Pushing Thirty - Peter Hammill

Seems the fashion’s for one-liners these days

The kind that get up everyone’s nose

So much back-slapping that the vertabrae

Are fatally exposed…

Me, I’m pushing thirty, pulling sixteen

Though much of what’s around me is dead

They got so shirty when I tried to glean

The meaning from what they’d said:

«If you wanna be a viable artist when you’re twenty-five

You’d better be a meat-head by the time you’re twenty-one.»

But now I’m pushing thirty and I’m still alive

So tell me who, tell me who

Tell me who, yeah, tell me who has won?

See the survivors in the upcoming acts

They and the moguls make a regular killing —

Others take it lying on their backs

Young blood is always so willing

Me, I’m pushing thirty, that’s the way it is

Too late to change my mind

They play it dirty in the record biz

And you’ve got to toe the line

If you wanna be an A & R man when the singing’s done

You’d better make sure that you hedge your bets

Me, I’m pushing thirty and still having fun

I haven’t stopped, I haven’t stopped

I haven’t stopped, I haven’t stopped that yet!

All the writers watch each other for the way to go

Follow each other like lemmings —

Swear they’re all waiting for Nicky Lowe

To turn out like David Hemmings…

Me, I’m pushing thirty and the steady zone

Perhaps I should retire

But even if it all deserts me and I’m left alone

I still know that I’m fuelled by fire

In this rubbish world you’ve got to keep that under the lid

'cos they all hope it’ll disappear…

But even though I’m pushing thirty

Maybe on the skids

I still can be, I still can be

I still can be, I still can be Nadir!

I still can be Nadir!

Yes, I still can be Nadir!

Got a sixteen-year-old heart!