RELEASE DATE
22nd February 1988 (Germany), 22nd February 1988 (UK)

TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM
The Innocents

TRACKLISTINGS

7″ SINGLES:

UK & GERMANY

shipoffools_7inch

MUTE74 (UK) / INT 111.856 (DE)
A – Ship of Fools [4:01] B – When I Needed You [3:59]

12″ SINGLES:

UK & GERMANY

shipoffools_12inch

12MUTE74 (UK) / INT 126.878 (DE)
Ship Of Fools (Shiver Me Timbers Mix) [7:53] River Deep Mountain High (Warm Depths Mix) [5:42] When I Needed You (Melancholic Mix) [4:22]

UK & GERMANY

shipoffools_12inch2

L12MUTE74 (UK) / INT 126.879 (DE)
Ship Of Fools (RC Mix) [6:24] River Deep Mountain High (Private Dance Mix) [7:02] When I Needed You [3:59]

3″ CD SINGLE:

GERMANY

shipoffools_CD

INT 826.856 (DE)
Ship of Fools [4:01] When I Needed You [3:59] Ship Of Fools (RC Mix) [6:24]

CD SINGLE (1993):

UK & GERMANY

shipoffools_CD

CDMUTE74 (UK) & INT 826.878 (DE)
Ship Of Fools (Shiver Me Timbers Mix) [7:53] When I Needed You (Melancholic Mix) [4:22] River Deep Mountain High (Private Dance Mix) [7:02]


CHART POSITIONS
6 (UK) / 9 (DE)

VIDEO

Directed by Phillip Vile. Production Company: HLA.

CREDITS
Written by Clarke/Bell.

Published by Musical Moments Ltd/Minotaur Music Ltd/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Ltd.

‘River Deep, Mountain High’ written by Barry/Greenwich/Spector. Published by Warner Bros Music Ltd.

Produced by Stephen Hague and Dave Jacob.

Engineered by Dave Jacob.

Recorded at Blackwing Studios.

‘When I Needed You’ and ‘River Deep Mountain High’ produced by Erasure.

‘Ship Of Fools (Shiver Me Timbers Mix)’ mixed by Stephen Hague.

‘River Deep Mountain High (Warm Depths Mix)’ mixed by Rico Conning.

‘Ship Of Fools (RC Mix)’ mixed by Rico Conning.


Design by Paul Khera and Terry Hawkes.

LYRICS

SHIP OF FOOLS

I can’t believe what is happening to me
My head is spinning
The flowers and the trees are encapsulating me
And I go spinning

He was the baby of the class you know
He really didn’t know that one and one was two
Two and two were four
He was the baby of the class you know
He really didn’t know that, really didn’t know that
Oh what a poor soul

Ooh, do we not sail on a ship of fools?
Ooh, why is life so precious and so cruel?

I close my eyes and I try to imagine
What you’re dreaming
Why can’t you see what you’re doing to me?
My world is spinning

You were the baby of the class you know
You really didn’t know that one and one was two
Two and two were four
You were the baby of the class
You were so young and so uncertain
Suffer little children
Oh what a poor soul

Ooh, do we not sail on a ship of fools?
Ooh, why is life so precious and so cruel?

He was the baby of the class you know
He really didn’t know that one and one was two
Two and two were four
He was the baby of the class you know
He was so young and so uncertain
Suffer little children
Oh what a poor soul

Ooh, do we not sail on a ship of fools?
Ooh, why is life so precious and so cruel?

Ooh, do we not sail on a ship of fools?
Ooh, why is life so fragile and so cruel?

Ooh, do we not sail on a ship of fools?
Ooh, why is life so precious and so cruel?

WHEN I NEEDED YOU

I’d like to be a child again, so many things to do
Playground noise and coloured toys and everything brand new

I’d like to be a pirate ship in search of hidden gold
On ocean waves I’d swim away and sail around the world

Where, where were you when I needed you most, when I needed a friend?
Where, where were you when I needed you most, when I needed a friend?

I’d like to be a soldier, a general I would be
In battle and in glory with ten thousand men to lead

I could be almost anything, there is so much to see
I’d live a different story if you were next to me

Where, where were you when I needed you most, when I needed a friend?
Where, where were you when I needed you most, when I needed a friend?

Where, where were you when I needed you most, when I needed a friend?
Where, where were you when I needed you most, when I needed a friend?

I could be almost anything, there is so much to see
I’d live a different story if you were next to me

Where, where were you when I needed you most, when I needed a friend?
Where, where were you when I needed you most, when I needed a friend?

RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH

When I was a little girl
I had a rag doll
The only doll I ever owned
Now I love you just the way
I loved that rag doll
But only now my love has grown

And it gets stronger in every way
And it gets deeper, love it stays
It gets higher day by day

And, do I love you my oh my?
Yeah, river deep, mountain high (yeah, yeah, yeah)
If I lost you would I cry?
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby

When you were a young boy
Did you have a puppy
That always followed you around?
Well I’m gonna be as faithful as that puppy
No I’ll never let you down

‘Cause it goes on and on like a river flows
It gets bigger baby heaven knows
It gets sweeter baby as it grows

And, do I love you my oh my?
River deep, mountain high (yeah, yeah, yeah)
If I lost you would I cry?
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby

And, do I love you my oh my?
River deep, mountain high (yeah, yeah, yeah)
If I lost you would I cry?
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby

When I was a little girl
I had a rag doll
The only doll I ever owned
Now I love you just the way
I loved that rag doll
But only now my love has grown

And it gets stronger in every way
And it gets deeper, love it stays
It gets higher day by day

And, do I love you my oh my
Yeah, river deep, mountain high (yeah, yeah, yeah)
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby

I love you baby like a flower loves the spring
I love you baby like a robin loves to sing
I love you baby like a schoolboy loves his bag
I love you baby river deep, mountain high

Ah river deep
Ah river deep
Ah river deep
Ah river deep

And, do I love you my oh my
Yeah, river deep, mountain high (yeah, yeah, yeah)
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby