COVER TO COVER: Mayor of Simpleton
The music of XTC was introduced to me by Toti Dalmacion of Terno Recordings back during the year we were signed by him in 2003. The song Mayor of Simpleton came from the album called Oranges and Lemons, which incidentally was also the name of my former band.
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. Though the band enjoyed some significant chart success they are better known for their long-standing critical success than for making hit records. source: Wikipedia
I love this band! It took me a while to absorb and realize their brilliance. Andy Partridge (the lead vocals) sometimes reminds me of Paul Mccartney in some of his later works. During my visit in San Francisco, I was able to buy a number of their albums in Amoeba including the Dukes of Stratosphere release (their alter ego). Watch the video, just don’t mind the 80s production.
Never been near a university,
Never took a paper or a learned degree,
And some of your friends think that’s stupid of me,
But it’s nothing that I care about.
Well I don’t know how to tell the weight of the sun,
And of mathematics well I want none,
And I may be the Mayor of Simpleton,
But I know one thing,
And that’s I love you.
When their logic grows cold and all thinking gets done,
You’ll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton.
I can’t have been there when brains were handed round
(please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton),
Or get past the cover of your books profound,
(please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton),
And some of your friends thinks it’s really unsound,
That you’re ever seen talking to me.
Well I don’t know how to write a big hit song,
And all crossword puzzles well I just shun,
And I may be the Mayor of Simpleton,
But I know one thing,
And that’s I love you.
I’m not proud of the fact that I never learned much,
Just feel I should say,
what you get is all real,
I can’t put on an act,
It takes brains to do that anyway.
And I can’t unravel riddles, problems and puns,
How the home computer has me on the run,
And I may be the Mayor of Simpleton,
But I know one thing,
And that’s I love you (I love you).
If depth of feeling is a currency,
(please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton),
Then I’m the man who grew the money tree,
(no Chain of Office and no hope of getting one).
Some of your friends are too brainy to see,
That they’re paupers and that’s how they’ll stay.
Well I don’t know how many pounds make up a ton,
Of all the Nobel prizes that I’ve never won,
And I may be the Mayor of Simpleton,
But I know one thing,
And that’s I love you.
When all logic grows cold and all thinking gets done,
You’ll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton.
You’ll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton.
You’ll be warm in the arms of the Mayor.
(Please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton.)
Now, for my crude take with a little twist in the ending. Recorded around two in the morning with beer and “balut” on the side.
Mayor of Simpleton – XTC (Acoustic Cover)
Dragonfly Collector 
5 Responses to “COVER TO COVER: Mayor of Simpleton”
great job! :D
Lovely cover Clem! More! :)
nice cover. for hard to find vinyls, you need not to go to san francisco. just drop by vinyl forever at the collective, malugay st, makati
pls cover xtc’s king for a day or making plans for nigel. thanks a lot
I was listening to this while smoking my pipe and rocking my chair back and forth, saying “You gave this song justice, my dear boy.”