'Bullet Proof' had its live premiere along with 'Lozenge Of Love' during an acoustic set on june 15th 1993 at the FNAC Auditorium in Nancy, France. At this early stage the lyrics bear little resemblance to the final ones, only the first verse is roughly in place:
limb by limb and cheek by cheek
crawling up inside of me
every day, every hour
i wish that i was bullet proof
there's something wrong, something near
i can feel it in my bones
everywhere everyhow
wish that it was bullet proof
something near, something's burning
right inside my mind
something near, something's burning
i wish that i was bullet proof
When Thom recorded the song for a syndicated American radio broadcast by Westwood One (probably in late june 1993), the lyrics were already more developed than in the Nancy debut:
limb by limb and tooth by tooth
crawling up inside of me
every day, every hour
wish that i was bullet proof
crawling up from under me
crawling up under me
every day, every hour
wish that i was bullet proof
something here has gone wrong
something deep inside of me
every day, every hour
wish that i was bullet proof
At the end of touring for Pablo Honey, on november 26th 1993 in Madrid, Thom recorded another acoustic rendition for the Spanish national radio channel Radio 3. While the first and second verse have already reached their final form, this version features a completely different third verse, which is only documented in this recording:
limb by limb and tooth by tooth
stirring up inside of me
every day, every hour
wish that i was bullet proof
wax me, mould me
heat the pins and stab them in
you have turned me into this
just wish that it was bullet proof
so say a prayer, pray for me
as i fall out of here
tumble down, down a cliff
just wish that i was bullet proof
The song was included on this august 1994 work-in-progress tape compilation. The handwriting is Thom's. While Side A of the cassette also lists a few rough mixes, it appears to contain the finished version of the 'Bullet Proof':
