Lyrics for singles by Rod Stewart

Handbags And Gladrags

Ever seen a blind man cross the road
Trying to make the other side
Ever seen a young girl growing old
Trying to make herself a bride

So what becomes of you my love
When they have finally stripped you of
The handbags and the gladrags
That your Grandad had to sweat so you could buy
Baby

Once I was a young man
And all I thought I had to do was smile
You are still a young girl
and you bought everything in style
Listen

But once you think you're in you're out
'Cause you don't mean a single thing without
The handbags and the gladrags
That your Grandad had to sweat so you could buy

Sing a song of six-pence for your sake
And take a bottle full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake
And bake them all in a pie

They told me you missed school today
So what I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy

They told me you missed school today
So I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy ya

Every Picture Tells a Story

Spent some time feelin' inferior
standing in front of my mirror
Combed my hair in a thousand ways
but I came out looking just the same

Daddy said, "Son, you better see the world
I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave
But remember one thing don't lose your head
to a woman that'll spend your bread"
So I got out

Paris was a place you could hide away
if you felt you didn't fit in
French police wouldn't give me no peace
They claimed I was a nasty person
Down along the Left Bank minding my own
Was knocked down by a human stampede
Got arrested for inciting a peacful riot
when all I wanted was a cup of tea
I was accused
I moved on

Down in Rome I wasn't getting enough
of the things that keeps a young man alive
My body stunk but I kept my funk
at a time when I was right out of luck
Getting desperate indeed I was
Looking like a tourist attraction
Oh my dear I better get out of here
'for the Vatican don't give no sanction
I wasn't ready for that, no no

I moved right out east yeah!
On the Peking ferry I was feeling merry
sailing on my way back here
I fell in love with a slit eyed lady
by the light of an eastern moon
Shangai Lil never used the pill
She claimed that it just ain't natural
She took me up on deck and bit my neck
Oh people I was glad I found her
Oh yeah I was glad I found her

I firmly believe that I didn't need anyone but me
I sincerely thought I was so complete
Look how wrong you can be

The women I've known I wouldn't let tie my shoe
They wouldn't give you the time of day
But the slit eyed lady knocked me off my feet
God I was glad I found her
And if they had the words I could tell to you
to help you on the way down the road
I couldn't quote you no Dickens, Shelley or Keats
'cause it's all been said before
Make the best out of the bad just laugh it off
You didn't have to come here anyway
So remember, every picture tells a story don't it

You Wear It Well

I had nothing to do on this hot afternoon
But to settle down and write you a line
I've been meaning to phone you
But from Minnesota?
Hell, it's been a very long time

You wear it well
A little old fashioned
But that's all right

Well, I suppose you're thinking
"I bet he's sinking
Or he wouldn't get in touch with me"
Oh, I ain't begging or losing my head
I sure do want you to know

That you wear it well
There ain't a lady in the land so fine
Oh my

Remember them basement parties
Your brother's karate
The all-day rock-n-roll shows
Them homesick blues and radical views
Haven't left a mark on you

You wear it well
A little out of time
But I don't mind

But I ain't forgettin'
That you were once mine
But I blew it without even tryin'
Now I'm eatin' my heart out
Tryin' to get a letter through

Since you've been gone
It's hard to carry on

I wanna write about the birthday gown
that I bought you in town
When you sat down and cried on the stairs
You knew it didn't cost the earth
But for what it's worth
You made me feel a millionaire

And you wear it well
Madame Onassis got nothing on you
No no

Anyway, my coffee is cold
And I'm gettin' told
That I gotta get back to work
So when the sun goes low
And you're home all alone
Think of me and try not to laugh

Did I wear it well?
I don't object if you call collect

'Cause I ain't forgettin'
That you were once mine
But I blew it without even tryin'
Now I'm eatin' my heart out
Tryin' to get back to you

I love ya
I love ya
I love ya
I love ya

Oh yeah

After all the years, hope it's the same address

Since you've been gone
It's hard to carry on

The Killing Of Georgie

In these days of changing ways
So called liberated days
A story comes to mind of a friend of mine
Georgie boy was gay I guess
nothin' more and nothin' less
the kindest guy I ever knew

His mother's tears fell in vain
the afternoon George tried to explain
that he needed love like all the rest
Pa said "There must be a mistake ---
How can my son not be straight
after all I've said and done for him?"

