Really don't mind if you sit this one out.My words but a whisper -- your deafness a shout.I may make you feel but I can't make you think.Your sperms in the gutter -- your loves in the sink.So you ride yourselves over the fields andYou make all your animal deals andYour wise men don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick.And the sand-castle virtues are all swept away inThe tidal destructionThe moral melee.The elastic retreat rings the close of play as the last wave uncoversThe newfangled way.But your new shoes are worn at the heels andYour suntan does rapidly peel andYour wise men don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick.And the love that I feel is so far away:I'm a bad dream that I just had today -- and youShake your head andSay it's a shame.Spin me back down the years and the days of my youth.Draw the lace and black curtains and shut out the whole truth.Spin me down the long ages: let them sing the song.See there! A son is born -- and we pronounce him fit to fight.There are black-heads on his shoulders, and he pees himself in the night.WellMake a man of himPut him to tradeTeach himTo play monopoly andTo sing in the rain.The poet and the painter casting shadows on the water --As the sun plays on the infantry returning from the sea.The do-er and the thinker: no allowance for the other --As the failing light illuminates the mercenarys creed.The home fire burning: the kettle almost boiling --But the master of the house is far away.The horses stamping -- their warm breath cloudingIn the sharp and frosty morning of the day.And the poet lifts his pen while the soldier sheaths his sword.And the youngest of the family is moving with authority.Building castles by the sea, he dares the tardy tide to wash them all aside.The cattle quietly grazing at the grass down by the riverWhere the swelling mountain water moves onward to the sea:The builder of the castles renews the age-old purposeAnd contemplates the milking girl whose offer is his need.The young men of the household haveAll gone into service andAre not to be expected for a year.The innocent young master -- thoughts moving ever faster --Has formed the plan to change the man he seems.And the poet sheaths his pen while the soldier lifts his sword.And the oldest of the family is moving with authority.Coming from across the sea, he challenges the son who puts him to the run.What do you do whenThe old mans gone -- do you want to be him? AndYour real self sings the song.Do you want to free him?No one to help you get up steam --And the whirlpool turns you 'way off-beam.Later.I've come down from the upper class to mend your rotten ways.My father was a man-of-power whom everyone obeyed.So come on all you criminals!I've got to put you straight just like I did with my old man --Twenty years too late.Your bread and waters going cold.Your hair is too short and neat.Ill judge you all and make damn sure that no-one judges me.You curl your toes in fun as you smile at everyone -- you meet the stares.Youre unaware that your doings aren't done.And you laugh most ruthlessly as you tell us what not to be.But how are we supposed to see where we should run?I see you shuffle in the courtroom withYour rings upon your fingers andYour downy little sidies andYour silver-buckle shoes.Playing at the hard case, you follow the example of the comic-paper idolWho lets you bend the rules.So!Come on ye childhood heroes!Wont you rise up from the pages of your comic-booksYour super crooksAnd show us all the way.Well! Make your will and testament. Wont you?Join your local government.Well have superman for presidentLet robin save the day.You put your bet on number one and it comes up every time.The other kids have all backed down and they put you first in line.And so you finally ask yourself just how big you are --And take your place in a wiser world of bigger motor cars.And you wonder who to call on.So! Where the hell was biggles when you needed him last saturday?And where were all the sportsmen who always pulled you though?They're all resting down in cornwall --Writing up their memoirs for a paper-back editionOf the boy scout manual.Later.See there! A man born -- and we pronounce him fit for peace.There's a load lifted from his shoulders with the discovery of his disease.WellTake the child from himPut it to the testTeach itTo be a wise manHow to fool the rest.QuoteWe will be geared to the average rather than the exceptionalGod is an overwhelming responsibilityWe walked through the maternity ward and saw 218 babies wearing nylonsCats are on the upgradeUpgrade? Hipgrave. Oh, mac.LaterIn the clear white circles of morning wonder,I take my place with the