Damned, The - Curtain Call Lyrics

It's time to bring Rat back in 2020 for a 40th Anniversary Black Album Tour.

agreed Jordan

Merci Rimsky Korsakov (Scheherazade)

The beauty of Punk who knew that this angry bastardly heavy genre had a beautiful side fucken gorgeous this fucken masterfuckenpiece epic fucken is go go Captain

I remember reading a review from a music paper , cant remember which one and the reviewer said that the album wasn't that good and that curtain call was lazily thrown together because they didn't have any more songs to complete the last disk on the double album. WOW he clearly didn't have a clue this song is a masterpiece and up there with with any prog/rock/psychedelic classic from any era

Total genius, I heard this the first time I took mushrooms, the Bohemian Rhapsody of "Punk" Music

I'm watching gundam wing with this on my head phones

April early 80s
I was asked if I wanted to go to the record store I said pick me up something from the Damned and this is what I got. Brilliant stuff from then on they became my band. Better than Pistols or Clash....

Captain Sensible’s the FRANK MOTHERFUCKEN ZAPPA of Punk Rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO FUCKEN WONDER WE FUCKEN CAN’T FUCKEN TAKE HIM FUCKEN SERIOUSLY and laugh WITH him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ride the rhythm

My favorite version. The rain, the bird, and the footsteps is my favorite part.

A masterpiece of biblical proportions. This is by far the greatest band to ever exist

Exactly,great,great Damned always,love them so much:-))🌞

George Michael faith karaoke

Just awesome this band inspire Me x

Exquisite.

So what if there's a proggy bit in the middle? These are the guys that released New Rose in the midst of all that abysmal fucking crap that was in the charts back then - thank God!

loue this First heard it on PeelY back in the day All these years laTer I am sTill shadowboxing with myself Mu partner and soul mate suddenly passed away A huge traumatic lightning strike We where hand in gloue Now the same hand is exposed and permafrosted cold I dont want to go on or grow any older This song and music therapy helps me cling oN ❤

Mr Vanians masterpiece.

Great song, but all I need from it is 4:50 - 6:38

Captain wasnt as daft as he looked, all the lead and keys on this!

Captain is a very underrated musician. His ear for melody is sublime

Captain is the Mozart of Punk

Better this anyone ! no chance

Shows what a seriously good band they are (if there was ever any doubt)...

AAAH ! MAJESTIC !

Seen them so many times [late 70's and 80's] I lost count! Watched a documentary on them and all these years later am hooked again

What the fuck are the 8 idiots who gave this masterpiece the thumbs down listening to?

Can you taste the grit
Between your teeth
The heat of the lights
The crack of the whip
The snapping sound of someone's nerves
If you pay you get what you deserve

We're coming up from the deep
The lizard sheds its skin
Night obliterates the day
And all the fun begins
Shadow boxing with yourself
Just seems to get you nowhere
You don't want to cheat
When playing solitaire

Three faces come alive
Try and focus and be one
Never let it be said that
The jester comes undone
A reckless gambling pace
With time enough to borrow
Time enough to measure
All of our tomorrows

Curtain call and lights grow dim
Tragedy, love all lie within
Each player takes his chance to play
And lives to fight another day

We're coming up from the deep
The lizard sheds its skin
Night obliterates the day
And all the fun begins
Shadow boxing with yourself
Just seems to get you nowhere
You don't want to cheat
When playing solitaire

Curtain call and lights grow dim
Tragedy, love all lie within
Each player takes his chance to play
And lives to fight, lives to fight
another day, another day, another day

No more will I roam
Our childish dreams are soon outgrown
But here we stand
In our own theatreland
Curtain call
About to fall

We're coming up from the deep
The lizard sheds its skin
Night obliterates the day
And all the fun begins
Shadow boxing with yourself
Just seems to get you nowhere
You don't want to cheat
When playing solitaire

Curtain call and lights grow dim
Tragedy, love all lie within each player
Each player takes his chance to play
And lives to fight another day

Three faces come alive
Try and focus and be one
Never let it be said that
The jester comes undone
A reckless gambling pace
With time enough to borrow
Time enough to measure
All of our tomorrows

Curtain call and lights grow dim
Tragedy, love all lie within
Each player takes his chance to play
And lives to fight, lives to fight
another day, another day, another day

*Shit..* another _damn_ album to add to the list... **sigh**

A Total Masterpiece across all genres of music..MAGNIFICENT.

Possibly the only 17-minute song that will make you wish it were even longer.

Catch Thirty-Three (an entirely different and more underappreciated style) is more than 47 minutes long ... and some of us never get enough of it (the same happens with this and all The Damned's music).

11.27.. most scary moment.. must have been copied for film soundtracks..

