Alex Day - Parrot Stories - Chords and Lyrics 1. A Thousand Hours Capo 3rd Verse: Em, C, G, B7 Chorus: F, C, B7, Em If I counted up the hours I spent on the phone to you Or waiting at train stations to meet you I’d give myself maybe a thousand hours estimate And that still wouldn’t make up for the sleep you made me lose If someone told me I could have it all back No more writing or reflecting or thinking on what could be I’d tell that person they don’t know me at all Cos you made me who I am and they don’t get how much you mean to me This may come as a surprise But I don’t care if we fight Cos I’d rather that you lie Then you not be there at all So I’ll sing you some clichés As I count down day by day Till I board another train So I’ll spend another night writing about you all I can And revel in our shared sense of nostalgia Memories made from Waterloo to Hyde Park, Covent Garden, Camden Market, Squares of and Trafalgar If someone told me I could give it all back No more hostels or those long goodbyes where no-one wants to go I’d talk about the time we sung in the rain Skipping buses cos you didn’t want to leave me to go home This may come as a surprise, But I love the sleepless nights Though I tend to speak my mind I go overboard, I know So I’ll sing you some clichés As I count down day by day Till I board another train This may come as a surprise But I don’t care if we fight Cos I’d rather that you lie Then you not be there at all So I’ll sing you some clichés As I count down day by day Till I board another train 2. Hearts Capo 6th Verse: C, E, F, Dsus2 Bridge: C, E, Am, F, G Chorus: Same as verse There’s someone out there in the world like you With perfect glossy hair and skinny jeans from Camden But they won’t be able to drive me crazy ‘Cos that’s a curse that only you seem to know how to do And everytime I see you It takes days for me to get back on my feet I’m not that good at writing but I thought you should know Every song’s about you ‘cos you’re everywhere I go If all we do is hold hands and laugh at stuff on TV That’ll still be a real good day for me There’s someone out there in the world like you Who has such a way with words that I couldn’t resist him But I don’t think you’d be impressed ‘Cos even if he’s more available, he won’t have my honesty And everytime I need you I know you’ll never be far away from me I’m not that good at writing but I thought you should know Every song’s about you ‘cos you’re everywhere I go If all we do is hold hands and laugh at stuff on TV That’ll still be a real good day for me There’s people out there in the world like us Who have chemistry and the common sense to act on it But who needs simplicity in this candid game of hearts We’ll just keep dancing ’till we tear ourselves apart I’m not that good at writing but I thought you should know Every song’s about you ‘cos you’re everywhere I go If all we do is hold hands and laugh at stuff on TV That’ll still be a real good day for me 3. No More Capo 4th Verse: F, C, E, Am Chorus: Same as verse Outro: F, G, E, F I watched the city lights go up in Glasgow And I thought about the stupid things we said the night before There were so many words I had to say So I wrote ’till I just couldn’t write no more I knew that come tomorrow, I’d be leaving And I didn’t want to bring it up because I’d miss you all There were so many things I could regret So I’ll think ’till I just can’t think no more Here comes another night of trying to forget what I won’t remember And I can’t move forward ’till I push you back I won’t stop ’till I make it back to you But I need time to find out what I want from you And when I clear these voices in my head I’ll hear what you’ve been saying and we’ll sleep under the stars I’m told that people like to call us dreamers Because we won’t ever stop until we’ve done all we can do There are so many things I haven’t seen So I’ll look ’till I just can’t look no more And if I told you everything I wanted Would you close your eyes or look away or say you didn’t hear There are so many things I need from you So I’ll sing ’till I just can’t sing no more I won’t stop ’till I make it back to you But I need time to find out what I want from you And when I clear these voices in my head I’ll hear what you’ve been saying and we’ll sleep under the stars Sat under this tree with you, the rain is on our faces And I can’t think of a single place where I would rather be Don’t forget, if you ever need me, I’m only a vodka away from you Don’t forget there’s nothing you could say, nothing you can say that’s any use to me Don’t forget, if you ever need me, I’m only a vodka away from you Don’t forget there’s nothing you could say, nothing you can say that’s any use to me 4. Holding On Capo 4th Intro: Hammering on C Verse: