Home for a Rest
Mudmen Lyrics


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We arrived in December and London was cold
So we stayed in the bars along Charring cross road
We never saw nothing but brass taps and oak
Kept a shine on the bar with the sleeves of our coats

You'll have to excuse me I'm not at my best
I've been gone for a month, I been drunk since I left
These so called vacations won't soon be my death
I'm so sick of the drink, I need home for a rest

Easton station the train journeyed north
And in the buffet car we lurched back and forth
Passed odd crooked dykes and through Yorkshire's green field
We where flung into dance as the train jigged and reeled

Chorus

By the light of the moon she'd drift through the streets
A rare old perfume so seductive and sweet
She teased us and flirt as the pubs all closed down
Then walk us on home and deny us a round

Chorus

The gas heater's empty, it's damp as a tomb
And the spirits we drank are now ghosts in the room
I'm knackered again, come on sleep take me soon
And don't lift up my head till the twelve bells of noon





Chorus out

Overall Meaning

The song "Home For A Rest" by Mudmen is about the experiences of a group of friends on a holiday in London. The opening lines of the song set the scene of a cold December in London, wherein the friends spent most of their time drinking in bars along Charring Cross Road. The lyrics describe the environment they were in with "nothing but brass taps and oak". The friends used the sleeves of their coats to keep the bar shiny, suggesting that they had been there a long time. The first verse sets the melancholic tone of the song, portraying a group of individuals who are feeling lonely and homesick.


The song's chorus conveys the singer's exhaustion from being drunk for the entire duration of their so-called vacation. The lyrics "I'm so sick of the drink, I need home for a rest" expresses their desire to return home and recover from the drinking binge. The second verse describes their journey from Easton station to the north of England. As the train travels, the travelers sway to and fro in the buffet cart, and the train jigs and reels, triggering their wild and spontaneous dance moves. The imagery here is of companionship and camaraderie amongst friends on their journey back home.


The third verse of the song introduces a mysterious female character who leads them back home in the middle of the night. The charm of the “rare old perfume” that she wore kept them spellbound as she flirted and teased them. It's worth noting that this description portrays the female character as nothing more than a fleeting encounter for the drunken travelers, and her presence in the song as a passing reference hints towards the transient nature of life. The final verse describes their return home to a cold and damp house. The spirit they drank was now a ghost in the room, and the only thing left for them was to get some sleep.


Line by Line Meaning

We arrived in December and London was cold
We got to London in December and it was really cold outside


So we stayed in the bars along Charring cross road
To avoid the cold, we spent most of our time in the bars on Charring Cross Road


We never saw nothing but brass taps and oak
All we ever saw in the bars were brass taps and oak furnishings


Kept a shine on the bar with the sleeves of our coats
We used the sleeves of our coats to polish the bar


You'll have to excuse me I'm not at my best
Sorry if I'm not myself right now


I've been gone for a month, I been drunk since I left
I've been away for a month and drinking nonstop since I left


These so called vacations won't soon be my death
These trips that people call vacations won't kill me anytime soon


I'm so sick of the drink, I need home for a rest
I'm really tired of drinking and just want to go home and rest


Easton station the train journeyed north
We took a train from Easton Station going north


And in the buffet car we lurched back and forth
We were swaying back and forth in the train's buffet car


Passed odd crooked dykes and through Yorkshire's green field
We saw some strange crooked structures and passed by green fields in Yorkshire


We where flung into dance as the train jigged and reeled
The moving train caused us to start dancing uncontrollably


By the light of the moon she'd drift through the streets
A woman would wander the streets under the moonlight


A rare old perfume so seductive and sweet
She smelled really good and it was enticing


She teased us and flirt as the pubs all closed down
She would flirt with us as the pubs were closing


Then walk us on home and deny us a round
She would walk us home but wouldn't let us stop for another drink


The gas heater's empty, it's damp as a tomb
The gas heater is out of fuel and the room is damp


And the spirits we drank are now ghosts in the room
The alcohol we drank is now just a distant memory in the room


I'm knackered again, come on sleep take me soon
I'm really tired again and I hope I fall asleep soon


And don't lift up my head till the twelve bells of noon
And don't wake me up until it's noon




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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Comments from YouTube:

@panwolodyjowski

That's a great band. And this is their best song.

@Redsmash28

This song is really too short! :( But I love it!

@iheartthesmalls

as a fan of Spirit of the West, I like your version :)

@Misiogry

if you don't like it... just volume it UP!!! :D ... so awesome with those bagipes - you just CAN'T listen it quiet...

@MountieFromHell

KILLER BAGPIPE SOLO

@zucchini4067

Yeah I have to agree with you, there needs to be a Celtic sound in the song.

@opnsrc

Fukkin love it!! being a glencoe boy... it don't get much better... I heard my ol neighbour Don taught these boys to play the bagpipes :)

@portugal82

YEAHHH BAGPIPE'S love it.

@Sutherland1987

They played this in Cambridge for the Fusiliers. Best New Years ever!

@neilchair

Fuckin' St. Mary's Ontario!! Never would have thought you'd turn out a band like this. Get back to Goderich when I'm home!!

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