Poor Skeleton Steps Out

(Partridge)

chalk_small.gif
ear_onl.gif Recordings
Art
Lyrics
Chords and Tablature

Recordings

  1. Album version, 3'27.
    Released on Oranges & Lemons.

    Andy: “It's a silly idea that the last ethnic group to be liberated are skeletons. They're unfailing in their support of human beings but have to wait until we die to achieve their freedom. In the song, the skeleton gets a night out.”

  2. BBC version, 3'26.
    Recorded 16 March 1989 at BBC Studios.
    Produced by Peter Watts. Engineered by Ted De Bono and Tim Durham.
    First broadcast 5 April 1989 on the Richard Skinner Show.
    Released on 5 October 1994 on Drums and Wireless in the U.K.
    Also available on Transistor Blast.
    Andy Partridge - vocals, guitars and keyboards
    Colin Moulding - vocals and bass guitar
    Dave Gregory - guitars, vocals, keyboards and drum programming

    Andy: “I'm really proud of the stuff I wrote on keyboards. I know what I'm doing on guitar - sort of - but I haven't got the faintest clue when I sit at a piano, so anything that comes out is delightfully terrible. This was from the car-smash session in '89. Maybe we were all amped up after the crash.”

  3. Demo version.
    Released on 25 September 2006 on Fuzzy Warbles Volume Eight in the U.K.

    Andy: “Truly a Fuzzy Warble. It's that association game again: marimba = skeleton = inside = escape. Or is it just me showing my femur side? Known, as we were recording the finished thing, as ‘Peter Skellern Steps Out’.”

Art

[THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

Lyrics

  Poor skeleton steps out, dressed up in bad blood, bad brains, bad thoughts, and others deeds. Poor skeleton no doubt, one of these days, you can cast aside your human, be free.
  When the cities run with blood, and you drink our health in mud, "All flesh be gone." Save your dry and joyous shout, for the day poor skeleton steps out.
  Poor skeleton steps out, sprung from his life sentence deep inside some muscle mask. Poor skeleton devout, propping up truck drivers, filmstars, thieves or queens, your brave task.
  When technology is rust, and you write your book in dust, "All flesh be gone." Can't buy tickets from a tout, for the day poor skeleton steps out.
  Poor skeleton steps out, liberated from sex organs and brown, black, white skin. Poor skeleton you lout, don't you think that we might like to have been asked to join in?
  For good skeletons are we, and we're dying to be free, "All flesh be gone." I will scream or sulk and pout, until my poor skeleton steps out.
  Look out, here comes bony boy.

© 1989 Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd.

Chords and Tablature

Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 19:39:45 -0800
From: Jeff Truzzi <Darrell (at) TheHarveys dot net>
To: relph (at) tmbg dot org
Subject: More XTC Transcriptions
Hi again!  Thanks for putting up my earlier transcriptions of XTC songs.  Chalkhills is the best!!!

Here's a few more, and a revision of "Rook".  Glad to be able to contribute to such a great site.

Take care,

Jeff Truzzi

********


POOR SKELETON STEPS OUT by Andy Partridge
Copyright 1989 Virgin Music Ltd.
Transcribed for the XTC Forum by Jeff Truzzi

The only real chords in this song are in the chorus, on keyboard.
It's really the tabla ostinato (repeating) C5 figure and mallets doubling the vocal melody against the bass part (also doubled by a mallet sound) in the verse and pre-chorus that makes this song. Easier to notate than it is to write here. Nonetheless...

... the NOTES (NOT chords) above the lyrics are the vocal/mallet melody notes.
The notes below the lyrics are the bass notes.
In the chorus, the keyboard chord will be in parenthesis AFTER the lyric for that bar.

Each lyric line is one 4/4 bar of music.

