Electric Light Orchestra
A New World Record (1976)
1. Tightrope
2. Telephone Line
3. Rockaria!
4. Mission (A World Record)
5. So Fine
6. Livin' Thing
7. Above the Clouds
8. Do Ya
9. Shangri-La
Tightrope
(Jeff Lynne)
They say some days you're gonna win,
They say some days you're gonna lose.
I tell you I got news for you
Your losin' all the time you never win
If you believe that's how it's gonna be I'd better put you down
Get off your tightrope up there come down on
The ground you gotta save me now,
You better turn around.
When I looked around, I was heading down.
Won't somebody throw me down a line.
They say some days you gotta give -
They say some days you gotta take -
If that's the way it's gotta be,
Roll it over and you will see.
The city streets are full of people going nowhere making time.
The change from night to day is really only hours,
It's just along the line can't you see the sign
When I looked around, I was heading down,
Won't somebody throw me down a line.
I want to look you straight in the eye,
I want to tell you how I really feel,
I can feel the wheels turnin' round,
Won't somebody throw me down a line
The city streets are full of people going nowhere making time,
The change from night to day is really only hours
It's just along the line, can't you see the sign
When I closed my eyes, I was so surprised
Somebody had thrown me down the line - stopped me drownin'
Somebody had thrown me down the line.
Telephone Line
(Jeff Lynne)
Hello - how are you
Have you been alright, through all those lonely nights,
That's what I'd say, I'd tell you everything,
If you'd pick up that telephone.
Hey - how you feelin'
Are you still the same
Don't you realise the things we did and we did,
were all for real, not a dream,
I just can't believe
They've all faded out of view.
(Blue days, black nights)
I look into the sky
(The love you need ain't gonna see you through)
And I wonder why
(The little things you planned aren't coming true)
CHORUS
Telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight
Telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight
O.K. so no-one's answering,
Well can't you just let it ring a little longer, longer, longer
I'll just sit tight, through shadows of the night
Let it ring for evermore.
CHORUS: Repeat
I look into the sky
(The love you need ain't gonna see you through)
And I wonder why
(The little things you planned aren't coming true)
CHORUS: Repeat
Rockaria!
(Jeff Lynne)
Weit in der Ferne, man hört, man hört, die Musik.
Just got back from the downtown palais
Where the music was so sweet
It knocked me right back in the alley
I'm ready, yea, yea, yea, I'm ready,
Wo, wo, wo, I'm ready
And I'm really gonna rock tonight.
Sweet little lady sings like a songbird
And she sings the opera like you ain't never heard,
But she ain't ready,
No, no, no, she ain't ready
No, no, no, she ain't ready,
And she ain't gonna rock & roll
CHORUS
She's sweet on Wagner,
I think she'd die for Beethoven,
She loves the way Puccini lays down a tune,
And Verdi's always creeping from her room
Weit in der Ferne, man hört, man hört, die Musik.
Come on I'll show you how to sing the blues
Now baby, come on over you got nothin' to lose,
Are you ready, hey, hey, hey are you ready
Ooh, ooh, ooh, are you ready
I wanna show you how to rock and roll.
Now listen here baby she, said to me
Just, meet me at the opera house at a quarter to three,
'Cos I'm ready, yea, yea, yea, I'm ready,
Woo, hoo, hoo, I'm ready,
I'm gonna show you how to sing the blues.
CHORUS: Repeat
Far, far, far away the music is playing.
Well we were reelin' and a rockin' all through the night,
Yea we were rockin' at the opera house until the break of light,
And the orchestra were playin' all Chuck Berry's greatest tunes.
And the singers in the chorus all got off on singing blues,
And as the night grew older everybody was as one,
The people on the streets came runnin' in to join in song
Just to hear the opera singer singin' rock & roll so pure,
I thought I saw the mayor there but I wasn't really sure,
But it's alright.
Mission (A World Record)
(Jeff Lynne)
This is Yerffej Ennyl, calling you from planet Earth.
For many days we travelled from a distant place and time,
To reach a place they call the planet Earth,
There was to be a celebration,
On the mission of the sacred heart.
The planet Earth from way up there is beautiful and blue
And floating softly through a rainbow,
But when you touch down things look different here,
At the mission of the sacred heart.
CHORUS
Watching all the days roll by
Who are you and who am I?
How's life on Earth?
(Livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth)
When all the stars above, lay icy fingers down on me
(Livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth)
On a dirty worn-out sidewalk, sits a mother with a baby,
In her vale of tears she sees no rainbow
And someone's singing from a window
In the mission of the sacred heart.
