[Lyrics for Bell X1 – The Ribs Of A Broken Umbrella]
She was only just a girl in a picture
but he thought if I could only make her smile
bhen she’d be mine
He’d folded it, re-folded it so many times,
He’d already lost some of her to the creases
precious pieces
He wondered how close he’s ever been to her
in this ebb and flow of the distance between us
maybe she got the same bus
and he left a trail of string wherever he went
When he was sleepin’, he tied it to his toe
if she crossed it, then he’d know
But he knew
that all was unravelling
and he was bare
stripped of his skin
like the ribs of a broken umbrella
sticking out of a bin
He’d pull his collar up against the wind,
Against those who said that trying was the first step to failing
Oh he was railing
and filled with newfound purpose and pride,
He’d make something out of this heady glow
Now where would she go?
But what do I know?
Cos all is unravelling
and he was bare
stripped of his skin
like the ribs of a broken umbrella
sticking out of a bin
But he knew how to fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza
with time’s great elixir, dear Liza, dear Liza
She was only just a girl in a picture,
But he thought if I could only make her smile
then she’d be mine
Oh the thought of being faced with her
gave him the fear and sometimes in the morning a tent
Oh Lord give him strength
Cos he knew
that all was unravelling
and he was bare
stripped of his skin
Like the ribs of a broken umbrella
sticking out of the bin