Well I'm always being accused of posting shite,
so here goes.
(Chords as supplied by leadfingers)





MIDNIGHT MAIL (Jez Lowe)

       C         Em             Am                   C
When the stars all glitter and the streets are dim and dead
       Dm                  G                  
And all decent people are a sleeping in their bed
            C                  Em       Am            C
With their prayers and their 'Goodnight,Sleep well' s said
      
Dm                  
And the moon's up and in full sail
          Dm                         Em               Am
There's a banging in the alley and a whistling on the breeze
F                            G
A churning and a burning and a turning of the wheels
    C          Em          Am               C
They all roll over in their bed and think of me
         Dm                G    C
When I'm working on the Midnight Mail

Ch.

C                        Am   Dm                      Am
Working on the Midnight Mail Working on the Midnight Mail
      C                            Am   
In my boots with my shovel and my pail
         Dm            G         C
I'll go working on the Midnight Mail

---

MIDNIGHT MAIL
(Jez Lowe)
As recorded by Jez Lowe on "Bad Penny" (1988)

1. When the stars all glitter and the streets are dim and dead
And all decent people are a-sleeping in their bed,
With prayers and 'Goodnight, Sleep well's said
And the moon's up and in full sail,
There's a banging in the alley, a whistling on the breeze,
A turning, a burning and a churning of the wheel.
They all roll over in their bed and think of me
When I'm working on the midnight mail.

CHORUS: Working on the midnight mail,
Working on the midnight mail,
In my boots with me shovel and me pail,
I'll go working on the midnight mail.

2. Don't tell me your life's a devil and a drudge.
Well, there's times when I wish you'd let me be the judge.
When I'm up to me middle in the slurry and the sludge,
You could soon see your troubles turn pale.
I could have been a farmer, or driven on a train.
I could have been a policeman but I knew me father's name,
So I thought I'd better follow in his footsteps and his stains
And go working on the midnight mail. CHORUS

3. I walk around the houses when the night is black as pitch.
Well, there's some folks poor, and some folks rich.
Believe me when I say it's hard to reckon which is which,
But you won't hear me tell tales.
There's no need to worry about your secrets in the least,
Though I've seen things of which I could have made a feast.
Trust in me like a doctor or a priest
When I'm working on the midnight mail. CHORUS

4. One night a fine young lady caught me eye,
Oh, but every time I spoke to her she always passed me by,
'Till my old dad said: "Perhaps you'd better try
And be a bit more fresh than stale,"
So he hosed me, he scrubbed me, he tied me to the chair,
He put a bowl upon me head and tidied up me hair,
But she still walks past me with her nose up in the air,
When I'm working on the midnight mail. CHORUS

5. So I turned my attention to another likely lass,
And as time went on, I thought I'd make a pass.
Me mum said she'd even light a candle after mass
'Cause she knew that that would never ever fail,
And when I finally summoned up the courage for to speak,
She said I could come and pay a visit once a week,
So you'll find us every Tuesday evening cheek to cheek,
When I'm working on the midnight mail. CHORUS

6. Then before you know it, it's the rising of the sun,
And I know by then it's time that I was gone,
'Cause a job in the hand is surely worth a job well done
If you want to hit the head upon the nail.
It's a fine occupation and I try to do it well,
But there's one secret that perhaps I'd better tell:
You need a sense of humour, but not a sense of smell,
When you're working on the midnight mail. CHORUS