Curly's Airships - CD1 - 8 - Curly on Civvy Street
CURLY:- They closed us down. Airships definitely Now weren't quite the thing, And, with our lovely General gone, The Birdmen closed in for the kill. The whole bally Airship Service scrapped; Turfed out, neck and crop, Onto Civvy Street. Managed to scare up a job At the Meteorological Office, And damned glad to get it With lots of ex-officers waiting at table. Learnt to 'Charleston' And got in as much trouble As I could afford On a Civil Service pay. That is 'til I married a girl from home: Art student at the Slade, A brainy sort, and still the best I've seen...
So I'm flying a desk, Both feet on the ground. Damn boring work, But there's Suzie and me, And we're young and in love...
No children, thank God, And she married again I'm glad to say: Decent fellow, another flying man... Well, we bought a wireless set; We bought a Bull-nose Morris; She grew roses round the door; I grew a moustache, And the I920's rattled past outside...
And as I drew the spiky lines On my weather maps, Theoretical winds in a paper sky, I remembered with longing the living air; Flying home inside a sky you could eat: Sunset smoked salmon and oysters, Clouds like meringues And whipped cream In a raspberry sauce And the scent of the rough-mown Landing field And the sound of the liberty watch Who are singing their airship shanties In the sun.
TENOR (& CHORUS):- Go tighten your shearwires And tighten them well. (Blow, boys, blow...) But don't strike a spark Or you'll blow us to hell. (Blow, boys, blow...) At your back, the wind's a boon; In your teeth, it's a curse. (Blow, boys, blow...) Engines all full-speed ahead; You're still flying in reverse. (Blow, boys, blow...)
CHORUS:- But we'd do it again 'Cos we're all airship men And that's flying in the face of nature.
TENOR:- We're raising the wind On just five bob a day. (Blow, boys, blow...) We don't make much breeze When we're blowing our pay. (Blow, boys, blow...) But I'll sew you a dress From a piece of blue sky (Blow, boys, blow...) If you'll blow me a kiss, my love, As you wave goodbye. (Blow, boys, blow...)
CHORUS:- But you'd have us again Even though we're the men Who go flying in the face of nature. Yes, we'll say it again, We are all airship men And we're flying in the face of nature!