Artist: The Who Album: The Who By Numbers {1975}

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight

I got my clipboard, text books - lead me to the station
Yeah, I'm off to the civil war
I've got my kit bag, my heavy boots, I'm runnin' in the rain
Gonna run till my feet are raw

Slip kid, slip kid
Second generation - I'm a soldier at thirteen
Slip kid, slip kid
Realization there's no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free
It's a hard, hard world

I let my doctor's prescription bungalow behind me
I let the door ajar
I left my vacuum flask full of hot tea and sugar
Let the keys right in my car

Slip kid, slip kid
Second generation - only half way up the tree
Slip kid, slip kid
I'm a relation - I'm a soldier at sixty-three
No easy way to be free

Slip kid, slip kid
Keep away old man, you won't fool me
You and your history won't rule me
You mighta been a fighter, but admit you failed
I'm not affected by your blackmail
You won't blackmail me

I've got my clipboard, text books - lead me to the station
Yeah, I'm off to the civil war
I've got my kit bag, my heavy boots, I'm runnin' in the rain
Gonna run till my feet are raw

Slip kid, slip kid
Slip out of trouble - slip over here and set me free
Slip kid, slip kid
Second generation - you're slidin' down the hill like me
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free, no easy way to be free

I see myself on TV, I'm a faker, a paper clown
It's clear to all my friends that I habitually lie, I just bring them down
I claim proneness to exaggeration
But the truth lies in my frustration
The children of the night they all pass me by
Got to drench myself in brandy, in sleep I'll hide
But however much I booze there ain't no way out
There ain't no way out
I don't care what you say, boy, there ain't no way out

I lose so many nights of sleep worrying about my responsibilities
Are the problems that screw me up really down to him or me
My ego will just confuse me
Some day it's going to up and use me
Dish me out another tailor-made compliment
Tell me bout some destiny I can't prevent
And however much I squirm there ain't no way out
There ain't no way out
I don't care what you say, boy, there ain't no way out

Won't somebody tell me how to get out of this place

And the night comes down like a cell door closing
Suddenly I realize that I'm writing now more honestly
While sitting here all alone with a bottle and my head a-floating
Far away from the phone and the conscience going on at me
And on at me, but I don't care what you say
There ain't no way out, there ain't no way out

Now the walls are all clawed and scratched, like by some soul insane
In the morning I hungoverly detach myself, I take no blame
I just can't face my failure
I'm nothing but a well-fucked sailor
You at home can easily decide what's right
By glancing very briefly at the songs I write
But it don't help me that you know there still ain't no way out
Won't somebody tell me
I don't care what you say, boy, there ain't no way out

There ain't no way out, there ain't no way out
There ain't no way out
Gimme the key, gimme the key, now
Gimme the key, now
Give me the key, oh, there ain't no way out of here

Ooh, tell me, tell me
There ain't no way out, there ain't no way out
There ain't no way out
There ain't no way out, there ain't no way out

Mama's got a squeeze box she wears on her chest
And when Daddy comes home he never gets no rest
Cos she's playing all night and the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night

Well the kids don't eat and the dog can't sleep
There's no escape from the music in the whole damn street
Cos she's playing all night and the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night

She goes in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out
Cos she's playing all night and the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night

She goes, "Squeeze me, come on and squeeze me
Come on and tease me like you do, I'm so in love with you."
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night

She goes in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out
Cos she's playing all night and the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night
Ba ba ooh

I feel like I want to break out of the house
My heart is a-pumping, I got sand in my mouth
I feel like I'm heading up to a cardiac arrest
I want to scream in the night, I want a manifest

I've got that wide awake, give-and-take, five o'clock-in-the-morning feeling
I've got the hots for the sluts in the well thumbed pages of a magazine
I want to drive, want to fly like I do in the dreams I've never really been in
I want to hump, want to jump, want to heat up and cool down in a dream machine

I'm dreaming from the waist on down
I'm dreaming, but I feel tired and bound
I'm dreaming of a day that a cold shower helps my health
I'm dreaming, dreaming of the day I can control myself
Day I can control myself, yeah

I dry up like a priest and then I'm shooting ice
I'm burning tires with some guy whose hair is turning white
I know the girls that I pass, they just ain't impressed
I'm too old to give up but too young to rest

I've got that run-to-a-club over-dub, feeling social when the world is sleeping
The plot starts to thicken then I sicken and I feel like I'm cemented down
I'm so juiced that the whorey lady's sad, sad story has me quietly weeping
But here comes the morning, here comes the yawning demented clown

