Senses Working Overtime

(Partridge)

#\#i#/#Senses Working Overtime#\#/i#/# single cover art

Senses Working Overtime single cover art

Recordings
XTCfans interview with Andy Partridge
Art
Annotated Lyrics
Chords and Tablature
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Recordings

  1. Album version, 4'45.
    Released on English Settlement.
    andy - lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar.
    colin - fretless bass, backing vocals.
    dave - electric 12-string guitar, percussion
    terry - drums, drum synthesizer

  2. Single edit, 4'30.
    Released on 8 January 1982 as a single in the U.K.
    Reached No. 10 on the U.K. singles chart.

  3. Promotional video (uses the single edit), 4'30.
    First broadcast date unknown.
    Released in 1982 on the Look Look video compilation.

    Colin: “I think this was our highest chart entry.” Andy: “Made up from two songs. It's also the only song we've ever done with crows on.”
  4. Acoustic medley version.
    Recorded live on 22 February 1989 at WXRT, Chicago.
    Performed as a medley: "Senses Working Overtime" / "Grass" / "Love on a Farmboy's Wages".

  5. Early work tape.
    Recorded in the front upstairs room, 46 Kingshill Road, Swindon, in Summer 1981.
    Released on 25 March 2002 on Coat of Many Cupboards in the U.K.
    Andy Partridge - Acoustic Guitar and Vocals

    Andy: “You see the lorries had to rev up and put their foot down to haul themselves up Kingshill, while anything coming down, just went full throttle bananas fast. So that's why I've got such glorious stereo traffic on this cassette. I'm sat in the empty front room, upstairs in 46 Kingshill Road, Swindon. I say empty, well, not quite. There's a battered '40's sofa covered in scraps of black and white window display fabric, liberated from McIlroy's department store and about 3 to 4 thousand old American comics laid in piles on the floor. This, despite the traffic from Hell, was my writing room, and here I am trying to get through a new song I've just come up with. It's a couple of half songs Frankensteined together, but I think there's something in it. You won't hear all the correct chord changes, words or middle section, they're not thought up yet. But you will get a cassette quality ultra scan of the soon to be born. To the average English listener this song came to represent their concept of our high water mark in the English charts, i.e., If you're not on ‘Top of the Pops’, you don't exist. Although after the Senses single our fellow countrymen felt they should confine us to the ‘has been’ drawer, ironically our best sales, by far, were yet to come from the so far undented monolith of America and from a joyously appreciative and loyal Japanese following many years down the line.

    “But at this point in the tale, all I knew was that I was a married man living in a couple of damp rooms, rent free, above an empty shop, and I had a new album to write. Was this one that would make it?”

[Thanks to R. Stevie Moore]


Art

backside of UK #\#i#/#Senses Working Overtime#\#/i#/# 12-inch single

backside of UK Senses Working Overtime 12-inch single

front cover of the Canadian #\#i#/#Senses Working Overtime#\#/i#/# 12-inch single

front cover of the Canadian Senses Working Overtime 12-inch single

back cover of the Canadian #\#i#/#Senses Working Overtime#\#/i#/# 12-inch single in all its colourful glory

back cover of the Canadian Senses Working Overtime 12-inch single in all its colourful glory

#\#i#/#Senses Working Overtime#\#/i#/# 7-incher from Canada

Senses Working Overtime 7-incher from Canada

#\#i#/#Senses Working Overtime#\#/i#/# single foldout

Senses Working Overtime single foldout

Australian #\#i#/#Senses Working Overtime#\#/i#/# 12" single label, side A

Australian Senses Working Overtime 12" single label, side A

Australian #\#i#/#Senses Working Overtime#\#/i#/# 12" single label, side B

Australian Senses Working Overtime 12" single label, side B

cover of the #\#i#/#Senses Working Overtime#\#/i#/# sheet music

cover of the Senses Working Overtime sheet music

Unauthorised “Senses Working Overtime” coffee mug

Unauthorised “Senses Working Overtime” coffee mug

#\#a href="video/SensesWorkingOvertime.mov" target="churl"#/#snippet of the promotional video for “Senses Working Overtime”#\#/a#/#

snippet of the promotional video for “Senses Working Overtime”

Snippet of “Senses Working Overtime” lip-sync on #\#i#/#Top of the Pops#\#/i#/#, 21 January 1982

Snippet of “Senses Working Overtime” lip-sync on Top of the Pops, 21 January 1982

[THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

Lyrics

s e n s e s      w o r k i n g      o v e r t i m e
HH
 H
 HHHH  ey hey,  the clouds are whey,  there's straw for the donkeys
 H   H and the  innocents  can all  sleep     safely     all  sleep
 H  H safely.     my,  my     sun is pie     there's fodder for the
HH   cannons  and  the  guilty  ones  can  all  sleep        safely
all  sleep  safely.    and all the world is  football shaped,  it's
just for me to kick in space     and I can  see, hear, smell, touch,
taste - and I've got     one, two, three, four, five senses working
overtime    trying to take this all in,  I've got   one, two, three,
four, five senses working overtime   trying to taste the difference
'tween  the  lemons and limes       the pain and the  pleasure  and
the church bells softly chime.. . .
hey hey, night fights day,    there's food for the thinkers and the
innocents  can  all live  slowly     all live slowly     my, my the
sky will cry    jewels  for the  thirsty  and  the  guilty ones can
all die    slowly     all die  slowly.     and  all  the  world  is
biscuit - shaped,    it's  just for me to feed my face    and I can
see, hear, smell, touch, taste- and I've got   one, two,three, four,
five  sense working overtime   trying to take this all in, I've got
one, two, three, four, five senses working overtime trying to taste
the  difference  'tween the  lemons and  limes    the pain and  the
pleasure  and the  church bells  softly  chime.. . .
and birds might fall from black  skies     and bullies  might  give
you  black  eyes     and  busses  might  skid  on black ice     but
to me  it's very very    beautiful (england's glory!)     beautiful
(a striking  beauty!)    and  all  the  world is  football - shaped,
it's just for me  to kick in space     and  I  can see, hear, smell,
touch, taste - and I've got     one, two, three, four, five  senses
working overtime trying to take this all in,I've got one, two,three,
four, five senses working overtime     try to tell the   difference
'tween  the  goods and crimes,     dirt  or  treasure  and  there's
one, two, three, four,five senses working overtime   trying to take
this all in, I've got   one, two, three, four, five  senses working
overtime trying to taste the difference 'tween the lemons and limes
the pain and the pleasure and the church bells softly chime. . .

andy-lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar.  colin-fretless bass
backing vocals.   dave - electric 12-string guitar, percussion ----
terry - drums, drum synthesizer            composed by a. partridge
Notes

“England's Glory” is a brand of wooden matches. Their slogan was, at one time, “A striking beauty”.

© 1982 Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd.
[Thanks to Gary Jedlicka]


Chords and Tablature

Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 10:24:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jay Glacy <jay (at) glacy dot net>
Subject: Thought You Might Be Interested
Message-ID: <1376587450.52401.YahooMailNeo (at) web164004 dot mail dot gq1 dot yahoo dot com>

I did arrangements of two XTC tunes that I thought you and the greater community might appreciate. Here are the links:

http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/c552ccc3b77d7dd29c8637361a6330e788b3b07a

http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/e6bc4601a8f3cd0f5b9a033e242aba8266630e82

Getting the drum parts right was a special challenge. Let me know what you think. Jay Glacy.


Date: July 26, 2005
From: guitar tab archive (author unknown)
Subject: Senses Working Overtime intro tab


1----------------------------|
2------0-------0--0--0--0----|
3---8--8--8----6--6--6--6----|  Repeat X 4
4---6-----6----8-----8-------|
5----------------------------|
6----------------------------|

Song goes..
    One two three four five!

1----0---0---0---0---0------------------------|
2----5---4---2---1---0------------------------|
3--------------------1------------------------|
4--------------------2------------------------|
5--------------------2------------------------|
6--------------------0------------------------|

Main part goes..
    Senses  working   o     ver   time......

1----0---0---0---0-----------------------------|
2----5---4---2---1------2-----4----5-4---------|
3----------------------2-----4----4---4--------|
4---------------------2-----4----4-----4-------|
5--------------------0-----2----0--------------|
6----------------------------------------------|

Guitar & Bass (UK)
May 2005

Generally Major: Colin Moulding Workshop
by Gareth Morgan

Ex. 7

BASSIST GROOVING OVERTIME
English Settlement is another must-have XTC album. Moulding's playing simply soars, and his fretless work is revelatory: it's as if he had a cupboard-full of killer ideas in waiting, and he lets them all out on one record. And yet it's in no way a chops-fest. Taste and musicality are the watchwords, and our snippet — based on the two-bar phrase at the end of the chorus in the sublime Senses Working Overtime — also features wonderful legato slides, solid grooving and high-register fills.


Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 17:37:44 -0400
From: Kristin Hall <kristin (at) media dot mit dot edu>
Subject: Submitting: Senses Working Overtime - Lyrics & Chords
Message-Id: <v04210100b8dbb200cfff@[146.115.121.128]>


Hi-

Okay, this song is a bear - especially, since it ends up a half-step
higher than it starts.  But after listening to it for the past couple
of hours and referring to the variations at
http://chalkhills.org/reelbyreal/s_Senses.html I think I've got it as
close as I can.  I also found the corrected lyrics.

VIEW THIS IN COURIER FONT TO SEE IT CORRECTLY!

First of all, don't be put off by the keys.  The song is super easy
if you play all these as barre chords.  The fingerings flow together
very well.

Opening Am - G Guitar Riff:  This is really easy.  Finger the full
barred Am(5) and G(3) chords, but only fingerpick the following:


B:-5---5--3---3-----|
G:---5------4---4---|
D:-7---7--5---5-----|

I haven't found an elegant way to do the Dm - Dm/C - Dm/E - Dm, yet,
but here's one version:

E:-1---1---1---1-|
B:-3---3---3---3-|
G:---------------|
D:-0-0-2-------0-|
A:---------4-----|

Enjoy!  Comments, questions, correction to radialnerve (at) rcn dot com, please.

Cheers!  Kristin

++++++++++++++++

SONG:  Senses Working Overtime
ARTIST:  XTC


Am(5)    G(3)    Am(5)    G(3)

Am   G        Am         G              Am            G
Hey, hey, the clouds are whey.  There's straw for the donkeys
         Am            G         Dm  Dm/E Dm/C  Dm  Dm  Dm/E
And the innocents can all sleep safely------------------------,
Dm/C  Dm     Dm    Dm/E    Dm/C    Dm    Dm/E    Dm/C    Dm
All--- sleep safely.

My, my, sun is pie.  There's fodder for the cannons
And the guilty ones can all sleep safely, all sleep safely.

Bb          Ab                Bb                    Ab            C
And all the world is football-shaped, it's just for me to kick in space
C         Bb                       C
And I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste

CHORUS:
     C        F         C            F                   Bb  F     C
And I've got one, two, three, four, five senses working o - ver - time.
Bb        C         F
Trying to take this all in.
C        F         C            F                   Bb  F     C
I've got one, two, three, four, five senses working o - ver - time.
Bb                  C                    Bb          C
Trying to taste the difference between a lemon and a lime
Bb       C                F
Pain and pleasure and the church bells softly chime.

Hey, hey, night fights day.  There's food for the thinkers
And the innocents can all live slowly, all live slowly.
My, my, the sky will cry.  Jewels for the thirsty
And the guilty one's can all die slowly, all die slowly.

And all the world is biscuit-shaped, it's just for me to feed my face
And I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste.

CHORUS

BRIDGE:
Bb(7)    Ab(4)    Bb(7)    Ab(4)

Bb  Ab          Bb        Ab       Bb Ab          Bb    Ab
And birds might fall from black skies----- Whoo!  Whoo!
And bullies might give you black eyes - Whoo!  Whoo!
And buses might skid on black ice - Whoo!  Whoo!
Bb      Ab          Bb    Ab  Bb Eb Bb   Eb   Bb    B    F#    B    F#7
But, to me, they're very, ve-ry- beau-ti-ful!    (England's glory!)
Eb Bb     Eb   Bb    B    F#    B    F#7
Beau---ti-ful----!    (A striking beauty!)
Eb
Doo-doo-doo-doo!    Doo-doo-doo-doo!  Doo-doo-doo!
B
Doo-doo-doo-doo!    Doo-doo-doo-doo!  Doo-doo-doo!
Eb
Doo-doo-doo-doo!    Doo-doo-doo-doo!  Doo-doo-doo!
B                 F#
Doo-doo-doo-doo!  Doo-doo-doo-doo!

B           A                 B                     A             C#
And all the world is football-shaped, it's just for me to kick in space
C#        B                        C#
And I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste

CHORUS:
     C#       F#        C#           F#                  B   F#    C#
And I've got one, two, three, four, five senses working o - ver - time.
B         C#        F#
Trying to take this all in.
I've got one, two, three, four, five senses working o - ver - time.
B                   C#                     B         C#     B       C#
Trying to taste the difference between the goods and crime, dirt or treasure.
C#          F#        C#           F#                  B   F#    C#
And there's one, two, three, four, five senses working o - ver - time.
B         C#        F#
Trying to take this all in.
C#       F#        C#           F#                  B   F#    C#
I've got one, two, three, four, five senses working o - ver - time.
B                   C#                     B         C#
Trying to taste the difference between the lemon and lime.
B        C#               F#
Pain and pleasure and the church bells softly chime.

