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 Mauritius and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Cybotron to the dance 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 The Toasters. All the underground hits.
All Ten City tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Germs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Johnny Clarke record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Au Pairs,
Bang On A Can,
ABBA,
Prince Buster,
Jawbox,
The Mojo Men,
David Axelrod,
Jimmy McGriff,
Erasure,
Deakin,
The Fugs,
E-Dancer,
Public Enemy,
Public Image Ltd.,
Mandrill,
Pagans,
Pantytec,
L. Decosne,
FM Einheit,
Malaria!,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Minnie Riperton,
Kaleidoscope,
H. Thieme,
Fela Kuti,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Faraquet,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Subhumans,
Lalann,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Eric Copeland,
Gichy Dan,
The Fortunes,
Andrew Hill,
The Electric Prunes,
Scientists,
Gang Starr,
The Neon Judgement,
Lou Christie,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Rotary Connection,
Alphaville,
The Last Poets,
Soul II Soul,
Masters at Work,
The Seeds,
The Fall,
Depeche Mode,
World's Most,
Kenny Larkin,
The Velvet Underground,
The Cure,
The Sonics,
Banda Bassotti,
Joey Negro,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Eurythmics,
Zapp, Zapp, Zapp, Zapp.
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.