Index of first lines
This page was last updated 4 Dec. 2023. To send additions/corrections go to the
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This index lists (in alphabetical order) the first one or two lines of every
song released by Joe Jackson. Song titles in bold italics indicate cover versions.
Words that were not sung by Joe Jackson are in light italics with the singer indicated
in square brackets (for abbreviations see here).
At the end of this page there is a list (in chronological order) of
all instrumentals that were released.
The list also tells you on which album the song originally appeared and the
link takes you to the appropriate album information.
- A million tiny lights are strung across the western sky... Precious Time (Big World)
- Ain't got the change of a nickel, ain't got no bounce in my shoes... [S.J.] I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues / Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (The Duke)
- And the time is right, and tonight's the night... We The Cats (Shall Hep Ya) (Jumpin' Jive)
- Another day, another year, another miracle, another tear... 32 Kisses (Fool)
- At a bar on 43rd at a quarter to two, met my friend the Chinese Elvis and hoisted a few... Stranger Than You (Night And Day II)
- Big shot, tell you what, tell me what goes on around here... Look Sharp! (Look Sharp!)
- Black nigger, white nigger, standing in the dark... Battleground (Beat Crazy)
- Boy, you listen to your old Pappy... What's The Use Of Getting Sober (When You're Gonna Get Drunk Again) (Jumpin' Jive)
- Boys – what you gonna say down there... Jumpin' Jive (Jumpin' Jive)
- Call me cool as January, I walk like the breeze... Song Of Daedalus (Heaven & Hell)
- Can't drink the water, can't breathe the air... Just Because... (Night And Day II)
- Come on you people get your dancing shoes on... Baby Stick Around (Look Sharp!)
- Damn! – Fuck this bull shit spit flat beer back rock star dumb luck sick joke clap trap... Right (Heaven & Hell)
- Dave lives in a cave, under a hill... Dave (Fool)
- Dear Mom, I thought I found my sister downtown less than a week ago... Dear Mom (Night And Day II)
- Did you do me right, did I do right by you... The Verdict (Body And Soul)
- Discipline can stop my hunger, discipline can quench my thirst... Discipline (Blaze Of Glory)
- Don't laugh, but there are people in this world born as boys and fighting to be girls... Fit (Beat Crazy)
- Don't let her down just cause you could before... Take It Like A Man (Volume 4)
- Don't make me sad, talking 'bout tomorrow... Amateur Hour (I'm The Man)
- Don't you feel like trying something new... Breaking Us In Two (Night And Day)
- Down there in the ashes there's gold and silver too... [J.S.] The Bridge (Heaven & Hell)
- Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in a church where a wedding has been... Eleanor Rigby (Summer In The City)
- Every night your line is busy, all that buzzin' makes me dizzy... Peter Gunn (non-album track)
- Every time I think of you, yeah even this much later... Jenny Jenny (non-album track)
- Every time I turn the TV on it's always just the same old tease... Soul Kiss (Big World)
- Everybody's wasting time, everybody stands in line... Go For It (Body And Soul)
- Everything, everything gives you cancer... Cancer (Night And Day)
- Everything is wrong since me and my baby parted... Come On (non-album track)
- Ex-friends, ex-lovers and enemies, I've got your cases in front of me today... On Your Radio (I'm The Man)
- Feelin' low, rockin' slow, I want to go right back where I belong... Tuxedo Junction (Jumpin' Jive)
- Fools in love, well, are there any other kind of lovers... Fools In Love (Look Sharp!)
- Give me a bud and a slice and leave me alone, if I want your advice I'll ask you... [B.R.] A Bud And A Slice (Heaven & Hell)
- Go on and shove it in my face, how I should join the human race... Fabulously Absolute (Fool)
- God must think he's God or something, lording it over us... Keep On Dreaming (Fast Forward)
- Have a drink, have a drink, have a drink on me... Friend Better (Fool)
- Hello, I'm back again, haven't seen you since I don't know when... Biology (Beat Crazy)
- Hello one and all, was it you I used to know... King Of The World (Summer In The City)
- Here darkness never quite descends, only the toughest stars hang with neon friends... Stay (Night And Day II)
- Here in Berlin people line up to get in... Forty Years (Big World)
- Here, see the little queer, there's a volunteer... Fairy Dust (Volume 4)
- Here she comes just a-walk just just a-walkin' down the street... Pretty Girls (Look Sharp!)
