Released: April 19, 1993

Songwriter: Dave Rowntree Alex James Graham Coxon Damon Albarn

Producer: Stephen Street

[Verse 1]
He's a twentieth century boy
With his hands on the rails
Trying not to be sick again
And holding on for tomorrow
London ice cracks on a seamless line
He's hanging on for dear life
And so we hold each other tightly
And hold on for tomorrow, singing

[Chorus]
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
Holding on for tomorrow

[Verse 2]
She's a twentieth century girl
With her hands on the wheel
Trying not to make him sick again
Seeing what she can borrow
London's so nice back in your seamless rhymes
But we're lost on the Westway
And so we hold each other tightly
And we can wait until tomorrow, singing

[Chorus]
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
Holding on for tomorrow

[Verse 3]
We're trying not to be sick again
And holding on for tomorrow
She's a twentieth century girl
Holding on for dear life
And so we hold each other tightly
And hold on for tomorrow, singing

[Chorus]
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
Holding on for tomorrow

[Instrumental]

Holding on for tomorrow
Holding on for tomorrow
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
La, la, la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la
Holding on for tomorrow

[Verse 4]
Jim stops and gets out the car
Goes to a house in Emperor's Gate
Through the door and to his room
Then he puts the TV on
Turns it off and makes some tea
Says, "Modern life, well, it's rubbish"
I'm holding on for tomorrow

[Verse 5]
Then Susan comes into the room
She's a naughty girl with a lovely smile
Says, "Let's take a drive to Primrose Hill
It's windy there and the view's so nice"
London ice can freeze your toes
Like anyone, I suppose you're
Holding on for tomorrow, oh-ho

Blur

British rock group Blur formed in 1988 and began life as a fairly unsuccessful shoegaze/madchester outfit, but the band quickly developed into becoming one of the leaders of the massive 1990s Britpop scene.

Their rivalry with contemporaries Oasis culminated in one of the most famous chart battles in British history – one which Blur won when “Country House” outsold Oasis’s “Roll With It” by 50,000 copies, giving Blur their first #1 single in the process.

Following this, the group embarked on a new musical direction, deliberately heading away from their trademark Britpop sound and instead taking influences from American alternative rock, a sound which earned them new fans in the US and gave them their second UK #1: “Beetlebum” in 1997.