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 Mozambique and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Smiths to the dance kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Gregory Isaacs. All the underground hits.
All Smog tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Sisters of Mercy 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Smoke record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The New Christs,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Dead Boys,
Nils Olav,
John Coltrane,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Delon & Dalcan,
Marine Girls,
Trumans Water,
Cheater Slicks,
Minnie Riperton,
Yazoo,
Country Teasers,
The Slackers,
Theoretical Girls,
Oblivians,
Funky Four + One,
Simply Red,
Lightning Bolt,
Todd Terry,
The Move,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Deepchord,
The Human League,
The Pop Group,
Grauzone,
Stetsasonic,
The Invisible,
Patti Smith,
The Kinks,
Section 25,
Marvin Gaye,
Swans,
Metal Thangz,
a-ha,
The Index,
Harmonia,
Gerry Rafferty,
Prince Buster,
Barbara Tucker,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Brothers Johnson,
Danielle Patucci,
Eurythmics,
Steve Hackett,
Johnny Osbourne,
Index,
Funkadelic,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Happenings,
The Martian,
Ultra Naté,
Kenny Larkin,
The Angels of Light,
Kas Product,
Sam Rivers,
Jeru the Damaja,
D'Angelo,
Flamin' Groovies,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Donny Hathaway,
Sonny Sharrock,
Liliput, Liliput, Liliput, Liliput.
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.