--
Kristin Hall

"Consider again.  If that is ALL you have to complain about
today...consider yourself lucky."

Date: October 31, 2001
From: guitar tab archive (author unknown)
Subject: Senses Working Overtime Chords

Intro is something like:

B-4--2--4--2--0--2----  repeated over and over
G-1-------------------

And there's a bunch of lyrics that I can't quite make out....

A           Asus4             A
And all the world is football shaped
A             Asus4          B
It's just for me to kick its face
B         Bsus4                    B
And I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste
B            E    E    B      B     E
And I've got one, two, three, four, five
               A   E     B
Senses working o - ver - time
A         B         E                E    E    B      B     E
Trying to take this all in, I've got one, two, three, four, five
               A   E     B
Senses working o - ver - time
A                   B                    A           B
Trying to taste the difference between a lemon and a lime
A        B                E
Pain and pleasure and the truth will softly chime

Chords:
E     - 779997
B     - 799877
Bsus4 - 799977
A     - 577655
Asus4 - 577755

Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 12:20:53 -0400
From: Jamie Kowalski <jamie (at) allhands dot com>
Subject: chalkhills.org and tablature
Message-Id: <3.0.32.20010525122028.006a2eb8 (at) www dot allhands dot com>


To whomever manages the tablature pages at chalkhills.org (please forward
if necessary),

I have some comments on the guitar tabs you have, and would appreciate if
you posted them.

Senses Working Overtime:

First off, get rid of that first post (from unknown), bad tab, wrong
chords, even bad lyrics.

I've been playing the opening like this:
(muted)
B:---0-------0---0---|
G:-8---8---6---6-----|
D:-6---6---8---------|

and:

D:-6-6-6---6---------|
A:-4-4-6---7---------|
E:-4-----------------|

Easy to play, and sounds pretty accurate to me.

Hope this helps!

Jamie Kowalski

http://www.allhands.com

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>

s e n s e s      w o r k i n g      o v e r t i m e

G#m
Hey hey, the clouds are whey, there's straw for the donkeys and the
                        C#m
innocents can all sleep safely all sleep safely.

my, my sun is pie there's fodder for the cannons
and the guilty ones can all sleep safely all sleep safely.

A           G/A               A                     G/A           B
and all the world is football shaped, it's just for me to kick in space
          A/B                      B
and I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste - and I've got
E         B            E                   A  E  B
one, two, three, four, five senses working o  vertime
A         B         E       B
trying to take this all in, I've got
E         B            E                   A E  B
one, two, three, four, five senses working o vertime
A                   B                     A          B
trying to taste the difference 'tween the lemons and limes
A                B                E
the pain and the pleasure and the church bells softly chime.. . .

hey hey, night fights day,
there's food for the thinkers and the
innocents can all live slowly all live slowly
my, my the sky will cry jewels for the thirsty and the
guilty ones can all die slowly all die slowly.
and all the world is biscuit - shaped,
it's just for me to feed my face
and I can see,hear, smell, touch, taste- and I've got
one, two, three, four, five sense working overtime
trying to take this all in, I've got
one, two, three, four, five senses working overtime
trying to taste the difference 'tween the lemons and limes
the pain and the pleasure and the church bells softly  chime.. . .

A   G/E         A         G/E          A  G/A  A  A13/G
and birds might fall from black skies          woooo!
and bullies might give you black eyes
and busses might skid on black ice
A      G/A     A    G/E    D  A7 D  A7      Bb  F7  Bb F7
but to me it's very very   beautiful            (england's glory!)
D  A7 D A7        Bb F7 Bb F7
beautiful             (a striking beauty!)
D                  A7  D  A7  Bb  F7  Bb  F7             F7
doo doo doo doo (etc.)                                   doo doo doo doo!

Bb          Ab/Bb             Bb                    Ab/Bb         C
and all the world is football-shaped, it's just for me to kick in space
          Bb/C                     C
and I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste - and I've got
F         C7           F                   Bb F  C
one, two, three, four, five senses working o  vertime
Bb        C         F      C
trying to take this all in,I've got
F         C7           F                   Bb F  C
one, two, three, four, five senses working o  vertime
Bb              C                     Bb        C
try to tell the difference 'tween the goods and crimes,
Bb      C
dirt or treasure and there's

one, two, three, four,five senses working overtime
trying to take this all in, I've got
one, two, three, four, five  senses working overtime
trying to taste the difference 'tween the lemons and limes
    Bb           C                F
the pain and the pleasure and the church bells softly chime.. .

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