The Who Warned Us

[Mr.Bee]

The Who warned us in 1970
Even though The Who didn't write it, and 55 years on I still have never heard the original Mose Allison version,
The Who brought it to life on 'The Who Live At Leeds', February, 1970.
Still 55 years later this song is more relevant than it was back then.
It was relevant during the Reagan Years.
It was relevant during the nineties.
...and still nothing ever changes.

In the old days
When a young man was a strong man
All the people stand back when a young man walked by
But nowadays
The old man got all the money
And a young man
Ain't nothin' in this world these days

[Mr.Bee]

1. They Warned Us Again in 1971

We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgement of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Also "Won't Get Fooled Again", 1971, by Pete Townsend of The Who

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Won't_Get_Fooled_Again

[Mr.Bee]

3. Well the Billionaires got alla Money

While we have children dying of starvation.

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half-alive

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

No truer words ever spoken...

[Mr.Bee]

4. They Were Anthems, Yes,

but they were also lessons not to be fooled by charlatans and opportunists craving power and money.
How could we have let our children and grandchildren go so terribly wrong
and not admit it in order to save face??

[Mr.Bee]

5. They Also Warned Of Climate Change

Indian Lake is burnin'
New York's skyline is hazy
The River Thames is turnin' dry
The whole world is a-blazin'

We need water
Good, good water

[2naSalit]

6. ...

[Mr.Bee]

8. Thank You

Wow, I've never heard the original version. Proves the band didn't change it much
except to electrify it and play it LOUD!

[Mr.Bee]

7. There's 'Naked Eye'

You hold the gun
And I hold the wound
And we stand looking in each other's eyes
Both think we know what's right
Both know we know what's wrong
We tell ourselves so many, many, many lies
We're not pawns in any game
Not tools of bigger men
There's only one who can really move us all

It all looks fine to the naked eye
But it don't really happen that way at all
Don't happen that way at all

[Mr.Bee]

9. Should I mention Eminence Front

Drinks flow
People forget
That big wheel spins, the hair thins
People forget
Forget they're hiding
The news slows
People forget
Their shares crash, hopes are dashed
People forget
Forget they're hiding

Behind an eminence front
An eminence front, it's a put on

[Mr.Bee]

10. The Thing about Eminence Front

In 'Won't Get Fooled Again' we shout we won't make the same mistake twice,
but then we, as a nation, re-elect Reagan, then we elect his vice president then his son
who gets us involved in two wars.
We get fooled again and elect a land developer, then we, as a nation, elect him again...

In 'Eminence Front', we forget, and make the same mistakes again and again.
While putting on a brave face so as not to admit to our mistakes,
and this was written in 1982...

That's what I've always enjoyed about Townshend and The Who
No matter the topic, he always wrote TRUTH, and they always performed TRUTH.
As we take a hard look at ourselves.

[Mr.Bee]

11. There's Also 'Dangerous'

From That Same Album:
Fear is the key to your soul:

Can you feel it?
Watching you in the darkness
Touching you like a sickness
Fear is taking control
The beach head is the street
In the gutter lies defeat
Fear is the key to your soul
That makes you dangerous
So dangerous to yourself

[Mr.Bee]

12. Sorry For Bumping

but I watched 'The Who Rocks America' tour 1982, last night, and while it was great to see the boys in their prime, late thirties, it was also chilling to hear them run through all the above mentioned songs, predicting this dystopian future we are now living in, and doing it during Reagan's second year as president...
You can see it here, two hours:

check out: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220662230

[maxrandb]

13. Pete Townshend foresaw the internet back in the 70s

?feature=shared

You can hear it in the street, see it in the dragging feet
The word is gettin' out about control
Spies they've come and gone, the story travels on
The only quiet place is inside your soul

From tree to tree, from you to me
Travelin' twice as fast as on any freeway
Every single dream, wrapped up in the scheme
They all get carried on the relay

Relay, things are brewin'
Relay, something's doin'
Relay, there's a revolution
Relay, relay
(Hand me down a solution, yeah)
Pass it on, come on, a relay

Someone disapproves, what you say and do
I was asked to see what I could really learn you
Don't believe your eyes, they're tellin' only lies
What is done in the first place don't concern you

From tree to tree, from you to me
Travelin' twice as fast as on any freeway
Every single dream wrapped up in the scheme
They all get carried on the relay

Relay, things are brewin'
Relay, something's doin'
Relay, there's a revolution
Relay, relay
(Hand me down a solution, yeah)
Pass it on, pass it on, pass it on, hey you, pass it on

We're on the relay, get a movin'
Get on a movin' on
The relay, the relay
The relay, the relay

[Mr.Bee]

14. A Band Definitely Ahead Of Its Time!

...and there was Pete Townshend, the masterful genius of the Rock Operas, humourist and prolific songwriter, out in front of this undeniably powerful three-piece machine, flailing about on the stage like ragdoll, playing these unbelievably brilliant, intelligent guitar leads to this two-hour sound explosion!