I was never a lonely boy
You can never be alone with guilt
I’ve delighted in the debris
Of all the things I’ve ever built
I’ve seen that every blossom
Will some day come to wilt
So what’s the sense in us
All getting so upset?
Because a story
Is the only thing I know
That gets smaller as it unfolds
So many are sung
About those who die young
Not those of us getting old
And though you don’t need
To believe
In every tale you’re told
Here’s one I guarantee
You won’t forget
You’re on your own now
You’re on your own now
You’re on your own now
And all you own
It means nothing to me
The tragedy is that you can’t end it all
You can only end yourself
But if things start getting bad
Well at least you’ve got your health
And if you don’t let your imagination
Run away with you
It might run away with someone else
And you’re going to need it where you’re going kid
You’re on your own now
You’re on your own now
You’re on your own now
And all you own
It means nothing to me
So son take my advice
Don’t wait your turn and don’t play nice
Leave the sugar and take the spice
Always keep your prayers concise
And don’t waste your time worrying
About who’s getting the biggest slice
Just take the entire cake and run
You’re on your own now
You’re on your own now
You’re on your own now
And all you own
It means nothing to me
Quit waving your arms
In an empty world
And saving your breath
For a joke that’s been told
Spare me your epilogues
And spare me your fears
As the lack screams out
It rings long in your ears
You’re on your own.
As side one of the album starts with a song called Mother, it seemed only fitting for side two to begin with a piece of paternal advice.
This was always going to be a guilty pleasure song. After It Hurts So Much To Hold and Waiting For Bad News there needed to be a big loud riff, preferably clothed in the threads of folk rock, with an Ennio Morricone gallop section and a big free-for-all at the end.
This song contains some of my favourite lyrics on the album: the sort of quips that would capsize a prettier number. Some are practically crowbarred in there – “if you don’t let your imagination run away with you it might run away with someone else” requires a pretty deep breath!
We listen to a lot of Jerry Reed in the van when we’re on tour. I love his lyrics and Cleg loves his finger-work (and we all love his groove and humour). The mention of the word “son” in this track is a little nod to him, as he always slipped it into his compositions pretty indiscriminately – I think it became more of a punctuation mark for him than a word.
This song is a particular band favourite – partly because it’s a lot of fun to play live and partly because it developed under our combined supervision, gradually shifting from folky blues to something a lot more epic.