I'm dreaming, but I know it's all hot air
I'm dreaming, I'll get back to that rockin' chair
I'm dreaming of a day when I can share the wealth
I'm dreaming, dreaming of the day I can control myself
The day I can control myself
Hey, hey
Day I can control myself, woo

Imagine a man, not a child of any revolt
But a plain man tied up in life
Imagine the sand running out as he struts
Parading and fading, ignoring his wife
Imagine a road so long looking backwards
You can't see where it really began
Imagine a load so large and so smooth
That against it a man is an ant

Then you will see the end
You will see the end

Imagine events that occur everyday
Like a shooting or raping or a simple act of deceit
Imagine a fence around you as high as prevention
Casting shadows, you can't see your feet
Imagine a girl with long flowing hair
And the body of chalky perfection and truth
Imagine a past that you wish you had lived
Full of heroes and villians and fools

And you will see the end
You will see the end
And you will see the end
You will see the end, oh yeah

Imagine a man, not a child of any revolt
But a man of today feeling new
Imagine a soul so old it it is broken
And you know your invention is you

And you will see the end
You will see the end
And you will see the end
You will see the end, oh yeah

Friday night, I'm on my way home, they oughta make work a crime
I'm home for the weekend, I'm gonna make the most of my time
There's a rock and roll singer on the television
Giving up his music, gonna take up religion
Deserted rock and roll to try to save his soul

Saturday night, gotta gig with the band playing the electric guitar
Someday I'm gonna make it, gonna be a super-duper-star
Get a big flashy car and a house for my Ma
The big break better happen soon cos I'm pushing twenty-one

Just like Cinderella when she couldn't go to the ball
A voice said, "I'm your fairy manager, you shall play the Carnegie Hall."
I gotta give up my day job to become a heartthrob
I may go far if I smash my guitar

Away for the weekend, I've gotta play some one-night stands
Six for the tax man and one for the band
Back in the studio to make our latest number one
Take two hundred and seventy-six - you know, this used to be fun

Monday morning, I just got home - six and the birds are singing
I need a drink and my clothes are wet, ooh, and my ears are still ringing
There's a rock and roll singer boppin' on the TV
He used to be a preacher but now he sings in a major key
Amended his decision to the new religion

Where do you walk on sunny times
When the rivers gleam and the buildings shine
How do you feel goin' up hallowed halls
And the summer clothes brighten gloomy halls

And they're all in love
And they're all in love

Where do you fit in pphlltt magazine
Where the past is the hero and the present a queen
Just tell me right now where do you fit in
With mud in your eye and a passion for gin

And they're, they're all in love
And they're, they're all in love

Hey, goodbye all you punks - stay young and stay high
Hand me my checkbook and I'll crawl off to die
Like a woman in childbirth grown ugly in a flash
I've seen magic and fame, now I'm recycling trash

And they're all in love
And they're all in love
And they're all in love
And they're all in love

Some people seem so obsessed with the morning
Get up early just to watch the sun rise
Some people like it more when there's fire in the sky
Worship the sun when it's high
Some people go for those sultry evenings
Sipping cocktails in the blue, red and grey
But I like every minute of the day

I like every second, so long as you are on my mind
Every moment has its special charm
It's all right when you're around, rain or shine
I know a crowd who only live after midnight
Their faces always seem so pale
And then there's friends of mine who must have sunlight
They say a suntan never fails
I know a man who works the night shift
Feels lucky to get a job and some pay
And I like every minute of the day

I dig every second
I can laugh in the snow and rain
I get a buzz from being cold and wet
The pleasure seems to balance out the pain
And so you see that I'm completely crazy
I even shun the south of France
The people on my hill, they say I'm lazy
But when they sleep I sing and dance
Some people have to have their sultry evenings
Cocktails in the blue, red and grey
But I like every minute of the day
I like every minute of the day

I'm feelin' so good right now
There's a handsome boy tells me how I changed his past
He buys me a brandy
But could it be he's really just after my ass
He likes the clothes I wear
He says he likes a man who's dressed in season
But no one else ever stares
He's being so kind - what's the reason

How many friends have I really got
You can count 'em on one hand
How many friends have I really got
How many friends have I really got
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am

Suddenly it's a silver screen
And a face so beautiful that I have to cry out
Everybody hears me
But I look like a fool now with a cry and shy out
She knows all my friends
But it's nice to find a woman who'll stay home late
But now I think I've reached the end
I wonder in the dead of night - how do I rate

How many friends have I really got
How many friends have I really got
How many friends have I really got
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am

