In March 1977 the punk band Eater released their first single, Outside View, which I bought, and still have. Last week I bought a t-shirt featuring a picture of the cover. I felt obliged to do this.Why was I obliged to buy this t-shirt, you may ask? Well, oddly, there was an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where Oz was wearing a t-shirt with this picture on it. I was very surprised at the time. I wouldn't have thought anyone in Hollywood would even have known what the picture was. Eater were quite a well known punk band in Britain for a short while around 1977 but I don't think their first single ever achieved global recognition.
But there it was, in Buffy. Ever since then I've had the vague feeling that if there had been a t-shirt in Buffy featuring a punk single I owned, then I really ought to have that t-shirt too. So I have a pleasant sense of completion having now bought this, from a 'Camdens Burning t-shirts' on Ebay.
I still listen to this single, though on itunes now rather than vinyl. It strikes me that after thirty years or so, I still can't make out all the lyrics. Some of them have defeated my best efforts at interpretation. Though generally I'm quite bad at understanding lyrics, and liable to comic misunderstandings. Here is the song on youtube, and here is my version of the lyrics. If anyone can fill in the gaps, I'd be pleased.
A Saturday night in the street
looking through the plate glass windows
outside view
There's a television standing on the floor (?)
??????????? ????????? ???????? ?????
?????????? no more (?)
I wanna come in cos I've got the blues
All that I am stuck with is this outside view
Oh! I'm running about (?)
Got my feet on the ground
??????? ????????? ?????????
Nothing to give (?) and nothing to gain
A cop comes along and says what's your name
(?) Said I am a girl and my name is Germaine (??!!!!)
He says you'd better come along I want (?) a word (?) with you
I will stay out here with my outside view
Oh! I'm running about (?)
Oh! Got my feet on the ground
Oh! ??????? ????????? ?????????
Nothing to give (?) and nothing to gain
Google to the rescue, for lyrics with little resemblance to yours. Punk is great for that.
ReplyDeleteLyrics to Outside View
I’m standing out in the street
As I turned the page that’s when there was an outside view!
There’s a television standing on the floor
And I complain to Spoons see I hate another Saturday night
I wanna come in cos I’ve got the blues
All and all this stuff this is an outside view
[chorus]
Oh, I’m running around
Oh, got my feet on the ground
Oh, you hear up again?
Nothing to do, there ain’t nothing to gain, na!
I can’t cancel all on sad one school night
Said another girl a difference to me
It’s such a better coming round and run another view
I wanna stay out here with the outside view. Oh!
[chorus]
Aahhhh!
Thanks Phiala, I appreciate the effort! ...but I don't think these lyricsmania lyrics are accurate at all, most of them seem wrong.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem believing that, but all the lyric sites had the same or roughly the same version.
ReplyDeleteThe only more authoritative site I could find on a quick search had the Andy Blade talking about writing the lyrics but not what they were. That site has an associated lyrics page, but it's broken.
I agree; lyricsmania seems off. This is what I hear:
ReplyDeleteI'm standing out in the street
/*Could be Saturday night in the street*/
Looking through the plane glass window there's an outside view
There's a television standing on the floor
And the /*pains and screws?*/ see I hate another Saturday Night
I wanna come in cuz I've got the blues
All that I am stuck ??? outside view
[chorus]
Oh, I'm running around
Oh, I've got my feet on the ground
Oh, but here I broke in
Nothing to do, there ain't nothing to gain!
A cop comes around and says what's you're name,
I said I am a /*bird?*/; my name is Camain,
He says you better come around, I wanna /*nob?*/ with you,
I wanna stay out here with my outside view.
Oh!
[chorus]
Ahhhhh
Good song though, hadn't heard it before.
After careful listening, I can definitely hear "I can’t cancel all on sad one school night" and "Said another girl..." but the rest sounds like "name is Germaine." I can't hear the word "difference".
ReplyDelete"Oh but here I broke in"
ReplyDeletesounds like
"Oh my ears are broken"
to me.
My 2 cents: Eater was a big influence playing in bands as a kid. We covered one or two of theirs regularly. They were always so smart and funny, like a lot of great bands of the time. Another favorite was 'No Brains' with the refrain "You ain't got no brains. (ya got no bra-ains.)
ReplyDelete- dominic@heydom.com
A saturday night out in the street
Looking through the plate glass window
It's an outside view
There's a television standing on the floor
And the pain's excruciating
Yea, they're shutting it off (they are kids after all. kids love tv.)
I wanna come in 'cause I've got the blues
All that I am stuck with is this outside view
Oh!
I'm running around
Oh!
Got my feet on the ground
Oh!
Well, here I go again
Nothing to Give and Nothing to Gain
A cop comes along and says what's your name
I said I am a thug, my name is Germaine
He says you better come along, I'm run'n off with you (almost that)
I wanna stay out here with my outside view
Oh!
I'm running around
Oh!
Got my feet on the ground
Oh!
Well, here I go again
Nothing to Give and Nothing to Gain
The single is downloadable here if yer interested:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lastdaysofmanonearth.com/blog/?p=534
I could never understand what they were saying either, granted.