Maniac - Gadfly - Dreamsville 2000
'Turn Faces' - Hypertension 2000

ŠIan McLagan - BigHugeMusic (ASCAP) BugMusic

Best of British
Ian McLagan

I wish you the best of British though we're miles apart - I wish you the best of British
In the chill of September when the leaves all fall to the ground
Say hello to London town for me
And in the rush hour evenings when the rain comes pouring down
Just for a moment it's where I want to be - I wish you the best of British

And in the cold of winter when the snow lays thick on the ground
Say hello to London town for me
And when the springtime sunshine finally breaks through the clouds
Just for a moment it's where I'd rather be

Remember you told me - you were walkin in the street
You saw an old friend of mine - he was draggin his feet
Well I saw him on the box last night - tellin it true
I just want to ask you how you're doin?

I wish you the best of British though we're miles apart
I wish you the best of British from the bottom of my heart
I wish you the best of British cause that's what you are - I wish you the best of British

In the stupor of summer when the pretty girls are lookin so brown
Say hello to London town for me
When the pubs are jam-packed and the pints keep coming around
Just for a moment there's nowhere else to be

Did you ever see Billy again - walkin in the street
And just like I asked you - did you tell him hello from me
It's been such a long time - but I hope it's soon
I just want to ask you how you're doin?

I wish you the best of British though we're miles apart
I wish you the best of British from the bottom of my heart
I wish you the best of British cause that's what you are - I wish you the best of British

I Only Wanna Be With You
Ian McLagan

Ink stains on a sheet of paper don't say when you're comin home
There's a jump in my heartbeat every time I hear the telephone
Dogs bark when door bells ring, police sirens, they do it too
I'm missin your kissin, I listen out for you
Oh can't you see, I only wanna be with you

Oh I, never read this in the script, Oh I - think I'm havin' a fit, Oh I

I know you're much to busy to call me - but face it baby, you can't ignore me
Remember whenever you're feelin lonely, I only wanna be with you

Ink stains on a sheet of paper don't say when you're comin home
There's a lump in my throat when I hear the telephone
Oh can't you see, I only wanna be with you

Oh I, never read this in the script, Oh I - think I'm havin' a fit, Oh I

I know you're much to busy to call me - but face it baby, you can't ignore me- no, no, no
Remember whenever you're feelin lonely, I only wanna be with you

Lonely that's what I am
Only, I only wanna be with you
I only wanna be with you



She Stole It
Ian McLagan

I loved my little girl and I wouldn't wanna choose
But I've been collecting records since 1962
When I found her note it wiped away my smile
She wrote "let's see who you love" and stole my record pile

She stole my record collection - She stole my record collection
Hank Williams & Muddy Waters, Aretha & Otis Blue
She stole every single, disc and album, and then she took 'em straight to you
Now I got nothin to play, staring at bare walls
I turned my back for a minute, she left and took 'em all
So now you got my sounds, I'm livin in an empty shack
I don't wanna see her again, I can cuddle with my cat, but I want my records back

She stole my record collection - she stole it
She stole my record collection - she stole it

Stones, Beatles & Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry & Booker T
She took The Wolf & Little Walter, James Brown - please, please, please bring 'em back
She stole it - she stole it - she stole it - hey, where's my Brother Ray?

Elvis, Gladys, Curtis, Mavis, Sly & The Family Stone
She stole every single, disc and album every cassette tape that I owned - bring 'em back
She stole it - she stole it - she stole it - she stole it



Warm Rain
Ian McLagan

Roses round your door in pink and red - that's what you wanted, it's what you said
To settle down with some lucky guy - and walk barefoot under Southern skies
Warm rain falls on you, falls on me and leaves me dry

Roses round your door in yellow and pink - is that what you wanted, is that what you think?
Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win - I sit here watching the clouds roll in
Warm rain drown me cos now I see what a fool I've been
Warm rain falls on you, falls on me and leaves me dry

