Script Of The Bridge

Technical Data

All songs written by Burgess, Fielding, Smithies, Lever
Producided by The Chameleons and Colin Richardson

Note - We include at the beginning of each song the comments Mark Burgess made for the official web site. These brief notations will help you to understand the reason why of each song. Enjoy!

Dear Listener,
Thank you for lending us your ears, this is just a short note to tell you what, when and why.
What?
The Bass and the Voices belong to Mark, the Guitars to Reg and Dave, the Drums to John. The noise belongs to everybody.
When?
When Tony Skinkis takes the photos and drives the van, thank you; when Alastair plays the keyboards, thank you; When James Lipton gives us a guiding hand, thank you; when Spin and Steve of ARC Electronics (Southampton) work hard looking
after our live sound, thank you; when Colin Richardson engineers miracles from a dying studio, thank you, when friends are friends at home or abroad, may Silvio's never close, thank you; and when Ken utters the immortal words "What is the script with this bridge?" - thank you.
Why?
Why Not.
We are the Chameleons and this is our first L.P., perhaps we will make another. Who knows? Not me!

A great debut album where, in almost one hour, The Chameleons show us their capacity of creation of melodies full of melancholy and beauty. We can find here early songs ( Less Than Human, Here Today ) re-recorded for the occassion without Steve Lillywhite as producer. Sharp guitars and cut riffs mixed with etheral keyboards create an atmosphere of sadness and melancholy where the low voice of Mark evoke feelings of loss (Here Today about the murder of John Lennon), hopelessness (Monkeyland), ingravity (View from a Hill) or even rage (Paper Tigers).

It is this ethereal atmosphere that makes this album different from the rest and most of people think it is the best album from this band from Middleton.

Notes by Mark - The Words to 'Don't Fall' were written about an hour before our first 'show-case' in London. A 'show-case' was a gig hastily promoted in order to get as many industry people there as possible to see the band. We'd be so eager to play new songs that I would often end up singing what came to be called 'yogart' in the early stages, i.e., singing whatever felt good whether it made any sense or not. But I wasn't eager to do that on this occasion and typical me, I left it to the last minute to finish the words. They came from an experience I'd had a couple of weeks before when , due to a combination of my own stupidity and lateness I'd found myself alone at night, wandering the streets tripping on magic mushrooms. It was a long night, the details of which I won't bore you with but the result was 'Don't Fall'

Alone in a room I've been in once before
Shapes in the hall I'm running for the door
I'm out on the edge but I'm not defeated yet
I hear my name above everything else
Mark! Mark! Above everything else
Don't fall.

To this freak out
Nothing's familiar
And nothing seems to fit into the scheme of things
Seeing faces where there shouldn't be faces
No-one's really certain what tomorrow brings
Don't fall my friend
This nightmare never ends.

Hiding inside a room that's running red
The place to be exists only in your head
And the focus of fear in the creases of a dress
A female dress
How did I come to be drowning in this mess
Ahh! Fuckin' mess
Don't fall.

To this freak out
Nothing's familiar
(Rest of chorus)

Don't fall
I know your back's against the wall
But this roaring silence won't devour us all.

Freak out nothing's familiar
Something's rearranged the scheme of things
Mistakes don't matter.

Notes by Mark - This is one of the first songs we ever wrote together and it appeared on a compilation album released by Statik records very early in 1981. Coming as they did quickly in the wake of the John Lennon murder (he had been shot dead a couple of months earlier) I'd always believed that they had stemmed from that. But it is now my belief that they are in fact snatches of my own future.

Don't know what happened
But somebody lost their mind tonight
Not sure what happened
But I don't think I got home tonight
There's blood on my shirt

The clap of thunder and
I see my life go flashing by
The smell of sulfer and
I weep as I embrace the sky
And somebody screamed

(Where were you tonight?)

