The The - Perfect Lyrics






It's a chilly English winter,
And solitude is never easy to maintain,
Except when it rains.
So I hang an empty smile beneath my empty eyes,
And go out for a walk.
The wet morning sun reflects off the paving-stones,
While a little dog barks its head off,
In the distance.

[Chorus x2:]
Oh, what a perfect day,
To think about myself
My feet are firmly screwed to the floor.
What is there to fear from such a regular world?

Passing by a cemetery,
I think of all the little hopes and dreams,
That lie lifeless and unfilled beneath the soil.
I see an old man fingering his perishing flesh.
He tells himself he was a good man and did good things.
Amused and confused by life's little ironies,
He swallows his bottle of distilled damnation.

[Chorus x2]

People turn around with unseeing eyes.
They're looking for something that doesn't exist.
The world you once knew is being eaten up by rust.
No-one has time for the past, but still, in God they trust.
The future is now, but it's all going wrong.
Bodies good for nothing, but it's to nothing they belong.
People say their prayers and some work hard.
If you give them all your money, they'll give you their hearts.
This town ain't going like a ghost town.
It's going like hell...

[Chorus x5]





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The The Perfect Comments
  1. U.... F....

    Lyrics don't get better than this! just 'Perfect'

  2. a.... a....

    [Verse 1]
    It's a chilly English winter
    And solitude is never easy to maintain
    Except when it rains
    So I hang an empty smile beneath my empty eyes
    And go out for a walk
    The wet morning sun reflects off the paving-stones
    While a little dog barks its head off
    In the distance

    [Chorus]
    Oh, what a perfect day
    To think about myself
    My feet are firmly screwed to the floor
    What is there to fear from such a regular world?
    Oh, what a perfect day
    To think about myself
    My feet are firmly screwed to the floor
    What is there to fear from such a regular world?

    [Verse 2]
    Passing by a cemetery
    I think of all the little hopes and dreams
    That lie lifeless and unfilled beneath the soil
    I see an old man fingering his perishing flesh
    He tells himself he was a good man and did good things
    Amused and confused by life's little ironies
    He swallows his bottle of distilled damnation

    [Chorus]
    Oh, what a perfect day
    To think about myself
    My feet are firmly screwed to the floor
    What is there to fear from such a regular world?
    Oh, what a perfect day
    To think about myself
    My feet are firmly screwed to the floor
    What is there to fear from such a regular world?

    [Verse 3]
    People turn around with unseeing eyes
    They're looking for something that doesn't exist
    The world you once knew is being eaten up by rust
    No-one has time for the past, but still, in God they trust
    The future is now, but it's all going wrong
    Bodies good for nothing, but it's to nothing they belong
    People say their prayers and some work hard
    If you give them all your money, they'll give you their hearts
    This town ain't going like a ghost town
    It's going like hell....

    [Chorus x5]

  3. B.... P....

    The line "What is there to fear in a such a regular world?" is from Jean Paul Sartre's book Nausea.

  4. S.... F....

    Like myself, the guy on the left cannot at this time afford to pay for "No YouTube Commercials'" No I don't want a new Toyota...

  5. j.... ....

    never seen this artwork before :)

    j.... ....

    Actually it was Matt Johnson's brother who made the cover. this, the Soul Mining LP and Infected LP. :)

  6. C.... A....

    Such a delightful cheery song, makes me want to go out and seize the day!

  7. S.... M....

    Could listen to this all day ❤️

  8. G.... A....

    Suzuki Omnichord. In the late 80's I mined rare record stores for The The 12"s and was never lucky enough to find this one. Wd!

  9. A.... Z....

    True Genius

  10. S.... B....

    The world they once knew it eating up by the rust....

  11. W.... T....

    So I hang an empty smile beneath my empty eyes........ Matt Johnson nailed it.

  12. E.... S....

    This is a classic forsure, and stoked this is on the Internet for new generations that can keep discovering this gem💎

  13. S.... ....

    💉🥀 Año1.986 🌹☘️⚜️

  14. l.... w....

    fukcng briliant

  15. B.... M....

    Thanks!

    B.... M....

    You're welcome! :)

  16. l.... ....

    yeah feels perfect when i hum it every day

  17. R.... C....

    This isn't the single version, this is the version included at the end of the US pressings of Soul Mining. Boy am I old.

    R.... C....

    Yes, it is indeed the (other) extended version.
    Thank you for the correction.

    R.... C....

    Yes we are old, strong and lucky.

  18. D.... T....

    perfect is actually a perfect song

  19. I.... A....

    amazing tune, The The were awesome, ultra talented , they don't make music like this anymore

    I.... A....

    Indeed they don't...

  20. r.... w....

