Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Rwanda and from Tehran.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1960 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Prince Buster to the rock kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Johnny Clarke. All the underground hits.
All Second Layer tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Amazonics record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bad Manners record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Harpers Bizarre,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Reagan Youth,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Bobby Sherman,
Ronan,
The Standells,
Goldenarms,
Prince Buster,
Simply Red,
Kas Product,
Mantronix,
Eli Mardock,
Agitation Free,
Malaria!,
the Slits,
Soul Sonic Force,
Eric Copeland,
Black Pus,
Ossler,
Gerry Rafferty,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Moody Blues,
Angry Samoans,
Glenn Branca,
Marcia Griffiths,
The Cure,
Big Daddy Kane,
Lucky Dragons,
Cal Tjader,
The Fortunes,
Grauzone,
Bill Wells,
Adolescents,
FM Einheit,
David McCallum,
Radio Birdman,
Popol Vuh,
The Blues Magoos,
Sex Pistols,
Negative Approach,
The Smiths,
Yaz,
Index,
Roger Hodgson,
ABBA,
The Divine Comedy,
The Vogues,
Excepter,
Crooked Eye,
Bizarre Inc.,
Jandek,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Wings,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Altered Images,
The Slackers,
Patti Smith,
Flamin' Groovies,
Colin Newman,
Talk Talk,
Black Bananas,
Radiopuhelimet,
David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.