Credits

• Writers: Nick Banks, Adam Betts, Jason Buckle, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Andrew McKinney, Emma Smith, Mark Webber
• Lyrics: Jarvis Cocker, 'The Earth'
• Producer: James Ford
• Engineer: Animesh Raval
• Mastering Engineer: Matt Colton
• Studio musicians: Nick Banks, Sam Becker, Jordan Bergmans, Adam Betts, Shelley Britton, Jason Buckle, Jarvis Cocker, Flora Curzon, Patrick Dawkins, Paloma Deike, Mandhira De Saram, Sergio De Serra, Candida Doyle, Freya Goldmark, Chilly Gonzales, Phil Granell, Zami Jalil, David Kadumukasa, Jennymay Logan, Andrew McKinney, Laura Moody, Emma Smith, Ros Stephen, Charlotte Stock, Rosie Tompsett, Mark Webber, Val Welbanks
• Choir: Shelley Britton, Mara Carlyle, Leo Chadburn, Flora Curzon, Zami Jalil, David Kadumukasa, Matthew Kerr, Jennymay Logan, Laura Moody, Chihiro Ono, Emma Smith, Charlotte Stock

Lyrics

Factories lie empty
Manufacturing emptiness
Life still needs to be filled nonetheless
So go and find something to love
And promise me this one thing

Oh please stay in sight of the mainland
Yes please stay in sight of the mainland

I don't want you to go
But before you go there's just one thing you ought to know

Yes there's just one thing you ought to know
Yes there's just one thing you ought to know
Yes there's just one thing

You can fill your life with dreams
You can fill your life with owt
You can fill your life with food and drink
Or whatever floats your boat
I'll be watching from the shoreline
I'll be singing you this song
There's so many things in store for you
Just beyond the horizon

So please stay in sight of the mainland
Yes please stay in sight of the mainland

You're wiser than I'll ever be
You’re beautiful, smart, so funny
You fill my heart, you fill my dreams

My only hope's that you succeed, yeah
My only hope's that you succeed, yeah
You're my only hope
You're my only hope

So please, please, please, please, please

[discordant music]

Understand
Believe
In you and me
Northern lights will guide you home
Northern lives just like your own
Northern rain
Northern rain turning into a flood
So don't forget your northern blood

And please stay in sight of the mainland
Yes please stay in sight of the mainland

Please stay in touch with me
In this contactless society
Anywhere that you may be

Your northern star leads back to me
Yes the northern star leads back to me
Yes the northern star leads back to me
You're my northern star
You're my northern star
You're all northern stars

So please...

Notes

This song was originally written by Jarvis in 2019 for the Simon Stephens play Light Falls at the Manchester Royal Exchange. It was then performed by Pulp in 2023. It was not performed in 2024, nor did it appear on any setlists.

Related pages

• Song list