Yo-Yo

Written by: Ray Davies

Published by: Davray Music Ltd.

Chord file

Lyrics:

There are many different people,
Livin' double lives.
One for the office,
And one that they take home to their wives.
He sits in the armchair, watching channel 4,
With his brains not expected home for an hour or more.
He's still drifting to and fro, like a yo-yo.

His wife is in the kitchen, fixin' her old man's tea
She's thinking to herself,
"He's not the man that married me, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."
They used to laugh together, now he's never at home.
Now she's fighting back the tears, she can't even laugh alone.
She's just sitting by the telephone, like a yo-yo.

You needed me when you were crying,
But now you're laughing I'm the last thing on your mind.
First you love me, then you don't.
I'm up and down,
Like a yo-yo.
Yo-yo.

Ah, you thought you knew me pretty well,
But with people like me you never can tell.
You can only guess which way I'll go.
You got me sussed, but you don't know,
I'm a yo-yo.
Just like a yo-yo on a string.
I'm a yo-yo.
Little child playing with a yo-yo.
Yo-yo, yo-yo.

Girl you had me dangling, like a yo-yo on a string,
But with you at the controls I could accomplish anything, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You were just playing, I was a little boy,
But when I grew into a man you just threw away your toy,
Like a yo-yo.
Yo-yo.

You might be popular, but it won't last for long,
So don't give up the day job, in case it all goes wrong.
Look at your ego, watch it go, up and down,
Like a yo-yo.
Yo-yo.

You needed me when you were crying,
But now you're laughing I'm the last thing on your mind.
First you love me, then you don't.
I'm up and down,
Like a yo-yo.
Yo-yo.
I'm a yo-yo (yo-yo).
Like a yo-yo.

This song can be found on the following releases:

stereo mix, recorded May-Jun 1981 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London
Give The People What They Want 1981 Brazil Arista (Ariola Discos Fonograficos) 203 915 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
Give The People What They Want 26 Aug, 1981 USA Arista AL 9567 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
Better Things/Yo-Yo Nov 1981 USA Arista AS 0649 7" vinyl single, 45 RPM
Give The People What They Want 15 Jan, 1982 UK Arista SPART 1171 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
Give The People What They Want 12 Jul, 1988 USA Arista ARCD-8224 CD
Give The People What They Want 27 Apr, 1999 USA Konk/Velvel 63467-79730-2 CD
Give The People What They Want 24 Aug, 2004 USA Konk/Koch Records VEL-SC-79804 SACD (hybrid)
Picture Book 8 Dec, 2008 UK Universal/Sanctuary 5313049 Multi CD box set

stereo mix, by Frightened Eyes, recorded 2000
Kwirky - The Spivs Jul 2000 UK Pie SPIVCD002 CD


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