CHORUS: Repeat
How's life on Earth?
(Livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth)
And when the stars above, lay icy fingers down on me
(Livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth, livin' on the Earth)
There's a building on a corner, in a city, in a land,
On a place they call the planet Earth,
My orders are to sit here and watch the world go by,
From the mission of the sacred heart.
CHORUS: Repeat
How's life on Earth?
What is it worth?
So Fine
(Jeff Lynne)
Two drifters on the morning sky,
Two drifters sailing wide and high,
When summer breezes blow across your mind,
With you, I will walk the line.
CHORUS
I want it so fine
I want it so fine
I want it so fine
People walking hand in hand,
Everybody's singing to the band,
I want to be where the stars shine bright,
And hear sweet music on a summer night.
CHORUS: Repeat
Sundowners we'll go on and on,
We'll find the land of the midnight sun,
And when you look you'll see for miles around,
You'll see, the world is in your hand.
CHORUS: Repeat
CHORUS: Repeat
Livin' Thing
(Jeff Lynne)
Sailin' away on the crest of a wave
It's like magic
Rollin' and ridin' and slippin' & slidin'
It's magic
CHORUS
And you, and your sweet desire,
You took me, higher and higher, baby
It's a livin' thing,
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose.
I'm taking a dive
Die
Making believe this is what you've conceived
From your worst day,
(I'm taking a dive)
Moving in line when you look back in time
To your first day
(I'm taking, I'm taking)
CHORUS: Repeat
I'm taking a dive
On the slide
Takin' a dive 'cos you can't halt the slide
Floating downstream,
So let her go don't start spoiling the show
It's a bad dream
(I'm taking, I'm taking)
CHORUS: Repeat
Above the Clouds
(Jeff Lynne)
Born in the heat of the night,
Yeah when things ain't goin' right
No, no, no, no, no, no, you will remember me.
I came along to see your face,
But the only thing I got from you,
Was telling me it's fantasy,
That you would always be with me,
I can tell you that it's true
I can tell you that it's true
Oh yes it's true
I'm waiting here,
But it's alright
It's alright, it's alright
But it's alright with me,
You better believe me now.
I guess it's like a mountain side,
You gotta climb it to the top,
Floating in a sea of dreams
The only thing that you can see
Is the view above the clouds
Is the view above the clouds
Above the clouds
I'm waiting here,
But it's alright,
It's alright, it's alright
Still it's alright with me,
You better believe me now.
Do Ya
(Jeff Lynne)
In this life I've seen everything I can see woman,
I've seen lovers flying through the air hand in hand
I've seen babies dancing in the midnight sun,
And I've seen dreams that came from the heavenly skies above
I've seen old men crying at their own grave sides
And I've seen pigs all sitting watching, picture slides
But I never seen nothing like you.
CHORUS
Do ya do ya want my love (woman)
Do ya do ya want my face (I need it)
Do ya do ya want my mind (I'm sayin')
Do ya do ya want my love
Well I, heard the crowd singin' out of tune,
As they, sat and sang Auld Lang Syne by the light of the moon
I heard the preachers bangin' on the drums,
And I heard the police playin' with their guns
But I never heard nothin' like you.
In the country where the sky touches down
On the field, she lay her down to rest
In the morning sun,
They come a'runnin' just to get a look, just to
Feel to touch her long black hair they don't give a damn
CHORUS: Repeat
Well I think you know what I'm trying to say woman,
That is I'd like to save you for a rainy day,
I've seen enough of the world to know,
That I've got to get it all to get it all to grow.
CHORUS: Repeat
Oh look out!
Do ya do ya want my love
Do ya do ya want my love.
Shangri-La
(Jeff Lynne)
(I'm getting out)
(I'm getting out)
Sitting here, waiting for,
Someone calling at my door,
Too bad,
I'm getting out of love.
What's the use of changing things,
Wonder what tomorrow brings,
Who knows,
I'm getting out of love.
CHORUS
My Shangri-La has gone away,
Faded like The Beatles on Hey Jude
She seemed to drift out on the rain
That came in somewhere softly from the blue
(I'm getting out)
(I'm getting out)
Clouds roll by and hide the sun,
Raindrops fall on everyone,
So sad,
I'm getting out of love.
CHORUS: Repeat
CHORUS: Repeat
I'm getting out of love,
Where is my Shangri-La?
Where is my Shangri-La?
I'm getting out of love.
I will return
I will return to Shangri-La.