Mansion In The Slums
Neil Finn
I’d much rather have a caravan in the hills
Than a mansion in the slums
The taste of success only lasts you
Half an hour or less
But it loves you when it comes
And you laugh at yourself
While you’re bleeding to death
I’d much rather have a trampoline in my front room
Than an isolation tank
I wish I was a million miles away
From the manager’s door
There is trouble at the bank
You laugh at yourself
As you go deep into debt
Laugh at yourself
While he’s breathing down your neck
Who can stop me
With money in my pocket
Sometimes I get it free
The best of both worlds
I’d much rather have a caravan in the hills
I’d much rather have a mansion…in the hills
Than a mansion in the slums
Yeah I’d much rather
What I mean is, would you mind if I had it all
I’ll take it when it comes
And you laugh at yourself
While you’re bleeding to death
And somebody else is always
Breathing down your neck
Laugh at yourself
While he’s hanging over your head
The best of both worlds
It’ll soon be over
Song appears on:
Crowded House - Temple Of Low Men (1988 album)
Live: Crowded House - Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, Jul 19, 2010 (available at Nugs)
Live: Fangradio Temple Of Low Men special, 11 February 2021
“We were in the Hollywood hills recording the first album when I got the first line of that song. There was this caravan parked in this little field in the hills, and it just looked really appealing. The song is in the rhythm of a walk. I did not get the whole song at the same time. Later on, as we were getting successful, the line resonated for me as I was contemplating what success means, and that sparked a lot of the other lines in the song.”
