Won't Get Fooled Again Lyrics

Like many have said, a good song can have several application depending on the hearer.

I see some allusions to the first century ending of the mosaic covenant and the establishment of the new... everlasting covenant. [new constitution]

And the men who spurred us on [apostles]
Sit in judgment of all wrong[ they judged from heaven due to being killed by Nero or the rabbi's]
They decide [judgment sat in thier favor,(Dan 7:24-27) and the 'shotgun' (the weapons of Rome) sang the song (of Moses of Duet 32 and Isaiah 59]

Though the physical world didn't change [but the world looks just the same] [other than the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem] the political, religious world [morals that they worship will be gone] changed and reverted to the pre-mosaic covenant elements of natural life, and faith walk like Jacob experienced with God. [pick up my guitar and play..just like yesterday..] before the mosaic covenant.

We were liberated from the fall, that's all [by the New Covenant previous to being liberated from judaism at the latter end fo the old covenant in 66-70 AD]

Meet the new boss [Jesus}... same as the old boss.. :)

And the parting on the left

Those who enterend the mosaic covenant went from right to left across the parted Jordan river under Joshua.

Is now the parting on the right

Those who left the mosaic covenant for the new covenant under Jesus went from left to right across the Jordan.

I'll move myself and my family aside
They were instructed to get out of judea after seeing the armies circle it once [66AD]

If we happen to be left [remain] half alive
Over half the belivers in God and Jesus died under the rabbi's instructions or under Nero.

I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
For I know that the hypnotized [indwelt with the Spirit]never lie

Meaning for me in this song is that ... absolute Power corrupts absolutely. The singer suggests throughout the song that he is being "fooled" in to believing in some kind of change ... but ultimately what happens is that nothing changes.

"Won't get fooled again" means he's not going to be fooled in to picking a side, believing that one is better than the other.

Current politics are the same (democrats and republicans are both corrupt and have an agenda that is not for the people - although both pretend to be for the people in order to be elected).

Obama is a great example ... even if he meant that he wanted to change things ... he didn't after he got corrupted.

Long beards are a sign of age and wisdom. "Grown longer overnight" was a slap at the young guns that thought they had it all figured out. Screw all the analysis, this song rocks and Daltry's scream YEAAAAAH! at the end is the best ever.

Like most art pieces(Books,paintings,songs),the TITLE and not the last line defines what it's all about. The first verse makes hints at protests,sit-ins, free love,hippies with their children protesting for the moral change against racism and the "make love not war" type attitude. "THE MORALS THAT THEY WORSHIPPED WILL BE GONE" & society's old moral standards will be gone & replaced with a new morality all based on love, free love, etc. "AND THE MEN WHO SPURRED US ON" (the system backing the old morality)"SITS IN JUDGEMENT OF ALL WRONG" "THEY DECIDE....AND THE SHOTGUN(old law & order, attitudes,laws,enforcement,etc.) SINGS THE SONG. The refrain could refer to the actual Constitution but I believe it refers to the general meaning of the word constitution which is "determination". The determination to change the whole society's moral compass which is a type of revolutionary change. Then smiling & grinning at these changes and growing acceptance of both these changes & growth of the movement of the younger generation pushing for these changes. Picking up the guitar refers to all the bands playing concerts like Ashbury & Woodstock and just recording songs in general promoting these changes to new, more moral, more loving society. And finally, in the refrain is the biggest line of all of the song "I'LL GET ON MY KNEES AND PRAY WE DON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN" by the old government/society system or the old morality. That we never fall back from the new ideals once they're becoming accomplished & get fooled back into the old way of thinking. The 2nd verse refers to the fact that we knew a moral change was needed in our society, that we can't change history, & that the rest of the world is still the same even if our world here changes. The banners (and history or propaganda, how countries/borders/ideologies were formed through war,etc.) have a strong hold & relation with the old morality thinking.Then the refrain, much like an urge, prods followers to keep spreading the message together, in song, etc. and praying that society seeing the new morailty as right not ever get fooled again into slipping back into the old morality & thinking.The refrain also admits that the struggle will be constant and not just be won at some point and then it's over. That there will be future times when together the new morality must be defended so as not to get fooled back into the old way of thinking as well. I think the 3rd verse really shows the times of high drug use, the "tune in, turn on,.." If this new movement is still half alive, I'll just kick back with my rolling papers still smoking up, kicking back looking up at the sky. Because when people were strung out & high(or at a higher thinking level mentally, or expanding their minds as they used to say) is when they had all these utopian deep ideas, and had all the truths of life revealed to them of a world based on love and their focus(or being somewhat hypnotized with these ideas while high)was on this laid back, free love, love everyone, make peace attitude. And when you're high understanding these truths on a higher level, there is no lying about what is true, just truth revealed. And a "Do Ya?" is thrown in as in "Do you lie when you are seeing these deep truths abour ideals and true morality when you're high?" with an expected thought of "Of course not". The 4th verse explains how even with all the slogan changes,protests,songs, etc. everything STILL looks pretty much the same...we are NOT done with our mission of change! It mentions the splitting in mnay directions as to what is the right avenue to accomplish these moral changes. And "THE BEARDS OF THOUGHT GROW LONGER OVER NIGHT" as more & more ideas from people involved in the movement of just what is the right approach or of most importance at the time to achieve the goals of these changes. Then the refrain again to keep up the encouragement and "Keep on Keepin on" til society's changed to these new ideals. Finally the last line "MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS" which has been met with many interpretations. One could be that no mat
ter who is acting as a speaker for the movement at the moment(as many took these roles in various places and even were replaced over & over within individual factions of the movement), they are all the same, of one regarding the main goals. Therefore no matter who is speaking they stand as if they are the leadership of the movement and represent all those in the movement and the ideals. Still back them as you would any other you have backed towards accomplishing these changes for our generation. It could also, as has been suggested, mean political leadership change, & to stress understanding that even that type of change doesn't necessarily mean a change in society's thinking. They are basically still as ineffective as the previous person in that position for causing the real changes. That it is all of society's attitude that needs changed and just changing only the political leadership doesn't accomplish this.