- Here we go, Monday morning at last, in the land of the brave and the bold... [M.F.] Love Got Lost (Night And Day II)
- Here we stand, remote control buttons in our sweaty little hands... T.V. Age (Night And Day)
- Here's a young one: Hey Rufus, how's the rain on the rhubarb?... [S.V.] Angel (Heaven & Hell)
- Hey – can you hear me now, as I fade away... Invisible Man (Rain)
- Hey, did you ever see so many stars in the sky?... Tomorrow's World (Blaze Of Glory)
- Hey hey, today's another day, gonna ride the lawn mower down to Tampa Bay... Big Black Cloud (Fool)
- Hey pal, can I take your picture for the people back home... The Jet Set (Big World)
- Hey victor, where's that girl you're looking for... She'll Surprise You by Arms & Legs
- Hey you, I'm dancin' with your girl... Get That Girl (I'm The Man)
- Hold that tiger... Tiger Rag (Tucker)
- Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty... Summer In The City (Summer In The City)
- I can't help about the shape I'm in, I can't sing, I ain't pretty and my legs are thin... Oh Well (Laughter & Lust)
- I could cool out, I could hang loose... Goin' Downtown (Laughter & Lust)
- I don't know why they come here, I'm only glad they do... The Band Wore Blue Shirts (I'm The Man)
- I don't love you but I'm lost thinking of you... Drowning (Laughter & Lust)
- I don't play guitar, it's not my thing... No Guitar (non-album track)
- I got a gal that's always late every time we have a date... Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby (Jumpin' Jive)
- I got drunk with a real nice guy last night... Crime Don't Pay (Beat Crazy)
- I got ideas but I don't know it all and when I speak you know my voice is small... Don't Ask Me (non-album track)
- I gotta tell you a story from way back, truck on down and dig me Jack... Five Guys Named Moe (Jumpin' Jive)
- I guess we can still be friends, I guess we can talk at least... The Other Me (Laughter & Lust)
- I just been to see my best friend, he's found another girl... Happy Loving Couples (Look Sharp!)
- I know you think that I protest too much... Too Tough (Rain)
- I like cake, and no mistake, but baby, if you insist... Knock Me A Kiss (non-album track)
- I never cared much for moonlit skies... I'm Beginning To See The Light / Take The 'A' Train / Cotton Tail (The Duke)
- I remember lying wide awake at night, had to have you at my side to make it right... Satellite (Fast Forward)
- I should have known you were only just fifteen, you had a scowl like a Klingon beauty queen... Awkward Age (Volume 4)
- I stepped out in the pouring rain to find a place where they feel my pain... Neon Rain (Fast Forward)
- I was so low, people almost made me give up trying... Another World (Night And Day)
- I'll try to protect you if I don't get too scared... The Best I Can Do (Blaze Of Glory)
- I'm gonna rant and rave, I'm gonna lose control if they get me mad... Rant And Rave (Blaze Of Glory)
- I'm gonna ring your bell, because I got your number... Rhythm Delivery (Tucker)
- I'm hitting fast forward, seems like we'd gotten kind of stuck... Fast Forward (Fast Forward)
- I'm in a movie where boy meets girl... Happy Ending (Body And Soul)
- I'm moving my car forward a foot at a time, another red light another warning sign... My House (Laughter & Lust)
- I'm not a happy guy but I'm not always sad... Man In The Street (Big World)
- I'm okay, you're okay, why remember when it wasn't this way... Cosmopolitan (Mike's Murder)
- I'm sinking in to a sea of secrets warm and green... Sea Of Secrets (Night Music)
- I've got some walls around me too... Blue Flame (Volume 4)
- I've had that dream again where I'm flying thirty feet above the street again... [D.D.] Glamour And Pain (Night And Day II)
- If I could be two places at one time, I'd be with you... Me And You (Against The World) (Blaze Of Glory)
- If I could see your face, the face of the girl behind the veil... If I Could See Your Face (Fast Forward)
- If I stop – and think about it, I'm either stone cold certain... The Uptown Train (Rain)
- If it wasn't for you my friend why should everything be such a fuss... If It Wasn't For You (Fast Forward)
- If you want to live forever, ask a doctor, someone clever... Citizen Sane (Rain)
- Impossible to see, impossible to show, impossible to verify, impossible to know... Ode To Joy (Fast Forward)
- In distant lands there's no such luxury, you'd give your hand in pre-arranged matrimony... We Can't Live Together (Big World)
- In my solitude you haunt me with reveries of days gone by... [A.Z.] Solitude (Will Power)
- In the mirror when I'm debonair my reactions are my own affair... Inbetweenies (Live Music)
- In the supermarket there is music while you work... (Do The) Instant Mash (Look Sharp!)
