The Musical Box

Album: Nursery Cryme (1971)
Play Video
  • Play me Old King Cole
    That I may join with you
    All your hearts now seem so far from me
    It hardly seems to matter now

    And the nurse will tell you lies
    Of a kingdom beyond the skies
    But I am lost within this half-world
    It hardly seems to matter now

    Play me my song
    Here it comes again
    Play me my song
    Here it comes again

    Just a little bit
    Just a little bit more time
    Time left to live out my life

    Play me my song
    Here it comes again
    Play me my song
    Here it comes again

    Old King Cole was a merry old soul
    And a merry old soul was he
    So he called for his pipe
    And he called for his bowl
    And he called for his fiddlers three

    But the clock, tick-tock
    On the mantlepiece
    And I want, and I feel, and I know, and I touch
    The walls

    She's a lady, she's got time
    Brush back your hair and let me get to know your face
    She's a lady, she is mine
    Oh, brush back your hair and let me get to know your flesh

    I've been waiting here for so long
    And all this time that passed me by
    It doesn't seem to matter now
    You stand there with your fixed expression
    Casting doubt on all I have to say
    Why don't you touch me, touch me
    Why don't you touch me, touch me
    Touch me now, now, now, now, now
    Now, now, now, now, now
    Now, now, now, now, now
    Now, now, now, now
    Now, now, now, now Writer/s: Anthony George Banks, Michael Rutherford, Peter Brian Gabriel, Phillip David Charles Collins, Stephen Richard Hackett
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 4

  • Slipperman from N.yPhil collins drumming adds a whole new dimension to the Band and is very evident with his killer drumming on TMB.
  • Matthew from Milford DeIt's about a broken down old man in a nursing home, alone, feeble, heart broken , but still has his wits.( and the nurse will tell you lies, of a kingdom beyond the skies ) Tired of being treated like it's "his end" he finally snaps ( you stand there with your fixed expression, casting doubt on all I have to say, why don't you touch me, touch me, why don't you touch me, touch me, touch me NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW!!! )
  • Adam from West Palm Beach, FlNursery Cryme is simply a fantastic album from start to finish...
  • Valentin from Beijing, Chinaone of the greatest guitar solos ever
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?