    Ok, so... same bass line as "louie louie" but just single notes . Still a good song though as the keyboards & lyrics lift it to another level.

  21. R.... P....

    I remember my older brothers singing this regularly when I was a kid and wondering where the hell they heard the song from. This song brings back awesome, vivid memories.

  22. F.... C....

    Love THE THE. Love!

  23. A.... A....

    My twin is right now smoking with the guy that i like... And i'm just drinking coffee and listen this amazing song<3

  24. M.... R....

    my perfect day, every day I sing this song.

  25. M.... C....

    FUCKKKKKKKK <3

  26. I.... ....

    casually listened to this album after seeing this band name for years. All songs have been fire.

    I.... ....

    Yes they are! It's a really good album!

  27. 1.... ....

    What kind of thumb dislikes this‽

    1.... ....

    "Nihilists...they don't believe in anything, man" (the Dude)

  28. F.... M....

    Oh did I freak to this in my bedroom , oh yes I did , on my shitty record player , lol

  29. P.... D....

    Brilliant song! :) the harmonica parts get to me for some reason, but thank goodness the 2002 remaster of Soul Mining omitted this track, Giant should always be the appropriate closer.

    P.... D....

    :) This song was never in the European versions of the album, so for most people here I believe Giant is the closer of Soul Mining.

  30. c.... ....

    A+ , extra props for the gratuitous inclusion of boffo xylophone solo at the end.

  31. c.... m....

    Matt Johnson is ace! Love all the ol' The The albums n singles,thank you to those sharing,from Elgin Scotland

    c.... m....

    Yes, such good legacy from The The. :)

  32. B.... B....

    Such a cool song

    B.... B....

    Indeed... :)

  33. S.... ....

    Oh what a perfect song!!

    S.... ....

    Really is!

  34. m.... m....

    was this played in a movie or something?? it sounds oddly familiar

    m.... m....

    I don't know of any movie that has this sing in the soundtrack. But who knows? :)

    m.... m....

    It's sounds familiar cause it has the same bassline with the "louie louie" song :)

  35. V.... L....

    Aptly titled.

  36. J.... C....

    Crítica ao concerto dos The The no SBSR 2018:
    https://uncertainsmilex.blogspot.com/2018/07/super-bock-super-rock-2018-the-matt.html

  37. V.... W....

    Indestructible

  38. N.... ....

    This one isn’t available on ITunes, so thank you

    N.... ....

    You're welcome. :)

  39. E.... S....

    muito bom, os anos passam mas os bons continuam

    E.... S....

    Sem dúvida!

    E.... S....

    E daqui a dias em Lisboa: 21/07/2018 ! e euzinho lá!

  40. s.... o....

    💕My mama played this band & Echo & The Bunnymen..The Woodentops..James..Sisters of Mercy..Growing up..listen to all of this..Thank you, Mama...You cool..Much Respect & Love from New Orleans Louisiana..☆ Stephanie Opal

    s.... o....

    om3ssa 💕😚💕Much Love from New Orleans Louisiana..☆ Opal

    s.... o....

    I think I knew your mom

    s.... o....

    The wooden tops i lit up there i got them tunes maybe it will last but i don't care. Ring a bell

    s.... o....

    same, still do. ur mom is the coolest

    s.... o....

    you ken yer ingins as we say in Scotland , good lass

  41. j.... s....

    Funny how Sony managed to NOT put this gem on the CD

  42. J.... O....

    This helped me beat the blues in the 80's when I was feeling really low... from one of my all time favourite albums! This is the best version!

    J.... O....

    I find it hard to define the best version for me. :) It's a brilliant song!

  43. M.... ....

    Thank you so much for uploading this Joao (sorry keyboard doesn't make the proper symbol of the "a".) As far as comments that are really stupid posted prior to this one . . . well The The is not meant for lazy-masses consumption.

    M.... ....

    Hi MrCalihand (don't worry about the symbol!). I totally agree with you regarding The The. I uploaded this because I couldn't find this version elsewhere.

  44. D.... M....

    I’m glad I spent it with you

  45. E.... M....

    CUCHAME UNA COSHITA AMEGO....

  46. C.... T....

    je  suis ici et hier.

  47. S.... R....

    Beautiful! Loving the trumpet as well!

  48. T.... ....

    oh what a Perfect day lallaalala

  49. T.... ....

    La la la oh what a perfect day <3

  50. M.... ....

    Louie Louie!

    M.... ....

    Yep! :)

    M.... ....

    The Perfect Version

  51. M.... H....

    Best version

  52. R.... L....

    Thank you to have posted this version. I think it was released in the first cd before remastered version. Another version is in the 45 rpm singles , but this is the best. The voice and music here are more delicate and expressive. I love The The...

    R.... L....

