Whatcha Gonna Do When Your Number's Up?

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 brains leaked out

Whatcha gonna do when your number's up?
Time to lay diplomas down
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?

Harry's a civilian
Wants to make a million
So he keeps on pluggin' 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?...

Buried in your psyche is a shadow of a doubt
You're so open-minded that your brains leaked out

Written by Steve Taylor © 1982 Birdwing Music/Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co., Inc./C.A. Music (ASCAP)

Steve says, "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."
(Taken from liner notes to "Now The Truth Can Be Told")

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