Whatcha Gonna Do When Your Number's Up?
Sections:
Lyrics
Sally's into knowledge
Spent her years in college
Just to find out nothing is true
She can hardly speak now
Words are not unique now
'Cause they can't say anything new
You say humanist philosophy is what it's all about?
You're so open-minded that your brain leaked out
Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
Time to lay diplomas down
Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
And you're buried six feet underground
Spent your life looking out for number one
Pride'll come before a fall
Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
Were you thinking
That was the end of it all?
Harry's a civilian
Wants to make a million
So he keeps on plugging away
Money is eternal
Like the Wall Street Journal
Yes they're gonna make him happy someday
Grabbin' for the gusto
Gonna hit paydirt or bust
Where's it gonna get you
When you bite the dust?
Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
Time to lay your money down
Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
And you're buried six feet underground
Spent your life looking out for number one
Pride'll come before a fall
Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
Were you thinking
That was the end of it all?
Buried in your psyche is the shadow of a doubt
You're so open minded that your brain leaked out
Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
Time to lay your money down
Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
And you're buried six feet underground
Spent your life looking out for number one
Pride'll come before a fall
Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
Were you thinking
That was the end of it all?
Recorded Appearances
Albums
- I Want To Be A Clone (1983)
- The Best We Could Find (+3 That Never Escaped) (1988)
- Now The Truth Can Be Told (1994)
Compilations
- Legacy: Out Of The Box (2010)
Promos
- Now The Truth Can Be Told #1 (1994)
Bootlegs
About The Song
From Now The Truth Can Be Told Liner Notes & Song-By-Song Essays, Now The Truth Can Be Told Insert Booklet, August 23rd, 1994:
It wasn't until this song was recorded and mixed that I decided it was too slow. Since our $7,000 budget for the I Want To Be A Clone album was depleted, why not just speed the whole track up, vocal and all? (I usually won these arguments in the studio due to a lethal combination of willpower and sheer ignorance.) So we did, which is why the vocal has a "take me to your leader" sci-fi quality.
I vaguely recall that the ending monologue consisted of the studio owner mumbling a stream of nonsense while I read the financial section of the Los Angeles Times. When we sped that part up, things got real annoying.