Lyrics

All these fads
It's shoulder pads 

On New Year's dawn
To my surprise
All the Macca lads stayed at home 
Picking antiques and clotheses
Cosy fleck with green bits
Main undercurrent, white spermatoze 

My powers against them, half useless
My senses alive, half-parted

Was embarrassed but stuck with them
Walked, at shoulder, down the street, ridicule
They couldn't tell Lou Reed from Doug Yule 
Suppressed hate romance

It was like being back at school

My powers before them resound
My powers languished in time, doom

Win populace, internal defeat
Their mob had a coup d'etat
Realise what they'd always wanted
Knew I was right all along
It wasn't then a Beatles song
Superhero in harlequin kecks 
Dimwit lecture, half-read
Cursing black singers ten years dead 

Was a clown in victim hat
Was shouldered and spurned

Then my powers did return

Knew I was right all along
Rock to them a Talking Heads album
Superhero in harlequin kecks
Dimwit lecture, half-read

Was I victim in clown hat?
Was I nearly turned?

Then my powers did return

Watch out fakers and cads
It's M.E.S. in shoulder pads

My powers gone
Powers, said Batman

Said a twisted chill, flashes pan
It's M.E.S. in shoulder pads

Big fit deal for mamas of fads
It's M.E.S. in shoulder pads

You'd better
Line that bottom line
Against that different plan

Holding ankles, rotten kecks
It's M.E.S. in shoulder pads

Commentary

Shoulder Pads #1B

All these fads
It, it's shoulder pads

On the year's dawn
To my surprise
All the macalachs stayed at home
Picking antiques and clothesies
Cosy flecked with green bits
Main undercurrent white spermatoze

My powers - against them half-useless
My senses – allied half party

Was embarrassed but stuck with them
Walked at shoulder down street ridicule
They couldn't tell Lou Reed from Doug Yule
Suppressed hate ferments
It was like being back at school

My powers, my powers surfaced and cooled

When populace ate tunnel defeat
Their mob had a coup d'etat
Realised what they'd always wanted
Knew I was right all along
It was to them a Beatles song
Superhero in harlequin kecks
Dimwit lecture half-red
Kissing black singers ten years dead

Was clown in victim hat
Was shouldered and spurned

Then my powers did return....

Def now now for girls and lads
Making clothes from curtain pads
My powers gone
Save a twisted chill, flash pan
It’s MES in shoulder pads
Look out lovers of fads
It’s MES in shoulder pads
Big fair deal for lovers of fads
It’s MES in shoulder pads
Better line body and mind
Against a different clime
Haul in anchors, run to the cabs
It’s MES in shoulder pads
And unless you want MES as your dad
Haul in your anchors lovers of fads
Its’s MES in shoulder pads
It’s MES in shoulder pads
It’s MES in shoulder pads
MES in shoulder pads
MES in shoulder pads
MES in shoulder pads

Footnotes

Sources / Links

• The Annotated Fall: “Shoulder Pads #1 and #2” [Archived]
• Smith, Mark E. (2008). Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark  E. Smith. London: Penguin.
• The Track Record: “Shoulder Pads”
• Wolstencroft, Simon (2014). You Can Drum But You Can’t Hide. London: Strata Books.