Album: Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake (1968)

Charted: 2

License This Song 

• A-wouldn't it be nice to get on with me neighbours?
  But they make it very clear, yhey've got no room for ravers
  They stop me from groovin', they bang on me wall
  They doing me crust in, it's no good at all, ah
  Lazy Sunday afternoon
  I've got no mind to worry
  I close my eyes and drift away-a
  Here we all are sittin' in a rainbow
  Gor blimey, hello Mrs. Jones, how's old Bert's lumbago? (he mustn't grumble)
  (Tweedle-dee) I'll sing you a song with no words and no tune (twiddly-dee)
  To sing in your party while you souse at the moon (oh yeah)
  Lazy Sunday afternoon, I've got no mind to worry
  Close my eyes and drift away-a
  
  Root-de-doo-de-doo, a-root-de-doot-de-doy-di
  A-root-de-doot-de-dum, a-ree-de-dee-de-doo-dee (doo-doo, doo-doo)
  There's no one to hear me, there's nothing to say
  And no one can stop me from feeling this way, yeah
  Lazy Sunday afternoon
  I've got no mind to worry
  Close my eyes and drift away
  Lazy Sunday afternoon
  I've got no mind to worry
  Close my eyes and drift a-
  Close my mind and drift away, close my eyes and drift away Writer/s: RONNIE LANE, STEVE MARRIOTT
  Publisher: Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 8

• Rob from BrisbaneI liked it in '68 and 56 years later I still do.
• Mark from GeelongI'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet. The magic "F" word appears loud and strong in this song. Immediately after the lines "They stop me from groovin', They bang on me wall", you can hear "f--k the neighbours". There's all this racket going on and it just sounds like it's part of it. It's not sung. It starts loud and fades toward the end. Somebody lip-synced it for me, and once you hear it, it's obvious.
• Chris S from NorfolkOn page 123 of the excellent book 'All or Nothing' by Simon Spence there is the reference 'Marriot's yell of "Fxxk the neighbours" was disguised but still audible on the finished record'
• Peter Doyle from Bray, Co. Wicklow, Irelandsuss out the moon is a euphemism for taking care of the elimination of your body's solid waste. suss means to to take care of something and moon is the buttocks or bottom both cockney slang expressions. If you listen carefully you can hear the sound of a toilet flushing.
• Kris from UkIt's definitely "suss out" not "flush out" the moon. Though what it means, the mind boggles. Probably nothing at all. It just fits the music. This is the thing with song lyrics. They don't 'mean' anything, it's just an accompaniment to the music.
• Tony from Uk"To sing in your karzi while you suss out the moon" - 'karzi' is cockney slang for 'toilet'.
• Max from OxfordNot 100% sure the words are 'flush out the moon', instead 'to sing in your bathroom while you suss out the moon' would fit far better into the Happiness Stan theme of the album.
• Max from Oxford"Gor blimey 'allo Mrs Jones, How's your Bert's lumbago? (Now mustn't grumble...)". Who else would get away with a line like this is into a song? I suspect very few vocalists could - possibly Ian Hunter. Marriott (bless him) was a master at singing in a cod Cockney accent and this comes to the fore on "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" where certain phrases are embellished with an exaggerated Cockney flat 'a' sound at the end of a sentence. (Pronounced as the 'a' in 'at'). Example: in 'Rene' he sings 'love is like an 'ole in the wall-a, a lineup in the warehaase, no trouble at all, and if you've got the munnee, you'll have a ball... she'll 'ave yours-a' etc.

More Songfacts:

Mr. BojanglesThe Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The Texas songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker wrote "Mr. Bojangles" after a weekend in jail where a fellow inmate told him his life story.

All ApologiesNirvana

When the Christian band DC Talk covered Nirvana's "All Apologies" at concerts, they would change the line "Everyone is gay" to "Jesus is the Way."

Don't Go Back To RockvilleR.E.M.

The R.E.M. song "Don't Go Back To Rockville" is about Mike Mills' girlfriend at the University of Georgia, who had to go back to Rockville, Maryland, for the summer.

Closer To FineIndigo Girls

The "Doctor of philosophy" in the Indigo Girls' song "Closer To Fine" is based on a teacher Emily Saliers had who had a poster of Rasputin on his door.

Fallin'Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys got a huge break when Oprah had her perform her debut single "Fallin'" on her show.

Dirty WorkSteely Dan

"Dirty Work" is one of the few Steely Dan songs not sung by Donald Fagen. The lead vocal is by David Palmer, who sang on two tracks from their debut album.

Editor's Picks

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Rosanne CashSongwriter Interviews

Rosanne talks about the journey that inspired her songs on her album The River & the Thread, including a stop at the Tallahatchie Bridge.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.