The Ties That Bind You


1969 version:                                      2001 version:

That girl at the far side of the bar               That girl at the far side of the bar
Waves the smoke of cigarettes away                 Waves the smoke of cigarettes away
And in a flash you know exactly where you are      And in a flash you know exactly where you are
At the bus-stop in the mist of early morning       At the bus-stop in the mist of early morning
By the empty timber sheds beside the bay           By the empty timber sheds beside the bay

And all those little kids are deaf and dumb        And all those little kids are deaf and dumb
Who line the gravelled footway after school        Who line the gravelled footway after school
But the splash of every stone in the canal         But the splash of every stone in the canal
Rebuilds for you the echoing aquarium              Rebuilds for you the echoing aquarium
Where stingrays carried pennies round the pool     Where stingrays carried pennies round the pool

   And echoes coming back like this remind you        And echoes coming back like this remind you
   How much lies behind you                           How much lies behind you
   Solemn discs that slide from clouds of years       Dust-encrusted discs that slide from clouds of years
   And then they blind you                            And then they blind you
   Water over dams returning near as tears            The ties that bind you
   When lost things find you                            
                                                   And those ski-gloves fresh from drying by the fire
Those ski-gloves fresh from drying by the fire     Seem suddenly to hold a warmth that reaches
Seem suddenly to hold a warmth that reaches        From the back seat of a car, hot with the sun
From the back seat of a car, hot with the sun      On the highway running north beside the beaches
On the highway running north beside the beaches    One summer on the far side of the world
One summer on the far side of the world              
                                                      And echoes coming back like this remind you
And that market-going grandmother who sighs           How much lies behind you
And turns her collar up against the rain              Dust-encrusted discs that slide from clouds of years
Would be scandalised to know she recreates            And then they blind you
As beautifully clear as when it happened              The ties that bind you
The first girl who ever woke before your eyes        
                                                   And that market-going grandmother who sighs
   And echoes coming back like this remind you     And turns her collar up against the rain
   How much lies behind you                        Would be scandalised to know she recreates
   Solemn discs that slide from clouds of years    As mountain-river clear as when it happened
   And then they blind you                         The first girl who ever woke before your eyes
   Water over dams returning near as tears         
   When lost things find you                          And echoes coming back like this remind you
                                                      How much lies behind you
The ties that bind you                                Water over dams returning near as tears
The ties that bind you                                When lost things find you
                                                      The ties that bind you
                                                      The ties that bind you

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