Guadalcanal Diary lyrics

[OneEar/OneEye]

Does anyone know the exact lyrics to the Guadalcanal Diary song Fade Out?   In 20 + years of loving this tune I still haven't been able to decipher/find any source for these lyrics.  Some of the words are clear and obvious, other's I just can't get.   Please help to end my suffering.   

[OneEar/OneEye]

Nobody knows?  Seriously?  Crud. 

[Roger Ryan]

You've probably already tried this, but it looks like the lyrics to "Fade Out" may eventually be found here:

http://www.guadalcanaldiary.com/index.html

The band is reuniting for a couple of shows next month and it looks like they're going to try and update the website to feature more content. You could also try emailing the band regarding the lyrics via their site.

I saw Guadalcanal Diary live a couple of times back in the mid-80s (and Murray Attaway solo once in the early 90s) - always fun shows, but I never picked up FLIP FLOP. Thanks for bringing my attention to "Fade Out"; it's a good song. I could make out a good 85% of the lyrics on the first listen, so I don't think they're too difficult to decipher. Although I know the feeling of frustration when you're not able to figure out every word.

[OneEar/OneEye]

I've checked the website before, but haven't actually tried emailing them directly (I think I may though) - good to know they will finally be updating it, and I would love to see them live - never saw them back in the day. 
As far the words, I guess your ears are better tuned than mine - but here's what i have been able to figure out, maybe you can fill in the missing bits and/or correct my errors? (I've made bold the bits I'm unsure about)

Frame by frame, picture moves
tales in a landscape
dialogue's meaningless
the story that repeats, the actors to shout
but something is happening
in the last fade out
Seats are full, lights are down
a kind of hush is all around
there's no way to stop this movie now
till fade out
a comedy of errors, like so many before
and all the jokes are stale and full of holes
a melodrama of moral drowned
sense will surely dry up
by the last fade out
find yourself gazing at a celluloid moon
better find your place now, your scene is coming soon
no one gave you lines, or told you what this films about
perhaps you'll understand by the last fade out

[Roger Ryan]

Using your lyric transcription as a guide, I believe I've got all the lyrics accurate with the exception of one line - maybe that's the line to ask Mr. Attaway about! Here's what I'm hearing...

Frame by frame, picture moves
figures in a landscape
dialogue meaningless
story that repeats, and actors who shout
something is happening
in the last fade out

Seats are full, lights are down
a kind of hush is all around
there's no way to stop this movie now
till fade out

A comedy of errors, like so many before
and all the jokes are stale and full of holes
a melodrama of moral drought
sense will surely dry up
in the last fade out

The shadowplay, a heated screen
(the crew's undaunted, but not the ring)
there's something too familiar
in these half-remembered scenes

Seats are full, lights are down
a kind of hush is all around
there's no way to stop this movie now
till fade out

Find yourself gazing at a celluloid moon
better find your place now, your scene is coming soon
no one gave you lines, or told you what this film's about
perhaps you'll understand by the last fade out

Sense will surely dry up...

Note that there are a couple of subtle changes to your transcription ("in the last fade out" as opposed to "by the last fade out" in the second verse). Also, Attaway tends to drop "the" and "a" from his sentences making the lyrics a little more cryptic/psychedelic-sounding. I'm almost certain the phrase is "moral drought" in the second verse given that he follows this with the poetic simile "sense will surely dry up" and it rhymes with "out".

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Oh, and one more thing: the use of the term "shadowplay" strongly suggests that Mr. Attaway was crafting a psychedelic drone record via Joy Division. The lyrics have the same doom-laden wistfulness that Ian Curtis brought to the JD songs and the hypnotic drumming recalls the Joy Division/New Order track "In A Lonely Place".

[OneEar/OneEye]

Using your lyric transcription as a guide, I believe I've got all the lyrics accurate with the exception of one line - maybe that's the line to ask Mr. Attaway about! Here's what I'm hearing...

Frame by frame, picture moves
figures in a landscape
dialogue meaningless
story that repeats, and actors who shout
something is happening
in the last fade out

Seats are full, lights are down
a kind of hush is all around
there's no way to stop this movie now
till fade out

A comedy of errors, like so many before
and all the jokes are stale and full of holes
a melodrama of moral drought
sense will surely dry up
in the last fade out

The shadowplay, a heated screen
(the crew's undaunted, but not the ring)
there's something too familiar
in these half-remembered scenes

Seats are full, lights are down
a kind of hush is all around
there's no way to stop this movie now
till fade out

Find yourself gazing at a celluloid moon
better find your place now, your scene is coming soon
no one gave you lines, or told you what this film's about
perhaps you'll understand by the last fade out

Sense will surely dry up...

Note that there are a couple of subtle changes to your transcription ("in the last fade out" as opposed to "by the last fade out" in the second verse). Also, Attaway tends to drop "the" and "a" from his sentences making the lyrics a little more cryptic/psychedelic-sounding. I'm almost certain the phrase is "moral drought" in the second verse given that he follows this with the poetic simile "sense will surely dry up" and it rhymes with "out".

Hope this helps.

Nice!  Thanks - yes, "drought" has got to be it, which makes the next line (which I was fairly certain about) make sense.   And I had completely forgotten the bit that goes "shadowplay, heated screen..."  I think you have all that correct, but the 2nd line is a tough one -  "the crew's undaunted" could be it,  and the following line sounds a bit like, "the scripts a dream/scream" 
I tried emailing the band, but not sure it worked because when I hit send the page went suddenly to what seemed an error page, but maybe not - I'll see if I get a reply.
And hey, thanks for the help, you've cleared up some of the lines for me.