I was a just turning teen when this came out. It always seemed to me that it was really was sung by an older generation dream of taking the world back from the younger generation (...children at our feet and the morals that they worshipped will be gone), craving that old time moral/religious order (Sit in judgment of all wrong, They decide and the shotgun sings the song). Kind of Old Testament.
That new constitution/revolution sounds like a scaling back of the perfectly fine constitution (which allows the younger generations freedom of speech/thought) that we had. [Apologies for the American perspective there.] "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" - politicians/ruling class (the ones the youngers are rebelling against) retains, even cements its hold on power.
BTW, I always heard that 'left out' line as:
If we happen to be left out, we lie
Sound systems were'nt so good back then, but that's still how it sounds to me.
The ironic thing is they "don't get fooled again"
but everything is just the same. Or worse.

I've been listening to this song since it first hit the airwaves, but I believe its message is more relative today than it has ever been. Whether a bloody revolution is on the horizon, I don't know, but it is clear that neither the left nor the right can trust politicians to do anything to improve our society.

The be simplistic; the ethos of the song is; whereas revolution, social upheaval and political change are sometimes welcomed and necessary, it's just replacing one system with another, handing on the baton of power from one person to another and power ultimately corrupts, hence "meet the new boss, same as the old boss"

I think that the song is a double commentary on both violent revolutions like those in China and Russia and on the cultural upeaval of the sixties and seventies. It may have been a way for Townsend to comment on how his generation was becoming mainstream while disguising to ensure all-around ppopularity. It is the opposite of an earlier song of theirs, 'My Generation'.

Depending on the listener this song has many meanings. I believe it was a Sid Barret quote that said "If a song has more than one meaning, it reaches more people, I tnink." I may have the words out of order but that was the general meaning.

Everyone seems to focus on the last line. The sweet meat is found in these lines:

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
For I know that the hypnotized never lie

Do ya?

It's a recognition of who humanity is, how the collective thinks (or fails to think). It's a recognition that we, as a whole, are responsible for what we 'get'. It's a recognition that for the singer, there's nothing left to do but hope he and his live through it.

The key line in this song is the very last one...

"Meet the boss - same as the old boss"

For whatever the writer was preaching throughout the song he ends by saying...nothing has changed.

Sound familiar?

Well, some of the reviews were insightful. However, this song has an incredible message in that it appeals to ones soul to excersise their rights as human beings to think and act for ones self and yet the writer recognizes that most of us are followers and want a leader to tell us how to think. Did that get your ire up? thought it might? Think about it where did the real revolutionists go? Did they die with the founding fathers who knew what power words had and the need for freedom of speech and right to live with true freedom, not jusy doing everything so as to be politically correct... Think about this song in this context, what do you see???

It is about politics in particular the politics of the left , some clues clues are new constituiton, "the fall" both objectives of leftis, anti God references. A new consitution not based on natural rights and a balnce of power required account of "the fall" a theological position. Leftist, total government politics is evil and Towsend nails it.

I read an interview years ago about this song and Townsend said it had nothing to do with Politics, but the state of the left movement during the 60's.
He explained in the interview how the hippees and the leftest made all the promises for freedom and liberal rights, but Townsend stated that liberal or right, you still get the same cheating political crap.

This song originally came out just before the 1972 election, when Nixon was running against McGovern for President and the Vietnam war was (like today) dragging on and on, as people began to see though it as a fallen cause of "morality". The US was actually on the verge of Revolutions (Beatles song) as people looked to new leadership or a NEW BOSS. Like others, I supposed that Pete Townsend was being cynical, but a good friend of mine met the Who and talked with them for a while and he claims they actually were Optimistic a real Change could come. But of course it did not, and the NEW Boss, was the SAME as the Old Boss, when Nixon was re-elected. The Theme rings true today with both political parties controlled by the same bloody banksterss who create wars, suffering and economic terror.