Blackpool Illuminations

Yeah, so, it must've been 1996? And we, ehm We did often go to Blackpool Was about once a year To see the illuminations But, ehm, usually we just went for the day 'Cause we didn't live that far away But for some reason, this, this year we'd We'd gone for two nights Ehm, and we were staying in a bed-and-breakfast On the, on the, on the front And I was acting reckless Eh, like most six-year-olds Bouncing on the bed and - about And, yeah, I was like most kids, I was curious Yeah, I was often, eh, exploring things shouldn't be and You know, putting myself in, eh, danger Much to the dismay of me mum and dad And I remember that the plan was We were gonna go, ehm, to the the other end of the strip for some tea And we were gonna drive down and take in the illuminations on the way And my mum was getting ready in the, in the toilet And my dad had just gone down to the bar To get some drinks and that, I think, and Yeah, I was I was excited to be there I was excited to not be at school And I think at that age You, ehm, you feel most in love With your parents I think they're your best friends And they're your whole world And they keep you safe and you know them better than anyone else And when they're happy together with you The fact that you never want life to, to change (Would you say that's your biggest fear?) Would I say what's my biggest fear? (Change) Ehm, no, I'd probably say being, ehm Drowned and buried at the bottom of a lake is my biggest fear (okay) Sorry (and do you wanna tell me any more about that?) Not right now, no, sorry I, ehm, I wouldn't mind getting to the bottom of this Blackpool Illuminations story if that's okay (by all means) Cheers, thanks (sorry) So, anyway, eh, where was I? Yeah, ehm, so I wanted to see out of the window, but I wasn't tall enough And the only way I could gain the leverage to do so Was by climbing onto the radiator pipe Which was following the skirting board 'round the edge of the room (Yeah) So I did (And can you, ehm, tell me what happened next?) Ehm, using the strength of my chin I could hold on to the windowsill with that And with my, eh, fingers also sort of gripping Gripping the rim as well And I was kinda doomed from the start, I think Because instantly my foot slipped, bit into the brick And I split the skin and bust both lips I screeched You know the way sand inevitably - your chips up When you eat them on the beach? That's the way the rust rubbed into my gums The blood was gushing and I screamed It was a gale force ushered from a paltry gust My ears were ringing, my face was stinging from ear to ear Like I'd been kissing all the dead jellyfish That kept washing up on the beaches 'round here (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) So, mum, she had to run to get the Calpol from the chemist While Dad pacified me with a pack of crisps And I remember this bit specifically 'Cause for some reason The ones he gave to me were packaged differently Typically these don't come in a blue bag They call 'em, "Ready Salted" A self-explanatory tag But I was stopped in my tracks as the new premise was flagged That colour coding wasn't gospel at all It was just a bonus gag And maybe the flavour, "Ready" Meant, "We're already doomed" And what if "salted" meant salted like the salt rubbed in the wound of Every injury I'd accumulated trying to leave the room 'Cause in a future still unwritten Punishment is waiting for a moment you don't get to choose The crying soon subsided when the Calpol worked its magic So we bundled in the car to see the Golden Mile looking absolutely tragic The fizzy fish I was sucking on fell and flopped under the seat And got caked in dead skin and crisp crumbs, impossible to eat So instead I stared out across the pitch-black Irish Sea And wondered what other pleasures were still left out there waiting for me The illuminations no longer of appeal For I'd seen through the illusion when I bit the brick And now I knew what was really real And what was just the punchline for this joke-shop magic trick And I just stopped staring Six years old, and I stopped caring Eventually, I stopped staring directly at anything Head down, just keep moving Chasing girls, and listening to music Convinced I'd never amount to anything Convinced I was of no use to no one That trajectory was so soothing Nothing to prove, nothing to lose Accept days on end, stoned in a daze Waking up in a haze again The world started illuminating itself to me in new ways So here I was again On a grey mid-May day In line for the big one When "A Beautiful Day" suddenly blared out over the PA So loud I leapt out of my skin all over again The pill Connor gave me kicked in And I couldn't believe what I was hearing "This is the hour of letting pain go" It was so comforting to know that I still had it within me to feel things Because for a time I never thought I would again And that's terrifying That's terrifying at any age Perhaps we could reach utopia after all (Are you making this up?) Eh, some of it, yeah, why? (Well, what are you doing that for?) I just didn't want to burden anyone with the truth (The truth?) Because I know now I'm never gonna get my utopia But if I can show you how to cope And give you scope to grow beyond the moment of each new low Then I know I don't need utopia 'Cause the unknown is the only true hope for a brighter future And if you know that Then beyond the food, warmth and shelter Beyond the bedtime stories I always swore to you were true I've given everything I could ever give to you You won't remember, but we took you to Blackpool too And I watched you like a hawk as you explored beneath the boardwalk In those big clumsy shoes your grandma bought for you And I drove us home as the sunset We were listening to the latest bounces by the band You'd fallen asleep, and I squeezed your mother's hand Finally, I'd made it And for the first time, I felt truly free With my beautiful family and my dream job no longer a dream Still, now it baffles me I attained perfection with you I attained perfection So why the - was I wondering what - would think of album two?