Album: The Grand Illusion (1977)

Charted: 29

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• You see the world through your cynical eyes
  You're a troubled young man I can tell
  You've got it all in the palm of your hand
  But your hand's wet with sweat and your head needs a rest
  
  And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
  You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it
  Why must you be such an angry young man
  When your future looks quite bright to me
  How can there be such a sinister plan
  That could hide such a lamb, such a caring young man
  
  You're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
  You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it
  Get up, get back on your feet
  You're the one they can't beat and you know it
  Come on, let's see what you've got
  Just take your best shot and don't blow it
  
  You're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
  You're killing yourself if you don't believe it
  Get up, get back on your feet
  You're the one they can't beat and you know it
  Come on, let's see what you've got
  Just take your best shot and don't blow it Writer/s: TOMMY SHAW
  Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 7

• Jjc from BostonThe difficult part to hear is "Relax... Take it Easy". Goes perfectly with this song.
• Rod from IllinoisOur band recently started playing this tune. Bucket list song for me personally because I’ve always loved singing the harmonies along with it but we’ve never had a keyboard player good enough to play it til now. Possibly one of the funnest tunes I’ve ever played and definitely a challenge. My question is what is being said after the first chorus just before the first keyboard lead? Sounds like “cmon boy........(inaudible). Anyone else ever catch that? Listen with ear buds
• Doug from San Jose CaI've also always thought the chorus resembled Cecilia (a bit too much) glad I'm not alone. It's no biggie, I still enjoy the song...its just when the chorus hits, the resemblance briefly takes me out of the moment.
• Twid from EarthGuess I'm showing my age, but back in the day Tommy Shaw had to address this issue (believe it or not) due to criticism that his song somehow promoted or encouraged suicide. Because of one jerk in a school with a rifle.
  
  http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gpBTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vIYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5212%2C3307629
  
  
• Don from Sevierville, TnI think the chorus resembles the Simon & Garfunkel song Cecilia.
• Ken from Pensacola Beach, FlI can really understand Shaw's vexation. I remember seeing a concert with "America" in the mid-90's in a fairly small venue where Dewey Bunnell was kind of pissy about the fact that everybody wanted to hear their old stuff, while they had material from numerous albums out in the intervening 20 years. I remember wondering how in the world somebody could be bitter about being a beloved icon of American culture, even if it was from decades earlier.
• Camille from Toronto, OhI love the song, it's easy and fun to sing along with the lyrics from whispering, "relax...take it easy" at the beginning, to hollering "You're FOOLING yourself.....get UP!....COME ON!" Great tune. The synthesizer makes it.

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