So, what I'm saying is, I think this
I'm trying to share with you a certain style of life and an attitude to life and an insight
I've taken you on one side and said
[Chorus]
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
There's a big deception going on, and you're involved in it
But I just thought you ought to know it
I'm terribly puzzled about the way people go out of their way to dis-enjoy themselves
It take so much trouble about it
And all around you have only to look, you see this perfect passion
For making the world look grizzly
And it isn't only shop builders and garage owners who do this kind of thing
It's also people who profess to be painters, they're actually using excrements for painting in Paris, today
On the theory that the world is shot to pieces, and that since the artist is a representative of his times, he ought to show the times as they really are, as a social critic
So, he makes the most weird, he paints Campbell's soup cans, and he makes music that shrieks and screams
He just goes out of his way to make it sound as ugly as he possibly can manage
And the ingenuity's about that is endless, because that is the times, he is the critic you see?
[Chorus]
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
There's a big deception going on, and you're involved in it
But I just thought you ought to know it
Let's take the character of the Pied Piper, the person who brings you an invitation to dance
I say then you see, „There is going to be a dance this evening and I would like you all to come.“ that's the spirit in which I invite you to a seminar
I am not inviting you in the spirit of saying, „No, we're going to have to discuss some very grave matters, and you ought to be awake to all these things and arouse your social conscious.“
When you get through with all that, then what?
When you get through with all that, then what?
When you get through with feeding the hungry and clothing the naked
And we are making great strides with automation and technology in abolishing poverty totally
Then what are we gonna do?
Then what are we gonna do?
Well you see if you've got all these people clothed, and fed, and so on, and then they say, "Well now what next?"
If you've got a kind of Quakerish state of mind, you don't know what to do
Well, feed and clothe somebody else, get busy
But then where is that leading?
[Chorus]
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
There's a big deception going on, and you're involved in it
But I just thought you ought to know it
[Chorus]
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
There's a big deception going on, and you're involved in it
But I just thought you ought to know it
I'm trying to share with you a certain style of life and an attitude to life and an insight
I've taken you on one side and said
[Chorus]
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
There's a big deception going on, and you're involved in it
But I just thought you ought to know it
I'm terribly puzzled about the way people go out of their way to dis-enjoy themselves
It take so much trouble about it
And all around you have only to look, you see this perfect passion
For making the world look grizzly
And it isn't only shop builders and garage owners who do this kind of thing
It's also people who profess to be painters, they're actually using excrements for painting in Paris, today
On the theory that the world is shot to pieces, and that since the artist is a representative of his times, he ought to show the times as they really are, as a social critic
So, he makes the most weird, he paints Campbell's soup cans, and he makes music that shrieks and screams
He just goes out of his way to make it sound as ugly as he possibly can manage
And the ingenuity's about that is endless, because that is the times, he is the critic you see?
[Chorus]
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
There's a big deception going on, and you're involved in it
But I just thought you ought to know it
Let's take the character of the Pied Piper, the person who brings you an invitation to dance
I say then you see, „There is going to be a dance this evening and I would like you all to come.“ that's the spirit in which I invite you to a seminar
I am not inviting you in the spirit of saying, „No, we're going to have to discuss some very grave matters, and you ought to be awake to all these things and arouse your social conscious.“
When you get through with all that, then what?
When you get through with all that, then what?
When you get through with feeding the hungry and clothing the naked
And we are making great strides with automation and technology in abolishing poverty totally
Then what are we gonna do?
Then what are we gonna do?
Well you see if you've got all these people clothed, and fed, and so on, and then they say, "Well now what next?"
If you've got a kind of Quakerish state of mind, you don't know what to do
Well, feed and clothe somebody else, get busy
But then where is that leading?
[Chorus]
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
There's a big deception going on, and you're involved in it
But I just thought you ought to know it
[Chorus]
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
Listen kids, things aren't what they seem, don't be fooled
There's a big deception going on, and you're involved in it
But I just thought you ought to know it
Now the only time when the holy people had a ball
Was when for example the Islamic artists made Arabesques, and the Celtic artists made fantastically intricate lattices to decorate the margins of their gospels and missals
They are unbelievably beautiful, or take stained glass or something like that
But what are they doing?
What's it all about?
What are they doing?
What's it all about?
What will they do in heaven?
