THE JOKER
I look out from this scratched and faded view
Makeshift repairs instead of getting new
Don’t you ever get tired of tracing all the wires
Knowing that the switches won’t switch for you?

I work at the job that’s easiest, you see
Paying rent instead of living free
Don’t you wanna be bad instead of just being sad
Finding out you can be you instead of me?

The Joker he stares proudly at the wall
He can be who he wants to be
But he don’t wanna ‘be’ at all
He’s an empty Harlequin
With colours growing dim
And he struts about inside his little world

I keep up with the latest lines of talk
So I can ride instead of having to walk
Don’t you like the fashions that gotta little passion?
Being daring takes an extra bit of thought

I sleep with one eye fixed upon the clock
Waiting for the Reaper’s ghostly knock
Don’t you keep the days checking which ones can stay
Using them for your story’s clever plot?

The Joker he stares proudly at the wall
He can be who he wants to be
But he don’t wanna ‘be’ at all
He’s an empty Harlequin
With colours growing dim
And he struts about inside his little world

Words by Peter Greatorex.
Copyright ℗ 1989 Pig Pen Music.

Lyrics by Peter Greatorex.
Music by George Davies/Peter Greatorex/Ben Ballard/Simon Malpas.

Performers:
Peter Greatorex – vocals
George Davies – guitar, bass
Simon Malpas – trumpet
Ben Ballard – drums

Recorded at Silent Running Studios, Exeter, by George Davies, Autumn 1991.
Remastered at Wud Records Studios 2010.

Originally released March 1992.
First re-release June 2000.
Second re-release 16th December 2010.

Cover Art:
Bite Me! by Peter Greatorex
https://www.wudrecords.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/0479_Bite-Me.jpg

Fun Facts:
* This song is very closely related to Armed & Dangerous as they both share the same tune in the verses.
* George considered this tune-sharing conundrum a challenge and set about making this song and Armed & Dangerous appear to not be all that similar after all.
* The tempo is 138BPM and the key is B minor.
* George composed and recorded a demo of the guitar part whilst looking through Pete’s lyric book during a marathon 72-hour session of studio work.
* Ben recorded the drums at the same time as George’s guide guitar track, which was played on the Ice Maiden plugged straight into the mixing desk.
* George was attempting to give directions to Ben throughout their performance.
* When Pete laid down a guide vocal track, Simon was rehearsing his trumpet parts in the background.
* If you listen carefully, you can hear little snatches of his horn being picked up by the vocal mic.
* Some of it is rather wonderful.
* George then added a guide bass track on the Plank, which in those days was tuned as a standard bass guitar.
* The bassline was unplanned until its recording, and has since become a main feature of the song.
* There is a touch too much trigger flange across the cymbals and liberal amounts of delays from the Alesis Quadraverb in this rather fun and dubby mix.
* Even the click track makes a tastefully calculated occasional appearance!
* It is not certain why this recording of The Joker was never finished.
* We felt that it has a curious merit all of its own, despite a few musical blunders.
* This demo version of The Joker was first included on the Signmaker album for its first re-release, in March 1992.
* There is a subsequent version of The Joker by Dark Company on their Alien Heat album.
* When Pete became too ill to perform in 1994, his replacement Andy would sometimes sing different and rather comical lyrics.

Copyright ℗ 1989 Pig Pen Music.
Copyright © 2010 Wud Records.