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 Estonia and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
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 Excepter to the grunge kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Jawbox. All the underground hits.
All Jandek tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Detroit Cobras 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an organ and an arpeggiator 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 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Slits,
E-Dancer,
Groovy Waters,
New Order,
Quando Quango,
Scrapy,
Throbbing Gristle,
H. Thieme,
The Alarm Clocks,
Lakeside,
Sight & Sound,
The Sound,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Talk Talk,
Soul Sonic Force,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Minor Threat,
Slick Rick,
Boogie Down Productions,
Sixth Finger,
Lou Reed,
Joyce Sims,
Kaleidoscope,
This Heat,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Public Enemy,
Magma,
June Days,
Delon & Dalcan,
Deakin,
Drive Like Jehu,
Goldenarms,
Cymande,
Half Japanese,
Rites of Spring,
Dark Day,
Oneida,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Real Kids,
Sonic Youth,
Tim Buckley,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Das Ding,
Roxy Music,
Alison Limerick,
Matthew Halsall,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Easy Going,
Boredoms,
Television Personalities,
Dave Gahan,
Faraquet,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Wally Richardson,
Big Daddy Kane,
Sam Rivers,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
AZ,
Derrick Morgan,
Ken Boothe,
China Crisis, China Crisis, China Crisis, China Crisis.
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.