AM flashback: “Mr. Businessman” by Ray Stevens (1968)
Itemize the things you covet
As you squander through your life
Bigger cars, bigger houses
Term insurance for your wife
Tuesday evenings with your harlot
And on Wednesdays it's your charlatan
analyst, he's high upon your list
You've got air conditioned sinuses
And dark disturbing doubts about religion
And you keep those cards and letters going out
While your secretary's tempting you
Your morals are exempting you from guilt and shame
Heaven knows you're not to blame
You better, Take care of business Mr. Businessman
What's your plan?
Get down to business Mr. Businessman if you can
Before it's too late and you throw your life away
Did you see your children growing up today
And did you hear the music of their laughter
As they set about to play
Did you catch the fragrance of those roses in your garden
Did the morning sunlight warm your soul,
Brighten up your day
Do you qualify to be alive
or is the limit of your senses so as only to survive
Spending counterfeit incentive
Wasting precious time and health
Placing value on the worthless
Disregarding priceless wealth
You can wheel and deal the best of them
And steal it from the rest of them
You know the score, their ethics are a bore
Eighty-six-proof anesthetic crutches prop you to the top
Where the smiles are all synthetic
And the ulcers never stop
When they take that final inventory,
Yours will be the same sad story everywhere
No one will really care, no one more lonely than
This rich important man, let's have your autograph
Endorse your epitaph
As you squander through your life
Bigger cars, bigger houses
Term insurance for your wife
Tuesday evenings with your harlot
And on Wednesdays it's your charlatan
analyst, he's high upon your list
You've got air conditioned sinuses
And dark disturbing doubts about religion
And you keep those cards and letters going out
While your secretary's tempting you
Your morals are exempting you from guilt and shame
Heaven knows you're not to blame
You better, Take care of business Mr. Businessman
What's your plan?
Get down to business Mr. Businessman if you can
Before it's too late and you throw your life away
Did you see your children growing up today
And did you hear the music of their laughter
As they set about to play
Did you catch the fragrance of those roses in your garden
Did the morning sunlight warm your soul,
Brighten up your day
Do you qualify to be alive
or is the limit of your senses so as only to survive
Spending counterfeit incentive
Wasting precious time and health
Placing value on the worthless
Disregarding priceless wealth
You can wheel and deal the best of them
And steal it from the rest of them
You know the score, their ethics are a bore
Eighty-six-proof anesthetic crutches prop you to the top
Where the smiles are all synthetic
And the ulcers never stop
When they take that final inventory,
Yours will be the same sad story everywhere
No one will really care, no one more lonely than
This rich important man, let's have your autograph
Endorse your epitaph
posted by Ray Young at
11:00 AM
4 Comments:
To this day I still can't comprehend why this tune isn't better known. It's probably the best thing Stevens ever wrote.
this was a big pop hit in 1968 and he performs it in his shows...i saw him in concert this past Saturday at the Little Nashville Opry in Indiana. My theory as to why it isn't one of the signature songs in his career was simply lack of exposure to each successive audience...each audience has been exposed to "Everything Is Beautiful" and "The Streak" and "Shriner's Convention" and the other songs that come to mind but yet this song is only known to his fans now but back when it was a single it was known by more people.
He stopped performing it in his concerts for a long time but just now started singing it again....but that's my theory why the song isn't as well-known. I did that video montage of "Mr. Businessman" by the way that's in this blog. I'm a big fan of Ray Stevens.
Excellent montage, AC!
thanks!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home