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lyrics

Half An Alpha

You are just trying to help
Which is perfectly commendable
But sometimes a person can try just too damned hard

Neither brainy, dumb, brawny or particularly weak
You fall into that bracket that is somewhere in-between
It’s not easy for you to let someone else lend a hand

You’d be kind of cavalier, though, not to admit
That it borders on the plain serendipitous
To have a friend who can mend
A broken heart or a skew-whiff shelf

But please note that just because you have your uses
Doesn’t make you any less of a nightmare or a nuisance
Because 5 times out of 10 you make an awkward scene 10 times worse

Half an alpha
Half a tender, modern man
It must be harder
Being both the yin and the yang
Half a blessing, half a curse
But being neither would be worse
Half an alpha,
You have it twice as hard as most

You eat Belgian chocolates in your souped-up car
You read The Guardian supplement behind a Daily Star
You drink Remy Martin from a warmed brown paper bag

There is nothing you like more than a good French farce
TV debates on culture are a pain in the…
Art is something to be seen and never to be discussed

Half an alpha
Half a tender, modern man
It must be harder
Being both the yin and the yang
Half a blessing, half a curse
Being neither would be worse
Half an alpha
You have it twice as hard as most

So let’s not make no bones about it
You’ve been hammering my home with your own style of counselling
Whether I needed it or not is irrelevant

You are brash, you are loud, consistently beleaguering
But you fitted this cold house with central heating just by being with me
A metaphor it pleases me to know that you will understand

Half an alpha
Half a tender, modern man
It must be harder
Being both the yin and the yang
Half a blessing, half a curse
Being neither would be worse
Half an alpha
You have it twice as hard as most

Half an alpha
Half a tender, stand-up bloke
It must be harder
It can’t be easy being both
Half a blessing, half a curse
Being neither would be worse
Half an alpha
You have it twice as hard as most


Words and music written by Keith M Thomson
(c) 2013 All rights reserved

credits

from Inhale​.​.​. Exhale​.​.​. OK, Now You Can Panic!, track released July 15, 2013
Performed by:
Keith M Thomson – vocals/electric & acoustic guitars/banjo/harmonica
Marijana Hajdarhodžić – vocals
Wilco van Eijk – drums/percussion
Steve Nelson – bass

Produced by Keith M Thomson & Robbie Nappholz
Mixed by Tom Aitkenhead, Keith M Thomson & Marijana Hajdarhodzic
Mastered by Andrew Thompson

Words and music written by Keith M Thomson
© 2013 All rights reserved

The copyright of this sound recording belongs to Soundinistas
(c) & (p) 2013 Soundinistas
All rights reserved

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The Penny Black Remedy image

The Penny Black Remedy London

The Penny Black Remedy are a London based band renowned for their energetic live shows and for their unique musical fusion of many different genres, including Folk, Americana, Punk and Ska. At the band's core is Keith M Thomson and Marijana Hajdarhodžić. TPBR have released three albums and plan to release the first of two compilations of acoustic recordings, studio outtakes and demos in Oct 2020. ... more

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