What will they do in heaven?
See, it's like the musician, he likes to take a melody
And he likes to put another melody that fits in with it
And another one that fits in with both, and then a fourth one
And arrange them together, he invents an instrument like an organ he plays with two hands
And then he adds foot pedals so that he can play with his two feet, and get this hand doing one rhythm, this doing another, this doing another, and this doing another
See, that makes it complicated
And so when drummers get together, and somebody starts out with a certain rhythm
And then that rhythm has holes in it, in other words it has certain silences
And the next drummer fills those silences in an interesting way
He comes and picks out a pattern
And what do you imagine DNA is?
The basic form of biological existence
Now, DNA is like a necklace
With different kinds of beads in it
And according to the order, and the way those beads are arranged
So you get genes, and so you get the particular form of life that emerges from those genes
So what we're doing way down is saying, she loves me, she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
[Chorus]
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
This is the way life is going on
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
This is the way life is going on
The question is then you see in your heart of hearts
You can take the attitude that all this is terrible
All of it is dreadfully serious
You see you can play comedies, you can play tragedies, or farces, histories, and romances, and all that kind of thing, and you can take these various attitudes to it
But if you are awakened, and is it where you've been let into the secret, which is what we've been talking about, as the web is also the curtain, the veil
Veil, which hides the face of God from the angels, you see there's always this veil
That's why we like to strip tease
Because there's an implication that these, you should never give the show completely away
Always should be a little bit of a veil left, you see?
There always is
There always is
Because even if you find the strip tease artist gets completely naked, there's really something hidden What's the motivation? What sort of a person is she? Would I really like to embrace her, or will she have bad breath?
You never really know
You never really get to the bottom, that's why everybody all men poets say that women are basically mysterious
And they ought to be
So are men basically mysterious
From women's point of view, although they play that they're not
See this is the way that it goes, men are supposed to be very open
And they say „Well,“ of a certain situation, „this is the way it is, after all it's perfectly rational, a matter of practical affairs.“
And women say, "Well, I'm not quite as articulate as you are, but I know there's something you've left out but I can't explain it."
And by this means, everything is kept going [Laugh]
[Chorus]
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
This is the way life is going on
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
This is the way life is going on
And as a result comes all this
You see?
Was when for example the Islamic artists made Arabesques, and the Celtic artists made fantastically intricate lattices to decorate the margins of their gospels and missals
They are unbelievably beautiful, or take stained glass or something like that
But what are they doing?
What's it all about?
What are they doing?
What's it all about?
What will they do in heaven?
What will they do in heaven?
See, it's like the musician, he likes to take a melody
And he likes to put another melody that fits in with it
And another one that fits in with both, and then a fourth one
And arrange them together, he invents an instrument like an organ he plays with two hands
And then he adds foot pedals so that he can play with his two feet, and get this hand doing one rhythm, this doing another, this doing another, and this doing another
See, that makes it complicated
And so when drummers get together, and somebody starts out with a certain rhythm
And then that rhythm has holes in it, in other words it has certain silences
And the next drummer fills those silences in an interesting way
He comes and picks out a pattern
And what do you imagine DNA is?
The basic form of biological existence
Now, DNA is like a necklace
With different kinds of beads in it
And according to the order, and the way those beads are arranged
So you get genes, and so you get the particular form of life that emerges from those genes
So what we're doing way down is saying, she loves me, she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
[Chorus]
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
This is the way life is going on
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
This is the way life is going on
The question is then you see in your heart of hearts
You can take the attitude that all this is terrible
All of it is dreadfully serious
You see you can play comedies, you can play tragedies, or farces, histories, and romances, and all that kind of thing, and you can take these various attitudes to it
But if you are awakened, and is it where you've been let into the secret, which is what we've been talking about, as the web is also the curtain, the veil
Veil, which hides the face of God from the angels, you see there's always this veil
That's why we like to strip tease
Because there's an implication that these, you should never give the show completely away
Always should be a little bit of a veil left, you see?
There always is
There always is
Because even if you find the strip tease artist gets completely naked, there's really something hidden What's the motivation? What sort of a person is she? Would I really like to embrace her, or will she have bad breath?
