Beating The Boards
Jon English Lyrics

I've been drivin' out back in a 10 ton Mack, eating dust from the central we-est
I have been driving in the outback in a huge truck and breathing in dust from the central western part of the country

And if I ain't been spendin' all my money, then at least I've been doin' my be-est
Even if I haven't spent all my money, I have been trying my hardest

They went and took away all the cameras and drunk up all my champa-agne
They took away all the cameras and drank all my champagne

And roll me over right, into Saturday night, it started all over agai-ain
Starting all over again, it's Saturday night and the party keeps going

But oh-oh, that's beating the boards, oh-oh, that's beating the boards
The feeling of excitement and accomplishment from performing live is unbeatable

Facing the Lor-ord, we're beating the boards again
Performing live in front of an audience is like facing the Lord and it's an experience that makes it all worth it

And then you walk inside all bleary-eyed
After performing all night, you enter a room feeling tired and disoriented

And you're ready just to lie in a heap
You're exhausted and just want to collapse into a pile

And you don't even think about the two-quid drinks
You don't care about the cheap drinks anymore

Or the hours that you just couldn't sleep
You forget about all the time you spent trying to fall asleep

And then some guy's wife wants an autograph
A fan's wife asks for an autograph

And some thing got out of hand
Something went wrong and got out of control

And then you rattle the floor and pray to the Lord
You nervously pace the floor and pray to God for help

Help me through the show agai-ain
Please give me the strength to perform again

They're layin' out on the floor (Oh-oh that's beating the boards)
The audience is laid out on the floor, exhausted from cheering and clapping

Yelling for more-ore (Oh-oh that's beating the boards)
The audience is shouting for an encore

Oh facing the Lord, they're beating the boar-oards again and agai-ain
The crowd is beating the boards again and again and it feels like they are facing the Lord

You're out on the stage again tonight with nothin' but yourself on the li-i-ine
You're on stage again tonight, alone and exposed

And you're singin' songs abou-out heated nights, singin' songs and we'll all hold tight
You sing songs about passionate nights and everyone joins in and holds on tight

There's music, there's emotion, there's a curtain callin' your na-a-a-ame
There's music, emotion, and a curtain closing as you hear the audience call out your name

The play is settin', your nerves growin' tight - said, Oh, it's all the price of fame...
The play is coming together but your nerves are getting tighter and you realize it's all part of the fame

When you sing the song, it don't take too long to work out all of the si-igns
When you start singing, it doesn't take long before you can read all the signs from the crowd

When you get to the top and you think you can stop, there's another damn mountain to cli-imb
Just when you think you've made it to the top, there's always another challenge waiting for you

And you think that no-one remembers you and you carry too heavy a loa-oad
You think no one remembers you and you feel weighed down with responsibility

But the crowd yells more, and evens the score
The crowd cheers for more and it all feels worth it

So back out on the roa-oa-oad
You hit the road again to take on new challenges and perform in front of new crowds

I'm facing the Lord, they're beating the boar-oards again
I'm facing the experience of performing live and the audience is cheering again

Ooh, they're yelling for more-ore (Oh-oh, that's beating the boards)
The crowd is shouting for an encore and that's the feeling of beating the boards

I-I'm facing the Lord, they're beating the boards again
I'm facing the experience of performing live and the audience is cheering again