Leavin' home on a Greyhound bus
Cast out by the ones he loves
A victim of these gay days it seems

Georgie went to New York town
Where he quickly settled down
And soon became the toast of the Great White Way
Accepted by Manhattan's elite
In all the places that were chic
No party was complete without George

Along the boulevards he'd cruise
and all the old queens blew a fuse
Everybody loved Georgie boy

The last time I saw George alive
Was in the summer of seventy-five
He said he was in love; I said I'm pleased

George attended the opening night
of another Broadway hype
but split before the final curtain fell

Deciding to take a short cut home
arm in arm they meant no wrong
A gentle breeze blew down Fifth Avenue

Out of a darkened side street came
a New Jersey gang with just one aim
to roll some innocent passer-by
There ensued a fearful fight
screams rang out in the night
Georgie's head hit a sidewalk cornerstone
A leather kid, a switchblade knife
He did not intend to take his life
He just pushed his luck a little too far that night
The sight of blood dispersed the gang
A crowd gathered, the police came
An ambulance screamed to a halt on Fifty-third and Third

Georgie's life ended there
But I ask: who really cares?
George once said to me and I quote
He said "Never wait or hesitate
Get in kid, before it's too late
You may never get another chance
'Cos youth's a mask, but it don't last
Live it long and live it fast"
Georgie was a friend of mine

Oh Georgie stay, don't go away
Georgie please stay you take our breath away
Oh Georgie stay, don't go away
Georgie please stay you take our breath away
Oh Georgie stay, don't go away
Georgie, Georgie please stay you take our breath away
Oh Georgie stay

You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)

I didn't know what day it was
when you walked into the room
I said hello unnoticed
You said goodbye too soon

Breezing through the clientele
spinning yarns that were so lyrical
I really must confess right here
the attraction was purely physical

I took all those habits of yours
that in the beginning were hard to accept
Your fashion sense, Beardsley prints
I put down to experience

The big-bosomed lady with a Dutch accent
who tried to change my point of view
Her ad-libbed lines were well rehearsed
but my heart cried out for you

You're in my heart, you're in my soul
You'll be my breath should I grow old
You are my lover and you're my best friend
You're in my soul

My love for you is immeasurable
My respect for you immense
You're ageless, timeless, lace and fineness
You're beauty and elegance

You're a rhapsody, a comedy
You're a symphony and a play
You're every love song ever written
But honey, what do you see in me?

[chorus]

You're an essay in glamour
Please pardon the grammar
But you're every schoolboy's dream
You're Celtic, United but baby I've decided
You're the best team I've ever seen

And there have been many affairs
And many times I've thought to leave
But I bite my lip and turn around
'Cause you're the warmest thing I've ever found

[chorus]

[chorus]

I Was Only Joking

Ever since I was a kid at school
I messed around with all the rules
Apologised then realised
I'm not different after all

Me and the boys thought we had it sussed
Valentinos all of us
My dad said we looked ridiculous
But boy we broke some hearts
In and out of jobs, running free
Waging war with society
Dumb blank faces stare back at me
But nothing ever changed

Promises made in the heat of the night
Creeping home before it got too light
I wasted all that precious time
and blamed it on the wine

I was only joking my dear
Looking for a way to hide my fear
What kind of fool was I
I could never win

Never found a compromise
Collected lovers like butterflies
Illusions of that grand first prize
are slowly wearing thin