You never really know
You never really get to the bottom, that's why everybody all men poets say that women are basically mysterious
And they ought to be
So are men basically mysterious
From women's point of view, although they play that they're not
See this is the way that it goes, men are supposed to be very open
And they say „Well,“ of a certain situation, „this is the way it is, after all it's perfectly rational, a matter of practical affairs.“
And women say, "Well, I'm not quite as articulate as you are, but I know there's something you've left out but I can't explain it."
And by this means, everything is kept going [Laugh]
[Chorus]
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
This is the way life is going on
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
She loves me she don't, she have me, she won't, she would if she could, but she can't
This is the way life is going on
And as a result comes all this
You see?
Here is Jan van Eyck
Who paints the eschatological picture of the Last Judgement
What a strange man he must have been
Here is heaven above and hell below
And in heaven, here‘s God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, all that together, and Virgin Mary and the Apostles
And they're all sitting in committee
And they have an aisle like in church, and there they are facing each other
And they're all sitting there very solemnly, and I don't know what it's about
[Chorus]
I don't know what it's about
I don't know what it's about
But below, right at the end of the aisle, you see where all these Apostles are sitting is Saint Michael
A rather gorgeous figure in beautiful armor with wings
And underneath him is a batwing skull, and beneath those bat wings all horror is let loose
Michael is about to slosh that skull, you see, with his sword
But below, whoo! There are nude bodies, some of them pretty calmly
They're all squirming in there and they're being eaten by worms
[Chorus]
I don't know what it's about
I don't know what it's about
And they're eating the worms, and there's kind of a mush, it's like the sort of situation you find when you turn up a big rock
There's all that going on underneath
Now there is no question whatever that van Eyck, the painter, had more fun painting that part of the picture than he did painting the top part
So, in the same way with Hieronymus Bosch, and with Bruegel, they painted every kind of weird, surrealistic deviltry going on
And they really loved it
But they couldn’t admit it
[Chorus]
I don't know what it's about
I don't know what it's about
[Chorus]
I don't know what it's about
I don't know what it's about
Who paints the eschatological picture of the Last Judgement
What a strange man he must have been
Here is heaven above and hell below
And in heaven, here‘s God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, all that together, and Virgin Mary and the Apostles
And they're all sitting in committee
And they have an aisle like in church, and there they are facing each other
And they're all sitting there very solemnly, and I don't know what it's about
[Chorus]
I don't know what it's about
I don't know what it's about
But below, right at the end of the aisle, you see where all these Apostles are sitting is Saint Michael
A rather gorgeous figure in beautiful armor with wings
And underneath him is a batwing skull, and beneath those bat wings all horror is let loose
Michael is about to slosh that skull, you see, with his sword
But below, whoo! There are nude bodies, some of them pretty calmly
They're all squirming in there and they're being eaten by worms
[Chorus]
I don't know what it's about
I don't know what it's about
And they're eating the worms, and there's kind of a mush, it's like the sort of situation you find when you turn up a big rock
There's all that going on underneath
Now there is no question whatever that van Eyck, the painter, had more fun painting that part of the picture than he did painting the top part
So, in the same way with Hieronymus Bosch, and with Bruegel, they painted every kind of weird, surrealistic deviltry going on
And they really loved it
But they couldn’t admit it
[Chorus]
I don't know what it's about
I don't know what it's about
[Chorus]
I don't know what it's about
I don't know what it's about
All really humane people admit that they're rascals
That's you see on the side of the not respectable, the selfish
But so also all humane people should admit that they're jokers, that they are playing games and playing tricks
That I am doing it on you, I am most ready to admit this
I hoaxed you all into coming here to tell you what? [Laugh]
It was a trap, you see?
But, I'm gonna make it an entertaining trap
So, that you won't feel so badly about it
Now, this is philosophy, and I think philosophy is like music
You go to a concert and you listen to somebody play Bach, or Mozart, or Beethoven, and what's that all about?
(What‘s all that about?)
What's the point of that? You know it isn't about anything, except
[Chorus]
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
You know, that's what it's about
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
You know, that's what it's about
And so in the same way
As I conceive my work as a philosopher
I'm simply pointing out that existence is the same kind of a thing as a Bach invention
It's going this way, and that way, and hills, and water is going “tch-tch-tch-tch-tch-tch-tch”, all out there
And the fish are going around in it, and breeding, and the ducks are (swimming in the water)
And that's the same thing as, “dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
See? So, if you can admit that, that that's what it's all about, you have a little problem
Because there's not only the threat that it really might be serious and that you shouldn't be laughing about it
Now, there's also a kind of opposite, then are you saying it's merely just fiddling around?
