Don’t Worry About the Government Lyrics
I see the clouds that move across the sky
I see the wind that moves the clouds away
It moves the clouds over by the building
I pick the building that I want to live in
[Verse 2]
I smell the pine trees and the peaches in the woods
I see the pinecones that fall by the highway
That's the highway that goes to the building
I pick the building that I want to live in
[Chorus]
It's over there, it's over there
My building has every convenience
It's gonna make life easy for me
It's gonna be easy to get things done
I will relax along with my loved ones
Loved ones, loved ones visit the building
Take the highway, park and come up and see me
I'll be working, working but if you come visit
I'll put down what I'm doing, my friends are important
[Post-Chorus]
Don't you worry 'bout me
I wouldn't worry about me
Don't you worry 'bout me
Don't you worry 'bout me
I see the states across this big nation
I see the laws made in Washington, D.C
I think of the ones I consider my favorites
I think of the people that are working for me
[Verse 4]
Some civil servants are just like my loved ones
They work so hard and they try to be strong
I'm a lucky guy to live in my building
They own the buildings to help them along
[Chorus]
It's over there, it's over there
My building has every convenience
It's gonna make life easy for me
It's gonna be easy to get things done
I will relax along with my loved ones
Loved ones, loved ones visit the building
Take the highway, park and come up and see me
I'll be working, working but if you come visit
I'll put down what I'm doing, my friends are important
[Post-Chorus]
I wouldn't worry 'bout me
I wouldn't worry about me
Don't you worry 'bout me
Don't you worry 'bout me
About
The modern world has been built and arranged to make humans as comfortable as possible. Byrne here is talking from the point of someone who has become absorbed by this lifestyle. He’s conditioned to think “Everything will be fine, don’t worry about me because everything I need is all around me!” When in reality, humans are destroying the world to make ourselves comfortable for the time being.
We don’t anticipate the effects that massive industrialization will have on the world because we’re conditioned to live in the here and now, where everything we “need” is at our disposal.
It’s possible to contrast this song with “(Nothing But) Flowers”, recorded over a decade later, about a man living in a post-apocalyptic landscape who misses the convenience of modern life.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.New Feeling
- 4.Happy Day
- 5.Who Is It?
- 8.Don’t Worry About the Government
- 10.Psycho Killer
- 11.Pulled Up