Hanging Around
The Stranglers Lyrics

Big girl in the red dress
There's a woman dressed in a striking red number.

She's just trying to impress us
She's attempting to make an impact or get attention.

And she's got the barley fever
She appears to be unwell or feverish.

But she doesn't make a sound
Despite how she's feeling, she's not making any noise.

She's just hanging around
She's not doing anything specific, just lingering.

Down the court road early
They're travelling early in the morning down a particular road.

With the Hustlers big and burly
They're accompanied by a group of assertive, tough-looking people.

There's a million of 'em selling
There are many individuals involved in selling something.

And the buyers can be found
It's easy to locate people who are purchasing the goods.

They're just hanging around
The sellers are not doing much, just waiting for business.

Christ he told his mother
Jesus spoke to his mother.

Christ he told her not to bother
He advised his mother not to be concerned.

Cos he's alright in the city
He's doing well in the city.

Cos he's high above the ground
He's in a position of power, well above ground level.

He's just hanging around (hanging around)
He's not doing much of anything, just remaining.

One of 'em comes over
One of those involved comes over.

Got a monkey on his shoulder
The individual has a monkey on his shoulder.

And the monkey's getting grinner
The monkey is becoming happy or excited.

But his eyes are on the ground
Despite this, the individual isn't paying attention to the monkey; he's looking down.

He's just hanging around
The person isn't doing anything particular, just lingering.

I'm moving to a coleheme
The singer is going to relocate to a new location known as a coleheme.

With the leather all around me
Leather is present all around the area.

And the sweat is getting steamy
It's becoming hot and humid, resulting in increased perspiration.

But their eyes are on the ground
The people are looking downward rather than paying attention to their surroundings.

They're just hanging around
They're not doing much, just remaining in place.

[Chorus: x2]
The chorus contains a repeated section.

He's just hanging around (hanging around)
The person isn't doing anything particular, just lingering.