Frank Turner

"Stop asking musicians what they think" He said softly as he poured himself a second drink And outside, the world slipped over the brink We all thought we had nothing to lose That we could trust in crossed fingers and horseshoes That everything would work...

It hadn’t been a day when everything had turned out right – She called me up and asked me to come over in the night, To make her cups of tea and listen quietly as she starts To list the latest list of bastards who have trampled on her heart. I see her in the...

Rise in the morning at sunrise Strangers around me sleep soundly at rest Phones and computers become me Signals stretch back to the lands that I've left Oh in the quiet times Count up the things that I love Slip through the road lights The trail of wandering b...

All my life I been searching for something Something never comes Never leads to nothing Nothing satisfies but I'm gettin' close Closer to the prize at the end of the rope All night long I dream of the day When it comes around then it's taken away Leaves...

The single saddest thing that I ever heard you say Was on the day I told you I had to go away. You said “Darling baby please, if you really mean to leave, Can't I just hold you for a little while longer?” And the single hardest thing I ever had to do Was take...

When I was just a skinny lad on holiday by the sea, I met a girl in a Rancid shirt, and a tape she gave to me With the Black Flag First Four Years and the Minor Threat Discography, And punk rock saved my life. Going down the Red Eye back in 1998, Hanging out w...

Slumber-blind I speak my mind When I'm out cold (or so I'm told) And so I'm scared to rest my head in company. You're not scared of words unsaid, You close your eyes, say your goodbyes And so I'm left to watch you drift away from me So peacefully. And I'm jus...

History's been leaning on me lately; I can feel the future breathing down my neck And all the things I thought were true When I was young and you were too Turned out to be broken And I don't know what comes next In a world that has decided That it's go...

Oh my friend loneliness, where have you been? You left to the lure of the lover who left me alone But now you come crawling back, and I'll let you in And we'll slip back into grooves that we cut in ourselves long ago But there must be a better half, somewhere...

As I walked out one morning fair, I found myself drawn thoughtlessly Back to the place we used to live, And you still do, now without me. Around the back, away from the road, Behind the bins, beneath your window, I found the hulk, the rusting bulk Of a shatte...

I check that I've got all my things before I leave the house, Because when I'm gone I'm never coming back. I'm not being melodramatic, it's just I neither have your number or a key. An evening spent pretending that we're just becoming friends, Or this goes any...

You could say I reached that time I know my trade And that I know how to care for my guitar And I know how to get it played I'm comfortable and I sleep on a floor I've played a fair few shows And I'm gonna play more And all along the while I was just trying...

Me and my friend Dan are going to get some beers and then we're going to go down to the park and drink them there. We'll bask out in the sun, bring a guitar and play some songs, call up our friends and invite them out to share what might be the last weekend of...

Originally by ABBA You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen Friday night and the lights are low Looking out for the place to go Where they play the right music, getting in the swing...

Not everyone grows up to be an astronaut, not everyone was born to be a king, not everyone can be Freddie Mercu-ry, but everyone can raise their glass and sing. I may not be the perfect kind of person, I may not do what mum and dad dreamed, but on the day I d...

Meet me on the edges of this city, meet me where the underground runs out. Bring a picnic blanket and your pity, a pen and paper, so I can write things down. Mother, oh dear mother, I wasn’t joking when I said that I plan to keep doing this until the day I’m d...

When I was sixteen I cut myself a Mohawk, Because I wanted to walk the walk, And not just talk the talk, But it was a bit of a disaster because I did the sides with kitchen scissors, Because I didn’t have any clippers, And I didn’t want to use a beard-trimmer...

Originally by Black Flag Someday I'll feel no pain Someday I won't have a brain They'll take away the part that hurts And let the rest remain Fix me Fix my head Fix me please I don't wanna be dead Someday We'll all be rich Someday I won't listen to you bitc...

