[Intro: cold string stabs, deep square bass, distant sirens] Buzz twice by the launderette and duck the pipe on the stair Only chair still spinning when the city's out of air [Hook: chanted, bass hits, group shouts] Basement fade (buzz buzz) Midnight till the bread van comes Basement fade (buzz buzz) Walk in tired, walk out like a champion Cabbies and the nurses and the bouncers in a row One chair, one mirror, and I run the show [Verse 1] Strip light flicker and the kettle on the shelf Queue on the staircase and they're talking to themselves Cabbie double parked with his hazards on blink Wants a low taper and a minute just to think Bouncer with a cauliflower ear off the door Sits like a statue, says same as before Nurse off a double with her scrubs under a coat Falls asleep in the cape, I don't charge for the doze I don't cut hair, I close cases, I sign them in steel Every lineup I draw is a signature deal Day shift barbers got the windows and the light I got the basement and the whole of the night [Hook: chanted, bass hits, group shouts] Basement fade (buzz buzz) Midnight till the bread van comes Basement fade (buzz buzz) Walk in tired, walk out like a champion Cabbies and the nurses and the bouncers in a row One chair, one mirror, and I run the show [Verse 2] Four in the morning and the door goes bang Groom on the stairs and his whole stag gang Wedding at noon and his barber's in Spain Hair like a hedge that got caught in the rain Mates are still singing from a night that went long Groom's got the shakes and he's humming the wrong song I said sit down, breathe out, look straight at the glass I've faded through a power cut by a lighter and a match I've faded a judge and a drummer and a priest And a boxer who lost but still walked out a beast So relax your shoulders and keep your chin still Your bride's gonna think that she married up, she will [Double-Time Switch: stacked, no commas] Clipper on a number two and a foil for the finish and a razor for the edge Talc on the collar and a brush for the shoulder and a mirror like a lighthouse on a ledge Cabbie in the corner and the nurse in the doorway and the bouncer like a wardrobe on the step Groom getting calmer and the mates getting quiet and the temple getting sharper than a crease in a cheque [Hook: chanted, bass hits, group shouts] Basement fade (buzz buzz) Midnight till the bread van comes Basement fade (buzz buzz) Walk in tired, walk out like a champion [Chopper Burst: triplet bounce, flow switch] Taper it and blend it then I tidy up the temple like a surgeon at a window with a blade in a glove Skin it at the bottom then I fade it to a shadow then I carry up the middle till the blend is a hush Lineup on the forehead like a ruler on a blueprint then I powder up the neckline and I brush off the dust Spin him round to see it and the best man is crying and the groom is in the glass looking ready for love [Breakdown: bass only, half time, chant] Buzz if you need it (buzz) Fade if you stay (fade) Bread van at the corner Means I'm on my way [Verse 3] Half five, sweep the hair in a pile like a crown Shake out the cape and the shutters come down Bread van idling and the driver wants a trim Last one of the night and I do it for him Walk up the steps and the sky's going pink City looking sharp and it doesn't even think About who did the cabbie, who did the nurse Who did the groom with the speech he'd rehearse Who did the bouncer and the drummer and the priest Basement king sleeping while the day shift feasts Noon at the church and the lineup is clean And nobody in the pews knows where he's been [Final Hook: chanted, bass hits, group shouts] Basement fade (buzz buzz) Midnight till the bread van comes Basement fade (buzz buzz) Walk in tired, walk out like a champion Cabbies and the nurses and the bouncers in a row One chair, one mirror, and I run the show [Outro: string stabs fade, clippers buzz] Buzz twice by the launderette Chair's still warm, I'm not done yet
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