    Roberto Lionetti in my very humble opinion this is the best version, probably because I heard this version first and any other version just doesn’t sound right to me now

    R.... L....

    Easily the best, those drums are to die for.

    R.... L....

    This is the version that came on the extra 12" that came with the ltd edition album, or as one of the bonus tracks on the cassette, or on the US release of the CD. It was never intended to appear on soul mining.

    R.... L....

    Yes, the 12" version is also a favorite. :)

  53. C.... ....

    A very underappreciated song. It's actually sexy if you think about it.

    C.... ....

    imbluz 💕Very true!!Much Respect & Love from New Orleans Louisiana..☆ Stephanie Opal

    C.... ....

    I think ALL his songs are sexy....;)

  54. p.... ....

    What is there to fear from such a regular world......doesnt get much more profound than that bitches!

  55. M.... G....

    The original extended version is the best but it's not on you tube. Although this is a jazz version and I like it the other is breathtaking and I love it. Love his voice like a deep voiced Bowie.

    M.... G....

    Mark Geraghty Very Much..Agree!!..Much Respect & Love from New Orleans Louisiana..☆ Stephanie Opal

    M.... G....

    Agree. I appreciate someone posting this version but it's terrible. The original is far better.

    M.... G....

    @sotampacane this is the original album version.

  56. R.... S....

    THIS IS ENGLAND!

    R.... S....

    Long live and brexit!

    R.... S....

    Exactly

    R.... S....

    It really is, isn't it..

    R.... S....

    Yes it is and England is Europe!

  57. P.... R....

    In that long summer drought of good music in 1983 this came through as the perfect piece of pop to sate my thirst until the autumn releases.

  58. M.... M....

    This band ruins my 100% hatred of the accordion. It's now a 99.09% hatred of the accordian.

    M.... M....

    Im the same there..But also try a Band called wintergarten and a tune called somefagel ......Epic Epic...Nearly as good as this...

    M.... M....

    ""This is the day" by these guys also crushes that hate and historical truth ;o).

    M.... M....

    "This is the day" and "Uncertain Smile" are two of the best gems I ever listened!

  59. c.... k....

    Mein freund, Herr Beavers, guten tag! Wie geht's? Karli, Toronto, Canada.

  60. T.... ....

    thanks too much from france i was young but not forget

  61. G.... T....

    this is a very, very good song, remember !!! i had been said to you, the the !!
    this is another version !! thank you indeed !! kindest regards, gerald carpenter.

  62. M.... ....

    this isn't the single i bought!

    M.... ....

    +MysteryProductsLtd You're right. There were 2 different releases: one in 1982 and another one the year after, although I'm not really sure if this was the first version.

    M.... ....

    +João Cunha Yeah. The one I had was a 45 rpm, not the 12". Same cover as you have put here though. Don't know why I made that over the top comment though... like actually, does it really matter that the version you put up isn't the single I bought?! I am usually critical of people on the internet who think the world revolves around them, yet there I was, doing it myself. Duh!

    M.... ....

    +MysteryProductsLtd https://www.discogs.com/artist/23368-The-The

  63. J.... K....

    I just got the Soul Mining CD again. I wore out the last one. It's the English version because it doesn't have Perfect on it.

    J.... K....

    +Jason M. Klein so not quite 'Perfect' then :).

    J.... K....

    Buy the UK CD version then or even the cassette version which has all the b sides too.

  64. w.... t....

    Listen how much OMI - Cheerleader Felix Jaehn remix took from this...

    w.... t....

    +whitney turner I totally agree! I even messaged The The Fanclub about it

    w.... t....

    Dammit I knew I liked that song for some reason, sure as hell isn't the song itself.

  65. P.... R....

    love the the

  66. j.... ....

    How indescribable...

  67. d.... a....

    Great tune.

  68. V.... P....

    THANK YOU

    V.... P....

    Vangelis Petridis your welcome

  69. n.... d....

    Looking for this version ..At Last ...PERFECT !

  70. R.... M....

    i grew up to my dad listening to matt had to grow up before i appreciated it!!

    R.... M....

    Cool dad

    R.... M....

    Ryan Mcdonald Yes, my mama loved there Music!!Much Respect from New Orleans Louisiana..☆ Stephanie Opal

    R.... M....

    My daughter too you have a cold Dad

    R.... M....

    Same with me and my brother!!!!

  71. M.... V....

    Very good music

  72. D.... F....

    Memories, those were good times.

  73. D.... C....

    The The seemed to encapitulate the disparate strands of society in the early 80s into poetic music...brill.

  74. t.... ....

    Another great song from Matt !

  75. W.... C....

    Perfect

  76. R.... M....

    Love this tune.... Matt wrote some great songs........ Go Out For A Walk