Pressing Number – GEN1 (Charisma Records)
33RPM
Tracks
Side A
Paperlate (3:20)
You Might Recall (5:30)
Side B
Me and Virgil (6:18)
Credits
Tony Banks – keyboards
Phil Collins – drums, percussion, vocals
Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass
Hugh Padgham – engineer
Lyrics – Paperlate
Paperlate paperlate
Paperlate paperlate
Paperlate, oh Im sorry but there is no one on the line
Paperlate, oh Im sorry but rest easy no news is good news
Ooh its too easy to live like clockwork
Tick tock watching the world go by
Any change would take too long
So dry your eyes
Ooh its too easy to live in a cold sweat
Just sitting dripping in pools below
You can wipe your face
Kill the pain
But the fever wont go, no no
Paperlate
Pull it together now
Put your feet back on the ground
Paperlate
Ooh dont worry now
Youre not alone
Look around you
Paperlate
Ooh Im sorry but theres no one on the line
Paperlate
Ooh Im sorry but rest easy no news is good news
Ooh its too easy to compute your future
Taking no risks and playing too safe
Any change would take too long
So dry your eyes
Ooh its too easy to talk about rocking the boat
Making changes and changing track
But youd better not lock that door
Cos youll be coming back
Ah youre breathing faster
Silence the only sound
Theres no need to be nice on the way up
Cos youre not coming down
Paperlate paperlate
Paperlate paperlate
Paperlate paperlate
Paperlate paperlate
Paperlate
Ooh Im sorry but theres no one on the line
Paperlate
Oh Im sorry but rest easy no news is good news…
Lyrics – You Might Recall
What was it you said to me
Back in the days when things looked fine
’bout how we would be together
Until we left the earth behind
Oh, it’s funny how things can change
Cos there was a time I thought I’d be the one
Who’d leave and start again
But now I’d stay forever
Ooh my hopes are as the leaves upon the water
Just sunk in the night
And though I know you couldn’t care, you oughtta
Ah, the end of a life
Or maybe when you’re older, and you’re thinking back
You might recall
Now did I act carefully, did I do right?
Or were we meant to be, all of our lives
In love and harmony, all of our lives?
So now, take my hand
Come, hold me closely
As near as you can
Believing all that we could be
And all that we have been
And all that we are
Everyday seems summertime
The river flow with wine
Ooh when you were here with me
I wish we’d stayed that way forever
Oh my hopes are as the leaves upon the water
Just sunk in the night
And though I know you couldn’t care, you oughtta
Ah, the end of a life
Or maybe when you’re older, and you’re thinking back
Well you might recall
Now did I act carefully, did I do right?
Or were we meant to be, all of our lives
In love and harmony, all of our lives?
So now, take my hand
Come, hold me closely
As near as you can
Believing all that we could be
And all that we have been
And all that we are
Oh my hopes were as the leaves upon the water
Ah, sunk in the night
And though I know you couldn’t care, you oughtta
Oh, the end of a life
And maybe when you’re older, and you’re thinking back
Oh, you might recall
Now did I act carefully, did I do right?
Or were we meant to be, all of our lives
In love and harmony, all of our lives?
So now, take my hand
Come, hold me closely
As near as you can
Believing all that we could be
And all that we have been
And all that we are
Lyrics – Me and Virgil
Ma would never say what happened
And we knew better than push too hard
We knew we had all the chores to tend to
Like fixing fences and helping her
Washing dishes and making coffee
Me and Virgil’d chop some wood
But we’d stop our swinging
Just to listen to her crying
It didn’t sound too good
I can remember, too well
But we never thought to pay much heed
We learned to live life the best we could
But then one day pa upped and left us
High and dry without a word
Seemed a pity
My ma was pretty
But I soon learned life ain’t that way
And I can remember hearing her weeping
While we were sleeping next to her
I can remember
I’ll never forgive and I’ll never forget
Cos pa you broke her heart
Ooh pa you broke her heart
You broke her heart
Ooh pa you broke her heart
Well the years rolled by
And ‘fore we knew it
Our sister got married and moved out west
I stayed with ma, cos I couldn’t desert her
I knew it would hurt her to be alone
So we pulled tighter
We said we’d try to make things easy
And raise a smile
But as the night came
We’d hear her crying
Praying for pa to come back again
I can remember
I’ll never forgive him and I’ll never forget
Cos pa you broke her heart
Oh pa you broke her heart
And then the winter came
I’d never known it colder
Ooh it seemed the worst for years
And the night she died I swear I saw her smiling
Saying I was a big boy now, no tears
So I packed up all we had, and Virgil got the horses
And we paid our last respects and gave the whip a crack
Ooh, seemed a big bad world, we were riding into
Me and Virgil both agreed, we best head off
And don’t look back
Nothing but desert all around
Oh it made me wonder
Lord it’s hard to carry on
When you’re sick with hunger
Weeks and months of sleeping rough
Keeping clear of danger
Seems we were miles from anywhere
And too far gone to change it
We’d best keep going, don’t look back
Well me and Virgil we beat the desert
Riding fast and riding hard
We hit the city, the past behind us
So we raised some hell, we had some fun
But real soon I met a lady oh so pretty, and oh so fine
‘fore too long I found myself married
With a home of my own and a blue eyed son
And ’til this day I can hear ma saying to me –
“You’re a big boy now”
Notes
This reached number 10 in the UK charts when it was released, it stayed in the charts for 8 weeks.
