Half Man Half Biscuit Half Hearted

Half Man Half Biscuit Half Hearted

Ah yes. Why spend time typing up the lyrics to Half Man Half Biscuit songs? Because they are gems like no other. We celebrate British bands and artists for seminal musical works (think Bowie or Elvis Costello) and, unless you happen to know the late John Peel's inside leg measurement or you were enlightened as a student, the majesty, wit and sheer intelligence of the HMHB opus is ignored. Shame, shame, shame.


Over the years a number of web sites have recorded some lyrics and a multitude of research notes for the songs [see the excellent www.hmhb.co.uk]. The latter are invaluable to understanding the wide ranging and often obscure historical references. The former are a mixed bag, with only a few songs listed.


So what started out as a full hearted attempt by me to record the lyrics so my sister could understand the songs has developed into a blog post and a project to educate the half-hearted masses and to provide a definitive song list with lyrics.

They'll be other crap on here too such as my own songs "Progressive Dads", "People called Wilson", "Blog-proof iPod", "Armchair Expert" and "Holistically Challenged"- I need to finish writing them first :)

"...Baby I'm from the Wirral Peninsula.
A merciless despot with nothing to lose"

Monkey Man, June 2007

Please note that all lyrics are mostly my interpretation and are presented here to assist you in understanding the songs. They are the copyright of others.

You should also pay a visit to www.chrisrand.com/hmhb/ for HMHB lyrics - a superb site with a superb range of listings

Thursday 21 June 2007

Corgi Registered Friends [Achtung Bono]

In the kingdom of the blind
It's said the one-eyed man is king
And in the kingdom of the bland
It's nine o'clock on ITV

I believe I've seen holograms
With more substance than you
Automatic doors don't open for you

"C" "O" "R" "G" "I"
Corgi registered friends
"C" "O" "R" "G" "I"
Corgi registered friends
Meet up on a Monday with your
Corgi registered friends

You call Glastonbury Glasto
You'd like to go there one day
When they've put up the gun towers
To keep the hippies away

December sees Kitzbuhel
Clad in Low Alpine
Your children are painfully souless
Ralph's in Brize Norton

"C" "O" "R" "G" "I"
Corgi registered friends
"C" "O" "R" "G" "I"
Corgi registered friends
You do your Del Boy impressions with your
Corgi registered friends

For sale gym equipment
And now your jeans are too tight
Amanda Burton on auto pilot
Is all you need each night

I wear a tolerance robe
I have the patience of Job
But when I hear of your wife's silling giggling
At Ann Summers parties

"C" "O" "R" "G" "I"
Corgi registered friends
"C" "O" "R" "G" "I"
Corgi registered friends
You got to medieval banquets with your
Corgi registered friends

Stick this in your Volvo glove compartment


Notes taken from www.hmhb.co.uk

CORGI Council for Registered Gas Installers, the national watchdog for gas safety in the United Kingdom.
"In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." is a quote from the 15th century philosopher Erasmus. Or in other words, if all else around you were ignorant than even a little knowledge would make you significant in that community.
Kitzbühel Skiing (and golfing) location in the Alps.
Lowe Alpine make walking gear.
Brize Norton RAF base in Oxfordshire, between Witney and Carterton.
Del Boy Mr Jason's character from Only Fools And Horses.
Amanda Burton Dr Sam Ryan in Silent Witness these days, but forever Heather Haversham/Huntingdon/Black in Brookside in the mid-eighties to me.
Job Another chap with a Book in the Old Testament (there's a joke here somewhere about the Book of Jobs). Basically, Job loses his family, his wealth, and his health. Job's three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, come to comfort him and to discuss his crushing series of tragedies. They insist his suffering is punishment for sin in his life. Job, though, remains devoted to God through all of this and contends that his life has not been one of sin. A fourth man, Elihu, tells Job he needs to humble himself and submit to God's use of trials to purify his life. Finally, Job questions God Himself and learns valuable lessons about the sovereignty of God and his need to totally trust in the Lord. Job is then restored to health, happiness and prosperity beyond his earlier state. I'd have stayed in the pub meself.
Ann Summers Sex toys and the rest.

3 comments:

Martin said...

"Your wife's silly giggling"

"Stick this in your Volvo glove compartment"

EskimoEric said...

Thanks Martin.

EskimoEric said...

I was listening to this the other day while I mindlessly blasted alien scum (in a computer game, not real life you understand. I don't want conspiracy theorists camping out in the blog attaching all sorts of claims).....anyhoo, the final line struck me as -

"stick this in your volvo (mud-proof carpets)".

Yeah I know, nonsense, but what the hell?