Artist: The Who Album: Who Are You {1978}

You need a new song
I set the words up so they tear right at your soul
Don't take me too long
But there's a danger that I'll plagiarize something old

My fingers kill me as I play my guitar
Cos I've been chewing down at my nails
My hairline ain't exactly superstar
But there's one thing that never fails, this never fails

I write the same old song with a few new lines
And everybody wants to cheer it
I write the same old song you heard a good few times
Admit you really want to hear it

Whenever I see you
You always treat me like I'm some kind of perfect man
Just cos I please you
You explain, but you don't think I can understand

My head is spinning as I scrawl with my pen
Cos I've been pouring vodka in my soul
Nothing really ever changes my friend
New lamps for old, new lamps for old

We sing the same old song just like a vintage car
You can look but you won't ever drive it
We drink the same old wine from a brand new jar
We get hung over but we always survive it, woo

Turn on the radio, love is proclaimed
Again and again and again
Join in and sing, now, don't be ashamed
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
Let it rain, let it rain, yeah

We hum the same old line to a different crowd
And everybody wants to cheer it
We run on endless time to reach a higher cloud
But we never, ever seem to get near it

We sing the same old song, same old song

We sing the same old song just like a vintage car
You can look but you won't ever drive it
We drink the same old wine from a brand new jar
We get hung over but we always survive it
We sing the same old song, same old song
Same old song
We sing the same old song, sing the same old song

I've had enough of bein' nice
I've had enough of right and wrong
I've had enough of tryin' to love my brother
Ooh, I've had enough of bein' good
And doin' everything like I'm told I should
If you need a lover, you'd better find another

Life is for the living, ooh yeah
Takers never giving

Suspicion takes the place of trust
My love is turning into lust
If you get on the wrong side of me you better run for cover
I've had enough of bein' trodden on
My passive days are gonna be long gone
If you slap one cheek, well, I ain't gonna turn the other

Life is for the living - takers never giving
Fooling no one but ourselves - good is dying
Here comes the end
Here comes the end of the world

I'm gettin' sick of this universe
Ain't gonna get better, it's gonna get worse
And the world's gonna sink with the weight of the human race
Hate and fear in every face
I'm gettin' ready and I've packed my case
If you find somewhere better, can you save my place

Fooling no one but ourselves - love is dying
Here comes the end
Here comes the end of the world

Mother was an incubator, father was the contents
of a test tube in the ice box in the factory of birth
My name is 905 and I've just become alive
I'm the newest populator of the planet we call Earth

In suspended animation my childhood passed me by
If I speak without emotion then you know the reason why
Knowledge of the universe was fed into my mind
As my adolescent body left its puberty behind

And everything I know is what I need to know
And everything I do's been done before
Every sentence in my head someone else has said
At each end of my life is an open door

Automatically defrosted when manhood came on time
I became a man, I left the ice school behind
Now I'm to begin the life that I'm assigned
A life that's been used before a thousand times

I have a feeling deep inside that somethin' is missing
It's a feeling in my soul and I can't help wishing
That one day I'll discover that we're living a lie
And I'll tell the whole world the reasons why

But until then all I know is what I need to know
And everything I do's been done before
Every idea in my head someone else has said
At each end of my life is an open door

As I walked through that hospital door
I was sewn up like a coat
I got a smile from the bite of the wind
Watched the fresh fall of snow

I knew then that my life took a turn
I felt strong and secure
And with adhesive tape over my nose
I felt almost demure

Goodbye Sister Disco
With your flashing trash lamps
Goodbye Sister Disco
And to your clubs and your tramps

Goodbye Sister Disco
My dancing's left you behind
Goodbye, now you're solo
Black plastic - deaf, dumb and blind

Goodbye, goodbye Sister Disco, now I go
I go where the music where the music fits my soul
And I, I will never let go, I'll never let go
Till the echo of the street fight has dissolved

I will choose nightmares and cold stormy seas
I will take over your grief and disease
I'll stay beside you and comfort your soul
When you are lonely and broken and old

Now I walk with a man in my face
Ooh, a woman in my hair
I've got you all lookin' out though my eyes
My feet are a prayer

Goodbye Sister Disco
With your flashing trash lamps
Goodbye Sister Disco
And to your clubs and your tramps

Goodbye Sister Disco
My dancing's left you behind
Goodbye, now you're solo
Black plastic - deaf, dumb and blind

Deep in the back of my mind is an unrealized sound
Every feeling I get from the street says it soon could be found
When I hear the cold lies of the pusher I know it exists
It's confirmed in the eyes of the kids, emphasized with their fists

