Sheffield: Sex City

[Spoken intro]

Intake, Manor Park, The Wicker, Norton, Frechville, Hackenthorpe, Shalesmoor, Wombwell, Catcliffe, Brincliffe, Attercliffe, Ecclesall, Woodhouse, Wybourn, Pitsmoor, Badger, Wincobank, Crookes, Walkley, Broomhill

[Spoken]

I was only about eleven when this happened. We were living in a big block of flats with a central courtyard. All the bedroom windows in the building opened onto this court, and sometimes in the middle of the night, in that building it sounded like a mass orgy. I may have been only eleven, but no-one had to tell me what all that moaning and yelling was about. I'd lie there mesmerised, listening to the first couple. Invariably, they'd wake up other couples, and like some kind of chain reaction, within minutes the whole building was fucking. I mean, have you ever heard other people fucking, and really enjoying it? It's a marvellous sound. Not like in the movies, but when it's real. It's such a happy, exciting sound

[Verse]

The city is a woman

Bigger than any other

Oh, sophisticated lady

Yeah, I wanna be your lover

Not your brother

Or your mother, yeah

[Spoken]

The sun rose from behind the gasometers at 6:30 AM, crept through the gap in your curtains and caressed your bare feet poking from beneath the floral sheets. I watched him flaking bits of varnish from your nails trying to work his way up under the sheets. Jesus, even the sun's on heat today, the whole city getting stiff in the building heat

I just wanna make contact with you, oh, that's all I wanna do

I just wanna make contact with you, oh, that's all I wanna do

Oh

[Chorus]

Now I'm trying hard to meet her

But the fares went up at seven

She is somewhere in the city

Somewhere watching television

Watching people being stupid

Doing things she can't believe in

Love won't last 'til the next instalment

10 o'clock on Tuesday evening

And the world is going on outside

The night is gaping open wide

The wardrobe and the chest of drawers

Are telling her to go outdoors

He should have been here by this time

He said that he'd be here by nine

That guy is such a prick sometimes

I don't know why you bother really

Oh babe

Oh, I'm sorry

But I...

I just had to...

Make love to every crack in the pavement and the shop doorways

And the puddles of rain

That reflected your face in my eyes

[Spoken]

The day didn't go too well, too many chocolates and cigarettes - I kept thinking of you and almost walking into lampposts. Why is it so hot? (Peace Gardens, yeah!) The air coming to the boil, rubbing up against walls and lampposts trying to get rid of it. Old women clack their tongues in the shade of crumbling concrete bus shelters. Dogs doing it, in central reservations, and causing multiple pile-ups in the centre of town. I didn't want to go in the first place but I've been sentenced to three years in the housing benefit waiting room. I must have lost your number in the all-night garage and now I'm wandering up and down your street calling your name, in the rain, whilst my shoes turn to sodden cardboard

Where are you?

I'm here

Where are you?

I'm here

Where are you?

I'm here

Where are you?

I'm here

Where are you?

I'm here

Where are you?

I'm here

Where are you?

I'm here

Where are you?

Oh, that's all I wanna do

[Verse]

I'm still trying hard to meet you

But it doesn't look like happening

'cos the city's out to get me

But I won't sleep with her this evening

Though her buildings are impressive

And her cul-de-sacs amazing

She's had too many lovers

And I know you're out there waiting

And now she's getting into bed

He's had his chance, now it's too late

The carpets screaming for her soul

The darkness wants to eat her whole

Tonight must be the night it ends

Tomorrow she will call her friends

And go out on her own somewhere

Who needs this shit anyway?

Oh listen. I wandered the streets the whole night trying to pick up your scent, writing messages on walls. And the puddles of rain reflected your face in my eyes

[Spoken]

We finally made it... on a hilltop at 4 AM. The whole city is your jewellery box. A million twinkling yellow street lights. Reach out and take what you want. You can have it all. Jesus, it took a long time. I didn't think we were going to make it. So bad during the day, but now snug and warm under an eiderdown sky. All the things we saw: everyone on Park Hill came in unison at 4.13 AM and the whole block fell down. The tobacconist caught fire and everyone in the street died of lung cancer. We heard groans from a T-reg Chevette. You bet, you bet, yeah. Yeah...(all I wanna do) And tomorrow... you're gonna... you're gonna... you're gonna...

That's all I wanna do

[Chorus]

[Coda]

Oh, babe, I wanna... I wanna to tell you that there's nothing... nothing to worry about because we can... we can... we can... we can... get it together. Oh yeah. Oh... Oh... we got it together tonight... didn't we?... You said we did, yeah... we made it... we've got a hope, yeah