"Change" by Oingo Boingo
I've listened to this song four times today. Once in the airport, and now thrice back to back. It's very long (16 minutes) and wanders a lot, but there are parts that jump out and grab me every time I hear them, even 13 years after I heard the song for the first time. For most of my usenet posting career, "And it hurts my brain to think of all the stupid things I said/And if I could change the future, I would change the past instead" was my tagline/sig/whatyoumaycallit. Anyway, parts of it are speaking to me again today, so here it is. I didn't bother looking for it on youtube, as if it's there it'll be the shorter, far-less-impressive live version from the Farewell concerts.
Don't you ever wonder why, nothing ever seems to change
If it does it's for the worse, seems it's just a modern curse
Sometimes when I take a peek outside of my little cage,
Everyone looks so asleep, will they die before they wake
And, hey. . . Don't you know? We're just products of our time and Hey . . .
What d'ya say? Show me yours, I'll show you mine
Better dumb and happy than smart and without any friends
Better cute and better loud, better join up with the crowd
Keep up or be left behind, there's a dust storm in my mind
Seems I can't see straight these days, doesn't matter anyway
Hey . . . Don't you know? We're just products of our times and
Hey, what d'ya say? Show me yours, I'll show you mine
Hey, what d'ya say? Hey, what d'ya say? Please don't ever -
Oh God, here's that question now. The one that makes me go insane
I'd gladly tear my heart out if you never, never, never, never change
Do you want to change? Do you want to change right now?
Do you want to change . . . I like my stupid life, just the way it is
And I wouldn't even change it for a thousand flying pigs
And I like you just the way you are, I like your face just the way it is
And I wouldn't even change it for a herd of screaming kids
And I like you just the way you are, I like you though you may not like me back
I would dazzle you with brilliance, if I only had the knack
'Cause I like you just the way you are, I like this life just the way it is
And the castles all around me, have been melting now for years
And it kills my brain to think of all the time I wasted here
All the efforts, sweat, and broken hearts, the screaming and the tears
And I'm dreaming again . . . Floating in a pool of mud
Try to get back where I was and I don't really care
Got a little talking to, by the mirror in my room, and I don't really care . . .
Whispering voices from the dead, come from underneath my bed
And I don't really care . . .
I like my stupid life just the way it is
And the chaos that surrounds me like a flock of screaming pigs
And it hurts my brain to think of all the stupid things I've said
And if I could change the future I would change the past instead
And I'm dreaming again . . . and I'm dreaming again . . .
Baby - sometimes I worry about you
Sometimes you're so far away, tell me what to do
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about you
Sometimes I just can't believe everything you do
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about you
Every day I feel the same, don't you feel it too
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about me
Seems I'm falling down a lot, in between the scenes
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about me
Getting harder all the time, harder now to see
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about me
Light another cigarette, have another dream
It's the same thing every day, nothing ever seems to change and I . . .
Do you really want to change?
Testaments and growing pains. Tranquilizers for the soul.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained - evolution's cruelest joke
Why is everyone upset? I once knew but I forget. Something happened,
Something strange, something it appears has changed
Hey . . . Don't you know? We're just products of our times
And hey, what d'ya say? Show me yours, I'll show you mine
Hey, what d'ya say? Hey, what d'ya say? Please don't ever -
Oh God, here's that question now, the one that makes me go insane
I'd gladly tear my heart out if you never, never, never, never change
Don't you ever wonder why, nothing ever seems to change
If it does it's for the worse, seems it's just a modern curse
Sometimes when I take a peek outside of my little cage,
Everyone looks so asleep, will they die before they wake
And, hey. . . Don't you know? We're just products of our time and Hey . . .
What d'ya say? Show me yours, I'll show you mine
Better dumb and happy than smart and without any friends
Better cute and better loud, better join up with the crowd
Keep up or be left behind, there's a dust storm in my mind
Seems I can't see straight these days, doesn't matter anyway
Hey . . . Don't you know? We're just products of our times and
Hey, what d'ya say? Show me yours, I'll show you mine
Hey, what d'ya say? Hey, what d'ya say? Please don't ever -
Oh God, here's that question now. The one that makes me go insane
I'd gladly tear my heart out if you never, never, never, never change
Do you want to change? Do you want to change right now?
Do you want to change . . . I like my stupid life, just the way it is
And I wouldn't even change it for a thousand flying pigs
And I like you just the way you are, I like your face just the way it is
And I wouldn't even change it for a herd of screaming kids
And I like you just the way you are, I like you though you may not like me back
I would dazzle you with brilliance, if I only had the knack
'Cause I like you just the way you are, I like this life just the way it is
And the castles all around me, have been melting now for years
And it kills my brain to think of all the time I wasted here
All the efforts, sweat, and broken hearts, the screaming and the tears
And I'm dreaming again . . . Floating in a pool of mud
Try to get back where I was and I don't really care
Got a little talking to, by the mirror in my room, and I don't really care . . .
Whispering voices from the dead, come from underneath my bed
And I don't really care . . .
I like my stupid life just the way it is
And the chaos that surrounds me like a flock of screaming pigs
And it hurts my brain to think of all the stupid things I've said
And if I could change the future I would change the past instead
And I'm dreaming again . . . and I'm dreaming again . . .
Baby - sometimes I worry about you
Sometimes you're so far away, tell me what to do
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about you
Sometimes I just can't believe everything you do
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about you
Every day I feel the same, don't you feel it too
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about me
Seems I'm falling down a lot, in between the scenes
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about me
Getting harder all the time, harder now to see
I say, Baby . . . sometimes I worry about me
Light another cigarette, have another dream
It's the same thing every day, nothing ever seems to change and I . . .
Do you really want to change?
Testaments and growing pains. Tranquilizers for the soul.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained - evolution's cruelest joke
Why is everyone upset? I once knew but I forget. Something happened,
Something strange, something it appears has changed
Hey . . . Don't you know? We're just products of our times
And hey, what d'ya say? Show me yours, I'll show you mine
Hey, what d'ya say? Hey, what d'ya say? Please don't ever -
Oh God, here's that question now, the one that makes me go insane
I'd gladly tear my heart out if you never, never, never, never change