Cousins The painter from St Petersburg is making headline news He paints his masterpieces to the sound of lonesome blues There's no-one in the whole wide world can ever steal his shoes Under a cloudless sky The highwayman is hungry, hanging high in chains His body may be weakened, but his will to live remains He sleeps with one eye open watching out for planes Under a cloudless sky For forty days and nights I've been lost How long have you been flying? But I haven't had the time to count the cost How long have you been flying? The runway's cracked and broken And the weeds are showing through I've been so high so long That I have lost sight of the view There's no-one on the radio To bring me back to you Won't somebody try and understand All I want to do is land Vittorio Emanuel shows signs of deep mistrust He carefully avoids Signora Montenegro's bust Ashes to ashes and dust to dust Under a cloudless sky All along the promenade the day has just begun Gilded Russian cuppolas glistening in the sun The painter and the highwayman are surely having fun Under a cloudless sky The highwayman broke out into a shiver How long have you been flying? The painter flung his brushes in the river How long have you been flying? High above San Remo Out of all control The painter sold his icons The highwayman his soul They played in the Casino On a never ending roll Won't somebody try and understand All I want to do is land