the loneliness of a middle distance runner

i'll take a second of the day to think about the things that we have done this year

the dog lies down

the pouring rain

i'm underneath the smoker's railway arch again

the future's looking colourful

it's the colour of blood

chaos and corruption of a happy soul

a happy soul will

ride in the field

till the rain dies down

the railway ticket states a destination

but it doesn't mean that we will show

there's a fork upon the line

we paid the guard to switch the sign

and off we go

the future's looking wonderful

it's the wonder of a businessman's conspiracy to sell your wares

and no one cares

oh you care

i know

you care

i forgot for a while

on a sulky afternoon spent in dispute

you'll give yourself a headache

boy

so i take revenge in stories and dreaming of the time when

we're on stage

have you seen the loneliness of a middle distance runner?"