But the high has to rise from the low
Like volcanoes explode through the snow
The mosquito's sting brings a dream but the poisons derange

The music must change for we're chewing a bone
We soared like the sparrow hawk flied then we dropped like a stone
Like the tide and the waves growing slowly in range
Crushing mountains as old as the earth so the music must change, change

Sometimes at night I wake up and my body's like ice
The sound of the running wild stallion, the noise of the mice
And I wondered if then I could hear into all of your dreams
I realize now it was really the sound of your screams

But death always leads onto life
But the street fighter swallows the knife
Am I so crazy to feel that it's here prearranged

The music must change, it gets higher and higher
Smouldering like leaves in the sun, then it bursts into fire
Its rhythm grows strong, it's so new and so strange
Like bells in the clouds, then again the music must change, change

But is this song so different
Am I doing it all again
It may have been done before
But then, music's an open door

Deep in the back of my mind is an unrealized sound
Every feeling I get from the street says it soon could be found
When I hear the cold lies of the pusher I know it exists
It's confirmed in the eyes of the kids, emphasized with their fists

But the high has to rise from the low
Like volcanoes explode through the snow
The mosquito's sting brings a dream but the poisons derange

The music must change for we're chewing a bone
We soared like the sparrow hawk flied then we dropped like a stone
Like the tide and the waves growing slowly in range
Crushing mountains as old as the earth, the music must change

Wide awake in the middle of a night I wonder how she's feelin'
Is it just a trick of the light or is her ceiling peeling
She's sitting up in bed, shakin' her head at a copy of True Confessions
Ooh, it must seem like a fairy tale to a woman of her profession

But was I all right - was I all right
Did I take you to the height of ecstasy
Was I all right - was I all right
Did a shadow of emotion cross your face
Or was it just another trick of the light

But was I all right - was I all right
Did I take you to the height of ecstasy
Was I all right - was I all right
Did a shadow of emotion cross your face
Or was it just another trick of the light

Come on, tell me
What's a nice girl like you doin' in a place like this
They don't make girls like you no more
And I'd like to get to know you on closer terms than this
But I guess you've heard it all before

Lady of the night
Won't you steal away with me
Lady of the night
Won't you steal away with me
The money's lyin' on the floor, she looks at me, shakes her head and sighs
Out of time, out the door, red light shining in my eye

But was I all right - was I all right
Did I take you to the height of ecstasy
Was I all right - was I all right
Did a shadow of emotion cross your face all right
But was I all right, all right

You're alone above the street somewhere
Wondering how you'll ever count out there

You can walk, you can talk, you can fight
But inside you've got something to write
In your hand you hold your only friend
Never spend your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen

When you take up a pencil and sharpen it up
When you're kicking the fence and still nothing will budge
When the words are immobile until you sit down
Never feel they're worth keeping, they're not easily found
Then you know in some strange, unexplainable way
You must really have something
Jumping, thumping, fighting, hiding away important to say

When you sing through the verse and you end in a scream
And you swear and you curse cos the rhyming ain't clean
But it suddenly comes after years of delay
You pick up your guitar, you can suddenly play
When your fingers are bleeding and the knuckles are white
Then you can be sure, you can open the door
Get off of the floor tonight - you have something to write

When you want to complain there's no one can stop you
But when your music proclaims there's no one can top you
You are wearing your heart on your jumping feet
You've got a head start away from the street

But is that what you want, to be rich and be gone
Could be there's just one thing left in the end
Your guitar and your pen

When you sing to your mum and you hum and you croon
And she says that she'd like it with more of a tune
And you smash your guitar at the end of the bed
Then you stick it together, start writing again
And you know that it won't be too long till your back
To bring her some money, she's calling you honey
Stashed in a bloody great sack in your Cadillac

You're alone, you're alone
You're alone above the street somewhere
Wondering how you'll ever count out there

You can walk you can talk you can fight
But inside you've got something to write
In your hand you hold your only friend
Never spend your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen

Never spend your guitar or your pen

Surrounded by people, a real heavy crowd
But inside I still feel lonely now
Should I get away from the high heels so proud
Is there something different life can show me now

First chance - I blew it, I better start it all again
Second chance - ooh, I knew it wouldn't be as easy as they said
Third chance - I'm cut up, life's like a razor's edge
Fourth chance - ooh, I'm all shut up and I'm standing on the ledge
Then I'm goin' down - I'm goin' down
Goin' down - goin' down
Goin' down - I'm goin' down
Ooh, down

