The Tangent - The Celluloid Road lyrics

i) The American Watchworld I go there nearly every night, I find the accents so familiar... If I heard one here in town, I'd spin myself around To see who was talking like they were on TV From America! Steam rises from pavements in this strange world Of fire escapes and trashcans Muted bra** sets the tone of the scene And though the backdrop's not that clean There's always someone on hand to sort it out - in America Bruce Willis has the airport locked down and Hollywood superstars are running the town Peter Parker writes it all in the free press (While his editor puts him under serious duress) And if I ate Italian, well I might be scared That some kind of gunfight would break out down the stairs Jack Bauer's 'gone dark' and there's an APB It's a hell of a time defending the Land Of The Free But it looks alright! In the TV light America, is that you? Or did they get it right? I know your monuments by heart Climbed down Mount Rushmore in the moonlight (I've never been to Dakota though I just dropped in for the show Bought my North by Northwest poster - at HMV) And so I guess I'd be nervous waiting for the Greyhound Bus Although the people around me wouldn't quite see the fuss But maybe if there was a crop duster doing the nearby fields They'd be running just like me? And if I met some end in the back streets at night The cops would have their coffee and donuts ready by first flight And maybe if I was lucky enough I'd get Sandra Bullock on the case And my Greyhound bus would get me any place! ii) Cops & Boxes America, did they get it right? Or is what I see from the chair in my room Some kind of illusion through the Yorkshire gloom Oh America, do we see it right? Oh you've got people swinging from buildings (And a bomb's just about to go off, one man armies on every street corner - so I wouldn't worry, that guy in the deli is probably some kind of ex marine) Hey will you save me from the End Of The World From the curse of the Bad Guys, 'cos that's what I heard Oh America, do we see you right? iii) On The Road Again Let's take the Freeway, try to lose the town Let's eat some distance, see what's going down I'll be Dennis Hopper, you can be Thelma (or Louise) We'll kick up dust as the sun strobes through the trees And we'll have ourselves a real Easy Ride A Motel hoarding looms out of the dust Abandoned steelworks glowing with rust Watching all those eternal telegraph wires Follow the eternal yellow line We're on the Road again! We're on the Road. And I'm half hoping some guy in a truck Is gonna chase me through the landscape (be just my luck) I wanna stop at diners where they spit on the floor And give you long cold looks when you walk through the door. Rivers getting deeper, mountains getting high Roads are getting smaller 'neath the bigger, bluer sky Bridges made of made of matchwood in a country rich with iron And "Jesus Saves" - if you believe the signs Fin tailed Caddies and thick milk shakes Dunkin' Donuts and screeching brakes Tarantino makes it all live again (With a Motherf**er dropped in, every now and then) We're on the road.... iv) The Inner Heart And far from the Freeway Where we find your heart Of Cowboys and Cacti, Meth Labs and Mountains Holes in the desert with the bodies of gangsters Or Indians in the movies... Rattlesnakes And Salt Lakes All Here All True Under the unrelenting sun And deep underground They're at Def Con One. v) San Francisco I've seen this town in ruins, its bridges broken twice I've seen it take an earthquake, bombarded by ice Attacked by giant lizards and levelled to the ground I've seen it in the future when there's no-one around But you can still buy a pizza. And half the region's folklore comes from the city jails Whether it's Clint or Johnny Cash the underdog prevails I've walked the Wharf with James Bond, seen Gandalf lift the bridge I was safely in England when the aliens made their pitch Oh San Francisco, what a world! What a place! What a life!! The future home of Starfleet, the LAST home of the Whales (A Bird Of Prey still rustling beneath your silver waves) Skyscraper infernos, militia on The Rock Volkswagens that drive themselves And apes that freely talk But I'm just eavesdropping on an LED screen From the centre of England, can I believe what I've seen? Will I ever walk those streets again? vi) the American Watchworld (Reprise) American, my love affair goes on That faith in Flag proud salute still touch me As in your world of men, you save the President again And have your troops back home in time for the parade Once again, tears fill my eyes As the future hero drops his first catch But the montage you make will show him Gain wisdom as he grows And we all wish we could grow up like him In America.