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Kirsty MacColl — Walking Down Madison
Album: Electric Landlady
Avg rating:
5.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 161









Released: 1991
Length: 4:26
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Walking down Madison, I swear I never had a gun
No, I never shot no one, I was only having fun
Walking down Madison, swear I never had a gun
I was philosophizing some, checking out the bums

See you give 'em your nickels, your pennies and dimes
But you can't give 'em hope in these mercenary times, oh no
And you feel real guilty about the coat on your back
And the sandwich you had, oh no

From an uptown apartment to a knife on the A train
It's not that far
From the sharks in the penthouse to the rats in the basement
It's not that far
To the bag lady frozen asleep in the park
Oh no, it's not that far

Would you like to see some more?
I can show you if you'd like to

Walking down Madison, I swear I never had a gun
No, I never shot no one, wouldn't do it just for fun
Walking down Madison, trying to keep my head screwed on
I was philosophizing some, checking out the nuns

When you get to the corner don't look at those freaks
Keep your head down low and stay quick on your feet, oh yeah
The beaming boy from Harlem with the airforce coat
The ones who died, the ones who tried
The ones that sit and gloat

From an uptown apartment to a knife on the A train
It's not that far
From the sharks in the penthouse to the rats in the basement
It's not that far
To the bag lady frozen asleep on the church steps
It's not that far

Would you like to see some more?
I can show you if you'd like to

Within every city and town there's a Madison
Frozen lives for whom nothing's happening
Hungry children is a mother's dilemma
Dumpster diving to feed her baby Emma
So you walk on by like it doesn't affect you
The held out hand that you pay no respect to
Nickels and dimes won't even buy your guilt
Another wino burnt to death in his quilt
It's a cardboard city, newspaper metropolis
The system can't cope or keep on top of this
The authorities come as you're not for display
Do they solve the problem no they move him away
They're in a vicious circle of no fixed abode
The social won't pay 'em the money they're owed
When you've got no money you can't pay rent
Hypothermia kills 'cause the system is bent

From an uptown apartment to a knife on the A train
It's not that far
From the sharks in the penthouse to the rats in the basement
It's not that far
To the bag lady frozen asleep in the park
Oh no, it's not that far

Would you like to see some more?
I can show you if you'd like to

From an uptown apartment to a knife on the A train
It's not that far
From the sharks in the penthouse to the rats in the basement
It's not that far
To the bag lady frozen asleep on the church steps
It's not that far

Would you like to see some more?
I can show you if you'd like to

In the subway sits a vacuous man
His grip on life is a bent tin can
It's a holy shrine where he burns his light
It makes things easy and removes his plight
For an hour or two but he can't escape
They're all penned in with government tape
There are good samaritans who bring the soup
The Sally Army with their bibles and boots
You can see yourself as it's not too far
One short trip you don't who they are
Till the night comes then it all comes back
Like the smell of patchouli and the armies of rats
It's a shame to be human it's a human shame
It seems we've forgotten we're one and the same
Comments (38)add comment
I love this album. This song is not the best one on it, and is fairly different from the rest of the songs. "My Affair" is a standout.
A tragic, noble death should not factor into how listenable this is...it belongs in the composter with all the other mediocre 80's pap of the same ilk. Sometimes nice people make ephemeral music that just doesn't have legs...despite the shoes!!
johkir wrote:
Like her or not, she had a pretty fucked up death. From wikipedia:
geez...
I didn't hear that until you pointed it out! Darn you! zipper wrote:
Not bad, except for the repetitive beep-beep-beep throughout. wtf is that anyway?
Like her or not, she had a pretty fucked up death. From wikipedia: On 18 December 2000, while swimming in a restricted diving area with her family on a holiday in Cozumel, she was killed in a collision with a powerboat while managing to drag her son out of its path. The boat was owned by Mexican supermarket millionaire Guillermo González Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana), who was on board with several members of his family. A boathand, José Cen Yam, claimed to have been driving the boat and was found guilty of culpable homicide and, under Mexican law, allowed to pay a fine of 1034 pesos (about $90 USD) in lieu of a prison sentence of that many days. However, eyewitnesses contradict Cen Yam's claim to have been driving and also González Nova's claim that the boat was travelling at a speed of only one knot.
Not bad, except for the repetitive beep-beep-beep throughout. wtf is that anyway?
yikes
Not one of her best, but still a treat to hear the witty MacColl. And it is my favorite punning title. Wish i'd thought of it. M
Absolute drivel! Sucks bigtime (as does all her songs).
okay. The earlier posts keep referring to the pun in the album title. I finally got it after thinking for a while... I kept switching the "L"s around...
I can't possibly be the only one who heard Jimi Hendrix, Electric Ladyland.. I do like this song.
I HAVE A FEVER! And the only cure for it.. IS MORE TRIANGLE! /twitch
rgrace wrote:
OK, I'm going against the trend here. I like this. Complex, almost busy arrangement. Enormous talent. Plus I LOVE the title of the CD itself. Probably the best pun ever used for an album title.
I think the Butthole Surfer's "Electric Larry Land" is a better album title, though I heard of the BS one first.
Tropical Brainstorm is a better legacy.
Yes, though I also have a soft spot for her album Titanic Days, especially the title track and "Bad."
OK, I'm going against the trend here. I like this. Complex, almost busy arrangement. Enormous talent. Plus I LOVE the title of the CD itself. Probably the best pun ever used for an album title.
yuck. Although the album title is gold.
make it stop... please...
Her smooth voice makes this an improvement over the original. But I don't think this is what she'd like to be remembered for. Tropical Brainstorm is a better legacy.
This song.....not that fun.
Is this CD music she recorded but never released? She died in a boating accident so years back I thought. Dan
I hadn't heard this song in nine or ten years before today...and that was OK with me
I really like the album title. Reminds me of the Butthole Surfers "Hairway to Steven." I also seem to recall seeing a disc titled "Pastor of Muppets." If only the song was lame and dated before it was even done being recorded.
Yay! Music that hasn't been played in over a year! :D
Man, she was great on "Empty Nest!" *grin*
sistermadly wrote:
I love, love, love Kirsty MacColl. This one's okay (any Kirsty is better than most anything I can hear on mainstream radio), but I agree with the previous poster who suggested something from Tropical Brainstorm. It's such a strong album, I'm really surprised that you don't have any of its tracks on your playlist. At the very least "In These Shoes?" could get people grooving. In short, more Kirsty please!
This is just a case of a really cheezy song that no artist can improve. (BTW - The wonderful "In These Shoes?" is already on the playlist.)
Ohhh! I've been WAITING to hear some Kirstie MacColl! THANKS RP! Please, program some songs from "Tropical Brainstorm" --!
I think some nut-case chick that I dated once listened to music like this......
this reminds me of Tom Tom Club. Not bad :)
Originally Posted by 1jerry: Neither the song or albums holds up to repeated listening....ever.
problem is there are too many songs like that :(
I do like KM, though I don\'t have this album. I like her backup work with Morrissey and the Pogues, too. \"angel\" from \"Titanic Days\" would be a good addition here.
Bought album many years ago based on this song (and clever title). Neither the song or albums holds up to repeated listening....ever.
Groovy :-) Shack your bam, Niv
not a bad update... like it... :) rated it so too!
yeah. i'll have to pass as well... (but I must give her some credit at least for the album title)
errm...no thanks
I had been thinking it\'d be nice to hear some Kirsty MacColl here and here it is. How about something from Tropical Brainstorm?