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 Liberia and from Accra.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in London.
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 1968 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Winnipeg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Halifax 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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Busters to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Nik Kershaw. All the underground hits.
All Eddi Front tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sixth Finger record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bang On A Can record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cal Tjader,
Talk Talk,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Gang Green,
The Walker Brothers,
Jeff Lynne,
The Skatalites,
Dark Day,
Sonny Sharrock,
Youth Brigade,
CMW,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Johnny Osbourne,
Scion,
The Fortunes,
The Evens,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Deadbeat,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Crooked Eye,
The Barracudas,
Bizarre Inc.,
Drive Like Jehu,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Soulsonic Force,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Pretty Things,
Lou Christie,
Swans,
Kurtis Blow,
Desert Stars,
Newcleus,
Aloha Tigers,
The Fall,
Ralphi Rosario,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Tubeway Army,
The J.B.'s,
Anakelly,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Sparks,
The Misunderstood,
The New Christs,
R.M.O.,
The Smoke,
Metal Thangz,
ABC,
Judy Mowatt,
The Neon Judgement,
Lakeside,
Basic Channel,
Kayak,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Sam Rivers,
Guru Guru,
The Selecter,
Barclay James Harvest,
Leonard Cohen,
Mars, Mars, Mars, Mars.
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.