My chest is burning
I think someone set my soul alight
Don't know what happened
But I don't think I got home tonight
I wonder why
I wonder why

Ahhhh, there's madness here today
Ahhhh, I think I'll go away

Where is my wife?
Where is my wife?
I'm draining away
I'm draining away
(Draining away)
Here today

Notes by Mark - By the late seventies Middleton had become a very dull and insular place to live. Although nearby Manchester has always been a fresh and interesting place to hang out, whenever I was skint, which was most of the time, I'd feel very trapped in Middleton. The first section really refers to people I found myself surrounded by early on in the band's development, all of which served to remind me of the depth of the rut we had all seemingly fallen into. The song as a whole was inspired by what the author Colin Wilson described as "the triviality of everydayness". Ironically, several years later, Middleton's nickname with those that lived in other areas around Manchester was 'Monkeytown'.

I shake my head and shiver
They smile and they stab my back
As they shake my hand
Send out an S.O.S. please
I'm marooned in monkeyland.

I'm idly staring at the sky
Did anybody hear me cry
A billion stars are a moving sight
To all you out there reading this tonight
It's just a trick of the light

I have to know what is real and what is illusion
Tell me how does it feel beyond this confusion?
Is there anyone there?

Do I dismiss this with a sigh?
And let the answers pass me by?
Is my creator God or a man?
Does someone somewhere care and understand?
It's just a trick of the light.

I have to know what is real and what is illusion
(Rest of chorus)

Is there anyone there?
Life's an optical illusion like other optical illusions
Beware

Notes by Mark - The song went through two titles before it finally became 'Second Skin.' It started it's life as 'Dreams In Celluloid' and then became 'Films' and had different lyrics, dealing with the immortality of cinema stars. It evolved after I read a book about the study of 'Near Death Experiences' and subsequently dealt with another form of immortality altogether.

One cold damp evening the world stood still
I watched as I help my breath
A silhouette I thought I knew came through
Someone spoke to me
Whispered in my ear
This fantasy's for you
Fantasies are 'in' this year.

My whole life flashed before my eyes
I thought, what they say is true
I shed my skin and my disguise
And cold, numb and naked I
Emerge from my cocoon
A half remembered tune
Played softly in my head
He said.

He turned, smiling, and said,

I realize a miracle is due
I dedicate this melody to you
But is this the stuff dreams are made of
If this is the stuff dreams are made of
No wonder it feels like I'm floating on air
Everywhere, it feels like I'm everywhere

Like when you fail to make the connection
You know how vital it is
Or when something slips through your fingers
You know how precious it is
And you reach the point when you know it's only your
Second skin
It's only your second skin.

Notes by Mark - The title was actually Reg's suggestion for a band name before we settled on The Chameleons, I liked it so much I remembered it and it just seemed apt for this particular idea. A further inspiration came from Dave when he told me he'd seen an item about a very young child genius who written something like "Someone told me tomorrow never comes, but I've seen it end lots of times." 'Escalator' deals with helplessness in a world gone stark, raving mad.

I'm gazing up at the faces staring blankly at me
I suppose it's just a sign of the times.
They tell me that tomorrow will never arrive
But I've seen it end a million times.

I lost my direction while dodging the flak
Give me a hint or something
If I could freeze time at the flick of a switch
I wouldn't hesitate
No!
There must be something wrong boys.

Obnoxious action, obnoxious results
From teachers who refuse to be taught.
Distorted pictures and dizzy dizzy people
Rush by me at the speed of though.

And sit at their tables and throw us the scraps
For Christs' sake leave us something
Now they can erase us at the flick of a switch
How long will it take
Now!
There must be something wrong boys
They're dragging me down.

Eden, there's no Eden, anyway.

They sit at their tables and throw us the scraps
For Christs' sake leave us something
Now they can erase you at the flick of a switch
How much longer must we wait
Now!
There must be something wrong boys
They're dragging me down
You either swim or you drown.

