20th Century Man

Written by: Ray Davies

Published by: Davray Music Ltd.

Chord file

Lyrics:

This is the age of machinery,
A mechanical nightmare,
The wonderful world of technology,
Napalm, hydrogen bombs, biological warfare,

This is the twentieth century,
But too much aggravation
It's the age of insanity,
What has become of the green pleasant fields of Jerusalem.

Ain't got no ambition, I'm just disillusioned
I'm a twentieth century man but I don't wanna be here.
My mama said she can't understand me
She can't see my motivation
Just give me some security,
I'm a paranoid schizoid product of the twentieth century.

You keep all your smart modern writers
Give me William Shakespeare
You keep all your smart modern painters
I'll take Rembrandt, Titian, Da Vinci and Gainsborough,

Girl we gotta get out of here
We gotta find a solution
I'm a twentieth century man but I don't want to die here.

I was born in a welfare state
Ruled by bureaucracy
Controlled by civil servants
And people dressed in grey
Got no privacy, got no liberty
Cos the twentieth century people
Took it all away from me.

Don't wanna get myself shot down
By some trigger happy policeman,
Gotta keep a hold on my sanity
I'm a twentieth century man but I don't wanna die here.

My mama says she can't understand me
She can't see my motivation
Ain't got no security,
I'm a twentieth century man but I don't wanna be here.

This is the twentieth century
But too much aggravation
This is the edge of insanity
I'm a twentieth century man but I don't wanna be here.

This song can be found on the following releases:

stereo mix, shorter edit (3:52), recorded Aug-Sep 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London
Backtrackin' (The Definitive Double Album Collection) 6 Dec, 1985 UK Starblend TRACK 1 12" vinyl 2-LP set (double album), 33 1/3 RPM
Backtrackin' - Volume Two Jun 1986 UK Starblend CD TRACK 1/2 CD

stereo mix, recorded Aug-Sep 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London
Muswell Hillbillies 24 Nov, 1971 USA RCA Victor LSP 4644 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
Muswell Hillbillies 26 Nov, 1971 UK RCA Victor SF 8243 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
Muswell Hillbillies 23 Jan, 1990 USA Rhino R2 70934 CD
Muswell Hillbillies 14 Jul, 1998 USA Konk/Velvel 63467-79719-2 CD
The Kinks' Greatest - Celluloid Heroes 25 Sep, 2001 USA Konk/Velvel/Koch VEL-CD-79734 CD
Greatest Hits 1970-1986 30 Oct, 2007 USA Konk/Velvel/Koch Records VEL-79822 3 CD set
Picture Book 8 Dec, 2008 UK Universal/Sanctuary 5313049 Multi CD box set

stereo mix, edit, nearly 2 minutes shorter, recorded Aug-Sep 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London
20th Century Man/Skin and Bone Dec 1971 USA RCA Victor 74-0620 7" vinyl single, 45 RPM

stereo mix, edit, about 1 minute shorter, recorded Aug-Sep 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London
The Kinks' Greatest - Celluloid Heroes May 1976 USA RCA Victor APL1-1743 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
The Kinks' Greatest - Celluloid Heroes 25 Jun, 1976 UK RCA Victor RS 1059 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM

live, stereo mix, recorded 3 Mar, 1979 at The Barn, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
One For The Road 1980 Brazil Arista (Ariola Discos Fonograficos) 300 932/3 12" vinyl 2-LP set (double album), 33 1/3 RPM
One For The Road 4 Jun, 1980 USA Arista A2L 8401 12" vinyl 2-LP set (double album), 33 1/3 RPM
One For The Road 1 Aug, 1980 UK Arista DARTY 6 12" vinyl 2-LP set (double album), 33 1/3 RPM
One For The Road 27 Apr, 1999 USA Konk/Velvel 63467-79728-2 2 CD set

live, stereo mix, shorter edit (3:17), recorded 3 Mar, 1979 at The Barn, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
State Of Confusion 23 Mar, 1984 UK Arista ARIST 560 7" vinyl EP, 33 1/3 RPM
State Of Confusion 23 Mar, 1984 UK Arista ARIST 12560 12" vinyl EP, 45 RPM

live, stereo mix, recorded 1997 at unknown venue, overdubs at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London
The Storyteller 21 Apr, 1998 USA Konk/EMI-Capital 7243 4 94168 2 6 CD

stereo mix, by John Banta, recorded 2000
The Great Lost KPS Album - The Kover Kontroversy Kontinues Jul 2000 UK Pie KPSCD003 CD

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