[ from the album "20 Vodka Jellies" (1996) ] Lyrics
Cellophane grandfather clock I hope your hands will never stop Rescue me from my ugly block In Tokyo, 21st century To London, 1888 I am descended from a great Clan of the Meiji shogunate And I am travelling extensively
It's London 1888 I sit here drinking nettle wine My family is in decline And I confess the fault is mine The doorman's sure to sit and wait To see who I'll bring home tonight I'll pay him cash to keep him quiet I am a libertine
Cellophane grandfather clock You've got my conscience on the trot You've got me walking round the block You've got me searching for experience Cellophane grandfather clock I am a Buddhist, I am not Victorian, I love your shops But your morality is meaningless
It's London 1888 And I have learned the game of chess I have a club, it's on the Strand I'm a dishonourable man And Tokyo is far away The English wear a poker face The latest craze is called 'Croquet' I am a stranger here
I am the Marquis Matsugae And I came questioning through time But is the grave my sole reply?
And Sherlock Holmes is my good friend I have a trust fund I can spend And I am ready to defend My immorality to anyone And Whistler painted me in grey I had his mother round to stay And she sat knitting in her chair And staring through me disapprovingly
And Aubrey Beardsley sketches me And Oscar Wilde comes round for tea But I still feel so Japanese When I'm alone on Piccadilly And in Green Park there is a band Medieval lillie in my hand I watch the sailors on the bus A little lustfully
I am the Marquis Matsugae I came adventuring in time But is the grave my sole reply?
Cellophane grandfather clock I hear you ticking while I talk In my apartment on Pall Mall To stable boys of easy provenance Cellophane grandfather clock The incense on my mantelpiece Covers the reek of smelly socks As I prepare them to be compromised
It's London 1888 It's 6 o'clock and I am late For some disreputable date With sordid appetites I hate I hope these crimes will never stop And like the hands upon the clock My hands will touch and he'll respond And go beyond
I am the Marquis Matsugae And I came questioning through time But is the grave my sole reply?
It's London 1888 I am the Marquis Matsugae And I came questioning through time And is the grave my sole reply?