Why did I listen to that music?

It’s made me feel so sad

and brought it home to me once more

I want what I cannot have

When you can’t get what you want

you still have all the rest

but isn’t it sad to settle for second-best?

I’ve been waiting at home

for someone to phone

I didn’t get where I am today

without living that old cliché

I’ve been lying in bed

the sheets over my head

I didn’t get where I am today

without giving up in dismay

Told everyone I’m over it

I’ve quit this cul-de-sac

But just when I thought

I’d lost it for good

that feeling comes right back

When you can’t get what you want

you wear your bravest face

but deep inside you’re sinking without a trace

I’ve been called repressed

a poet, a pest

I didn’t get where I am today

without getting in someone’s way

I live my life on a stage

put it down on the page

I didn’t get where I am today

without writing a résumé

I didn’t get where I am today

I’ve explored situations

the themes and variations

I didn’t get where I am today

without losing it on the way

On the Street of Shame

looking for someone to blame

I didn’t get where I am today

without leaving in disarray

I didn’t get where I am today

2001. A cheerful stir-fry of misery and paradox. The ‘Street of Shame’ is Fleet Street in London, once the epicentre of British newspaper publishing.