A masterpiece by the best band ever

Fantastic,dramatic,compelling song,almost like something out of a Victorian period Drama....havent heard it for many,many years. ....the dark,ambiance of the song seems more relevant as the years go by......

Dramatic and brilliant for the thinking man of the 20th century. The final curtain call of the human race is well before 3700 AD so bow low and enjoy the applause from the 20th century. Bravo and get off this planet to a new one if given the chance and great luck. Haha.

“The Black Album” Hard to believe this is from 1980, back then the grooves were nearly worn out on my vinyl LP, still got it though. There’s some great tracks on it then bosh this appears, must’ve listened to this about 5 times off the belt when it was first bought it, just to double check it was really that brilliant.

The punk rock Stairway To Heaven!

Paganini andCaptain Sensible - what a combination!

I used to sit in darkness in mi bedroom sniffing EVO STIK to this beautiful track. X

They were untouchable live about this time too.

Yes, Genesis , ELP all wish they did this "prog" rock anthem. Don't shadowbox yourself!!

Live to fight another day. A Damned classic.

God, this takes me back. I always put this on when I was getting ready to go out for the night. It reminds me of those rainy London streets under yellow lights and meeting my friends for an evening of mischief and excitement. We'd never hurt a fly, not that you'd think that looking at us, all boots and leather jackets. Care free nights of my youth, gone too soon.😢

When I was a kid I used to just put some music on and drive in a direction till I felt like going back, covered a lot of miles to this one and the album it was on. :)

midnightmosesuk I echo your sentiments totally.

This is why the Damned was the Only Band That Mattered~!

Interesting thought.

Cool man usually see you on other posts. Good music taste ! 🎸 on..

@David Ellis.. Right on~!
Saw your post to~!

I saw them playing in Belgium in 85 and they played this song too. It was amazing to hear it live.

With all the utter shite out there it's good to be able to fall back on the Damned now and again. This is truly their Magnum Opus. A masterpiece.

God that is so true!

Sheer brilliance a masterpiece from the damned I will never tire of hearing this song. DOES It get any better than this.

Does the opening of this remind anyone of the theme from a film called Psychomania (1972)?

Just a great song to get lost in, I've listened to this so many times, got it on vinyl when released in 79 or 80 I think, this track was the whole side 3, saw them perform it live a couple of years later at Woolwivh Odeon, they started the song then lead into an hour & half of their other songs, then merged back into the second half at the end, will never forget it, one of the best nights I've had !

My friends were mostly hippies, put this on and didn't tell them who it was, they sank into my settee and loved it. Ha tricked them cause they hated punk.

Haha. Cool.

Masterpiece!

Perfection never ages...

Such an underrated band they deserve more credit and respect. Going to see them tomorrow night in Glasgow, Dave and Captain Sensible I salute you both!

You can tell The Captain was a prog rock fan before punk came into his life. Genius.

Captain played the keyboard using two fingers

This song holds a strong place in my heart

First time I heard this song I was in kindergarten, my uncle made me hear it, and even back then I thought it was brilliant....

no comprende..

Genius. I remember first time I heard this and I was utterly captivated. My mates dad had a component system back then and it was ....epic

I sooooo love this song it's the best!!!

Brilliant! Long live The Damned!

Were coming up from the deep... what song 'Curtain Call' is. Pure one of a kind track. Vocals and dark harmonious melodies.Together with piano work, scarey fiddle and birds at start.Pure Classic. Best listened to in the dark,flat on your back in your bed... On Witching hour. Just... Wait for the Blackout. Ha

Pity Vanian wasn't given a leading part in a gothic horror film when he was younger. He would have been superb.

The best stories are the ones never told

Yes ! Agree !

I want this track played at my funeral.

the captain guitar hero.

I love, love, love, love this song! And The Damned!

man, i don't fuck guys, and he isn't anymore, (sorry dude) but dave vanian was the hottest guy ever, on tv, to me anyway. as a 99.9% straight dude. like when he was on the young ones tv show? handsome fella...

This will be my funeral song.

mine too. been saying that for years.

Be a long one

My funeral song is "birth, school, work, death" by the godfathers. Been in my will for 15 years or more.
This is a good second choice though.

dark punk pioniere.
greetz

Reminds me of a gothic Julian Cope possibly the Damned most atmospheric & experimental song, Sensational & such a good length to develop musically ;-)

Takes me back to my Doc marten days!!

The Damned rules!xoxoThe Clarences

Magnificent!

oh Korsakov 8:55

THEATRALGIQUEMENT SUPERBE.... VOIX UNIQUE... ET MORCEAU D'ANTHOLOGIE....

mushroom music.

