You Can't Want What You Always Get

Song You Can't Want What You Always Get
Artist Peter Hammill
Album Roaring Forties

Lyrics

Give it a bit of hard on the rudder
hot on the heels of foot to the floor;
setting your mind on one thing or the other,
do you still find you're always wanting something more?
Yes, and the thing you want forever
is always the thing you can never have –
I want doesn't get.
Try out the line of "This is original";
spin out the story: "This is brand new";
give it a bit of "I never felt like this before";
cut to the chase: "I only want you".
Oh yes, and the one you want forever
will always be the one you can never have...
I want
doesn't get
I want
doesn't get
(Here's a message from the future
you don't have time to forget...
Here's a message from the darkside:
better live with your regrets.)
And the thing you want's forever,
it's always, the thing you can never have...
I want doesn't get.
Who was it told you you were the gifted one?
Who was it said that yours is the lucky star?
Somehow you're always looking to shed your next skin,
always too busy to be who and what you are.
Still the one you chase forever
turns into the one you can never have.
I want
doesn't get
I want
to turn the clock back
(Here's a message for your present
and there isn't any catch:
better live the life you're living,
no conditions are attached.)
You can't live a life as constant acquisition;
you're missing the present,
always looking to live in the future tense.
You build up your hopes for Corpus Non Delicti...
The Crack of Temples –
who're you going to sue for recompense
when the thing you want forever
will always be the thing you could have had?
I want
just means I lack
but I don't want
to turn the clock back
I want
doesn't get
I want
doesn't get.
(Here's a message from the future
that you'd better not forget...
Here's a message from the darkside
better live with your regrets.
Here's a message for the present
if you haven't got it yet:
better live the life you're living.)

Pinyin

Give it a bit of hard on the rudder
hot on the heels of foot to the floor
setting your mind on one thing or the other,
do you still find you' re always wanting something more?
Yes, and the thing you want forever
is always the thing you can never have
I want doesn' t get.
Try out the line of " This is original"
spin out the story: " This is brand new"
give it a bit of " I never felt like this before"
cut to the chase: " I only want you".
Oh yes, and the one you want forever
will always be the one you can never have...
I want
doesn' t get
I want
doesn' t get
Here' s a message from the future
you don' t have time to forget...
Here' s a message from the darkside:
better live with your regrets.
And the thing you want' s forever,
it' s always, the thing you can never have...
I want doesn' t get.
Who was it told you you were the gifted one?
Who was it said that yours is the lucky star?
Somehow you' re always looking to shed your next skin,
always too busy to be who and what you are.
Still the one you chase forever
turns into the one you can never have.
I want
doesn' t get
I want
to turn the clock back
Here' s a message for your present
and there isn' t any catch:
better live the life you' re living,
no conditions are attached.
You can' t live a life as constant acquisition
you' re missing the present,
always looking to live in the future tense.
You build up your hopes for Corpus Non Delicti...
The Crack of Temples
who' re you going to sue for recompense
when the thing you want forever
will always be the thing you could have had?
I want
just means I lack
but I don' t want
to turn the clock back
I want
doesn' t get
I want
doesn' t get.
Here' s a message from the future
that you' d better not forget...
Here' s a message from the darkside
better live with your regrets.
Here' s a message for the present
if you haven' t got it yet:
better live the life you' re living.