spanish towns

In 2003 my parents and my kid brother booked a holiday to spain, a place called st. miguel on the spanish east coast fairly close to alicante. i decided to join them and took 5 days off work and booked flights. on the last day, they got an early flight and i had a day to kill. i spent the entire day as a lonely tourist in alicante, where i wandered the streets and looked out of place. i had already sweated myself out on the trip walking through la zenia, valencia and various other random spanish towns. i got chatting to ladies in alicante none of whom spoke very good english, although the song in the end was inspired by florencia, an argentinian working in a city centre bar in alicante. as mtv played a video for oasis song "don't go away" i put pen to paper and wrote "spanish towns"


written - august 2003

about - valencia, alicante and any spanish town or city really

lyrics -

i've had too many dreams today
that i can't get to sleep
in spanish towns i don't belong
i look so out of place

i had too much to drink today
it didn't go to waste
in spanish towns i'm losing all
my northern irish taste

in the sun i have been drinking
in the bars i have been thinking
all these spanish towns remind me of the war

i think i caught the sun today
the sweat was dripping down
i'm the outcast you don't meet
in every spanish town

i almost missed the bus today
i couldn't read the signs
my sense of humour less aware
of sense in spanish towns

through the streets i have been walking
to the locals i was talking
all these spanish towns look lonely as they are

in the bars i have been drinking
all the beers i have been sinking
all the spanish girls are smitten by my charm

i had too much to drink today
i had too much to drink
my ulster heart was wide awake
in spanish towns i think

in the sun i had been drinking
in the bars i had been thinking
all the spanish towns remind me of the war