V. Thirteen
Big Audio Dynamite Lyrics

Good morning Sodom and Gomorrah, good morning sinners
Addressing the people of London who are steeped in sinning and wickedness, Big Audio Dynamite is greeting them.

No, that wasn't your radio set on the bleep again
The sudden sound of the bleep is not coming from your radio set as you might have thought.

Sodom and Gomorrah, let the DJ play
As if to make amends for the wickedness of the place, Big Audio Dynamite suggests that the DJ play.

'Cos I'm only gone tomorrow and here today
The singer is only around for a short time, so he's asking for the DJ to play music so everyone can enjoy these moments.

Lotta rockheads on the block
There are many people without sense or brains on the block.

Dougie died and Sue got frocked
Dougie has passed away, and Sue has gotten dressed up in mourning for the service.

If the stove is hot, then I ain't lost
When the stove is still hot or active, people still know where they are headed, and everything is okay.

And Rosa says my star is crossed
Rosa believes that the singer has been unfortunate, and his future does not look promising.

Little Jamie writes V. Thirteen
Jamie has written a piece called V. Thirteen.

Comes in by the door, goes out by screen
Although Jamie is present physically, he chooses to escape through the screen to a different reality.

He don't listen to me, he knows everything
Jamie feels he's the smartest person in the room and won't listen to anyone else's opinions.

Girls on the avenue ask me to sing
Ladies on the street corner are asking the singer to serenade them.

The paper drags and folds me down
The paper is depressing the singer and making him feel weighed down.

Like a paper cup, I fly around
Despite feeling the weight of the paper, the singer is still almost light in the grand scheme of things.

I've been eating food that ain't been checked
The singer has been consuming food that hasn't been adequately vetted or verified to be safe to eat.

And the Russian rain is beating down my neck
The harsh Russian rain is pouring down heavily and directly on the singer's neck.

Screen blackout on the southern war
The screen goes blank when the southern war coverage comes on.

Cue talk breakdown on point forty four
The person speaking on the forty-fourth point is now stuttering or struggling to express themselves coherently.

There must be a place, the preacher says, 'I guess'
The preacher says that there must be a place for people who have passed away, but he's not entirely sure.

But a drifter will tell you, no place is best
In fact, a drifter believes that there is no escape from the nowhere or limbo.

Shout for all the people who have nothing to say
The singer urges everyone who has nothing of value to add to the conversation to shout out.

'Cos we're only gone tomorrow and here today
Since people will leave this earth soon, we should revel in the time we have.

Was a one-off dirt jam when England came good
A single, not-so-great music gig happened when England finally got its act together.

One night in a thousand, they've played knock on wood
Only one good night arrived once in a blue moon, and that's when they played 'Knock on Wood.

We used to go roamin', go roamin' around
In the past, the singer and his friends often travel from place to place.

When you don't look for something, it's sure to be found
Sometimes, the best things find us when we don't particularly look for them.

Yes, I'm only gone tomorrow and here today
The singer is only present for a short time and wants to live in the moment.

Sodom and Gomorrah, this is London gov
The singer is still addressing the people of London and indirectly equating the city to the biblical cities of sin.