- In 20-0-3 a man drank a whisky and then a martini... In 20-0-3 (non-album track)
- Is there anybody going to listen to my story all about the girl who came to stay... Girl (Live Music)
- It happened one evening, a Wednesday in spring... The Shades Of Night (What A Racket!)
- It happened one night at three in the morning the devil appeared in my studio room... The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy (Night Music)
- It was on a summer night, she says, a year ago today... Happyland (Night And Day II)
- It's a beggar's life, said the Queen of Spain, but don't tell it to the poor man... Night By Night (non-album track)
- It's a hell of a town – there's smoke coming up through the holes in the ground... Hell Of A Town (Night And Day II)
- It's Christmas time again, has it really been a year... Tango Atlantico (Big World)
- It's me, and me alone against the night... [M.S.] Far Away (Fast Forward)
- It's the crack of noon and I sit here watching you sleeping... Love At First Light (Volume 4)
- Jamie G., I want you, even though I know that I can't have you... Jamie G. (Laughter & Lust)
- Johnny was a young boy with nothing much except a certain kind of look in his eye... Blaze Of Glory (Blaze Of Glory)
- Jumpin' with my boss Sid in the city... Jumpin' With Symphony Sid (Jumpin' Jive)
- Junkie Diva, won't you sing for me / I'm so happy, can't you set me free... Junkie Diva (Fast Forward)
- Just think of the millions and millions of people who could have existed, but didn't exist... Poor Thing (Fast Forward)
- Keep your head and everything will be cool, you didn't have to make me feel like a fool... Couldn't I Just Tell You? (non-album track)
- Kids today, they're all the same, all call themselves some crazy names... [G.M.] Beat Crazy (Beat Crazy)
- King Pleasure is on a mission to take the power from the Pope and politicians... King Pleasure Time (Rain)
- Lazy Gilly was a flower child... Friday (I'm The Man)
- Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it pour... More Is More (Heaven & Hell)
- Let me tell you 'bout me dear old mum... Dear Old Mum (What A Racket!)
- Life isn't always jolly, sun often turns to rain... Worse Things Happen At Sea (What A Racket!)
- Living in the city is dirty and it's gritty... What A Racket! (What A Racket!)
- Looking over Hong Kong harbour, throw a shrimp in yellow wine... (It's A) Big World (Big World)
- Maybe it would be better if we never said goodbye... Wasted Time (Rain)
- Memphis, where the hell is Memphis?... Memphis (Mike's Murder)
- Monday, Laundromat Monday, I want my mother, someone to cook for me... Laundromat Monday (Mike's Murder)
- Moonlight, starlight, star bright, I think I see my shadow on the wall... Moonlight (Mike's Murder)
- Mother doesn't go out anymore, just sits at home and rolls her spastic eyes... Sunday Papers (Look Sharp!)
- Music has charms they say, but in some people's hands... A Slow Song (Night And Day)
- My friend Jonny loved a lady who was as bad as women can be... Good Bye Jonny (Fast Forward)
- Never treats me sweet and gentle the way he should... I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (The Duke)
- Now that you're gone nothing is wrong but everything's changed... Ever After (Night Music)
- Now, the mist across the window hides the lines... Steppin' Out (Night And Day)
- Now who's the strangest bloomin' creature in the world today?... Monty Mundy (What A Racket!)
- Of all the streets in the world you walk down this one... Rush Across The Road (Rain)
- Of all the stupid things I could have thought this was the worst... Home Town (Big World)
- Of all the treasure in our chest we love the golden god of war the best... [J.A.] Tuzla (Heaven & Hell)
- Oh, oh, the horror of school, cold winter mornings so cruel... Never So Nice In The Morning (What A Racket!)
- Oh, the bishop and the actress had a very bold affair... The Bishop And The Actress (What A Racket!)
