And they'll all be lonely tonight and lonely tomorrow

Gentlemen time please, you know we can't serve anymore
Now the traffic lights change to stop, when there's nothing to go
And by five o'clock everything's dead
And every third car is a cab
And ignorant people sleep in their beds
Like the doped white mice in the college lab

Nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all
The needle returns to the start of the song
And we all sing along like before

And we'll all be lonely tonight and lonely tomorrow

Telephone exchanges click while there's nobody there
The Martians could land in the carpark and no one would care
Close-circuit cameras in department stores shoot the same movie every day
And the stars of these films neither die nor get killed
Just survive constant action replay

Nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all
The needle returns to the start of the song
And we all sing along like before

And we'll all be lonely tonight and lonely tomorrow

Bill hoardings advertise products that nobody needs
While angry from Manchester writes to complain about
All the repeats on T.V.
And computer terminals report some gains
On the values of copper and tin
While American businessmen snap up Van Goghs
For the price of a hospital wing

Nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all
The needle returns to the start of the song
And we all sing along like before
Nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all
They'll burn down the synagogues at six o'clock
And we'll all go along like before

And we'll all be lonely tonight and lonely tomorrow

The guilty undertaker sighs, The lonesome organ grinder cries, The silver saxophones say I should refuse you. The cracked bells and washed-out horns Blow into my face with scorn, But it's not that way, I wasn't born to lose you. I want you, I want you, I want you so bad, Honey, I want you. The drunken politician leaps Upon the street where mothers weep And the saviors who are fast asleep, They wait for you. And I wait for them to interrupt Me drinkin' from my broken cup And ask me to Open up the gate for you. I want you, I want you, I want you so bad, Honey, I want you. Now all my fathers, they've gone down True love they've been without it. But all their daughters put me down 'Cause I don't think about it. Well, I return to the Queen of Spades And talk with my chambermaid. She knows that I'm not afraid To look at her. She is good to me And there's nothing she doesn't see. She knows where I'd like to be But it doesn't matter. I want you, I want you, I want you so bad, Honey, I want you. Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit, He spoke to me, I took his flute. No, I wasn't very cute to him, Was I? But I did it, though, because he lied Because he took you for a ride And because time was on his side And because I . . . I want you, I want you, I want you so bad, Honey, I want you.

Copyright © 1966;

Hmm.....

Went out today to visit of few heritage centres near Nottingham. The plan was to get a little up-to-date information on the kind of facility I could be expected to visit and help along the way to progression on a Masters course next year. I ended up a couple of railways centres (partly due to my Dad's interest - partly for convenience sake.

It's amazing the difference between two places. Ostensibly one, the Nottingham Heritage Transport Centre at Ruddington, South Nottingham had a good location, potentially good facilities, local park and amenities for kids. It had a really quite cool minature railway to keep the kids amused, a pleasant cafe and a decent train journey. Not fabulously cheap but reasonable. The negatives were many though. It's amazing what these places expect people to put up with. Rusting hulks all over the place, things to trip over, atrociously poor signage (you had to on top of the place to find it). For the example, the collection of vintage buses was varied and interesting, but there was absolutely no information about their history, usage or design whatsoever. A series of hopelessly missed opportunities, in a generally dingy, unwelcoming and occasionally graffitied surround. A chronic lack of money, ambition and care were rather self-evident. A bit depressing as the place really had a buzz about it when we visited a few years back.

The other site was the Battlefield Line, about 10 miles North-West of Leicester. Equally, we had to be on top of the place to find it.......but the atmosphere was completely different. Though notably, this was Bank Holiday time, an effort had been to make the place welcoming. There was plenty happening on the small site of two stations to keep people entertained for a few hours. Not spectacular in content particularly, but felt more like an experience, helped by a route with some character to give the punters some memories to take away. Don't think you forget soot, steam and a cheerful train whistle as a kid into Thomas The Tank Engine. It was also interesting to see that volunteers weren't universally pensionable age.

*Plenty* to think about for my preparations for study next year. It's amazing how set in their ways some people can be about heritage sites. It's all cobwebs, falling asleep in the corner and 'how much junk can we cram into a space and call it history minus explanation'. Commercial sense just seems a foreign language. At Ruddington there was a shop about 3 metres from the car park but you had to go around a tight, secluded corner to even find the thing........crazy! You feel like knocking heads together. Well......I do.....it makes me sad. History doesn't have to waste away into nothing. The nations days of true 'greatness' may be past, but they should not leave us bereft of inspiration.

In other news, a few runs have been curtailed by my leg again. Poo! Not the kind of progress I was hoping to make......but I guess I have to learn to take things a little slower. I've tried to rush as I'm so very keen to make progress. I missed it so badly....

And as for the quiet people.......let's just say I thought I was quiet.....

(Apologies for those hideously bored by this post.......why change the habits of a lifetime!)

So it may become an ill-kept secret.....

So you knew I was a bit odd at times. A little unusual right? Any of you heard me strike up a tune might have guessed.....

And now we have it........I come out of my shell

In the eyes of one friend of mine, final proof that I'm gay........yes folks....in a few weeks I'm set to take the stage in a musical (with proper singing and dancing - or near approximation thereof)

Hold your laughter....

*giggles*

.......oh, and the gay thing.....funny how some people's minds work ain't it....