Because we're all so very twenty first century, You're probably listening to me on some kind of portable stereo. Maybe you're sitting on the back of the bus, Or it's running up your sleeve, and you're across from your boss, Or you're sitting in your bedroom on...

If I was to walk from where I am To where you are right now I'd have to cross eight borders and three seas. But that might show you what you mean to me. And if I was to make this journey long I'd have to learn to swim Much better than my doggy-paddle way. But...

I got me a shovel And I'm digging a ditch And I'm going to fight for this four square feet of land like a mean old son of a bitch I got me a future I'm not stuck on the past I got no new tricks, yeah I'm up on bricks but me, I'm a machine and I was built...

Brothers and sisters, have you heard the news? The storm has lifted and there's nothing to lose, So swap your confirmation for your dancing shoes, Because there never was no God. Step out of the darkness and onto the streets, Forget about the fast, let's...

I have searched for you In the darkness of a dozen dingy dance halls In countless queues in cafes in the suburbs In the bed clothes of a thousand stranger's bedrooms And I have yearned for you In the airless hubs of international airports In the hollow hell o...

Well I lie I cheat and I steal, And I don't give two shits about the way that you feel. I barely know who you are, But I'll break your heart and then I'll sleep in your car. I'm not dying inside, I'm dead. Too many people have fucked with my head, And now I'm...

You've been pretty since the day that you were born So the roots of your beautiful hair Drew all the water that your body could hold So when your soul needed water, no water was there. You shed words like so much dead skin They gather up like dust against wal...

I keep having dreams Of pioneers and pirate ships and Bob Dylan Of people wrapped up tight in the things that will kill them Of being trapped in a lift plunging straight to the bottom Of open seas and ways of life we've forgotten I keep having dreams Am...

Let's begin at the beginning: we're lovers and we're losers, we're heroes and we're pioneers, and we're beggars and we're choosers. We're skirting round the edges of the ideal demographic. We're almost on the guestlist, but we're always stuck in traffic. We've...

We were only supposed to go out for the night, But it's been a few hours now since it got light - We're a mess, and the worst part is we couldn't care less. There's water in the ash-tray and ash in the sink, The carpet's mostly soaking, but there's nothing to...

Hear ye, hear ye, friends and romans, countrymen Hear ye, hear ye, punks and skins and journeymen Hear ye, hear ye, my sisters and my brethren, Our time is coming near. So come ye, come ye, to soulless corporate circus tops, Come ye, come ye, to toilet ci...

Forgive me someone, for I have sinned And I know not where I should begin Some days it feels like you just can't win No matter what you do or say. Things didn't kill me but I don't feel stronger Life is short but it feels much longer You've lost that dr...

Naked and retched and retching on a hotel bathroom floor, Somewhere in the City Three days no sleeping, not eating, not feeling good anymore Drenched in sweat and self-pity now, it's not a pretty sight What to say in my defense, I was imperfect tense Used to...

So now the years are rolling by, and it’s not long since you and I could have been train drivers and astronauts. And now we’re stuck in furnished ruts, but yet the thing that really cuts is that we can’t remember how we got caught. Filtered air, computer scree...

I've heard it said the trick Is to set your watch when you hit the plane That way you can trick The workings of a tired brain But sometimes I feel sick Sometimes I just feel so drained And cut down to the quick Longing for that voice again On the phone You alw...

I heard the name Josephine, It came to me in a dream. And I don't usually set too much store by the things These things might mean. But it was spoken with seriousness, More of a whisper than a scream. So now I'm waiting on some Josephine To show herself...

Moses was old, a chill in his bones. Falling apart, he knew in his heart that his time had come. As he lay in his tent in the hot desert sands, he smiled at how he would never see his promised land. He sang "I could have lived and died an Egyptian prince, I co...

I bought my soul back from the devil, and now I’m keeping it all to myself. I’m checking myself out of the program, because I know what’s best for my health. So why live the dream like you’re running out of sleep? I’m not playing to pass time, I’m playing fo...