It's all like a dream you know
When you're still up early in the morning
And you all sit together to watch the sun come through
But things don't look so good
When you could use a bit of warning
And you know that no one will ever speak the truth about you

How many friends have I really got, hey-a, hey-a
How many friends have I really got
How many friends have I really got
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am

When I first signed a contract
It was more than a handshake then - I know it still is
But there's a plain fact
We talk so much shit behind each other's backs I get the willies
People know nothing about their own soft guts
So how come they can sum us up
Without suffering all the hype we've known
How come they bum us up

How many friends have I really got
Well you can count 'em the on one hand
How many friends have I really got
How many friends have I really got
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am

Ain't it funny how they're all Cleopatra
When you gaze into their past
When you find out about their birth sign
You realize there was no need to have asked
All the history of a soul in torment
Ingrained in a hand or a face
Ain't it funny how they all fire the pistol
At the wrong end of the race

I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round, going round and round

There's a man going through your dust bin
Only this time he's looking for food
There's a tear in his eye, you don't know him
Oh, but you know what he's going through
Ain't it funny that you can't seem to help him
Feelin' sick as he staggers away
Is it weird that you hate a stranger
Can a detail correct your dismay

I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round

Round and round, round and round
Round and round, round and round
Round and round, round and round
Round and round, round and round

I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round
I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round and round
I am going round

Our drummer, Mr. Keith Moon

Splendid, thank you very much indeed
And now, as always The Who are on top of everything
And we'd like to continue with our latest single Squeeze Box


Mama's got a squeeze box she wears on her chest
And when Daddy comes home he never gets no rest
Cos she's playing all night and the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night

Well the kids don't eat and the dog can't sleep
There's no escape from the music in the whole damn street
Cos she's playing all night and the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night

She goes in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out
Cos she's playing all night and the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night

She goes, "Squeeze me, come on and squeeze me
Come on and tease me like ya do, I'm so in love with you."
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night
Squeeze your Mama a while

She goes in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out
Cos she's playing all night and the music's all right
Mama's got a squeeze box, Daddy never sleeps at night
Ba ba ooh


Thank you very much

Nice to be here as the sun goes down
We'd like to do a song now which
Of which we have the great honor of playing a short section of the song
Without Keith Moon, who's always on top of everything
Don't worry, he returns, he returns

We don't do Bell Boy
Why did you have to go and mention Bell Boy
Because
You've started a riot now
They'll all start chanting, ya know, "Bell Boy, Bell Boy."
Shut up

Anyway, no, Keith refuses to do it, because, ah
This one is a song which excludes him because he's got beautiful brown eyes
And the song is called Behind Blue Eyes


No one knows what it's like to be the bad man
To be the sad man behind blue eyes
No one knows what it's like to be hated
To be fated to telling only lies

But my dreams they aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance that's never free

No one knows what it's like to feel these feelings
Like I do and I blame you
No one bites back as hard on their anger
None of my pain and woe can show through

But my dreams they aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance that's never free

When my fist clenches crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
And when I smile just tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool

And if I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
And if I shiver please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

No one knows what it's like to be the bad man
To be the sad man behind blue eyes


Thank you

This is a song from our last album Dreaming From The Waist


I feel like I want to break out of the house
My heart is a-pumping, I got sand in my mouth
I feel like I'm heading up to a cardiac arrest
Want to scream in the night, I want a manifest

I've got that wide awake, give-and-take, five o'clock-in-the-morning feeling
I've got the hots for the sluts in the well thumbed pages of a magazine
I want to fly, want to drive like I do in the dreams I've never really been in
I want to hump, want to jump, want to heat up and cool down in a dream machine

Dreaming from the waist on down
I'm dreaming, but I feel tired and bound
I'm dreaming of a day when a cold shower helps my health
I'm dreaming, dreaming of the day I can control myself
 
I dry up like a priest and then I'm shooting ice
I'm burning tires with some guy whose hair is turning white
The girls that I pass, they just ain't impressed
I'm too old to give up but too young to rest

I've got that run-to-a-club over-dub, feeling social when the world is sleeping
Well, the plot starts to thicken and I sicken and I feel that I'm cemented down
I'm so juiced that the whorey lady's sad, sad story has me quietly weeping
But here comes the morning, here comes the yawning demented clown

I'm dreaming from the waist on down
I'm dreaming, but I feel tired and bound
I'm dreaming of a day when a cold shower helps my health
I'm dreaming, dreaming of the day I can control myself
The day I can control myself
Hey, hey


John Entwistle
Big, black, bad John Enwistle
With the flying feet, fingers
Go on, show 'em your hands John, go on
Rigor mortis