- Oh the romance of these harbour towns... Fifty Dollar Love Affair (Big World)
- Okay, let me tell you 'bout some of the things I'm going through... Don't Wanna Be Like That (I'm The Man)
- Out to the west there's a trail that leads somewhere... Wild West (Big World)
- Outside in and inside out you're my meat... You're My Meat (Jumpin' Jive)
- People say there's no such thing as voodoo... The Evil Eye (Beat Crazy)
- Perdido, o meu coração ta perdido, nas garras desse amor bandido [L.V.] Perdido / Satin Doll (The Duke)
- Please Mister can you help me try to find my baby's house... Stranger Than Fiction (Laughter & Lust)
- Pretty boys on my TV screen, teeth so white and hair so clean... Pretty Boys (Beat Crazy)
- Pretty soon now, y'know I'm gonna make a comeback... I'm The Man (I'm The Man)
- Pretty women out walkin' with gorillas down my street... Is She Really Going Out With Him? (Look Sharp!)
- Red velvet curtains open noiselessly... Alchemy (Fool)
- San Francisco Fan loved a no-good gamblin' man... San Francisco Fan (Jumpin' Jive)
- See the bright red sports car, see the happy couple... Geraldine And John (I'm The Man)
- See the guy in the corner, the one who's draining another glass... Trying To Cry (Laughter & Lust)
- Shall I stay or go through the door... Lullaby (Night Music)
- She had a horror of rooms, she was tired, you can't hide beat... Scary Monsters (Live Music)
- She says that he's pouring fuel on the fire... Bright Grey (Volume 4)
- Slow down, you know you're leaving me behind ... Enough Is Not Enough (non-album track)
- So you say and I agree, you're a prize, but not for me... So You Say (Fast Forward)
- Solo – It isn't a dream / So low – It's just what it seems... Solo (So Low) (Rain)
- Some days I can't get started wondering which shoe to put on first... It's All Too Much (Laughter & Lust)
- Some people say the world is spinning faster, some say it isn't fast enough... The Human Touch (Blaze Of Glory)
- Something's coming, something big, something I can't stand... Only The Future (Night Music)
- Sometimes I feel so alive, sometimes I feel so clear... Nineteen Forever (Blaze Of Glory)
- Sometimes my head's a balloon and I carry it round on a string... Soca Do Dia (non-album track)
- Sometimes you start feeling so lost and lonely... You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want) (Body And Soul)
- Stop everything, I think I hear the president... Right And Wrong (Big World)
- Stop, what's that sound? It's the death rattle of this rusty old town... Down To London (Blaze Of Glory)
- Strange how the world got so small, I turned around and there was nowhere left to go... Shanghai Sky (Big World)
- Sunday evening down the penny arcade, I see your face in the pinball game... Tilt (non-album track)
- Take a knife, cut out this heart of ice... Heart Of Ice (Body And Soul)
- Take what you want but just what you need... Survival (Big World)
- Take your mind back, I don't know when, sometime when it always seemed to be just us and them... Real Men (Night And Day)
- Tell me one more time, as I hold your hand that you don't love me... One More Time (Look Sharp!)
- The boys watch the girls watch the girls watch the boys who watch the girls go by... Music To Watch Girls By (non-album track)
- The first time I saw you standing in the water you must have been all of a thousand feet tall... Statue Of Liberty (non-album track)
- The guy who lives upstairs is an actor so they say or maybe worse... In Every Dream Home (A Nightmare) (Beat Crazy)
- The older I get the more stupid I feel... Flying (Night Music)
- There goes another one, another happy couple on the road to emptiness... The Old Songs (Laughter & Lust)
- There was a man in the jungle trying to make ends meet... Obvious Song (Laughter & Lust)
- There's a country where no one knows what's going on in the rest of the world... Evil Empire (Blaze Of Glory)
- There's a guy going round the town, you got to check what he is putting down... (He's A) Shape In A Drape (Tucker)
- These words of love, so hard for me to find... Not Here, Not Now (Body And Soul)
- Thought there was a right turn here, turns out to be wrong... Strange Land (Fool)
- Thugs are us – Wearing hoods and baggy trousers on the bus... Thugz 'R' Us (Volume 4)
- Tougher than Superman, smarter than Batman... Fool (Fool)
- Tried to call you yesterday, you were at the Monday Club... One To One (Beat Crazy)
- Trying to find Chinatown... Chinatown (Night And Day)
- Turn off the TV and turn off the light, turn off the street lamps as well... A Place In The Rain (Rain)
- Two in the morning, there's a drink in my hand... Dirty Martini (Volume 4)
- Uptown, downtown, no one's fussy, I'm a target... Target (Night And Day)
- Wake up, got another day to get through now... Got The Time (Look Sharp!)
