Intro) (0:00 - 0:15) A bright, choppy guitar chord sequence (reminiscent of "Girls & Boys") kicks in, immediately joined by a melodic, bouncing bassline and steady, solid drums. A wobbly, cheesy synth line (like a retro organ) dances over the top. It's instantly catchy and slightly sarcastic sounding. (Verse 1 - Spoken Word) (0:16 - 0:40) (Delivered in a dry, cockney-accented spoken word, over a slightly pared-back mix. Bass remains prominent.) "Tuesday. Half ten. High Street's breathing slow. Got a hole in me pocket and a long way to go. Sun's pretending it's trying to break through the grey. I see the same old faces, on the same old day. The pensioners are queueing for the Early Bird Bites, Squinting at the prices under the fluorescent lights. And I'm part of the furniture, just waiting for a spark... Life, innit?" (Pre-Chorus) (0:41 - 0:50) (Music swells, spoken word stops. Sung in a strained, melodic shout by Damon-style vocalist.) "And the rain on the pavement is a familiar friend! Another circuit round the bend! Another 'please, just on the mend'!" (Chorus) (0:51 - 1:10) (Full, explosive band. Big, anthemic, harmonized vocals.) "IT'S CAFF LIFE! A lukewarm tea and a buttered knife! IT'S CAFF LIFE! The glorious, unending strife! And you'll get by, on cheap white bread and lies! IT'S CAFF LIFE! (Caff Life!) Yeah, it's Caff Life! (Caff Life!)" (Verse 2 - Sung) (1:11 - 1:35) (Sung melody, more energetic. Guitars get janglier.) The checkout girl's got a novel, hidden in the Star. Dreaming of a world that feels a little less far. The manager's counting stock with a desperate, vacant sigh. Watching his ambitions slowly curdle and die. And the radio plays a song from nineteen-ninety-six. A temporary fix, for the existential kicks. (Pre-Chorus) (1:36 - 1:45) "And the grease on the window paints a masterful scene! Of what tomorrow might have been! A ghost in a coffee machine!" (Chorus) (1:46 - 2:05) "IT'S CAFF LIFE! A lukewarm tea and a buttered knife! IT'S CAFF LIFE! The glorious, unending strife! And you'll get by, on cheap white bread and lies! IT'S CAFF LIFE! (Caff Life!) Yeah, it's Caff Life! (Caff Life!)" (Verse 3 - Spoken Word) (2:06 - 2:30) (Bass and drums groove, spoken word returns, more philosophical.) "Then you get the lunchtime rush. A blur of suits and stress. Mumbling orders into mobiles, what a beautiful mess. They're talking turnover, mergers, a weekend in Prague. While mopping up a baked bean spill with a ragged catalogue. And I'm just sitting here, conducting it all with a stirrer. A philosopher king in a formica theatre. Watching the great British pageant unfold... It's better than telly, I'm told." (Bridge) (2:31 - 2:50) (Music changes. Becomes more tense, atmospheric. Synth becomes more spacey. Vocals are lower, reflective.) And for a second, the sun hits the Formica just right... And everything is bathed in a temporary, holy light... The clatter stops, the chatter fades to a hum... And you feel like you've arrived... just where you've come from. (Guitar Solo) (2:51 - 3:10) (A messy, triumphant, and melodic guitar solo. Not overly technical, but full of feeling and feedback. Very Graham Coxon. The band rocks out behind it.) (Outro Chorus & Fade) (3:11 - 3:45) (The band crashes back in for one last, huge, celebratory chorus. The "Caff Life!" shouts become more chanted, anthemic.) "IT'S CAFF LIFE! (Caff Life!) A lukewarm tea and a buttered knife! (Buttered knife!) IT'S CAFF LIFE! The glorious, unending strife! And you'll get by! (You'll get by!) On cheap white bread and lies! (Bread and lies!) IT'S CAFF LIFE! (Caff Life!) Yeah, it's Caff Life! (Caff Life!) CAFF LIFE! CAFF LIFE!..." (Music begins to fade out while still playing strong, like the band is marching off down the high street. The last sound is the clatter of a cup on a saucer and the chime of a doorbell.)
