Pere Ubu Lyrics
The Modern Dance
(1978)

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Nonalignment Pact

I wanna make a deal with you
Get it signed by the heads of state
I wanna make a deal with you
Be recognized round the world.

It's my nonalignment pact.

At night I can see the stars on fire
I can see the world in flames
It's all because of you
or your thousand other names.

Peggy Carrie Ann Betty Jean
Jill Jan Joan and Sue
Alice Cindy Barbara Ann
It's all because of you.

Sign my nonalignment pact.

Writers: Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World

Modern Dance

(Merdre Merdre)
Down at the bus
Into the town
Our poor boy can't get around
Eight fifty-five
Down at the show
She leaves early
He'll never know
Cuz our poor boy
he believes in chance
he'll never get the modern dance
And it moves like...

(Merdre Merdre)
Under the door
An eye on the place
He watches for the shadow race
Watch real close
Look real fast
He's in touch
It'll never last
Cuz our poor boy
he believes in chance
he'll never get the modern dance
And it moves like...

Writers: Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World

Laughing

My baby says
We can live in the empty spaces of this life
Far away the stars are coming all undone
That's far away and we're young
If the devil comes we'll shoot him with a gun.

My baby says
We can live in the empty spaces of this life
In the desert sands our hearts are brighter than the sun
When the devil comes we'll shoot him with a gun
If he shows his face we'll laugh.

Writers: Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World

Street Waves

I ride a street wave right by her side
and I can hear the city city coming round
The things I say hit the air and seem to fall apart
and I can see the faces faces falling down.

Gone gone gone
Gone by her heart.

I get a picture of what it'll be like
I turn the channel round to Channel 43
I see electricity jump and spark
I see electricity real and stark.

I'm gone gone gone.

Writers: Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World

Chinese Radiation

He'll be the Red Guard
She'll be the New World
He'll wear his gray cap
She'll wave her red book
Then he'll tell her I want you all ways one way
and then they'll sin.

Listen to me
I was lost at sea
She was lost with me
Then across the broad horizon
out on the Big Waves
I saw it coming.

I saw the Red Guard
I saw the New World
I saw the Big Wall
out on the Big Waves
It was an experience!
Hooray!

We will purify
We must purify
For that bright security that we all want
we will purify
Hooray!
You know what I'm saying!

Here comes the Red Guard
Here comes the New World
Here comes the Big Wall
out on the Big Waves
Hooray Hooray
We will purify.

He'll be the Red Guard
She'll be the New World
He'll wear his gray cap
She'll wave her red book.

Writers: Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World

Life Stinks

Life stinks
I'm seeing pink
I can't wink and I can't blink
I like the Kinks cuz I need a drink
I can't think cuz I like the Kinks
Life stinks
I need a drink
Yeah life stinks.

Writer: Laughner
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World

Real World

Out in the Real World
In Real Time
City streets bright shine
Cindy makes a bad joke
Girlie goes goodbye
Techniramic Heartache™.

Out in the Real World
In Real Time
What's that talk? Girl talk
I wander round okay
Birdie go fly fly bye bye
Techniramic Heartache™.

Out in the Real World
In Real Time
What's that talk again?
That girl makes a bad joke
Girlie go goodbye
Techniramic Heartache™.

Writers: Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World

Over My Head

It's pretty cute the way she tucks me in at dawn
and how I'll pray that I never should sin again
Here it comes going over my head.

In the gas her eyes are imagined
and what she sees cannot be detected
Here it comes it's over my head.

It's over my head.

That she said and that went by
This she says and this may too
Oh no there it goes.

It's over my head.

Writers: Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World

Sentimental Journey

Window
[Mumble]
Out
Nice nice nice
Someone says to me
[Mumble]
Unh-hunh Nope Nope Unh-hunh
Yeah
I'll go home
Who?
Umh I guess so.

Bump Bump
Bump bump-bump-bump
Cross the floor to the door
Out the door to the hall
Down the hall to the
Crocus! Crocus!
I guess so
Round and around and around and around
and around and around
Round Round
Wait.

Ah Oh oh unh-hunh
Table and chair
TV, books and lamp
Other stuff
It's home
It's a rug it's a home
It's a rug it's a window
I don'tPhhght! Ah-pa
I'll go home I'll go home
It's home It's home
Umm.

Sentimental Journey (original version)

Window My size
Outside Monoxide
Inside paradise
Curtain No breeze
Motion Attraction
Here she comes Girl
She says Why don't you just go home?
I don't know I guess so
I guess I'll go home.

Motion Retraction
Down the hall to the stairs
Down the stairs to the street
Down the street to the corner
Round the corner
Nowhere
Nowhere to go
I don't know
I guess I'll just go home.

Motion Attraction
Table chairs TV books other stuff
Home It's home
Window My size.

Writers: Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World

Humor Me

It was the first thing that I saw
You never see that kind of classical girl
Understand that it was the first thing that I saw.

That was fate
It was the ballistics man
That was fate.

It was a world what a world
What a big world
But a world to be drowned in.

It's just a joke man
It's a joke
It's just a joke man.

Another day well suffer
For that's the way of the west
Suffer.

It's a joke
Oh it's a joke
You bet!

Oh it's a joke
Unh-hunh
Well then humor me.

Writers: Herman - Krauss - Maimone - Ravenstine - Thomas
©1979 Fire Songs under license from Ubu Projex for North America, and Virgin Music-BMG VM Music Ltd for Rest Of World


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