And They're Off [Live]

Ponies in the sun, the race is soon beginning
My father bet the family fortune on a sleek brown horse
My father had a hunch
We gave up lunch so daddy could make a wager
Ma would scoff, she would scoff, hear her scoff
And they're off... they are off
And they move in a herd like a four letter word
And they're off
Tickets float to the ground and the band starts to play as the horses go round
And they're off
Mummy sat and cried, but dad was unaffected
He said: Have you ever had a better two minutes in the last three years?
We said: But dad, the dumb horse lost!
He said: Sometimes joy has a terrible cost, I know that!
Ma would scoff, she would scoff, hear her scoff
And they're off... yeah they're off
Mummy's biting his neck as they roll on the deck
And they're off
There is blood on the ground
And the band starts to play as the horses go round
And they're off
Isn't life funny, people loose money and have fun
Betting of course is hell on the horses
And the families where the betting is done
It's a joke to believe someone won
All they did was fight, plus they discussed the weather
My father bet the family fortune till it disappeared
They also laughed a lot
That was the thing I often forgot to tell you
But it's true, yes it's true, it is true
And he's off... daddy's off
We get letters from Maine where he tries to explain why he's off
What was lost was not found
And the band starts to play as the horses go round
And they're off
And they're off... yeah they're off
And they movein a herd like a four letter word
And they're off
There is blood on the ground
And the band starts to play as the horses go round
And round, and around, and around , and around, and around
And they're off