Hot In The House

Lyrics by John Balance

There's someone within us, someone amongst us
someone who knows what frightens and thrills us

John B.'s original title was The Father of Fear. I think we thought that was a bit heavy and took the title from the song's line 'o hot in your houses and stained by dead horses'. For my birthday, I think, Ben gave me some panpipes. The song starts '50,000 wild flutes blow up a storm' and John B. had also scribbled at the bottom of the words 'do a song called The Great God Pan', so it seemed the right song to try out the panpipes. GG

This track is included on Press My Hungry Button.

Hot in the house
Words by John Balance

It was mere folly… I didn't mark it
there's more here than there seems… I don't like it

50,000 wild flutes blow up a storm
there's someone within us, someone amongst us
someone who knows what frightens and thrills us
there's laughter behind you and someone is crying
wild dogs are running through dry riverbeds

Go down to the town, down to the town

Go down to the town, down to the town
where they never work all their lives
so they just lie about
lost until knives cut the skins from their backs
the butchers, the bakers, the nightmare makers
all lost till they stammer out there's answers for life

Go down to the town, down to the town

He loves his little children, he waits in their bedrooms
merging with furniture, hiding in playthings

He comes down, he comes down
the father of fear with a family to feed
collector, reactor, collator, relater
sheds tears, he sheds skins… he is here
surrounded by wild men and ghosts and wild boys
he is wise, he is panic, he is fear

We are tense we cannot sleep
we pull wool from the backs of sheep
o hot in your houses and stained by dead horses
situations repeated like films of your past
like babies in baskets, like rats in the rushes
Bou Jeloud is searching for secrets inside
He loves little children, he waits in their bedrooms
merging with furniture, hiding in playthings