Everywhere is freaks and hairies
Dykes and fairies, tell me, where is sanity?
Tax the rich, feed the poor
'Til there are no rich no more
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Population keeps on breeding
Nation bleeding, still more feeding, economy
Life is funny, skies are sunny
Bees make honey, who needs money? No, not poor me
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Oh, yeah
World pollution, there's no solution
Institution, electrocution
Just black and white, rich or poor
Them and us, stop the war
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Dykes and fairies, tell me, where is sanity?
Tax the rich, feed the poor
'Til there are no rich no more
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Population keeps on breeding
Nation bleeding, still more feeding, economy
Life is funny, skies are sunny
Bees make honey, who needs money? No, not poor me
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Oh, yeah
World pollution, there's no solution
Institution, electrocution
Just black and white, rich or poor
Them and us, stop the war
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Lyrics submitted by bluejemini
I'd Love to Change the World Lyrics as written by Alvin Lee
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The song highlights labeling "hairies/fairies, rich/poor, black/white", conflicts "tax the rich til their rich no more", and desperation "pollution.. no solution" that is played constantly in our media. All of those media assets and the money they generate provide nothing to help chnage the world nor provide us with some insight on what we can do to change the world. The songwriter wants to change the world but doesn't know what to do.
So maybe the song is about shutting off the noise from the media and start to change the world in your own way from what you can do for the greater good. See things clearly about saving the whole world and not looking for the conflicts between the labels the media, politicians and others create.
That's a retty radical idea. Politicians would be against it since they would not be able to leverage their positions (left, right or indifferent) and media outlets would fear that their viewership would drop if the three or four faces on their split screens all agreed with each other.
It reminds me aof a line from a Hendrix song "I'm the one that's going to die when it is time for me to die so let me live my life the way I want to". i originally thought that this meant to be a revolutionary. What I later realized is that it is about setting aside the media and labeling, and it is about living your life.
So what do you think?
It makes sense for me of this song that I don't remember hearing before today ( 10/16/2021).
From my perspective, it seems as if none of the problems have been solved. I would take the refrain's advice, but with much prayer: that the all- knowing and all-loving God in whom I believe will direct me in doing the good that I can, and bless others of good will.
But then on my jog today I listened to the song a bit more closely:
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
And then, of course, there's the rest of the lyrics. This song just doesn't come across as something prescriptive - it's merely descriptive. As eskimoslim says above, it's a dig at the newsmedia (and in a way, a dig a both myopic sides of the political divide) [he refrences Alvin Lee's website, though I couldn't find a quote].
Over all, I think it's a very mature song calling attention to the ills of the world, without trying to proclaim answers, as most musicians are far too willing to do. It's meant to be thought provoking and critical, not zealous and closeminded.
1) You're assuming that people only do great things for money. I think most people want to "better themselves" irregardless of money, and that there are even quite a few people that want to make the world a "better place" irregardless of money. If their weren't there would be no teachers, professors, researchers, aid workers, etc... All of which are underpaid positions.
2) Money doesn't directly feed the poor. Food does.
3) If there is nobody to employ the poor, then there must be huge demands that need to be met, giving the poor great opportunities to employ themselves. Employee owned and operated businesses, and co-ops are alternatives as well.
I don't think conventional economics takes into account enough things for it's theories to be considered equivalent to the laws of Newtonian Physics or something like that. I'm just a Computer Science/Math major though, and don't know what to do. So I guess I'll leave it up to you? lol
R&F: Great songs here ("I'd love to change the world", "Over The Hill") - Do you realise "I'd love to..." has turned into a peace anthem these days ? The peace sign was on your guitar - were you into that "make love not war thing" ? Had it anything to do you with the fact you were playing the USA a lot at a time when the anti-Vietnam war thing was going on ??
AL: Yes, Yes and yes. I was totally involved in all that and very frustrated that I could not do anything about it hence the words I'd Love to Change The World but I don't know what to do, so I'll leave it up to you; and the best of luck.
ALVIN LEE INTERVIEW
ROCK AND FOLK MAGAZINE, FRANCE
September 2008
(English Translation)
R&F: Great songs here ("I'd love to change the world", "Over The Hill") - Do you realise "I'd love to..." has turned into a peace anthem these days ? The peace sign was on your guitar - were you into that "make love not war thing" ? Had it anything to do you with the fact you were playing the USA a lot at a time when the anti-Vietnam war thing was going on ??
AL: Yes, Yes and yes. I was totally involved in all that and very frustrated that I could not do anything about it hence the words I’d Love to Change The World but I don’t know what to do, so I’ll leave it up to you…… and the best of luck.
Till there are no rich no more"
till there are no POOR no more.