Notes by Mark - Again this was one of the first songs we did together and we just jammed it out in a few minutes at a rehearsal. My big mouth has always got me into trouble, more so in those days and I think I must have been feeling guilty about something. The second verse came much later and stemmed from a conversation I'd had with a girl friend. Although the original was produced with Lillywhite the version on 'Script' was re-recorded for the album. The whirly pipes at the end (a child's toy that you can still buy at fairgrounds or at the sea-side) was originally Lillywhite's suggestion after we'd used them on the compilation version of 'Here Today'. We repeated it here, my favourite element in the song.

Must have died a thousand times
I must have died a thousand times
I must have died a thousand times
Feeling less than human
I surmise I'm less than human
In Gods' eyes

Time he's on my side, she said
Time he's on my side, she said
He may be on your side I said
But it makes no difference in the end
He's coming after you my friend

Must have cried a thousand times
Must have cried a thousand times
I must have cried a thousand times
Feeling less than human
I surmise I'm less than human
In Gods' eyes

I must have died a thousand times
I must have died a thousand times
And I must have cried a thousand times
I must have cried a thousand times
Wao-oo-oo Wao-oo-oo Wao-oo-oo Wao-oo-oo

Notes by Mark - I still have no idea where this came from. All I remember is that we jammed it out with Martin Jackson after John had left temporarily to get his head together. The idea began with the intro, written by Dave on the piano.

White as a cotton clown
Silence sea and sky
Innocent as the child
Always asking why

I can take you there
I can show you
I can take you there
I'll be there
Gently catching you as you fall
Hearing you when you call
Smiling as we climb
Smiling crocodiling

Certainly as the sun
Bakes a Sahara day
Ancient as the hills
Crumbling into clay.

I can take you there
(Rest of chorus)

It's pleasure and pain
No loss no gain
Pleasure and pain
Again and again
Pleasure and pain.

I can take you there
(Rest of chorus)

This madness, this laughter
Outward feelings I can't control
Those coloured lights are leading me
Is it you?
Is it me?

Notes by Mark - The title is taken from an old poem, I can't remember it all, or it's title, but it goes "Wednesday's child is full of woe; Thursday's child has far to go." I realised that I was actually growing up and leaving my childhood behind me. I was asking myself. What kind of man would I become?

Where are we first and last
Bound together in our past
Much too cruel and much too fast
And much too quick to anger

I suppose
Years ago years ago
I might have known
I suppose
Years ago

Traps laid bare in my face
Set to keep me in my place
Say goodbye to the child
And life it seems is colder

I suppose
Years ago years ago
I might have known
I suppose
Years ago
No.

(But what are you saying?)
Please leave my mind intact
(But what do you mean?)
As I slowly grow older

Where are we each and all
Creatures run and creatures crawl
Where are we each and all
Creatures run and creatures crawl

Where are we each and all
Creatures run and creatures crawl
Spinning here on this ball
Creatures run and creatures crawl

I suppose
Years ago
Years ago
I might have known
I suppose
Years ago years ago
I might have known

As I slowly grow older

Notes by Mark - A song about selling your soul for fame and fortune, compromising oneself for the sake of your dreams. It came in the wake of CBS. They'd dangled a dream in front of us and when we wouldn't be what they wanted they dropped us. We weren't bothered though, we had each other.

Out of tune boys, out of tune boys
Signposts to the sun
Single file boys, single file boys
Signposts to the sun

High as you can go
Lennon to Munroe
Claw their way to the stars
High as you can go
Lennon to Munroe
Clawed their way to the stars
I think they knew.

And I don't care who you are
Just sign the line
And away you fly.

Unexpectedly rejected
Safety for the few
Same excuses resurrected
None of them are true.

High as you can go
Grace Kelly to Garbo
Clawed their way to the stars
High as you can go
Grace Kelly to Garbo
Clawed their way to the stars
I think they knew.

No I don't care who you are
Just sign the line and away you fly.

Take a chance and join the dance
And you can make the sound
Take a chance and join the dance
And we can go to ground
Go to ground.

And I don't care who you are
Just sign the line and away you fly.

