Strawbs - Absent Friend lyrics

My ashtray's flowing over And the 'phone's left off the hook I've been staring for three hours At the first page of a book Day and night I keep the curtains drawn And curse the very day that I was born And get to thinking How I need you Now I keep staring at my wristwatch Until it's ticking fills the room And the hollow sound reminds me Of the silence of a tomb And as the ceiling and the walls close in And the furniture begins to spin I get to thinking How I need you Now And as the days go pa**ing by And I never get a letter How I need you Days turn into weeks And it doesn't get much better How I need you The gaslit streets lean slowly As I reel against the wall And my musty head is aching As I stagger down the hall; Then I fill the broken gla** once more And fling the empty bottle to the floor And get to thinking How I need you ...