An unofficial demo inspired by Culture Club's 3rd studio album. Not an official collaboration. On December 17, 2020, George challenged me to write a poem or song called Waking Up With The House On Fire and he improvised one line (the title), which I used as part of the chorus and wrote the rest of the song around. This is one of 3 versions I wrote originally—the original, slower version. The other 2 are a little faster. The Clone War Mix is reggae and features George singing parts of Clone War, and the Modern Mix has influences from the albums Waking Up With The House On Fire, From Luxury To Heartache, and Life.

______

Georgie, porgie, stars in the sky
Kissed the girls and made them cry
When the boys came out to play
He fell in love, they ran away

Woke up with the house on fire
Felt you in my soul
I'm your puppet on the pyre
I'm your voodoo doll
Like a kingdom under fire
Have I lost control
Love can be a cruel reminder
That you can lose it all
Yes you can lose it all

You were my infatuation
I had love on my mind
Clinging to your reputation
A kiss felt like a crime
Tried to change the conversation
Words were hard to find
On my knees in desperation
Love can be unkind
Your love can be unkind

Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
Feels like loving you

Waking up, waking up, waking up, waking up

People talk more than they listen
To them it's all the same
It's easier to play the victim
Someone else to blame
The past is hardly worth a mention
It's filled with our mistakes
Love can write the strangest fiction
A king for just a day
And then it fades away

Statues crumble in my arms
We love like counterfeits
I'm a modern day Medusa
Punished for your sins
Ain't no need to say you're sorry
With poison on your lips
Every tear could tell a story
Love is just a myth
But how can I resist

(chorus) (x2)

What else can I do
I just keep loving you
You're my déjà vu
But I need something new

toast:
Swooned, but love soon gon be gloom in dis heart
Dem unite it to divide it, call it revolution
Till the tomb from the womb of a va-va-voom woman
Boom! Me say is a clone war

Woke up with the house on fire
Felt you in my soul
I'm your puppet on the pyre
I'm your voodoo doll
Like a devil in the choir
Am I bound to fall
Love can be a cruel reminder
That you can lose it all
But I still want it all

(chorus) (x2)

Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
(repeat)

______

Lyrics, music, and vocals by Steve McIlroy
Cover and sleeve design by Steve McIlroy
Art by Boy George, Connie Jude, and Robert Fierro
Demo produced by Steve McIlroy
℗2021

Waking Up With The House On Fire - Original Dub Mix (Demo) - ft Boy George

An unofficial demo inspired by Culture Club's 3rd studio album. Not an official collaboration. On December 17, 2020, George challenged me to write a poem or song called Waking Up With The House On Fire and he improvised one line (the title), which I used as part of the chorus and wrote the rest of the song around. This is one of 3 versions I wrote originally—featuring George singing and speaking parts of the unreleased 1984 song, Clone War.

______

How can you start a revolution
When the revolution's holding hands

Woke up with the house on fire
Felt you in my soul
I'm your puppet on the pyre
I'm your voodoo doll
Like a kingdom under fire
Have I lost control
Love can be a cruel reminder
That you can lose it all
Yes you can lose it all

You were my infatuation
I had love on my mind
Clinging to your reputation
A kiss felt like a crime
Tried to change the conversation
Words were hard to find
On my knees in desperation
Love can be unkind
Your love can be unkind

Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
Feels like loving you

People talk more than they listen
To them it's all the same
It's easier to play the victim
Someone else to blame
The past is hardly worth a mention
It's filled with our mistakes
Love can write the strangest fiction
A king for just a day
And then it fades away

Statues crumble in my arms
We love like counterfeits
I'm a modern day Medusa
Punished for your sins
Ain't no need to say you're sorry
With poison on your lips
Every tear could tell a story
Love is just a myth
But how can I resist

(chorus) (x2)

What else can I do
I just keep loving you
You're my déjà vu
But I need something new

Clone war, clone war
Clone war, clone war

Woke up with the house on fire
Felt you in my soul
I'm your puppet on the pyre
I'm your voodoo doll
Like a devil in the choir
Am I bound to fall
Love can be a cruel reminder
That you can lose it all
But I still want it all

(chorus) (x2)

Me, I lift and separate
They are only surrogate

Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
Waking up with the house on fire
(repeat)

______

Lyrics, music, and vocals by Steve McIlroy
Cover and sleeve design by Steve McIlroy
Art by Boy George and Connie Jude
Photography by Mike Prior
Demo produced by Steve McIlroy
℗2021

Waking Up With The House On Fire (Clone War Mix)(Demo) - ft Boy George

You will never love me, yes I know
I could never hate you, still I try
Give me back my crown and I can rule the world
You will only make me cry

You will never love me, yes I know
I could never hate you, still I try
Give me back my crown so I can rule the world
You will only make me cry

Give Me Back My Crown (demo preview)

I thought I couldn't live without you
The prophecies all told me so
The tears I cried, they could've drowned you
But still I couldn't let you go

I was such a fool
To let you be so cruel
But I hurt you, too

And as you wrapped your words around me
I felt your dagger in my soul
I tried to hide but heaven found me
And took back everything I stole

I was once a king
I let you make me weak (so weak)
Just set me free
Why don't ya, why don't ya

You will never love me, yes I know
I could never hate you, still I try
Give me back my crown and I can rule the world
You will only make me cry

You will never love me, yes I know
I could never hate you, still I try
Give me back my crown so I can rule the world
You will only make me cry

______

Lyrics, music, and vocals by Steve McIlroy
Cover design: Steve McIlroy
Art: Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse
Produced by: Steve McIlroy
Album: Tears Until The Tomb
℗2022

Give Me Back My Crown (Demo)

I wanna be cruel to you 'cause you broke my heart, yes you broke my heart
I was just a fool to you, but you were my star, oh my shooting star
Love was just a tool for you to tear my world apart, my world apart
I would have gladly ruled with you oh my fallen star

I wanna lie down awhile and forget my pain, forget my pain
You could always make me smile when the tears would rain, my tears would rain
The hurt I feel is much too vile for me to love again, to love again
If I cannot have you, I'll never be the same

My kingdom it will fall in time, this I guarantee, this I foresee
Perhaps the flames from which I rise are a necessity, a prophecy
You once held this heart of mine, now you'll always be just a memory
And though our love was so divine, you just couldn't see it was killing me
My sweet enemy

Time will heal every wound, this is what they say, it's what they say
But I believe my heart was doomed ever since the day, ever since the day
I was formed inside the womb, oh it was my fate, yes it is my fate
I'll lie in tears until the tomb, such a lonely state, but it must be this way
That's the price I pay

I dusted off my heart for you and you let it bleed, yes you let it bleed
I called into the dark for you but you didn't speak, so I fell asleep
Silence doesn't suit you well with a voice that sweet, like a symphony
You used to sing your songs for me, oh you'd make me weep, swept me off my feet
Why'd you go and leave

______

Lyrics, music, and vocals by Steve McIlroy
Cover design: Steve McIlroy
Art: Head of Medusa by John William Waterhouse
Produced by: Steve McIlroy
Album: Tears Until The Tomb
℗2018