I was sipping on a Whiskey when I got the call Yeah my friend Lex was lying in the hospital She'd been pretty sick for about half a year But it seems liked this time the end was drawing near So dropped my plans and jumped the next London train I found her laid...

I've been trying to find a way that I could say it you - Say it you, all that I've been trying to say. I've been stuttering my way from here to anywhere - Anywhere you can hear me stutter away. I've been longing for the day, when you would say "Hey, I feel a...

Oh my broken battered body, In the days when I was younger, Used to fix itself quick sharp After every slip and stumble. But these days I'm collecting scars that don't seem to fade, Cuts and bruises that won't go away. And I used to think that I Would...

Well a teacher of mine once told me That life was just a list of disappoints and defeats And you could only do your best, And I said "That's a fucking cop-out, you're just washed up and your tired, and when I get to your age I won't be such a coward" But the...

Wandering lonely through the snow streets of New York I stumbled on a thrift store that sold postcards by the yard I bought a mile and shipped them home so I could read Ten thousand ten-word tragedies, the lives these strangers lead To remind myself the th...

Mother loves me still despite My failing health and lack of drive. Shame on me, I could be so much better than I am. Songs unfinished, post unopened, Clothes unwashed and vows now broken. Shame on me, I could be so much better than I am. If I could just rela...

Would you pick your clothes up, put your clothes on, Pack your things and go? I’m tired of sinking this low. Awkward semi-naked coffee conversations fade Quicker than mistakes that were made. Mornings when I’m coming down, being driven round the bend, Make for...

From the heart of the Southern Downs, to the North-East London reservoirs, From the start, the land scaped my sound, before I'd ever been to America. And if I knew anybody who played pedal steel guitar, I'd get them in my band and then my band would get real...

I never had a brother, old friend you had three. You always said that if you had another one it would be me. When you come through the flames, not everything has survived; Forget about family now, we've got our old flyers, Lame tattoos, The in-jokes and memori...

The demonstrations got boring – Well it was obvious that the government was ignoring us. It’s hard to drag yourself through empty streets On an empty stomach and no sleep. The shortcomings got clearer, As the price we paid got dearer and dearer. It’s supposed...

Tonight is her night, and the city holds is breath, caught twixt life and death, as she rolls in from the suburbs, the garrison flees and the city will burn. Corinna rides like Boadicea tonight. London town trembles at the sight. Because tonight is her night....

Originally by Bad Brains I make decision with precision Lost inside this manned collision Just to see that what is to be Perfectly my fantasy I came to know with now dismay That in this world we all must pay Pay to write, pay to play Pay to cum, pay to figh...

Peggy came to me in my sleep In the middle of the night, On a friday night last week she whispered "hush child now don't be scared" I got me a few words of wisdom that I came back to share and she said It doesn't matter where you come from, It matters...

1,2,1,2,3 Well I guess I should confess that I am starting to get old All the latest music fads all passed me by and left me cold All the kids are talking slang I won't pretend to understand All my friends are getting married, mortgages and pension plans And...

Just give me one fine day of plain sailing weather And I can fuck up anything, anything. It was a wonderful life when we were together, And now I've fucked up every little goddamn thing. Amelie lied to me, this was supposed to be easy. I found the one da...

They're coming out of the walls, they're coming up through the streets They're quicksilver wracked by some invisible beat And right outside of your door, the very stones come alive They are the spring in the step, the distant look in the eyes Put your Baudela...

Man, we used to be brothers Superheroes and warriors Cowboys and Indians, train drivers Everything rolling through the endless summers But everything changes You got married had children And I don't have your number The one I can remember is that place...

You're not as messed up as you think you are Your self absorption makes you messier Just settle down and you will feel a whole lot better Deep down you're just like everybody else She's not as pretty as she thinks she is Just picture her after she's had kids...