I mean, are you saying it's only a game? Is that all there is to it? And what do you think?
You see this again is a question, that everybody has to think things through, what did you want?
Didn't you want a game? Did you want it to be serious in the end?
I mean think about the question, what kind of a thing would you like God to be?
What would you like to do for eternity?
Really?
[Chorus]
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
You know, that's what it's about
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
You know, that's what it's about
That's you see on the side of the not respectable, the selfish
But so also all humane people should admit that they're jokers, that they are playing games and playing tricks
That I am doing it on you, I am most ready to admit this
I hoaxed you all into coming here to tell you what? [Laugh]
It was a trap, you see?
But, I'm gonna make it an entertaining trap
So, that you won't feel so badly about it
Now, this is philosophy, and I think philosophy is like music
You go to a concert and you listen to somebody play Bach, or Mozart, or Beethoven, and what's that all about?
(What‘s all that about?)
What's the point of that? You know it isn't about anything, except
[Chorus]
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
You know, that's what it's about
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
You know, that's what it's about
And so in the same way
As I conceive my work as a philosopher
I'm simply pointing out that existence is the same kind of a thing as a Bach invention
It's going this way, and that way, and hills, and water is going “tch-tch-tch-tch-tch-tch-tch”, all out there
And the fish are going around in it, and breeding, and the ducks are (swimming in the water)
And that's the same thing as, “dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
See? So, if you can admit that, that that's what it's all about, you have a little problem
Because there's not only the threat that it really might be serious and that you shouldn't be laughing about it
Now, there's also a kind of opposite, then are you saying it's merely just fiddling around?
I mean, are you saying it's only a game? Is that all there is to it? And what do you think?
You see this again is a question, that everybody has to think things through, what did you want?
Didn't you want a game? Did you want it to be serious in the end?
I mean think about the question, what kind of a thing would you like God to be?
What would you like to do for eternity?
Really?
[Chorus]
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
You know, that's what it's about
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
“dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee, dee-dee diddly-dee”
You know, that's what it's about
It's an amazing thing in our culture, everybody is afflicted with ontological guilt
For example, if a policeman comes to the door
Everybody is instantly frightened, you wonder, “What on Earth have I done?”
And there are certain clergy who are absolute experts in making you feel guilty
They’re really marvelous
And they're a clergy of all kinds, all classes, and for all levels of intelligence
And they can make you feel real guilty [Laughs]
[Chorus]
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Now you see the thing is, that really is a puzzle, they don't admit they're playing games
And when a person is playing games, and doesn't admit that they're playing games
Then you have some kind of a trickster who isn't really being fair to you
Now of course the game, that this game is not a game, has a certain kind of a fascinating quality to it
How mixed up can we all get? Let's try
How mixed up can we all get? Let's try
See, there is a certain possibility in that
I would like to go insane and be as insane as anybody has ever been
And be the far-est out crazy nut in the world
See, that's a game, but it's not a good game
It's a game being played by a person who didn't really understand that every day life was a game too
And I think the most important thing is to admit this
[Chorus]
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
For example, if a policeman comes to the door
Everybody is instantly frightened, you wonder, “What on Earth have I done?”
And there are certain clergy who are absolute experts in making you feel guilty
They’re really marvelous
And they're a clergy of all kinds, all classes, and for all levels of intelligence
And they can make you feel real guilty [Laughs]
[Chorus]
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Now you see the thing is, that really is a puzzle, they don't admit they're playing games
And when a person is playing games, and doesn't admit that they're playing games
Then you have some kind of a trickster who isn't really being fair to you
Now of course the game, that this game is not a game, has a certain kind of a fascinating quality to it
How mixed up can we all get? Let's try
How mixed up can we all get? Let's try
See, there is a certain possibility in that
I would like to go insane and be as insane as anybody has ever been
And be the far-est out crazy nut in the world
See, that's a game, but it's not a good game
It's a game being played by a person who didn't really understand that every day life was a game too
And I think the most important thing is to admit this
[Chorus]
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play
Only, you have to watch always
What games people are play