I'm not a loser but did I really win
Can I afford to go through it all again
I hope I don't sound as immature as I feel
But when I get wise I'll give you a call my friend

First chance - I blew it, I better start it all again
Second chance - I knew it wouldn't be as easy as they say
Third chance - I'm cut up, life's like a razor's edge
Fourth chance - I'm all shut up and I'm standing on the ledge
Now I'm goin' down - I'm goin' down
Goin' down - I'm goin' down
Goin' down - I'm goin' down
Ooh, down - down

Love is coming down on me, ooh yeah
Love is burning, teaching, turning out in me
Love is coming down, down
Down, down, down, down

I'm not a loser, but did I really win
I'm lookin' forward to doin' it all again

Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who

I woke up in a Soho doorway, a policeman knew my name
He said, "You can go sleep at home tonight if you can get up and walk away."
I staggered back to the underground and the breeze blew back my hair
I remember throwin' punches around and preachin' from my chair

Well, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who
Tell me, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Cos I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who

I took the tube back out of town back to the Rollin' Pin
I felt a little like a dying clown with a streak of Rin Tin Tin
I stretched back and I hiccupped and looked back on my busy day
Eleven hours in the Tin Pan, God, there's got to be another way

Well, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Oh, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Come on tell me, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Ah, who the fuck are you - who are you, who, who, who, who

Who are you

Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who
I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who
Come on tell me, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Cos I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who

I know there's a place you walked where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup, I only feel right on my knees
I spit out like a sewer hole yet still receive your kiss
How can I measure up to anyone now after such a love as this

Well, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Come on tell me, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Oh, I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who
Tell me, tell me who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Come on, come on, who - who are you, who, who, who, who
Ah, who the fuck are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Ah, tell me who are you - who are you - who
I really wanna know, oh, I really wanna know
Come on tell me, who are you, you, you, are you

When you look through the lights to the stage
You see the man of your dreams
You think his life's full of parties and love
But it's not what it seems
If you could see in his room right now
You'd see how much love is showed
There's never really any romance on the road 

His forehead seems cut in two by the crease in his brow
He chews his nails and he fidgets, just trying to settle on down
The TV channels keep flippin', his adrenalin slowed
There's never really any romance on the road, on the road

There's never romance on the road, only frustration and overload
He could fall in love but he'd never know
For she's only riding and he's only hiding
He's sure to ask, she won't say no
But there's never really any romance on the road

He was up in the bar, straight backed, didn't you see him before
Did he sign you his name, come with me, listen in at his door
Here inside, so drunk calling home can't remember the code
You now, there's never really any romance on the road, on the road

He's held some beautiful girls in his arms
Now he clutches his bunk
For all the good that they're doing him now
He might as well be a monk
For his memories ain't worth a thing till he's old and he's gone
And his past never quite catches up, the show's moving on 

Did he say he kept a picture of a blonde haired girl who'd been kind
When he was last home his own daughter brought it into his mind
Maybe closing bars and jets payed some debts that he owed
But there's never really any romance on the road

There's never romance on the road, only frustration and overload
He's never learned a thing from the dust that blowed
On stage for an hour on a laser-beam tower
But you know he slipped while the neon glowed
There's never really any romance on the road

There's never romance on the road, only frustration and overload
He could fall in love but he'd never know
For she's only riding and he's only hiding
He's sure to ask, but she won't say no
There's never really any romance on the road

Why was I born today, life is useless like Ecclesiastes say
I didn't get a chance but now opportunity's in my hands
I stand with my guitar
All I need is a mirror and I'm a star
I'm so sick of dud TV
Next time you switch on you might see me
But oh, what a thrill for ya

I've been there and slummed there
I've lived here and bummed there
I've spinned there, I gave there
I drank there, I slaved there

I've had enough of the way things been done
Every man on a razor's edge
Someone has used us to shoot with the same gun
Killing each other then we jump off the ledge

My life's a mess I wait for you to pass
I stand here at the bar I hold an empty glass

Why was I born today, life is useless like Ecclesiastes say
I didn't have a chance but opportunity is in my hands
I stand with my guitar
All I need is a mirror, then I'm a star
I'm sick of dud TV
Next time you switch on you might see me

I've been there, I've slummed there
I've lived there and bummed there
I've spent there, I gave there
I drank there and I slaved there

I've had enough of the way things have been done
Every man on a razor's edge
Someone has used us to shoot with the same gun
Killing each other then we jump off the ledge, yeah

