Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Mind

(album: Everybody Jam! - 1996)

Whoa...
I've been watching your performance since I was just a boy
You're so diplomatic and you're acting so coy
I see you on the TV at night when I'm in bed
Can a blind man understand the color red?
I see you at the podium, how gracefully you sway
You're talking real clear, but are you hearing what you say?
Your lips keep moving, talking as you walk
But everybody knows you're not walking what you talk
I see you eating out, I don't mean to be rude
But you're so busy reading menus, you forgot to order food
You're living in the image of a long-forgotten dream
You're acting out the action of a bad movie scene
Your campaign slogan says you want to make a change
You want to help the hungry and the mentally deranged
Stop being arrogant, get down off your shelf
'Cause you can't help no one if you can't help yourself.

Shut your mouth and open your mind (Stepping on your own shoes, stepping on your own shoes)
Shut your mouth and open your mind
Shut your mouth and open your mind (Stepping on your own shoes, stepping on your own shoes)
Shut your mouth and open your mind
I'm telling you yeah, whoa
I'm telling you yeah, whoa
I'm telling you yeah, whoa
I'm telling you yeah, whoa

You pretend that you listen, you don't hear what we say
You're so far from the truth you can't see the light of day
You messed up your mind, 'cause you took the easy road
And acting understanding only made you grow old
I wish I'd like to tell you the things I wanna say
But first you gotta chip out the lies in your way
There's too many like you, and no matter what you say
Whoever wrote the lines forgot to throw them away.
I'd really like to tell you what you don't wanna hear, man
Everything you're living for is grounded in fear.
As long as you keep talking up the side of your neck
You'll never understand why your life is a wreck.
Just listen to the song, that's as close as you'll get
You'll get, to any sense of hope to get your soul out of debt.
It effectively elaborates the pattern that you weave,
We all see the ace that you keep up your sleeve.

Shut your mouth and open your mind (Easy does it boys, he just lost his mind)
Shut your mouth and open your mind (Check it out boys, he's just hard to find)
Shut your mouth and open your mind (Take it easy boys, he don't know what he's sayin')
Shut your mouth and open your mind (Easy does it boys, get down.)

[scatting]

I'm telling you yeah, whoa (Stepping on your own shoes, stepping on your own shoes)
I'm telling you yeah, whoa
I'm telling you yeah, whoa (Stepping on your own shoes, stepping on your own shoes)
I'm telling you yeah, whoa
I'm telling you yeah, whoa (Shut your mouth and open your mind, easy does it boys, he just lost his mind)
I'm telling you yeah, whoa (Check it, check it, check it out boys)

I see you at the podium, how gracefully you sway
You're talking real clear, but are you hearing what you say?
Your lips keep moving, talking as you walk
But everybody knows you're not walking what you talk

I'm telling you yeah, whoa (Shut your mouth and open your mind, stepping on your own shoes, stepping on your own shoes)
I'm telling you yeah, whoa (Shut your mouth and open your mind) [scatting]
I'm telling you yeah, whoa (Shut your mouth and open your mind, stepping on your own shoes, stepping on your own shoes)
I'm telling you yeah, whoa (Shut your mouth and open your mind)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.