Madness - Overture lyrics

This is the story of the Liberty Of Norton Folgate Old Jack Norris, the musical shrimp and the cadging ramble..... A little bit of this, would you like a bit of that But in weather like this, you should wear a coat, a nice warm hat A needle and thread the hand stitches of time Battling Levinsky versus Jackie Burk Bobbing and weaving, an invisible line So step for step and both light on our feet We'll travel many along dim silent street Would you like a bit of this, or a little bit of that? (Misses) A little bit of what you like does you no harm, you know that The perpetual steady echo of the pa**ing beat A continual dark river of people In it's transience and in it's permanence But, when the streetlamp fills the gutter with gold So many priceless items bought and sold So step for step and both light on our feet We'll travel many along dim silent street (together) Once round Arnold Circus, and up through Petticoat Lane Past the well of shadows, and once back round again Arm in arm, with an abstracted air To where the people stare Out of the upstairs windows Because we are living like kings And these days will last forever Cos sailors from Africa, China and the archipelago of Malay Jump ship ragged and penniless into Shadwells Tiger Bay The Welsh and Irish wagtails, mothers of midnight The music hall carousel enspilling out into bonfire light Sending half crazed shadows, giants dancing up the brick wall Of Mr Trumans beer factory, waving, bottles ten feet tall Whether one calls it Spitalfields, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets Or Banglatown. We're all dancing in the moonlight, we're all On borrowed ground Oh, I'm just walking down to, I'm just floating down through Won't you come with me, to the Liberty of Norton Folgate But wait! What's that? Dan Leno And the Limehouse golem Purposefully walking nowhere, oh I'm happy just floating about (Have a banana) On a Sunday afternoon, the stallholders all call and shout To no-one in particular Avoiding people you know, you're just basking in you're own company The technicolour world's going by, but you're the lead in your own movie Cos in the Liberty of Norton Folgate Walking wild and free, in your second hand coat Happy just to float In this little taste of liberty A part of everything you see They're coming left and right Trying to flog you stuff you don't need or want And a smiling chap takes your hand And drags you in his Uncles restaurant (ee-yar, ee-yar, ee-yar) There's a Chinese man trying hard to flog you moody DVDs You know? You've seen the film, it's black and white, it's got no sound And a man's head pops up and down Right across your widescreen TV (Only a fiver) ('Ow much?) (Alright, two for eight quid) (Ee-yar, ee-yar, look, I'm givin' it away) (Givin' it away!) Cos in the Liberty of Norton Folgate Walking wild and free, in your second hand coat Happy just to float In this little piece of liberty You're a part of everything you see There's the sturdy old fellows, pickpockets, dandy's, extortioners And night wanderers, the feeble, the ghastly, upon whom d**h Had placed a very sure hand Some in shreds and patches Reeling inarticulate full of noisy and inordinate vivacity That jars discordantly upon the ear And gives an aching sensation to both pair of eyeballs (Noisy and inordinate vivacity) Ohhhh ahhhhhh ahhhhh etc etc In the beginning was a fear of the immigrant In the beginning was a fear of the immigrant He's made his way down to the dark riverside In the beginning was a fear of the immigrant In the beginning was a fear of the immigrant He's made his home there down by the dark riverside Ohhhh ahhhhhh ahhhhh etc etc He made his home there down by the riverside They made their homes there down by the riverside The city sprang up from the dark river Thames They made their home there down by the riverside They made their homes there down by the riverside The city sprang up from the dark mud of the Thames I'll say it again (Ha ha ha, that's right) 'Cos in the Liberty of Norton Folgate Walking wild and free And in your second hand coat Happy just to float In this little taste of liberty Cos you're a part of everything you see Yes, you're a part of everything you see With a little bit of this And a little bit of that A little bit of what you like does you no harm And you know that Ohhhh ahhhhhh ahhhhh etc etc (repeat to end) This is the story of the Liberty Of Norton Folgate Old Jack Norris, the musical shrimp and the cadging ramble...