But not LSD for me though! Christ this would feel like it was playing for hours like the first time I had a trip and a mate was playing Bob Marley - Lively up yourself, honestly that felt like the song was half an hour long on a Strawberry! Back in '94.

Love this song...

oh hi fan of Charlie <3

Ventured into Prog territory. Bunch of English Punks, too.

An all time classic

Great stuff, sort of Punk v Prog. Love to be damned.

One of the only bands to successfully pull off a fusion of punk and prog.

I was there at a live concert. A festival at daytime. It was really
sunny. Somewhere in (Central-East?) London... like 1984 or so.... lots
of us were outside the compound. Laying on the grass... relaxing...
Didn't have (the money for) tickets..... we were all listening to the
Damned.... then suddenly, towards the end of their concert.... whilst
playing the Curtain All... the Captain announced the fences should be
opened to all of us....
You can't imagine!!!! all of us.. a mob...
RUNNING into the tent.... we all started JUMPING to the beat.... you
HAD to jump.... otherwise you'd be crushed..... It was amazing! Were you
there??? What year was it???? Share my memory

You're probably thinking of Brockwell park 1984.

why am i reminded of "the Vampyre of Time and Memory" by this song?

"we're coming up from the deep
the lizard sheds it skin
when night obliterates the day
and other fun begins

Shadow boxing with yourself
just seems to get you nowhere,
you don't want to cheat when playing Solitaire..."

I am obsessed with this song.....

The Damned always end an album stronger than they started, even when they start out strong. That is one thing I noticed even with the albums I'm not as keen on. Check it, listen to the last 2-3 songs on every Damned album.

I don't mean the fastest songs, i mean the most beautiful songs, as music was originally intended to sooth the savage beasts, not make them more savage.

Beautiful

Amazing stuff. Haven't heard this for ages! Reminds me of my youth. Sitting in my mates bedroom, smoking hash (there was no quality bud back then). We used to sit in the darkness and have a pyramid of orange flashing roadwork lights (the ones that needed a matchstick to turn them on) and listen to this. And Dark Side of the Moon. And Wish You Were Here and other such interesting tunes...good times, seems a long time ago!

+Jeff Dobermann Pink Floyd albums and Morroccan hash :)

agreed .. except there was great bud then .. it was from jamaica.. and we listened to animals.. :)

Me & my mates used to Nick those road work lights too. They were called Dorman Smith trifalights if I remember correctly. They were on tripods with a anti vandal bolt that screwed the light to the tripod, we made a special tool to undo them with from a bicycle wheel spindle filed to the right shape.
Oh, & this is my favorite damned track too.

@David Cooper DIY for vandalism. PUNK AF

What a bit of kit..

great stuff

Sing to me, Dave...

The captain was a king crimson fan I believe.

Rock opera...

+Triff Tone - did you here that Meatloaf? ROCK OPERA - as it damn well SHOULD be...

a masterpiece in punk

The guy that gave me these guys once said they entered Yes territory with this song. He loved The Damned. I know what he means.

I just realized that Dave is holding a Barnabas Collins Wolf's-head Cane - this makes me only love them more! And I adore this song! So fun to sing-along-with-Dave! :)

+Betty Blackburn  a prper cane

For Sure! :)

+Betty Blackburn and he looks a lot like Antonio Banderas in The Interview with a Vampire film too

It's progtastic, damned good if you pardon the pun.

+Vernon Allen The Damned - THE prog-punk band if there ever was one.

+Bloody useless This is great, and the Stranglers have a vast catalog of stuff of this calibre.

+evolutionary transgression Totally agree, love the Stranglers too

A Masterpiece, i bet Beethoven
& Pink Floyd wished they had done this

I'm not much of a fan of anything Pink Floyd did after Syd Barrett was unceremoniously ejected from the band, but their first album (Piper At The Gates of Dawn) was a HUGE influence on the Damned, and especially the Black Album. Most everything PF did after "Piper" is hardly worth comparing to the Damned, but I'd put the Syd-era stuff in the same league, and I'm sure the Damned would too.

Lol haha

Well said brewzer

Piper and saucerful are masterpieces

way ahead of your time, this is a classic, never to be forgotten, the black album version is still the best, a composition equal to the greatest composers(lively arts) lol, right the fuck on Raymond, Dave, and Chris! shadow boxing with yourself just seems to get you nowhere..............thanks for inspiring me to pick up the guitar and bass and rock till there is no end...........your #1 fan and hope to be pres of the flashman society

Me and a mate played it to a friend and passed it off as a long lost song by the Doors!

This doesn't sound anything like The Doors.

this song seems like salmon and ousters, yum in the pastel 70's 

+Dan Lambert Jeez Dan you must be on some heavy shit dude.

Still an absolute masterpiece!

Arf arf arf arf arf..... arf!

Magnificent