The Boy With The Arab Strap (Peel Session) lyrics by Belle and Sebastian
Verse 1
A mile and a half on a bus takes a long time
The odour of old prison food takes a long time to pass you by
Day upon day of this wandering gets you down
Nobody gives you a chance or a dollar in this old town
Verse 2
Hovering silence from you is a giveaway
Squalor and smoke’s not your style
I don’t like this place, we better go
Then I compare notes with your older sister
I am a lazy git, she is as pure as the cold driven snow
Chorus
What did you learn from your time
In the solitary cell of your mind?
There was noise, the distraction from anything good
And the old prison food
Colour my life with the chaos of trouble
‘Cause anything’s better than posh isolation
I missed the bus
You were laid on your back with the boy with the Arab strap
With the boy from the Arab strap
Verse 3
It’s something to speak of the way you are feeling
To crowds there assembled
Do you ever feel you have gone too far?
If everyone suffers in silence a burden
The man who drives minicabs down in Old Compton
The Asian man with his love/hate affair with his racist clientele
Verse 4
A central location for you is a must
As you stagger about
Making free with your lewd and lascivious boasts
We all know you’re soft ‘cause we’ve all seen you dancing
We all know you’re hard ‘cause we’ve all saw you drinking
From noon until noon again
You’re the boy with the filthy laugh
You’re the boy with the Arab strap
Verse 5
Strapped to the table with suits from the Shelter shop
Comic celebrity takes a back seat
As the cigarette catches and sets off the smoke alarm
What do you make of the cool set in London?
You’re constantly updating your hit parade
Of your ten biggest wanks
She’s a waitress and she’s got style
Sunday bathtime could take a while
