from: Night And Day (1982)

Walked that early 80's line between Billy Joel and XTC and should have been a hit, but it's direct lyrics were a bit much for radio at the time and the video had the temerity (or the balls) to show two gay men in close proximity in 1982.

A man who's always had a lot to say but never layered his words in claptrap or vagaries.




Take your mind back, I don't know when
Some time when it always seemed to be just us and them
Girls that wore pink, and boys that wore blue
Boys that always grew up better men than me and you

What's a man now, what's a man mean
Is he rough or is he rugged, is he cultural and clean
Now it's all changed, it's got to change more
'Cause we think it's getting better but nobody's really sure

And so it goes, go round again
But now and then we wonder who the real men are

See the nice boys, dancing in pairs
Golden earring, golden tan, blow wave in their hair
Sure they're all straight, straight as a line
All the gays are macho, can't you see their leather shine

You don't want to sound dumb, don't want to offend
So don't call me a faggot, not unless you are a friend
Then if you're tall and handsome and strong
You can wear the uniform and I could play along

And so it goes, go round again
But now and then we wonder who the real men are

Time to get scared, time to change plan
Don't know how to treat a lady, don't know how to be a man
Time to admit what you call defeat
'Cause there's women running past you now and you just drag your feet

Man makes a gun, man goes to war
Man can kill and man can drink and man can take a whore
Kill all the blacks, kill all the reds
And if there's war between the sexes then there'll be no people left

And so it goes, go round again
But now and then we wonder who the real men are

Really at the pinnacle of jackson's songwriting are this song, "be my number two" and "hometown".

Great song. You ever read his book? Such a good read. I never realised that he was classically trained.