C, Am, E Chorus: F, C, E, Am Chorus-2: C, G, Em, F A million and one thousand things are screaming in my head And I can’t seem to forget, can’t stop thinking about you I could ride across the sky in a bicycle built for two Could you teach me how to ride, like you taught me how to feel alive? And not a single day goes by when I don’t wish for you To watch me pause to find the words to steal your heart away But I’ll play every word back round and round to try and find A clue you might have left behind to say you feel the same And even if I know I’ll never be your Leo I’ll keep holding on A hundred and three thousand ghosts are laughing in my dreams My eyes are failing me, everywhere I look I see you I could bake a chocolate cake for you with tiers up to the moon Could you show me how it’s done, like you showed me how to fall in love? You’ll never see that I’m the one who never left you When you needed me to cry to ‘cos your heart got broke again So I’ll play until the strings on my guitar give out, And I’ll be aching from the pain of trying to pretend And even if I know I’ll never be your Leo I’ll keep holding on 5. Candy Floss Intro: Variations on G Verse-1: G, Em, A Verse-2: Em, C7 We ran through the rain together You said I looked nice, I said you looked pretty You held my hand, you pulled me close And whispered “take me home” We turned around as fast as we could And jumped on the very next train I said “I love you more than life” You said “I feel the same” And we talked about nothing forever You spoke to the walls, they told you a story The world spun underneath our feet As we shut our exhausted eyes We wrote our names in a heart on the sand And saw the sea wash it away I said “I want you in my life” She said “okay” She was gonna go, but I said “no, I don’t think so” She looked at me, she smiled at me And now I’ll tell you what she said: “Do you like candy floss?” I said “yeah, it’s alright” She said “take me to a fun fair and we’ll eat candy floss tonight” And we spun on the teacups Round and round and round until we felt dizzy You asked me to win you a bear And said it was fine when I failed (And we all know those things are rigged anyway.) You and me, spinning through the trees ’till our faces were blue I’ll always be that little boy sharing candy floss with you 6. What You Do Capo 1st Verse: Bm7, F Chorus: E, Am7 Come, come up to meet You and I see All of the world inside your eyes And I am alive You move closer to me I know what you need I’m gonna set your heart on fire Feel you inside I’m addicted to what you do I’m in love with the way you move Breathing in every word you say And all of the promises you make I know you’ll keep them Legs twisting round me Hearing you speak Saying the things I need to hear We disappear Your skin against me Slide desperately Tingles are slipping down my spine You make you mine I’m addicted to what you do I’m in love with the way you move Breathing in every word you say And all of the promises you make I know you’ll keep them I’m addicted to what you do I’m in love with the way you move Breathing in every word you say And all of the promises you make Oh God I need them 7. No Sacrifice Verse-1: E, Em Verse-2: C, Am, E Chorus: A, Am, E, E7 I wish I could be the person everybody thinks that I’m not Surrender to an image until personality becomes lost I don’t want to be the one who always leaves you out in the rain Every time I try I end up making all the same mistakes I wish I could stop reacting badly when you speak to me Push away reaction and just show you what I want you to see I don’t want to be the one who’s always getting in your way If I let you go, you could be better for it anyway I can see who I want to be, but I’m not sure I can reach it anymore I’ve got no sacrifice, the fantasy of you left me unsure I think if I think too much I’ll think myself away from you Thinking never does anyone good if it is all too soon Memories are remedies to stopping me want you too much Memory’s my ecstasy to keep me craving you enough Never have I met another person who is quite like you Moving on without you would be such a stupid thing to do Why must you be laughing in my head if I don’t want you there? Why do I indulge a single moment to making me care? I can see who I want to be, but I’m not sure I can reach it anymore (I wish I could be the person everybody thinks that I’m not) I’ve got no sacrifice, the fantasy of you left me unsure (I wish I could stop reacting badly when you speak to me) I can see who I want to be, but I’m not sure I can reach it anymore (I think if I think too much I’ll think myself away from you) I’ve got no sacrifice, the fantasy of you left me unsure 8. Impossible Dreams Verse: C, Am, Em, G Chorus: F, E, C, Am, Dm, G This land’s so alien