Beeswing
The Futureheads Lyrics

I came to town and they called it the summer
I arrived in town during a memorable summer

I was nineteen when I came to town
I was 19 years old when I came to this town

And they called it the summer of love
The summer I arrived was referred to as the 'summer of love'

They were burning babies, burning flags
There were violent protests and acts of rebellion happening

There were hawks against the doves
There was a division among people with different viewpoints

I got a job in the steamie down on Cauldrum Street
I found a job in a steam laundry facility on Cauldrum St.

Fell in love with a laundry girl
I fell in love with a girl who worked at the same laundry facility

Who was working next to me
She was my coworker

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing
She was a unique and delicate person

So fine a breath of wind might blow her away
She was so fragile that a light breeze could push her away

She was a lost child, oh she was a running wild
She was like a child who was lost and running free

She said, 'As long as there's no price on love,
She valued love and didn't want to put a price on it

I'll stay
She would stay with me

Wouldn't want me any other way'
She didn't want me to change who she was

Brown hair zig-zag around her face
Her hair was curly and tangled around her face

And a look of half surprise
She had a curious and surprised expression

Like a fox caught in the headlights
She looked caught off guard or startled

There was animal in her eyes
Her eyes had a raw and primal quality to them

She said, 'Young man, can't you see
She addressed me, calling me 'young man'

I'm not the factory kind
She didn't want to be tied to a factory or conventional work

If you don't take me out of here
She expressed a desire to leave her current situation

I'll surely lose my mind'
She felt like she would go crazy if she stayed

We busked around the market towns
We played music in various towns to make money

And picked fruit down in Kent
We also took on odd jobs like picking fruit in Kent

We could tinker lamps and pots
We had skills in fixing and repairing household items

And knives wherever we went
We could also sharpen knives for people

And I said that we might settle down
I suggested that we should consider settling down

Get a few acres dug
I proposed we get some land and cultivate it

Fire burning in the hearth and babies on the rug
I imagined a cozy home with a fireplace and children playing

She said 'Oh man, you foolish man
She dismissed my idea as foolish

It surely sounds like hell'
She thought that kind of life would be unbearable

You may be Lord of half the world
She acknowledged my power and influence

But you'll not own me as well'
She refused to be owned or controlled by me

We was camping down the Gower one time
We were camping in a place called The Gower at one point

And the work was pretty good
We found decent work while camping

She thought we shouldn't wait for the drost
She suggested that we should leave before the weather got worse

And I thought maybe we should
I agreed that we should leave soon

We was drinking more in those days
We were drinking more alcohol during that time

And tempers reached a pitch
We became agitated and angry with each other

Like a fool I let her run
I allowed her to leave and pursue her own path

With the rambling itch
She had the desire to wander and explore

On the last I heard she's sleeping rough
The last I heard, she was homeless and sleeping on the streets

Back on the Derby beat
She was in the Derby area

White Horse in her hip pocket
She carried a White Horse cigarette pack in her pocket

And a wolfhound at her feet
She had a wolfhound dog with her

And they even say she married once
Rumors had it that she had married before

A man named Romany Brown
She married a man who was part of the Romany or Gypsy community

But even a gypsy caravan
Even the nomadic lifestyle of the gypsies was too settled for her

Was too much settling down
She didn't want to be tied down to any particular place or lifestyle

And they say her flower is faded now
Rumors had it that she had lost her youthful beauty

Hard weather and hard booze
Harsh conditions and heavy drinking had taken a toll on her

But maybe that's the price
Perhaps that's the consequence

You pay for the chains you refuse
You have to bear the consequences of not conforming to society's expectations