The Kinks



The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorized in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognized as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a wide range of genres, including rhythm and blues, British music hall, folk, and country.

Song lyrics
All songs by Ray Davies except as noted.

Kinks (1964)

 * Girl, you really got me goin' You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' Yeah, you really got me now You got me so I can't sleep at night.
 * You Really Got Me

Kinda Kinks (1965)

 * It's your life And you can do what you want Do what you like But please don't keep-a me waiting Please don't keep-a me waiting 'Cause I'm so tired Tired of waiting Tired of waiting for you.
 * Tired of Waiting for You

The Kink Kontroversy (1965)

 * Yeah, you and me We live this life From when we get up Till we go sleep at night You and me we're free We do as we please, yeah From morning, till the end of the day Till the end of the day.
 * Till the End of the Day


 * Well, lived my life and never stopped to worry 'bout a thing Opened up and shouted out and never tried to sing Wondering if I'd done wrong Will this depression last for long?
 * Where Have All the Good Times Gone

Face to Face (1966)

 * Dandy, you know you're moving much too fast, And Dandy, you know you can't escape the past. Look around you and see the people settle down, And when you're old and grey you will remember what they said, That two girls are too many, three's a crowd and four you're dead.
 * Dandy


 * The tax man's taken all my dough, And left me in my stately home, Lazing on a sunny afternoon. And I can't sail my yacht, He's taken everything I've got, All I've got's this sunny afternoon.
 * Sunny Afternoon

Something Else by The Kinks (1967)

 * I am a dull and simple lad Can not tell water from champagne And I have never met the queen And I wish I could have all that he has got I wish I could be like David Watts.
 * David Watts


 * My makeup is dry and it clags on my chin I'm drowning my sorrows in whisky and gin The lion tamer's whip doesn't crack anymore The lions they won't fight and the tigers won't roar.
 * Death of a Clown, written with Dave Davies (and released first as a single by Dave Davies)


 * You don't have to look at me You don't have to smile at me You just have to love me till the sun shines You don't have to cook for me You don't have to laugh with me You just have to love me till the sun shines.
 * Love Me Till the Sun Shines, written by Dave Davies


 * Dirty old river, must you keep rolling Flowing into the night People so busy, makes me feel dizzy Taxi light shines so bright But I don't need no friends As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset I am in paradise.
 * Waterloo Sunset

The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968)

 * In a dark and misty house, Where no Christian man has been, Wicked Annabella mixes a brew That no one's ever seen.
 * Wicked Annabella


 * Days I'll remember all my life, Days when you can't see wrong from right. You took my life, But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me, But it's all right, Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me.
 * Days

Arthur (1969)

 * Long ago life was clean Sex was bad and obscene And the rich were so mean Stately homes for the Lords Croquet lawns, village greens Victoria was my queen Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria.
 * Victoria


 * Now that you've found your paradise This is your Kingdom to command You can go outside and polish your car Or sit by the fire in your Shangri-la Here is your reward for working so hard Gone are the lavatories in the back yard Gone are the days when you dreamed of that car You just want to sit in your Shangri-la.
 * Shangri-La


 * We shall defend our island On the land and on the sea We shall fight them on the beaches On the hills and in the fields We shall fight them in the streets Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed to so few 'Cos they have made our British Empire A better place for me and you.
 * Mr. Churchill Says

Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround (1970)

 * Where are you going I don't mind I've killed my world and I've killed my time So where do I go what do I see I see many people coming after me So where are you going to I don't mind If I live too long I'm afraid I'll die So I will follow you wherever you go If your offered hand is still open to me Strangers on this road we are on We are not two we are one.
 * Strangers, written by Dave Davies


 * You go to a publisher and play him your song He says 'I hate your music and you hair is too long. But I'll sign you up because I'd hate to be wrong.'