My life's a mess I wait for you to pass
I stand here at the bar I hold an empty glass

Don't worry, smile and dance, you just can work life out
Don't let down moods entrance you, take the wine and shout
Don't worry, smile and dance, you just can work life out
Don't let down moods entrance you, take the wine and shout
Don't worry, smile and dance, you just can work life out
Don't let down moods entrance you, take the wine and shout
Don't worry, smile and dance, you just can work life out
Don't let down moods entrance you, take the wine and shout

My life's a mess I wait for you to pass
I stand here at the bar I hold an empty glass

You're alone above the street somewhere
Wondering how you'll ever count out there

You can walk, you can talk, you can fight
But inside you've got something to write
In your hand you hold your only friend
Never spend your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen

When you take up a pencil and sharpen it up
When you're kicking the fence and still nothing will budge
When the words are immobile until you sit down
Never feel they're worth keeping, they're not easily found
Then you know in some strange, unexplainable way
You must really have something
Jumping, thumping, fighting, hiding away important to say

When you sing through the verse and you end in a scream
And you swear and you curse cos the rhyming ain't clean
But it suddenly comes after years of delay
You pick up your guitar, you can suddenly play
When your fingers are bleeding and the knuckles are white
Then you can be sure, you can open the door
Get off of the floor tonight - you have something to write

When you want to complain there's no one can stop you
But when your music proclaims there's no one can top you
You are wearing your heart on your jumping feet
You've got a head start away from the street

But is that what you want, to be rich and be gone
Could be there's just one thing left in the end
Your guitar and your pen

When you sing to your mum and you hum and you croon
And she says that she'd like it with more of a tune
And you smash your guitar at the end of the bed
Then you stick it together, start writing again
And you know that it won't be too long till your back
To bring her some money, she's calling you honey
Stashed in a bloody great sack in your Cadillac

You're alone, you're alone
You're alone above the street somewhere
Wondering how you'll ever count out there

You can walk you can talk you can fight
But inside you've got something to write
In your hand you hold your only friend
Never spend your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen
Your guitar or your pen, your guitar or your pen

Never spend your guitar or your pen

Surrounded by people, a real heavy crowd
But inside I still feel lonely now
Should I get away from the high heels so proud
Is there something different life can show me now

First chance - I blew it, I better start it all again
Second chance - I knew it wouldn't be as easy as they said
Third chance - I'm cut up, life's like a razor's edge
Fourth chance - I'm all shut up and I'm standing on the ledge
Then I'm goin' down - I'm goin' down
Goin' down - goin' down
Goin' down - goin' down
Ooh, down - down

I'm not a loser but did I really win
Can I afford to go through it all again
I hope I don't sound as immature as I feel
But when I get wise I'll give you a call my friend

First chance - I blew it, I better start it all again
Second chance - I knew it wouldn't be as easy as they said
Third chance - I'm cut up, life's like a razor's edge
Fourth chance - I'm all shut up and I'm standing on the ledge
Now I'm goin' down - I'm goin' down
Goin' down - I'm goin' down
Goin' down - I'm goin' down
Ooh, down - down

Love is coming down on me, yeah
Love is burning, teaching, turning out in me
Love is coming down, down
Down, down, down, down

I'm not a loser, this time I'm going to win
I'm lookin' forward to doin' it all again

Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who

I woke up in a Soho doorway, a policeman knew my name
He said, "You can go sleep at home tonight if you can get up and walk away."
I staggered back to the underground and the breeze blew back my hair
I remember throwin' punches around and preachin' from my chair

Well, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who
Tell me, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Cos I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who

I used to check my reflection, jumping with my cheap guitar
I must of lost my direction cos I ended up a superstar
One night I's in the bald room affected by the human race
You can learn from my mistakes but your posing in the glass again

Well, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Oh, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Come on tell me, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Ah, who the fuck are you - who are you, who, who, who, who

Who are you

Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
Who are you - who, who, who, who
I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who
I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who
Come on tell me, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Cos I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who

I know there's a place you walked where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup, I only feel right on my knees
I spit out like a sewer hole yet still receive your kiss
How can I measure up to anyone now after such a love as this

Well, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Come on tell me, who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Oh, I really wanna know - who are you, who, who, who, who
Tell me, tell me who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Come on, come on, who - who are you, who, who, who, who
Ah, who the fuck are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Who are you - who are you, who, who, who, who
Ah, tell me who are you - who are you - who
I really wanna know, oh, I really wanna know
Come on tell me, who are you, you, you, are you