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Cheap Day Return Lyrics
On Preston platform
do your soft shoe shuffle dance.
Brush away the cigarette ash that's
falling down your pants.
And you sadly wonder
does the nurse treat your old man
the way she should.
She made you tea,
asked for your autograph --
what a laugh.
do your soft shoe shuffle dance.
Brush away the cigarette ash that's
falling down your pants.
And you sadly wonder
does the nurse treat your old man
the way she should.
She made you tea,
asked for your autograph --
what a laugh.
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Ian had been visiting his father, seriously ill in hospital in Blackpool. Whilst waiting for a connecting train to London, at Preston station (Lancashire), he sketched this song, about the experience of visiting.
He may have been joking, but Ian claimed the song would have been longer, but the train arrived!
Just for reference, a "cheap day return" is a reduced-price return train ticket in which both the outward and return journey are made in the same day.
Unexpected greatness. The "lost" track on Aqualung.
Yeah, but what has Aqualung itself have to do with God? And Cross-eyed mary? This is actually NOT a concept album, Ian has made it very clear that he didn't intend it to be and if I remember correctly it is one of the reasons why they made THICK AS A BRICK (aka A musical revolution in rock music). What is this about? I think it speaks by itself. Ian Anderson, as seen in the album HEAVY HORSES (mainly in the song of the same name) isn't a conservative but holds some interesting thoughts about how we might have flushed out the baby with the water (does this make sense? As an example, how we sometimes cut off with the past and lose more than what was negative, like a side effect to progress: freedom and individualism in the 18th-19th centuries for example destroyed part of respect for authority and sense of community). As he points out that nowadays domesticated horses have not much of a meaning, and that farming has lost most of what made it sort of a communion with nature, I think he is talking here about retirement houses and how we kinda throw away our old people and go on with our own lives. He might express remorse or simply concern about how his old man is taken care of by a nurse, while back in the days the kids would be in charge of their parents while they grow old. Maybe I am overinterpreting this too.
@ bookends_smile: yes, from what I have read, the two songs "cheap-day return" and "nursie" refer to the same day, when Ian was visiting his dad in hospital.
might be true, i really don't know, though it doesn't fit in with the most of the other songs on the album, it not being about god or religion.
@moe2000 Only the second side of Aqualung is about religion.
@moe2000 Only the second side of Aqualung is about religion.
@moe2000 Aqualung is not a concept album ... it was always a point of consternation for Ian that everyone insisted that it was. This is what prompted him to create Thick as a Brick, which is essentially a concept album parody
@moe2000 Aqualung is not a concept album ... it was always a point of consternation for Ian that everyone insisted that it was. This is what prompted him to create Thick as a Brick, which is essentially a concept album parody
I wow not about here about this tune... I dont understand, to be it is a wonderful piece... Short but so sweet and soft...
I agree it does not fit the aqualung's concept album... But I'm still glad Ian decided to put it in there...
I think it kind of speaks for itself... I'd like to have a demonstration of the soft shoe shuffle dance... So I could have an idea of what it looks like...
I also wonder if the nurse here is the same person has in the song ''Nursie'' from the living in the past album??
@bookends_smile The "soft-shoe shuffle dance" refers to what he did in response to the next line "brush away the cigarette ash." He dropped ash on his trousers and wasn't sure whether it was burning or not, so the reaction of brushing it away looked like a soft-shoe. In my mind, almost cartoon-like. Can you imagine? I used to smoke cigarettes so it immediately made sense to me.
@bookends_smile The "soft-shoe shuffle dance" refers to what he did in response to the next line "brush away the cigarette ash." He dropped ash on his trousers and wasn't sure whether it was burning or not, so the reaction of brushing it away looked like a soft-shoe. In my mind, almost cartoon-like. Can you imagine? I used to smoke cigarettes so it immediately made sense to me.
Every great artist has a period during his career when he could write about used toilet paper and actually make it sound great! If you ask me, Ian Anderson was at this very period in his career when he wrote the tracks for the Aqualung LP. This little diddy is about absolutely NOTHING, and yet it sounds SO GREAT! Glad it made it on the album.
@RayMan It is about visiting his ill father in a nursing home or hospital. That is quite real and sad. Otherwise I agree. Ian must have been on top of his game back then.
@RayMan It is about visiting his ill father in a nursing home or hospital. That is quite real and sad. Otherwise I agree. Ian must have been on top of his game back then.
WhereWasBiggles: I like your interpretation, and I think it DOES give us a glimpse into the workings of Ian Anderson's mind... and why I like listening to him. Thanks for sharing it.
Definitely about a visit to the old man. Is the nurse caring for his father because she is genuinely concerned for his welfare or more worried about getting Ian's autograph?