots
03:04
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Boots (Perrin/Halliwell)
At night the world just leaves us
To drugs I've never heard of
In twice-used hypodermics
And multicoloured pills
Though I don’t yet speak the language
Of the local population,
They say that I was born here
The smell makes me feel ill.
So with an extra pound in every stone, more feet in every yard
Who’d’ve thought that coming back would be so hard?
Though going forward isn’t easier, I’m best at standing still
And I’ve yet to find a pair of boots to fill
I think we must’ve met here,
Her face looks so familiar
She married for convenience
To keep the pack at bay;
While a floating population
Of disappointed locals
Merge into stark blank faces
As the outro starts to play.
I don't close my eyes much lately
There’ll be time enough for that
I take readings of my heartbeat
Every day.
Although some acts can’t be forgiven
And some can’t be forgotten
I really don't remember
Why it mattered anyway.
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5. |
When It Was Mine
04:24
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When It Was Mine (Perrin)
Now only winter seems to bring good weather
And if I still was making plans
I might decide to stay round here for ever
And if I did, I guess there’d be a chance
To recover some sort of meaning
And to move on to another phase
But I barely glance out of the window
And I tend to sleepwalk through most days
Everything has its place and every man has his time
I just didn’t notice, when it was mine
Even the least convenient form of travel
Will get you where you have to go
When your life is starting to unravel
It doesn’t matter if it’s fast or slow
And if the mirror at the station
Makes you look just like somebody else
You can try out lots of different faces
But in the end you’ll have to face yourself
Everything has its place and every man has his time
I just didn’t notice, when it was mine
And if you’re finally coming to your senses
And you know that your last chance is blown
Maybe it’s time to let down your defences
Maybe it’s time to finally go home
And to confront what’s always been there waiting
If you think that you can be that strong
And get past the years of hesitating
And admit you know you got it wrong
Everything has its place and every man has his time
I just didn’t notice, when it was mine
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6. |
Too Late To Change
03:23
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Too Late To Change (Perrin)
Your name on my arm isn’t where it once was
As the skin starts to age it starts moving because
Of a process that’s slowing the blood in my veins
But I’d go through the whole thing again and again
And although the tattoo may fade
It still shows the decisions I’ve made
I’d make them all again
I remember how long it took for the healing
This artist’s impression of my abstract feeling
I do not profess to be brave or be strong
I just know you’re the one thing I didn’t get wrong
When I look in the mirror it’s deeply confusing
The marks and the scars the dead skin and the bruising
Despite this I don’t find it hard to confess
You’re the one thing in my life that isn’t a mess
I’d do everything the same
And I’ll take all the blame
It’s too late to change
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7. |
The Summer I Met You
03:36
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The Summer I Met You (Perrin)
There was this film I saw by chance
In black and white and set in France
They showed it on late night TV
The actors looked like you and me
I couldn’t stand to watch the end
I found it easier to pretend
That things would work out like they should
Which didn’t do me any good
The summer I met you, you looked so beautiful
That trying to forget you didn’t seem logical
But you saw right through me when you looked in my eyes
And saw I had nothing to offer but lies
I’d have to say that all it took
Was your strange neurotic look
You know I really didn’t care
You didn’t need some quick affair
I didn’t care that you were haunted
It only mattered what I wanted
That’s how it was when I was younger
I only felt my body’s hunger
You know there isn’t any point in me pretending
You know I never was much good with endings
The summer I met you, you looked so beautiful
That trying to forget you didn’t seem logical
But you saw right through me when you looked in my eyes
And saw I had nothing to offer but lies
But you saw right through me when you looked in my eyes
And saw I had nothing to offer but lies
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8. |
Man Of The Moment
02:41
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Man Of The Moment (N.J. Halliwell)
I can’t help thinking of what might’ve been
If the car had started that day
Perhaps the commercial transaction agreed
Would’ve taken us further away
But you pay as you earn
And you pay as you go
Though the man of the moment was well on his way
The girl of the year was never to know.
Well I got out of town that same afternoon
There was nothing else keeping me there
As October melts out of September I smell
The salt and the spray in her hair
But you pay as you earn
And you pay as you go
Though the man of the moment was well on his way
The girl of the year was never to know.
I thought I caught a glimpse of her once
At a run-down travelling fair
She looked into my face
Then she stared into space...
Then the very next moment;
She was no longer there
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9. |
100 Times
04:40
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100 Times (Perrin)
I can’t recall exactly when we hit this wall
But when I don’t know what to say I tend to look the other way
And you don’t talk much anyway and so we go from day to day
Both staring straight ahead until it’s time for bed
And even though we’ve been through this
A hundred times before
Because you don’t know how to love yourself
I have to love you more
Until you tell me what to do I won’t know how to talk to you
As I can’t make things right I just try to be polite
And as for you it seems there’s nothing I can do to compensate for what you think I took
You can freeze me with a look
Letting go’s the hardest thing but holding on to anything
Gets harder everyday as I feel you slip away
So take your time in leaving me my only crime was wanting
what was never mine to hold and maybe getting old
And even though we’ve been through this
A hundred times before
Until you find a way to love yourself
I’ll have to love you more
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10. |
The Last Song
04:08
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The Last Song (Perrin/Halliwell)
When the initial shock wore off
And most things were back in place again
It became quite plain
That you won't be coming back this way
And it doesn't matter what I say
I'll miss you every day
This is the last song I'll ever sing
This is the last song I'll ever sing
This is the last song I'll ever sing
To you
I quite like living on my own
I am selfish in so many ways
You knew that anyway
There's space but no room for light and shade
Too much silence is the price I've paid
Still the bed gets made
This is the last song I'll ever sing
This is the last song I'll ever sing
To you
And although tied my tongue still has the taste
I wear the miles like lines upon my face – too many and too late...
This is the last song I'll ever sing
This is the last song I'll ever sing
To you
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The Distractions Manchester, UK
One of the great Manchester bands. 2020 sees a 40th anniversary reissue (finally!) of their classic debut album, "Nobody's Perfect" with a plethora of bonus tracks.
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