lord of the hills.And the blue-eyed soldiers stand slightly discoloured (in neat little rows)Sporting canvas frills.With their jock-straps pinching, they slouch to attention,While queueing for sarnies at the office canteen.Saying -- hows your granny andGood old ernie: he coughed up a tenner on a premium bond win.The legends (worded in the ancient tribal hymn) lie cradledIn the seagulls call.And all the promises they made are ground beneath the sadists fall.The poet and the wise man stand behind the gun,And signal for the crack of dawn.Light the sun.Do you believe in the day? Do you?Believe in the day! The dawn creation of the kings has begun.Soft venus (lonely maiden) brings the ageless one.Do you believe in the day?The fading hero has returned to the night -- and fully pregnant with the day,Wise men endorse the poets sight.Do you believe in the day? Do you? Believe in the day!Let me tell you the tales of your life ofYour love and the cut of the knifeThe tireless oppressionThe wisdom instilledThe desire to kill or be killed.Let me sing of the losers who lie in the street as the last bus goes by.The pavements ar empty: the gutters run red -- while the foolToasts his God in the sky.So come all ye young men who are building castles!Kindly state the time of the year and join your voices in a hellish chorus.Mark the precise nature of your fear.Let me help you pick up your dead as the sins of the father are fedWithThe blood of the fools andThe thoughts of the wise andFrom the pan under your bed.Let me make you a present of song asThe wise man breaks wind and is gone whileThe fool with the hour-glass is cooking his goose andThe nursery rhyme winds along.So! Come all ye young men who are building castles!Kindly state the time of the year and join your voices in a hellish chorus.Mark the precise nature of your fear.See! The summer lightning casts it's bolts upon youAnd the hour of judgement draweth near.Would you beThe fool stood in his suit of armour orThe wiser man who rushes clear.So! Come on ye childhood heroes!Wont your rise up from the pages of your comic-booksYour super-crooks andShow us all the way.Well! Make your will and testament.Wont you? Join your local government.Well have superman for presidentLet robin save the day.So! Where the hell was biggles when you needed him last saturday?And where were all the sportsmen who always pulled you through?They're all resting down in cornwall -- writing up their memoirsFor a paper-back edition of the boy scout manual.Of courseSo you ride yourselves over the fields andYou make all your animal deals andYour wise men don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick.
Lyrics by Jethro Tull
10.08 to Paddington Back-door Angels (Stereo Remix) Best Friends Bungle in the Jungle (Stereo Remix) Flight from Lucifer Forest Dance #1 Forest Dance #2 Forest Dance, No. 1 Forest Dance, No. 2 Ladies (Stereo Remix) Lifebeats /Prelude Magus Perdu00e9 Only Solitaire (Stereo Remix) Overseer Overture Queen & Country Queen and Country (Stereo Remix) Re-Assuring Tune SeaLion (Stereo Remix) Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day (S... The Foot of Our Stairs The Silver Cord The Story of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles The Third Hoorah (Stereo Remix) Two Fingers (Stereo Remix) WarChild (Stereo Remix) ... & The Mouse Police Never Sleeps ...And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps 17 17 [*] 4.w.d (Low Ratio) 4.w.d. 4.W.D. (Low Ratio) A Christmas Song A Winter Snowscape A Better Moon A Christmas Song A Gift Of Roses A Hand Of Thumbs A Minstrel in the Gallery A New Day Yesterday A New Day Yesterday [DVD] A New Day Yesterday [Live] A New Day Yesterday [Video Track][Multimedia Track... A Passion Play A Passion Play (Edit #8) A Passion Play (Edit #9) A Passion Play (Entire Song) A Passion Play [Edit #8] A Passion Play Edit #8 A Passion Play Edit No. 8 A Raft Of Penguins A Small Cigar A Small Cigar [*] A Song For Jeffrey A Song for Jeffrey [DVD] A Song for Jeffrey [Live] A Stitch In Time A Time For Everything A Time for Everything? A week of moments A Winter Snowscape A Winter Snowscape [*][Instrumental] Acres Wild Aeroplane Alive And Well And Living In And Further On And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps Animelee Another Christmas Song Another Harry's Bar Another Harry's Bar Apogee Aqualung Aqualung [Live] Aqualung [Video Track][Multimedia Track] Astronomy At Last, Forever Audition Automotive Engineering Awol Back To The Family Back-Door Angels Bad-Eyed And Loveless Baker St. Muse (the full thing) Baker Street Muse Batteries Not Included Beastie Beggar's Farm Beggar's Farm Beltane Beltane [*] Bends