Blacking in and out in a strange flat in east London. Somebody I don’t really know just gave me something to help settle me down And to stop me from always thinking about you. And you know your life is heading in a questionable direction when you’re up for day...

I was walking home to my house through the snow from the station when Springsteen came clear in my headphones with a pertinent question Oh is love really real and can any of us hope for redemption? Or are we all merely biding our time down to lonely conclus...

Richard Divine made up his mind to take the last few steps to the bathroom door from his bedroom floor and to lock himself in. Steady young hands, meticulous plans, disposable razors and a blisterpack filled with strong sleeping pills, and a bath of hot water....

I have to admit that I am one of the many Who thought that a guitar would win him a lady. My teenage years, they were a feminine drought, And I thought that a serenade would help out. And it seemed to be working for a couple of years – I wrote a few songs and...

If I had been born two hundred years ago I would have been a sailor, and sailing I would go I’d sail around the Capes and across the seven seas and then back home If I had been born two hundred years ago And I would know the waters, and the waters would know...

Moving, keep moving, the tour never stops. In the light of petrol stations and cheap corner shops I have finally figured a list of the things that I've got, And the things that I'm not. I need you, I need you, I need you to care, When I'm moving it's soothing...

Originally by Million Dead It was the strangest thing today I saw new footprints in abandoned pathways. Beneath forgotten undergrowth something stirring again. You were a single red blood cell but I lost you in the knot of capillaries But you were bringin...

Once an honest man could go from sunrise to its set without encountering agents of his state or government. But a sorry cloud of tyranny has fallen across the land, brought on by the hollow men, who did not understand that for centuries our forefathers have fo...

Monday morning, comes a crawling in From another weekend choked with cigarettes and sin I've been busy, so much lately That every time I get some time to spend I end up drunk or sleeping in And I miss you, you're busy too We call each other up, when we're mess...

The first girl that I fell for was a fair and faithful fighter She smouldered with a will to save the world I did my best to help her, yeah I stood shoulder to shoulder On the front lines with my visionary girl I wish that she had cared for me But in the end...

Sunday nights are slow surrender. It never lasts and we never learn. We can still make this one to remember. It’s Sunday night and we’ve time to burn. Tomorrow morning can wait its turn. So charge your glasses and raise a toast to the memory gained, to the sle...

I remember the day - the day when I had to take you to the airport And put you on a plane, and so you left me. Left me alone on an empty tube train, deep under the ground, While you were bathed in sunlight, high above the clouds. I needed you here to be my s...

Oh it's payday, yes it's payday I got my pay cheque from the man There's not so many jobs that I can get these days With these marks all over my hands But I'm gonna take that cheque I'm gonna head across the track To the wrong side of this town I'm gonna op...

God dammit Amy, we're not kids any more. You can't just keep waltzing out of my life, Leaving clothes on my bedroom floor, Like nothing really matters, like pain doesn't hurt. You should be more to me by now than just heartbreak in a short skirt. You kind of...

Whatever happened to childhood? We're all scared of the kids in our neighborhood; They're not small, charming and harmless, They're a violent bunch of bastard little shits. And anyone who looks younger than me Makes me check for my wallet, my phone and my keys...

Everybody’s got themselves a plan, Everybody thinks they’ll be the man, including the girls. The musicians who lack the friends to form a band are singer-songwriters, The rest of us are DJ’s or official club photographers. And tonight I’m playing another Nambu...

Originally by The Postal Service Smeared black ink Your palms are sweaty And I'm barely listening To last demands I'm staring at the asphalt wondering What's buried underneath where I am I'll wear my badge A vinyl sticker with big block letters Adherent to...

I should have seen you were coming, I should have been prepared. After all, getting half of what you wish for isn't so rare. But still I wasn't ready, you took my by surprise, you brought a light to my dark like a word from the wise. We fell in love in the sum...

Parents don't be too kind to your kids, Or how else will they grow up to be Louche Parisian sinners or Nashville country singers, Singing about the terrible things their parents did? Lovers don't be sparing with the truth; Break their hearts if that's what you...