 * Well I'm not the world's most physical guy But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine Oh my Lola la-la-la-la Lola Well I'm not dumb but I can't understand Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man Oh my Lola la-la-la-la Lola la-la-la-la Lola.
 * Lola


 * Well that's the way that I want it to stay And I always want it to be that way for my Lola La-la-la-la Lola Girls will be boys and boys will be girls It's a mixed up muddled up shook up world except for Lola La-la-la-la Lola.
 * Lola


 * I know what I am and I'm glad Im a man and so is Lola.
 * Lola


 * I was lost just wandering round downtown Many people pushing me around Hate spreads just like infection Those rats jumping on and off my back.
 * Rats, written by Dave Davies


 * I think I'm so educated and I'm so civilised 'Cos I'm a strict vegetarian But with the over-population and inflation and starvation And the crazy politicians I don't feel safe in this world no more I don't want to die in a nuclear war I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an ape man. I'm an ape man, I'm an ape ape man.
 * Apeman


 * Got to be free to do what I want Walk if I want, talk if I want Got to be free to say what I want Make what I want and play what I want.
 * Got to Be Free

Percy (1971)

 * Man made the buildings that reach for the sky And man made the motorcar and learned how to fly But he didn't make the flowers and he didn't make the trees And he didn't make you and he didn't make me And he got no right to turn us into machines He's got no right at all 'Cause we are all God's children And he got no right to change us Oh, we gotta go back the way the good lord made us all.
 * God's Children

Muswell Hillbillies (1971)

 * This is the age of machinery, A mechanical nightmare, The wonderful world of technology, Napalm, hydrogen bombs, biological warfare. This is the twentieth century, But too much aggravation It's the age of insanity. What has become of the green pleasant fields of Jerusalem?
 * 20th Century Man


 * Whatever the situation, whatever the race or creed, Tea knows no segregation, no class nor pedigree It knows no motivations, no sect or organisation, It knows no one religion, Nor political belief.
 * Have a Cuppa Tea


 * All life we work, but work's a bore, If life's for livin' what's livin' for?
 * Oklahoma U.S.A.

Everybody's in Show-Biz (1972)

 * On my supersonic rocket ship Nobody has to be hip Nobody needs to be out of sight. Out of sight. Nobody's gonna travel second class There'll be equality And no suppression of minorities. Well alright. We'll take this planet, shake it round And turn it upside down. My supersonic rocket ship.
 * Supersonic Rocket Ship


 * Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star, And everybody's in movies, it doesn't matter who you are. There are stars in every city, In every house and on every street, And if you walk down Hollywood Boulevard Their names are written in concrete.
 * Celluloid Heroes


 * You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard, Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of, People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame, Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
 * Celluloid Heroes

Preservation Act 1 (1973)

 * Everybody say I'm lazy They all tell me get a job you slob, I'd rather be a hobo walking round with nothing Than a rich man scared of losing all he's got. So I'm just sitting in the midday sun Just soaking up that currant bun, Why should I have to give my reasons For sitting in the midday sun?
 * Sitting in the Midday Sun

Misfits (1978)

 * Father Christmas, give us some money Don't mess around with those silly toys. We'll beat you up if you don't hand it over We want your bread so don't make us annoyed Give all the toys to the little rich boys.
 * Father Christmas


 * Have yourself a merry merry Christmas Have yourself a good time. But remember the kids who got nothin' While you're drinkin' down your wine.
 * Father Christmas

Give the People What They Want (1981)

 * Here's hoping all the days ahead Won't be as bitter as the ones behind you. Be an optimist instead, And somehow happiness will find you. Forget what happened yesterday, I know that better things are on the way.
 * Better Things

State of Confusion (1983)
I'm alive and it can't be bad But back on planet earth they shatter the illusion The world's going 'round in a state of confusion
 * Should feel happy, should feel glad
 * "State of Confusion"

Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt? It gets worse, the older that you get No escape from the state of confusion I'm in State of confusion I'm in
 * Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat
 * "State of Confusion"


 * They put a parking lot on a piece of land Where the supermarket used to stand. Before that they put up a bowling alley On the site that used to be the local palais. That's where the big bands used to come and play. My sister went there on a Saturday. Come dancing, All her boyfriends used to come and call. Why not come dancing, it's only natural?
 * Come Dancing


 * You look out of your window, Into the night. Could be rain, could be snow, But it can't feel as cold as what you're feeling inside. And all of you friends are either married, vanished, Or just left alone. But that's no reason to just stop living. That's no excuse to just give in to a sad and lonely heart.  Don't forget to dance, no, no, no, Don't forget to smile. Don't forget to dance, no, no, no, Forget it for a while.
 * Don't Forget to Dance