Like A Willow Bends Like a Willow [Cradio Edit] Beside Myself Best Friends Big Dipper Big Riff & Mando Big Riff & Mando Big Riff and Mando Birthday Card At Chrismas Birthday Card At Christmas Black And White Television Black Mamba Black Satin Dancer Black Sunday Black Sunday [DVD] Black Sunday, Pt. 1 Bourée Bourée [Instrumental] Bouree Broadford Bazaar Broadford Bazaar [*] Broadford Bazzar Broadsword Budapest Bungle In The Jungle By Kind Permission Of Calliandra Shade (the Cappuccino Song) Calliandra shade the cappuccino song Cheap Day Return Cheap Day Return [Live] Cheerio Cheerio [DVD] Christmas Song Circular Breathing Clasp Cold Wind To Valhalla Commons Brawl Coronach Crash-Barrier Waltzer Crazed Institution Crew Nights Critique Oblique Cross-Eyed Mary Crossfire Crossword Crossword [*] Cup Of Wonder Dangerous Veils Dark Ages Dharama for One [Live] Dharma For One Dharma For One (Live) Dharma for One [DVD] Dharma for One [Live] Different Germany Doctor To My Disease Dogs In The Midwinter Dot Com Dot Com [Live] Down At The End Of Your Road Down at the End of Your Road [*] Down at the End of Your Road. Dr. Bogenbroom Drive On The Young Side Of Life Driving Song Driving Song [*] Dun Ringill Dun Ringill [Live] Ears Of Tin El Niño El Niño El Nino Elegy End Game Epilogue European Legacy European Legacy Fallen On Hard Times Far Alaska Farm On The Freeway Fat Man Fat Man [Top Gear BBC Radio Session] [*] Fire At Midnight First Post First Snow On Brooklyn Fly By Night Flying Colours Flying Dutchman Flyingdale Flyer For A Thousand Mothers For A Thousand Mothers [Live] For Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser Fylingdale Flyer Fylingdale Flyer Fylingdale Flyer [DVD] General Crossing General Crossing Glory Row Glory Row [*] Glory Row [#] God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen [Instrumental] Gold Tipped Boots, Black Jacket, and Tie Gold-Tipped Boots, Black Jacket And Tie Grace Greensleeved [Instrumental] Griminellis lament Hard Liner Hard Water Heat Heavy Horses Heavy Horses (Edited Version) Heavy Horses [Audio Only][Multimedia Track] Heavy Water Holly Herald [Instrumental] Home Hot Mango Flush Hunt By Numbers Hunt by Numbers [DVD] Hunting Girl Hymn 43 I am Your Gun I Don't Want to Be Me I Don't Want To Be Me I'm Your Gun I'm Your Gun In the Grip of Stronger Stuff In The Grip of Stronger Stuff [Live] Inside It All Trickles Down It's Breaking Me Up It's Breaking Me Up Jack A Lynn Jack A Lynn [*] Jack Frost & The Hooded Crow Jack Frost & The Hooded Crow Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow [*] Jack in the Green Jack in the Green [DVD] Jack-a-Lynn Jack-In-The-Green Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square John Barleycorn Journeyman Jump Start Jump Start [Live][*] Just Trying To Be Just Trying to Be [*] Kelpie Kelpie [*] Kissing Willie Kissing Willie [Video Track][Multimedia Track] Ladies Lap Of Luxury Lap of Luxury [Multimedia Track] Last Man At The Party Later That Same Evening Later, That Same Evening Law Of The Bungle Left Right Lick Your Fingers Clean Life Is A Long Song Life Is a Long Song [DVD] Life Is A Long Song [Live] Life's A Long Song Lights Out Like A Tall Thin Girl Living In The Past Living in the Past [*] Living in the Past [DVD] Living in the Past [Live] Living in the Past [Video Track][Multimedia Track] Living In These Hard Times Locomotive Breath Locomotive Breath [Instrumental] Locomotive Breath [Live] Locomotive Breathe Look At The Animals Look Into The Sun Looking For Eden Lost In Crowds Love Story Love Story (bonus track) Love Story [*] Love Story [Live] Love Story [Stereo Mix] Made In England Man Of Principle Mango Surprise March The Mad Scientist March the Mad Scientist [*] March, the Mad Scientist Mayhem Maybe Mayhem, Maybe Mayhem, Maybe [*] Minstrel In The Gallery Minstrel In The Gallery (Edited Version) Minstrel in the Gallery [Digitally Edited from Ori... Minstrel in the Gallery [Edited Version][Edit] Minstrel in the Gallery [Live][*] Minstrel in the Gallery [Video Track][Multimedia T... Minstrel in the Gallery/Cross Eyed Mary Montserrat Mother Goose Moths Motoreyes Mountain Men Move On Alone My God My God [Video Track][Multimedia Track] My God/Cross-Eyed Mary My God/Cross-Eyed Mary [DVD] My Sunday Feeling My Sunday Feeling [DVD] Night In The Wilderness No Lullaby No Lullaby [Incl. Flute Solo] No Rehearsal No Step Nobody's Car Nobody's Car North Sea Oil Not Ralitsa Vassileva Nothing Is Easy Nothing Is Easy [Top Gear BBC Radio Session] [*] Nothing Is Easy [Video Track][Multimedia Track] Nothing To Say Nursie Occasional Demons Old Black Cat Old Ghosts One Brown Mouse One Brown Mouse [#] One Brown Mouse [Audio