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 Uzbekistan and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1962 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 clarinet 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 Graham Central Station to the rap 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 Neil Young. All the underground hits.
All Siglo XX tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Vainqueur record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a the Bar-Kays record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Iggy Pop,
Negative Approach,
Hashim,
The Martian,
Procol Harum,
The Misunderstood,
Sonny Sharrock,
Archie Shepp,
The Red Krayola,
KRS-One,
R.M.O.,
The Happenings,
The Skatalites,
The Blues Magoos,
Mo-Dettes,
Zero Boys,
Bill Wells,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Smiths,
OOIOO,
Tears for Fears,
Flipper,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Fad Gadget,
Monolake,
the Normal,
The Beau Brummels,
ABBA,
L. Decosne,
Stiv Bators,
Roger Hodgson,
Kurtis Blow,
MC5,
Henry Cow,
Cybotron,
Thompson Twins,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Surgeon,
Blancmange,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Aswad,
Andrew Hill,
Model 500,
Bootsy Collins,
Mark Hollis,
The Fall,
Dawn Penn,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Gladiators,
Funky Four + One,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Gerry Rafferty,
Bobby Byrd,
Swell Maps,
Skaos,
Joe Smooth,
The Black Dice,
Japan,
Gang of Four, Gang of Four, Gang of Four, Gang of Four.
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.