- Wake up this morning and the paper's on the mat, poor getting poorer and the rich are getting fat again... Throw It Away (Look Sharp!)
- We always were the kind of people to take it hard when things would go wrong... [D.B.] Sentimental Thing (Blaze Of Glory)
- We hear you, we see it, you do it like you wanna be it... Good Bad Boy (Rain)
- We walked out one autumn evening, someone up there made a fair appear... Someone Up There (Beat Crazy)
- We were brought up in a boring town, watching our feet sink into the ground... Kings Of The City (Fast Forward)
- We're not marching off to war, we're marching on one spot... Health & Safety (What A Racket!)
- Well, I wear this leather jacket just to try and beat the cold... Out Of Style (non-album track)
- Well, they tell me of a pie up in the sky waiting for me when I die... The Harder They Come (non-album track)
- Well, things are getting bad now since your woman left you... You Got The Fever (non-album track)
- What good is melody, what good is music, if it ain't possessing something sweet... It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (The Duke)
- What I want I want now, and it's a whole lot more than 'anyhow'... See No Evil (Fast Forward)
- What the hell is wrong with you tonight, I can't seem to say or do the right thing... It's Different For Girls (I'm The Man)
- When I was just a little lad, I wasn't good for much... The Sporting Life (What A Racket!)
- When the average man and his average wife come away from a night at the theatre... Think Of The Show! (What A Racket!)
- When you got no more assurance than a great big hunk o' lead... Jack, You're Dead (Jumpin' Jive)
- When you're fixing your make-up, you know you take too long... Mad At You (Beat Crazy)
- Who doubt say, who doubt when I say, who doubt... You Run Your Mouth (And I'll Run My Business) (Jumpin' Jive)
- Why smoke is coming out of ground, tell me why... [S.D.] Why (Night And Day II)
- Why, why, why is a word that I detest... Why, Why, Why? (What A Racket!)
- With just a little smile we'll straighten it out, yeah, even a fight like this... A Little Smile (Fast Forward)
- Won't you be my number two, me and number one are through... Be My Number Two (Body And Soul)
- You ain't been blue, no, no, no... Mood Indigo (Summer In The City)
or (The Duke)
- You always were the special one, the breath of air, the heap of fun... Chrome (Volume 4)
- You come into my life and then you go away... When You're Not Around (Laughter & Lust)
- You come to me in the Blue Time, between the night and the day... Blue Time (Fast Forward)
- You know I'm just a small town girl, I'm off to see the whole wide world... 1-2-3 Go (This Town's A Fairground) (Mike's Murder)
- You know you're gonna have to face up to the facts, you're just another face in a big crowd... Tonight And Forever (Big World)
- You make a guy feel humble, I make a fool of myself again... Kinda Kute (I'm The Man)
- You might have seen me hangin' 'round, I never miss one night I could be on the town... Hit Single (Laughter & Lust)
- You stole a wig from your sister and a gun from your dad... Little Bit Stupid (Volume 4)
- You told me you would me at the station gate for our honeymoon excursion... How Long Must I Wait For You (Jumpin' Jive)
- You turned me upside down and turned my insides out... Still Alive (Volume 4)
- You've tied the knot, don't bite the hand or it won't feed... Cha Cha Loco (Body And Soul)
- ??? ... (Persian) [S.D.] Caravan (The Duke)
- mostly instrumental:
- instrumental:
Singers other than Joe Jackson:
[A.Z.] = Andrew Zurcher
[B.R.] = Brad Roberts
[D.B.] = Drew Barfield
[D.D.] = Dale De Vere
[G.M.] = Graham Maby
[J.A.] = Joy Askew
[J.S.] = Jane Siberry
[L.V.] = Lilian Vieira
[M.F.] = Marianne Faithfull
[M.S.] = Mitchell Sink
[S.D.] = Sussan Deyhim
[S.J.] = Sharon Jones
[S.V.] = Suzanne Vega
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