I'm waiting for love, but you come along
You smile, you wave, you great me, Ciao!
but you seem too happy to see me somehow
Then the sky falls in on my head
Your nails grow long, your eyes turn red
You say, forever dear and a day
You promise you're never going to go away
And my feet won't move when I run the other way
CHORUS
I can't wake up to save my life
I can't wake up to save my life
In my nightmare you forgive me
The cruellest gift you could ever give me
You say that you understand me now
But your eyes say, brother, I'll get you somehow
Then the lightning streaks across the room
You smell like something fresh from the tomb
You squeeze too hard, you iinsist on kissing
When it seems like half your face is missing
And your hair's turned into reptiles hissing
CHORUS
Things I done make my dreams go bad
Like Borstal boys coming home to Dad
What ye reap so shall ye sow
Now shake me, wake me, go man go
CHORUS
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Richard Thompson (born 3 April 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
Thompson first gained prominence in the late 1960s as the lead guitarist and songwriter for the folk rock group Fairport Convention, which he had co-founded in 1967. After departing the group in 1971, Thompson released his debut solo album Henry the Human Fly in 1972. The next year, he formed a duo with his wife Linda Thompson, which produced six albums, including the critically acclaimed I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974) and Shoot Out the Lights (1982). After the dissolution of the duo, Thompson revived his solo career with the release of Hand of Kindness in 1983. He has released eighteen solo studio albums. Three of his albums—Rumor and Sigh (1991), You? Me? Us? (1996), and Dream Attic (2010)—have been nominated for Grammy Awards, while Still (2015) was his first UK Top Ten album. He continues to write and record new material and has frequently performed at venues throughout the world, although the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to suspend his touring.
Music critic Neil McCormick described Thompson as "a versatile virtuoso guitarist and a sharp observational singer-songwriter whose work burns with intelligence and dark emotion". His songwriting has earned him an Ivor Novello Award and, in 2006, a lifetime achievement award from BBC Radio. His 1991 song "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" was included in Time magazine's "All-TIME 100 Songs" list of the best English-language musical compositions released between 1923 and 2011. Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. Many varied musicians have recorded Thompson's compositions.
In 2021, his book Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice, 1967–1975 was published, mainly a memoir of his life as a musician from 1967 to 1975.