Suzy baby you were good to me
Giving love unselfishly
But you took it all too seriously
I guess it had to end

[chorus]

Now you ask me if I'm sincere
That's the question that I always fear
Verse seven is never clear
But I'll tell you what you want to hear

I try to give you all you want
But giving love is not my strongest point
If that's the case it's pointless going on
I'd rather be alone

'Cause what I'm doing must be wrong
Pouring my heart out in a song
Owning up for prosperity
For the whole damn world to see

Quietly now while I turn a page
Act one is over without costume change
The principle would like to leave the stage
The crowd don't understand

You Got A Nerve

Here you stand with tears in your eyes
crying into my arms
pleading with me to take you back
teasing me with your charms

But you got a nerve to come round here
after all you've said and done
I thought I had seen everything
obviously I was wrong

'Cause where were you when the sun went down
Skies turned dark and gray
Where were you when the north winds blew
Honey tell me where were you

I heard you were living down in Brazil
with them high class friends of mine
I can't believe I was so naive
Did I never once cross your mind

You told them all I was down and out
My existence you even denied
Oh what pleasure it gives me now
to know that you're bleeding inside

You were my life, you were my breath
You were every move I ever made
But recently my opinion's changed
The joke's on you I'm afraid

'Cause I have a woman so beautiful
For you I could no longer wait
Please go away you may spoil everything
Your love has turned up too late

Go away, go away
Please, please go away
I loved you once
I don't love you now
Please, please go away

Ain't Love A Bitch

Been in pain and I've been in shame
But ain't love a bitch
I been in fights, locked away for nights
But ain't love a bitch
I been tailed, impaled, strung up
and nailed and left without a stitch
I been scratched 'n' taxed 'n' finally axed
But ain't love a bitch

Oh I didn't understand till I was seventeen
She took me way upstairs and she wiped me clean
Oh I didn't realize she made a first class fool out of me
Oh Maggie if you're still out there the rest is history

You're all alone in the freezing cold
by the underground
Your hands are numb and you're feeling dumb
cos you been let down
You thought you were rough and kinda tough
and maybe out of reach
You're acting chic, playing hide 'n' seek
But ain't love a bitch

Oh I must state right here I been there before
My eyes were closed and so my friends
I still don't know the score
Oh don't underestimate the strength of it
It may be unwise to analyze even the cause of it

You're driving home late one night and on the radio
Comes an old familiar song you used to know so well
(you know a lot about that)
Oh I can't comprehend this thing called love
Maybe it's a matter of fact I just can't grow up
Deep down ain't we all a little juvenile
All I really wanna know is there one sweet angel
that can make me smile

Ain't love a bitch

Torrential rains, wars and hurricanes
I wouldn't budge an inch
Your rent's unpaid and your team lose again
But ain't love a bitch
You can lose your job, your home and your health
But ain't love a bitch
Take it or leave it some day you'll feel it
'cos love is the bitch

Do You Think I'm Sexy

Sugar, sugar

She sits alone waiting for suggestions
He's so nervous avoiding all the questions
His lips are dry, her heart is gently pounding
Don't you just know exactly what they're thinking

If you want my body and you think I'm sexy
come on sugar let me know
If you really need me just reach out and touch me
come on honey tell me so
Tell me so baby

He's acting shy looking for an answer
Come on honey let's spend the night together
Now hold on a minute before we go much further
Give me a dime so I can phone my mother
They catch a cab to his high rise apartment
At last he can tell her exactly what his heart meant

If you want my body and you think I'm sexy
come on honey tell me so
If you really need me just reach out and touch me
come on sugar let me know

His heart's beating like a drum
'cos at last he's got this girl home
Relax baby now we are alone

They wake at dawn 'cos all the birds are singing
Two total strangers but that ain't what they're thinking
Outside it's cold, misty and it's raining
They got each other neither one's complaining
He says I'm sorry but I'm out of milk and coffee
Never mind sugar we can watch the early movie