The Great Deception

Van Morrison

1. Did you ever hear a-bout The Great De-ception?
   Well, the plastic revolutionaries take the money and run.
   Have you ever been down to Love City?

2. 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 a-gainst the wall?

R1: 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.

3. Did you ever hear a-bout the Rock and Roll singers?
   Got three or four Cadil-lacs.
   Saying power to the people, dance to the music;
   Wants you to pat him on the back.

4. Have you ever heard a-bout the great Rembrandt?
   Have you ever heard a-bout how he could paint?
   And he didn't have e-nough money for his brushes;
   And they thought it was rather quaint.

R2: But you know it's no use re-peating,
    And you know it's no use to think about it.
    'Cos when you stop to think a-bout it; you don't need it.

5. Have you ever heard a-bout 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.

6. 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.

7. Have you ever heard a-bout 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?

R3: Did you ever, ever see...

8. Did you ever hear a-bout The Great De-ception?
   Well, the plastic revolutionaries take the money and run.
   Have you ever been down to Love City?

   Have you ever heard about...
   The Great Deception.