Van Morrison

Did you ever hear about the great deception

Well the plastic revolutionaries take the money and run

Have you ever been down to love city

Where they rip you off with a smile

And it don't take a gun



Don't it hurt so bad in love city

Don't it make you not want to bother at all

And don't they look so self righteous

When they pin you up against the wall



Did you ever, ever see the people

With the tear drops in their eyes

I just can't stand it, stand it no how

Living in this world of lies



Did you ever hear about the rock and roll singers

Got three or four Cadillacs

Saying power to the people, dance to the music

Wants you to pat him on the back



Have you ever heard about the great Rembrandt

Have you ever heard about how he could paint

And he didn't have enough money for his brushes

And they thought it was rather quaint



But you know it's no use repeating

And you know it's no use to think about it

'Cause when you stop to think about it

You don't need it



Have you ever heard about the great Hollywood motion picture actor

Who knew more than they did

And the newspapers didn't cover the story

Just decided to keep it hid.



Somebody started saying it was an inside job

Whatever happened to him?

Last time they saw him down on the Bow'ry

With his lip hanging off an old rusty bottle of gin



Have you ever heard about the so-called hippies

Down on the far side of the tracks

They take the eyeballs straight out of your head

Say son, kid, do you want your eyeballs back



Did you ever see the people

With the tear drops in their eyes

Just can't stand it no how

Living in this world of lies