Bus Pass Round Your Neck

Lyrics

[Intro] Yeah, Ethan talks big But the facts talk bigger [Verse 1] Ethan says he’s trouble, wears the face like a threat But the only folks he squares up with are drawing a pension cheque One fight on the record, still he tells it like a war Mentioned it so many times, we know the referee’s score He’s a bad boy on the bus, tapping Oyster with pride No car, no license, just a timetable and a stride Drunk woman by his side, both wobbling through the rain He calls it “moving tactical,” the driver calls it “late again” [Hook] Ethan, pipe down, you’re a legend in your head Big talk, small proof, all the rumours underfed Mean face, weak case, every boast gets checked You’re not hard, you’re just loud with a bus pass round your neck [Verse 2] Payday hits Friday, by Friday night it’s gone Women’s football accumulator, every weekend wrong Twenty quid on a team he couldn’t name if pressed Says, “I had the feeling”—mate, the feeling failed the test Drinks Stella at the workplace, one heroic little can Tells the whole room, “I’m dangerous,” then asks permission from the man That was years ago, still he frames it like a scene A tiny office outlaw with a foam moustache sheen [Hook] Ethan, pipe down, you’re a legend in your head Big talk, small proof, all the rumours underfed Mean face, weak case, every boast gets checked You’re not hard, you’re just loud with a bus pass round your neck [Verse 3] Talks about the ladies like a champion of desire But his confidence clocks in while the rest of him retires Paints a bedroom thriller, sells the fantasy with flair Then the machinery resigns before it gets anywhere He says, “I’m built different”—yeah, the difference is apparent All that locker-room narration, zero evidence of merit Ethan’s whole persona’s held together with a thread A tough guy made of rumours and a borrowed can of bread [Bridge] One fight, two bets, three pints of reputation Four stops on the bus to a full exaggeration He wants fear in the room, but the room wants proof Even his own reflection says, “Mate, show the truth” [Final Hook] Ethan, pipe down, you’re a legend in your head Big talk, small proof, all the rumours underfed Mean face, weak case, every boast gets checked You’re not hard, you’re just loud with a bus pass round your neck [Outro] Last stop, Ethan Mind the gap between the story and the man