to me But I just felt comfortable here And now I don’t know the way home I don’t know where I’m trying to go The streets here have numbers The buildings in blocks But none of the street signs are pointing to you I’ve seen a whole different world The sky’s getting darker, the air’s getting cooler And I just can’t win anymore So forgive me, my darling We all have impossible dreams I tried so many new things Smashes don’t matter against memories Seems that I made the wrong choice I’d say sorry but I have no voice To tell you that decisions are hard And my world is so small Nothing matters unless you’re satisfied Who else can I share my chai with Now the sky’s getting darker, the air getting cooler And I just can’t win anymore So forgive me, my darling We all have impossible dreams I don’t know much of my life But I know I want people to know Maybe I might sing along As if this was only a song But now the sky’s getting darker, the air getting cooler And I just can’t win anymore So forgive me, my darling 9. Sicily Capo 5th Verse: Em, C, D Chorus: Am, G, B7 Sat in peaceful scenery The city lights shine bright around me The smell of last night’s dinner is still breezing through the air Dozing in tranquility The morning sun hangs high above me Clicking camera shutters catch bewildered foreign stares And I must be away from my home But it feels so close to me And I must be away from my home But it feels so close to me Clifftop is our tapestry The sunlit sky does well to cool me Drifting past the villas in a coach without a care Blackjack in serenity Fellow makers ride beside me Walking through an archway and admiring what lies there And I must be away from my home But it feels so close to me And I must be away from my home But it feels so close to me Sat in peaceful scenery The city lights shine bright around me Smell of last night’s dinner is still breezing through the air Through the air 10. How We Were Verse: Am, F, Em, Am Bridge: Dm, G, E, Am, Dm, G, E Chorus: Am, Dm, C, G, Am, Dm, E Outro: Same as verse Things I like to think about involving me and you include a wait for a proposal a London cloud We make choices and they take us closer to our future and the day I wake up next to you safe and sound Maybe we can spend a little time, growing old and drinking wine Looking forward to the things we’ve yet to face And if they bring us pearls for us to wear on Judgement Day We can think ourselves quite lucky that we haven’t worn away I want to know if this could be something that you could believe in Or am I just saying words again I remember how we were, before you became intoxicating I remember how we were, before I could feel my will escaping I remember how we were, before my mind was inundated With wishes of you getting lost in me Things I have to think about when I don’t know if you will do your best to make this or if you won’t reciprocate I could stand in front of you and offer you my world but if you’re not quite ready yet you will leave me lost in space Maybe we can spend a couple days, high on life and cheap champagne Dancing as we discuss possibility And if hypothetically the two of us become more strange I’ll think myself quite lucky you don’t throw my hand away I want to know if this could be something that you could believe in Or am I just saying words again I remember how we were, before you became intoxicating I remember how we were, before I could feel my will escaping I remember how we were, before my mind was inundated With wishes of you getting lost in me 11. Don't Look Back Verse: A, Amaj7, F#, Fm9 “When it gets to midnight/we both know what we want”: D, Dm Chorus: D, Dm, E7, D, Dm This won’t be the first time that I’ll give it all I’ve got I promise I don’t mean for everything to turn out wrong I’m not a complex person, wind me up and watch me go You’ll always be second to my love for the unknown It’s late and your nose is turning red from the cold Our feet are walking rhythmically and crumpling the snow And I have got myself a question that I would like to ask When it gets to midnight, will you take my freezing hands and dance? And it’s too late for me, but you can still be free if you leave now And don’t look back, my love I’m a sucker for stability, which might come as a surprise But I can’t help but love the way you smile to one side We don’t need the music to remind us what we’ve lost I can barely move my fingers and I’m slipping on the frost Now the dark is all around us but for the full moon in the sky The world is silent to me, we’re the only ones alive And I can see my breath in front of me, dancing in the air with yours We both know what we want, but we can’t cos we’re so unsure And it’s too late for me, but you can still be free if you leave now And don’t look back, my love