Grown Ups

By Pulp

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Released on June 6, 2025

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The moon went behind a petro-chemical plant

I had a feeling I didn't understand

I was shivering on crutches

More dead than alive

It was Christmas 1985

It was the night they let me out of the home

It was the night I caught the bus on my own

And the city slithered past the windows

Like a film that was only just beginning

I was so excited I nearly missed my stop

It was quarter to ten, I was hopelessly lost

I arrived pretty late, but you didn't seem to mind

We are not the first, but we are golden tonight

Like two little children under the covers

Adrift in the night with the universe above us

And I'll be the dad and you be the mum

And we'll make out we know what it is that we've done

But whatever it is, I know, that it's only just beginning

Trying so, so hard to act just like a grown up

And it's so, so hard

And we're hoping that we don't get shown up

'Cause everybody wants to grow up

Finally part of the new generation

Finally part of the pub conversation

And somehow this leads to mature life decisions

Like the one that I heard of from Jeremy Sissons

Who said he, he moved near the motorway

'Cause it was good for commuting

And I laughed in his face because I, I thought he was joking

But then I, I looked in his eyes and I saw he was not joking

No, he was trying

Trying so, so hard to act just like a grown up

And it's so, so hard

And we're hoping that we don't get shown up

'Cause everybody's got to grow up

Everybody?

Are you sure?

So you move from Camden out to Hackney

And you stress about wrinkles instead of acne

And you forget about Tina, get in a bad mood

And buy a computer and soon it will be time for some more food

And later that first night

I had a dream that a new planet had been discovered

And through powerful telescopes, we could see the inhabitants

And they seemed to be having a really good time

So we built a rocket and I was on it

They put us in a state of suspended animation

For the duration of the journey

And when we landed on this distant planet, we all woke up

And discovered that we'd all lost our memory

And we looked back at the planet we'd just come from

And everyone there seemed to be having a really good time

But we couldn't return

Because the rocket no longer had enough fuel left in it

Why am I telling you this story?

I don't remember

Why did Mowgli decide to come out of the jungle?

To play doctors and nurses and aunties and uncles

And cavaliers and round heads and tarts and vicars

Playing all night to get in somebody's Knickers

And I am not ageing, no, I am just ripening

And life's too short to drink bad wine and that's frightening

And it's nearly sunset and we haven't had lunch yet

And I'm sorry for asking, but are we having fun yet?

So, so hard to act just like a grown up

And it's so, so hard

And we're hoping that we don't get shown up

'Cause nobody wants to grow up

One last sunset, one final blaze of glory

And I know it's all about the journey

Not the final destination, but what if you get travel sick

Before you've even left the station?