If you pray real hard you just might get what you want - and I'm down on my knees on the floor
A little rain would be good right now - but sometimes, when it rains it pours

You're runnin out again in this warm rain - you're runnin out on me and straight to him
Warm rain drown me cos now I see what a fool I've been
Warm rain falls on you, falls on him and leaves me dry
Warm rain - warm rain - warm rain - warm rain



Hope Street
Ian McLagan, Jorge Calderon

The city of dreams is fast asleep - left me here counting sheep
And only a couple of blocks away - people got no place to stay
And nothing to eat on Hope Street

Nothing but a packing case for cover - we don't care enough for each other
It's not just a question of poverty - it's hard to believe the things you see
And the people you meet on Hope Street

Where faith is lost and dreams are torn - where human life is frail and worn

For some of us eviction day - could be but a paycheck away
Some may stand and take the heat - some'll end up on cold concrete
And face defeat on Hope Street

It's time we had the answer - we know it's a crime
Bin going on for so long - we're running out of time

The city of dreams is fast asleep - left me here counting sheep
And only a couple of blocks away - poor people got no place to stay
And nothing to eat on Hope Street
Living on hope - Hope Street



Hello Old Friend
Ian McLagan

Hello old friend, it's been a long time since I've seen your face in front of mine
I could talk all night, we could drink a few, I got stories to tell but I wanna know about you

I heard you were lonely - I bin lonely too, thought I was the only fool I knew

Hello old friend, it's been a long time, let's make it soon, let's make it rhyme

I heard you were lonely - I bin lonely too, thought I was the only fool I knew

Hello old friend, I'll see you in a while, we'll sit and talk and you'll make me smile
We're gonna laugh at all this, and you'll sing me a song, I'll raise my glass and play along
Hello old friend



Big Love
Ian McLagan

Just the girl I wanna meet, I seen you around
I seen you walkin down the street, I watch the fellers checkin you out
I got a secret nobody knows, I'll whisper to you way down low
I gotta big love for you, I gotta big love

They say the cost of living is bringing you down
There's a lot of fuss and bother and trouble in your home town
You got a Chevrolet, you wanna Cadillac
But I can give you what you need, I can put you on the right track
This ain't no pressure, no no, I'll whisper to you way down low
I gotta big love for you, I gotta big love
I gotta big love for you, I gotta big love

I'll show you how, I'll be so kind
I'm gonna take you down honey, sugar coat and make you shine
This ain't no pressure, no no, I'll whisper to you way down low
I gotta big love for you, I gotta big love
This ain't no pressure, no no, I'll whisper to you way down low
I gotta big love for you, I gotta big love…

I got a secret nobody knows - I'll whisper to you way down low
I gotta big love for you, I gotta big love…



Don't Let Him Out Of Your Sight
Ian McLagan

I'm looking for a pal of mine who went out walking
With a bottle of wine and a girl in tow
I'm not expecting to find him, I'm just talking
I know he's not around here but I miss him so
I heard he was in Mexico but I don't buy it
His direction was north and his spirits were high
I searched everywhere he used to go and some didn't like it
But the rumours are stranger than the reasons why

If you see him - don't let on - if you see him - don't let him know
If you see him - don't let him out of your sight

I'm looking for a pal of mine who seems to have drifted
You may see him on the road as you're driving by
He's got a twinkle in his eye, you can tell he's gifted
He's the kind of person that likes to get high
He's been seen down in Texas with some bandaleros
Oh but I know him better, he'd rather fuck than fight
All the girls want to mother him, the men call him a hero
Oh he's something to everyone but he's not here tonight

If you see him - don't let on - if you see him - don't let him know
If you see him - don't let him out of your sight

If you see him - don't let on - if you see him - don't let him know
If you see him - don't let him out of your sight

I traced him to a little town in Colorado
They say he settled down and found some relief
I'll always wonder what became of this desperado
Did he find what he was lookin for, does he rest in peace?