Notes by Mark - I was watching some TV while the backing track was being finished, about an extremely violent individual and recounting the time five blokes had leapt from a car and attacked me with hammers and sticks as well as stories which were becoming increasingly common, of old people being beaten and robbed in their own homes by junkies. When the time came to do the take this is what came out. We knew it was a single but didn't know what to call it. We were in a cafe when Dave showed me a news paper cartoon, a funny looking guy with a speech bubble that said . . .

As she parts her greying hair
Voices on the stair
When she turns there's something there.

Like a nightmare from the past
To the sound of splintered glass
Dance the monsters in the mask.

Man of steel
Just standing in the rain.

Have you killed her, someone said
As they dragged you from your bed
Kicking in your head.

What kind of times are these
No one hears, no one sees
As they drive you to your knees

Man of steel
Just standing in the rain
You just stood laughing in the rain.

What kind of times are these
As they drive you to your knees
Dying on your knees
Dying in the rain
The rain.

How can you laugh this one away?
Will you ever laugh this one away?

Notes by Mark - During our early touring, back in the days when we had 'an agent' (gasp!!) we found ourselves, courtesy of 'Wasted Talent' down to support Killing Joke in Leicester. We arrived on time ready to sound check. KJ arrived four and a half hours late and we couldn't check until they had, very boring but no problem. That is until we started our sound check. I plugged my bass in, played a few notes to make sure everything was working and the sound guy shouted "ok, good, now guitar." I started laughing and looked at Dave and he did the same thing, struck a single chord to make sure the leads were working and we got another "great, thanks" from the sound engineer. We started shouting at them that we wanted a proper sound-check, not a line check and they told us that there just wasn't time due to the lateness of Killing Joke's arrival. Things escalated and, noticing the band at the side of the stage, drawn by the commotion, Dave and I unstrapped our guitars and ran at them. Fortunately for them their crew managed to stop us before we got to them. We told them all to f**k off and blew out the gig. Later a spokesman for the band came over and apologised and hoped we'd play the rest of the gigs with them but we told them were to go. Paper Tigers came from that basically.

Too much of it makes me crazy
Not enough of it makes me lazy
Too much makes me lazy
Not enough of it makes me crazy

Time stops just for a moment
And then again it's only an instant
Time stops just for an instant
And then again it's only a moment

They always keep themselves clean
They always keep themselves clean
They always keep themselves clean
They always keep themselves clean
They always keep themselves clean
Clean

Know what I mean
Know what I mean

I wish that this feeling
Would go away

They're gonna get you sooner or later
These tigers made of paper
But don't pay now
You have to pay later
Confronting tigers made of paper

They always keep themselves clean
Yeah, They always keep themselves clean
They always keep themselves clean
They always keep themselves clean
They always keep themselves clean
Clean

I can't shake this feeling
Ahh, I can't shake this feeling
No, I can't shake this feeling
Feeling
How do you feel?

Notes by Mark - A song of two halves. The second half actually came first. I'd nipped out with Martin Jackson for a sandwich and when I got back Dave and Reg had come up with the loop. Later on, we jammed out what became the first part, got to the end and didn't know where to go next "Why not go into that instrumental thing you were doing earlier?" I asked. Presto! The first part is a reflection of those very beautiful memories I have of taking acid with the others and climbing Tandle Hill to look out over the sprawling suburbs of Manchester, an experience which is the very essence of 'Script Of The Bridge' Later when it came to recording the track we'd filled all the available tracks with bits and pieces which we were just going to fade out. As we were mixing I asked everyone there to put fingers on buttons and on my count, press them. We did and what you can still here were the tracks we didn't have any fingers left for. We all looked at each other. "Now what?" someone asked. "Push them back in again on my count." I shouted. Reg pushed his on "3" instead of "4' which is why his guitar comes in slightly earlier than everything else, which actually works perfectly.

Feel myself fall into the ground
Solitary silence
There's no sound
Open my eyes and look around
Colors and concepts that confound
Oh well

You wait until your time comes round again

Pick myself up and take the air
The fragrence of children everywhere
Slowly absorbed into my square
Debating what is and isn't there
Who cares?

Just wait until your time comes round
Again