Only][Multimedia Track] One For John Gee One for John Gee [*] One White Duck One White Duck / 0^{10} = Nothing At All One White Duck / 0=Nothing At All One White Duck/0=Nothing at All Only Solitaire Orion Out Of The Noise Overhang Overhang [*] Pan Dance Panama Freighter Paparazzi Paradise Steakhouse Paradise Steakhouse [*] Part Of The Machine Passion Play Passion Play Extract Pavane Pavane [Instrumental] Photo Shop Pibroch (Cap In Hand) Pibroch (Pee-Break)/Black Satin Dancer [Instrument... Piece Of Cake Pied Piper Pigeon Flying Over Berlin Zoo Play In Time Post Last Postcard Day Protect And Survive Protect and Survive [DVD] Protect and Survive [Live] Pussy Willow Pussy Willow Quartet Quartet [*] Quatrain [DVD] Queen And Country Quizz Kid Radio Free Moscow Rainbow Blues Rainbow Blues [*] Raising Steam Rare And Precious Chain Reasons For Waiting Requiem Rhythm In Gold Ring Out Solstice Bells Ring Out, Solstice Bells Rock Island Rocks On The Road Rocks on the Road [Video Track][Multimedia Track] Roll Yer Own Roots To Branches Roots To Branches [Live] Rosa On The Factory Floor Round Rover Rupi's Dance Rupi's Dance Rupis dance Saboteur Said She Was A Dancer Sailor Sailor (unreleased) Salamander Sanctuary Saturation Scenario Seal Driver Sealion Sealion 2 Sealion II Serenade To A Cuckoo Set-Aside She Said She Was A Dancer Silver River Turning Singing All Day Singing All Day [*] Skating Away Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of The New Day) Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day Sleeping With The Dog Slipstream Slipstream [#] Slow Marching Band So Much Trouble Solitaire Some Day The Sun Won't Shine For You Something's On The Move Son Song for Jeffrey Song for Jeffrey [DVD] Song for Jeffrey [Live in N.Y.] Songs From The Wood Songs from the Wood [Video Track][Multimedia Track... Sossity Sossity, You're A Woman/Reasons For Waiting [Live] Sossity; You're a Woman Sossity: You're A Woman Sparrow On The Schoolyard Wall Sparrow On the Schoolyard Wall Spiral Steel Monkey Still Loving You Still Loving You Tonight Stitch In Time Stormy Monday Stormy Monday Blues Stormy Monday Blues (Live) Stormy Monday Blues [Live] Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles [Video T... Strange Avenues Strip Cartoon Strip Cartoon [*] Stuck In The August Rain Summerday Sands Sunshine Day Sweet Dream Sweet Dream [*] Sweet Dream [Audio Only][Multimedia Track] Sweet Dreams Taxi Grab Teacher Teacher [Video Track][Multimedia Track] The Chequered Flag (Dead Or Alive) The Christmas Song The Clasp The Curse The Dambusters March The Dog-Ear Years The Habanero Reel The Hot Headed English General The Jasmine Corridor The Little Flower Girl The Rattlesnake Trail The Secret Language Of Birds The Secret Language Of Birds, Pt. II The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles [Enh... The Third Hoorah The Waking Edge The Water Carrier The Water Carrier [DVD] The Whaler's Dues The Whistler The Witch's Promise The Witches Promise Thick As A Brick - Extract Thick as a Brick (Excerpt) Thick as a Brick (Live at Madison Square Garden 19... Thick As A Brick (Part One) Thick As A Brick (Part Two) Thick as a Brick (Reprise) Thick as a Brick [DVD] Thick as a Brick [Edit #4] Thick as a Brick [Edit No. 1] Thick as a Brick [Edit No. 4] Thick as a Brick [Edit] Thick as a Brick [Extract] Thick as a Brick [Video Track][Multimedia Track] Thick As A Brick Edit No. 1 Thick as a Brick/Farm on the Freeway Think Round Corners Thinking Round Corners This Free Will This Is Not Love Tiger Toon To Be Sad Is A Mad Way To Be To Cry You A Song Toad In The Hole Tomorrow Was Today Too Many Too Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll, Too Young To Die Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die (Edited... Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die! Too Old To Rock And Roll Too Old To Rock N Roll: To Young To Die Trains Truck Stop Runner Tundra Tundra Two Fingers Under Wraps Under Wraps (both parts) Under Wraps (both parts) Under Wraps #1 Under Wraps #2 Undressed To Kill Uniform Up The 'Pool Up To Me User-Friendly Valley Velvet Green Velvet Green (live) Velvet Green [Live][*] Walk Into Light War Child Warchild Warm Sporran Watching Me Watching You Watching You Watching Me We Five Kings [Instrumental] We Used To Know We Used To Know [Live] Weathercock When Jesus Came to Play When Jesus Comes to Play White Innocence Wicked Windows Wind Up Wind Up (Quad Version) Wind-Up Witch's Promise Witches Promise With You There To Help Me With You There To Help Me/By Kind Permission Of [L... Wond'ring Again Wond'ring Aloud Wond'ring Aloud (Live) Working John, Working Joe Wounded, Old And Treacherous