Don't let on - if you see him - don't let him know
If you see him - don't let him out of your sight
If you see him - don't let on - if you see him - don't let him know
If you see him - don't let him out of your sight
If you see him



Suzie Gotta Sweet Face
Ian McLagan

Suzie gotta sweet face, she got legs down to the ground
Oh she's just this side of good taste, she's a princess from a small town
She gotta personality, she gotta sweet disposition
Now she's livin out her fantasy in a beauty competition

Watcha gonna do when it's over
Watcha gonna do when it's over, Suzie?

She's packin up a suitcase, goin to Atlantic City
Oh she's gotta come in first place cos Suzie's very pretty
All she gotta do is walk, the way she fills that suit
Oh I tell her she should watch her talk, cos she can be too too cute

Watcha gonna do when it's over
Watcha gonna do when it's over, Suzie?

They all laughed when she left town, a cash prize and a gold crown
They all laughed when she came back, twenty dollars in a paper sack
But nobody could step in her shoes
Cos Suzie knows Suzie got nothing to lose

Watcha gonna do when it's over
Watcha gonna do when it's over, Suzie?

Suzie never was the best but she might've been a star
Oh but now she wears a skimpy dress serving drinks in a bar
Suzie gotta sweet face, she got legs down to the ground
Oh she's just this side of good taste, she's a princess from a small town

Watcha gonna do when it's over
Watcha gonna do when it's over, Suzie?



Barking Dogs
Ian McLagan, Jorge Calderon

If anybody knew the truth no one knows it's worth
That old witchdoctor knew what he was saying - nobody can own this earth

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, barking dogs think they must

Moonlight cools the sands of Botswana by the steps of primitive man
Ancient callings echo in the dark - nobody can own this land

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, barking dogs think they must

If anybody knew the truth no one knows it's worth
That old witchdoctor knew what he was saying - nobody can own this earth

No barking dogs - no barking dogs

Seeds of greed are shot to the Heavens and finally left to disperse
Brilliant plans can turn to rock and ice when you tamper with the Universe

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, barking dogs think they must



I Will Follow
Ian McLagan

I can't hear what you're saying and I can't see why you tell me so
But anytime you say go - I will follow
I don't know what I'm doin and I can't tell anymore
But anytime that you show - I will follow

Just a lick of your lips, my heart flips
Switch your hips, ooh I'm in a fit

Anytime, anywhere, any place, and you want me there
Just snap your fingers and whisper low - I will follow - I will follow

A pretty girl told me she saw your picture on the cover of a magazine
Someday soon, and it won't be long, I'm gonna find you know matter where you been
Just a lick of your lips, my heart flips
Switch your hips, ooh I'm in a fit

Anytime, anywhere, any place, and you want me there
Just snap your fingers and whisper low - I will follow
Wherever you go darlin - I will follow
I will follow - listen to me - I will follow



This Time
Ian McLagan, Jorge Calderon

Well you heard me say how it wasn't enough, I needed more of what you got
And every time I said I'd leave, I never really meant it
Well honey now it's wake-up time, I've had my fun, I can't deny it
I always said if you look up it's written on the ceiling
This time - this time I really mean it

I seen the signs, I know what to do, you want your cake and eat it too
Forever means as long as it lasts and never, never makes it
Well honey now you know it all and yet you were the first to fall
I never meant to hurt you but sometimes it starts the healing
This time - this time I really mean it

What we do is keep on startin anew
And watch our dreams fallin through that old bottomless wishing well
When I go it's gonna hurt me I know
Cos after lovin you so I bet my sadness will show but I'm sure
This time - this time I really mean it

I thought you knew I wrote the book, I'm just surprised how long it took
Forever means as long as it lasts and never, never makes it
Well honey now it's wake-up time, I'll tell the truth, I'll even lie
It's over now, I've had enough, I think I must be dreaming
This time - this time I really mean it
This time - this time I really mean it - this time I really mean it