Featuring Jamie Lenman There’s so many beautiful girls in here tonight, I can hardly stand it. Where do they go during the day? Who the hell do they go home with at the end of the night? I don’t understand it. They never go home with me. You dance as if you...

I drink because I’m thirsty, I drink because I’m dry. I’m not yet quite thirty, but I feel like I’m dying. I drink because I want to, I need to, I don’t know what else to do with my time I won’t say it but you can see it in my eyes. You drink because you’...

Originally by The Lemonheads I always had a roof above me, I always paid the rent And I've never set foot inside a tent I couldn't build a fire to save my life I lied about being the outdoor type Well, I've never slept out underneath the stars The closest t...

I woke up on a sofa in an unfamiliar house, Surrounded by sleeping folks that I didn’t know. On failing to find my friends, I decided that it was clearly time to go. So I made my way out of the door as quietly as I could – There was no one there I knew to say...

To the east, to the east, the road beneath my feet. To the west, to the west, I haven’t got there yet. And to the north, to the north, never to be caught. To the south, to the south, my time is running out. Ever since my childhood I've been scared, I've b...

Some mornings I pray for evening, For the day to be done. Some summer days I hide away And pray for rain to come. It turns out hell will not be found Within the fires below, But in making do and muddling through When you've nowhere else to go. But the...

A free house, a sound-system and a fridge full of beer; I've known how this story ends for a good few years. The night lays out before my eyes, there's no new faces, no surprises. This town is growing old with me, so I'm making a move. Everybody round here's b...

I’ma gonna build myself a time machine On particle physics and the power steam It runs on diesel oil and Donnie Darko daydreams Packed a pair of socks and a hunting riffle Change of underwear and some snacks to trifle Scared of going back you know how I’m forg...

I come from the land of the Wessex down From the Hampshire hills near Winchester town In the country where the soft South rivers flow down To English channel I roam, this is where I call home I sing for my supper and I'm pretty well fed My cross is silent and...

Let’s inherit the earth, because no one else is taking it. Come on, do your worst, before the moment’s passed. In bedrooms across England, and all the Western world, there’s posters and there’s magazines but the music isn’t ours. Because we write love songs in...

Sorting through my things the other day I found an old film camera that I thought I'd thrown away But there it was covered in dust I checked it and the film inside still had a few pictures left So I just snapped it off and then I found a place on the high stre...

This country is my canvas – I leave paint trails as I go. I’m painting a picture That you can only see from outer space. My bedroom is your sofa, I take my breakfast on the train. I’m tired and I’m dirty, and not a second goes to waste. I’ll be dead but never...

I have wept until I've slept Into the lap of the lady that I love And though she begged and she cajoled I couldn't tell her what I was thinking of I didn't chose, no I was chosen By a life that must be lived in passing through And though she changed so...

The bands I like, they don't sell too many records And the girls I like, they don't kiss too many boys Books I read will never be best sellers, yeah But come on fellas at least we made our choice, hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey! What do we want? And when do we want...

A mother said, "Beware of boys in bands And certainly don't let them write you songs For they will come to you on bended knee and kiss your pretty hands When the singing's done, and the suns up they'll be gone." While her mother has a point, I might resent the...

It’s been eighteen months since I kissed you once, So just saying “hi” just isn’t going to fly, But if you give me a clue and a minute or two, Then I might remember your name. And I hate to insist that I was really that pissed, But to tell the truth, in my flu...

Honestly, relax my dear, it’s clear that we are done. It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out that one. It’s obvious, the way you move, the way you hold your head, The way you hide your pretty eyes and shift across the bed. Honestly, I’ll be fine, this isn’...

Originally by Jimmie Davis The other night dear as I laid sleeping I dreamed I held you in my arms But when I awoke dear I was mistaken So I hung my head and cry You are my sunshine my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are grey You'll never know de...