INTRO: Bendy C note on guitar
Arpeggiated C5 mallet pattern that repeats through verses and pre-choruses.
Bass notes (play 2x): C, C, C (rest) D Eb A Eb D
Second time: sound of machine saw panning right to left (heh heh)

VERSE 1:

E__G__E_D_C
Poor skeleton steps
C__C__C___G

D__G____E__D__C
out, dressed up in bad
C__D__E__G_A_C

A__E__G__D__F__C
blood, bad brains, bad thoughts, and
C__C__C___G

E_B___C
others deeds.
C__D__E__G_A_C

(repeat melody & bass until last note)
Poor skeleton no
doubt, one of these days,
you can cast aside your hu-

E_B__D
man, be
C__D_E_G_A_C

PRE-CH 1:

Bb___Bb_C_Db
free. When the cit-
C, E, G C, E, Ab

G__Db__C__Bb___Bb__C__Db
-ies run with blood, and you drink
C, E, G C, E, Ab

G__Db___C__Bb___C
our health in mud, "All
C, E, G C, E, Ab

Bb___A_A
flesh be gone."
C, E, G F, E, D, C

CHORUS 1 (keyboard chord after lyric):

G___B___D__E
Save your dry and (G)
G, B, D, E

F__E___D
joyous shout (Am/G)
F, E, C, A

G__B__D__E
for the day poor (G)
G, B, D, E

F_Eb_Db__C
skeleton steps (Bbm7)
F, *, *, A

C_Bb
out. (Ab)
Eb, *, *, A

- - (Bb7)
Db, *, *, A

Ab_Bb__ Ab_Bb__ Ab_Bb__ Ab_Bb
Step out, step out, step out, step out (Bbm)
Bb, C, Db, Eb

VERSE 2: Add picked guitar notes: C, B, F

PRE-CH 2: change picked part to: C, Bb, F

CH 2: repeat CH 1

INTRO 2: Repeat after bendy note

VERSE 3: Add Hi harmony to melody (in 3rds/4ths) -
NOT doubled with mallet

PRE-CH 3: (Vocal still in harmony)

CHORUS 3 (No vocal harmony):

G__B__D__E
I will scream or (G)
G, B, D, E

F__G__E_D
sulk and pout, (Am/G)
F, E, C, A

G__B__D__E
until my poor (G)
G, B, D, E

****************

F_Eb_Db_C
skeleton steps (Bbm7)
F, Bb, C, Db

C_Bb
out. (Ab)
Eb, Ab, B, C


(Look out, here comes bony boy.) (Bb7)
D, Ab, Bb, C

Ab_Bb__ Ab_Bb__ Ab_Bb__ Ab_Bb
Step out, step out, step out, step out (Bbm)
Bb, C, Db, Eb
and repeat from ********

until last time which is:
Bb, C, Db, D

TAG:

Eb B C G Bb
Now (Eb6)
Eb (hold)
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 17:57:06 -0400
From: Kevin <KB305 (at) aol dot com>
Subject: one more time
Message-ID: <960723175703_244054811 (at) emout16 dot mail dot aol dot com>

Poor Skeleton Steps Out
C                                      Cmaj9
Poor skeleton steps out, dressed up in bad blood, bad brains,
bad thoughts, and others deeds.
C                Cmaj9

Poor skeleton no doubt, one of these days,
                                  C7
you can cast aside your human, be free.
         C7b9 (x32320)

When the cities run with blood, and you drink our health in mud,
              F
"All flesh be gone."
G                 F
Save your dry and joyous shout,
G                Db/F           Eb         Db             C
for the day poor skeleton steps out.

Poor skeleton steps out,
sprung from his life sentence deep inside some muscle mask.
Poor skeleton devout,
propping up truck drivers, filmstars, thieves or queens, your brave task.
When technology is rust, and you write your book in dust,
"All flesh be gone."
Can't buy tickets from a tout, for the day poor skeleton steps out.

Poor skeleton steps out,
liberated from sex organs and brown, black, white skin.
Poor skeleton you lout,
don't you think that we might like to have been asked to join in?
For good skeletons are we, and we're dying to be free,
"All flesh be gone."
I will scream or sulk and pout,
             un til my poor ske le ton steps out.
(Bass line:  Bb C   Db Eb   F   Bb C   Db    Eb   Ab Bb C D    Ab Bb C

Look out, here comes bony boy.

Go back to XTC Reel by Real.

24 November 2006 / Feedback