Things Are Not Quite

What They Seem

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We sat at the bar drinking

All evening long,

We laughed and we danced

To an old jukebox song.

I always smile when

I think back to that day.

The deep voice and

Calloused hands gave him away.


I didn’t realise there was

Anything wrong

Till the 23rd verse

Of a Bob Dylan song.

You can always tell

Things aren’t going as planned

When she comes dressed to kill

With a gun in her hand.


He thought that I was

The girl of his dreams,

Some things are not

Quite what they seem.


He’s taking our votes

And now he’s ok.

Yesterday’s promise

Forgotten today.

He told us a lie

And he played with our dreams,

He’s waving goodbye

As he sails up the stream.


He made us believe

He is something is not.

He gives us the finger

From his luxury yacht.

The con man’s charisma

Shines through the screen.

Some things are not

Quite what they seem.


Be careful my son

Don’t stumble and falter

When you carry the offerings

Up to the altar.

Bless you my child

So shy and so coy,

Father Brendan says

You’re his favourite boy.


The hand on the chalice

Is the tool of his scheme,

Some things are not

Quite what they seem.


We were happy enough

In the east side of town

Till the neighbours that smiled at us

Burned our house down.

They put on a sash

And they played on a flute

And they marched

With a bowler hat and a suit.


They raised up their glasses

And they toasted the Queen,

Some things not

Quite what they seem.

They raised up their glasses

And toasted the Queen,

Some things are exactly

The way that they seem.


Well folks tell me

I’m a regular guy,

There’s less to me

Than meets the eye.

From outside you can’t see

The bile and the spleen.

Some things are not

Quite what they seem.


You may think

I’m just letting off steam,

Some things are not

Quite what they seem.

The con man’s charisma

Shines through the screen,

The hand on the chalice

Is the tool of his scheme,

He thought that I was

The girl of his dreams

And some things are not

Quite what they seem.


Lyrics by Vin Murtagh ©2012