Blood, Sweat & Tears

Released: December 11, 1968

Songwriter: Chris Wood (Traffic) Jim Capaldi Steve Winwood

Producer: James William Guercio

[Verse 1]
Do yourself a favor
Wake up to your mind
Life is what you make it
You see, but still you're blind
Get yourself together
Give before you take
You'll find out the hard way
Soon, you're gonna break
Hey, hey, hey

[Chorus 1]
Smiling phases, going places
And if they bust you, you just
Keep on smiling through and through
And you'll be amazed at the gaze
On their faces as they sentence you

[Verse 2]
You don't need a lawyer
When you're in a fix
Someone got to pay up
Your friends are full of tricks
Profit you love is something
That you just can't buy
Own up to the truth, girl
Your love has gone on by
Hey, hey, hey

[Chorus 2]
Smiling Phases bring you flowers
You can line 'em up and
You can watch 'em grow for hours
And you'll be amazed at the way
That they stare as they walk by your door

[Verse 3]
Do yourself a favor
Wake up to your mind
Life is what you make it
You see, but still you're blind
Get yourself together
Give before you take
You'll find out the hard way
Soon, you're gonna break
Hey, hey, hey

[Chorus 3]
Smiling phases, going places
And if they bust you, you just
Keep on smiling through and through
And you'll be amazed at the gaze
On their faces as they sentence you

The original jazz rock ensemble, along with Chicago, BS&T were the brainchild of Al Kooper who formed the band with seven other Jim Fielder, Fred Lipsius, Randy Brecker, Jerry Weiss, Dick Halligan, Steve Katz, and Bobby Colomby, recording the critically acclaimed but commercially disappointing Child Is Father to the Man.

After a lineup change which saw the departure of Kooper and the addition of David Clayton-Thomas, the band became a critical and commercial heavyweight, winning Album of the Year for their second record, Blood, Sweat & Tears, which spawned hit singles like “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel,“ and “And When I Die.”

The group played at Woodstock and continued to release several albums into the 1970s before disbanding, reforming several times since.

From the albums

Blood, Sweat & Tears (1969)
Fill Your Head with Rock (1970)
Spinning Wheel: The Best of Blood, Sweat & Tears (2007)

Blood, Sweat & Tears popular songs

Smiling PhasesBlood, Sweat & Tears

Blood, Sweat & Tears