Released: September 16, 1977
Songwriter: David Byrne
Producer: Talking Heads Lance Quinn Tony Bongiovi
Now that I can release my tensions
Let me make clear my best intentions
Girls ask: can I define decision?
Boys ask: can I describe their function?
Oh the boys want to talk
Would like to talk about those problems
And the girls say they're concerned
- (that they are)
Concerned with decisiveness
And it's a hard logic to follow
- and the girls get lost
And the boys say they're concerned
- (that they are)
Concerned with decisiveness
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
Decide, decide, make up your mind
Decide, decide, I told you what to say
Confuse, confuse, describe what I found
Confuse, confuse, I told you what to say*
[*The printed sleeve lyrics end here with the instruction "repeat with reversal of gender."]
Oh the girls still want to talk
Would like to talk about those problems
And the boys say they're concerned
- (that they are)
Concerned with decisiveness
And it's a hard logic I know
- and the girls get lost
And the boys say they're concerned
- (that they are)
Concerned with decisiveness
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
Decide, decide, make up your mind
Decide, decide, I told you what to say
Confuse, confuse, describe what I found
Confuse, confuse, I told you what to say
Let me make clear my best intentions
Girls ask: can I define decision?
Boys ask: can I describe their function?
Oh the boys want to talk
Would like to talk about those problems
And the girls say they're concerned
- (that they are)
Concerned with decisiveness
And it's a hard logic to follow
- and the girls get lost
And the boys say they're concerned
- (that they are)
Concerned with decisiveness
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
Decide, decide, make up your mind
Decide, decide, I told you what to say
Confuse, confuse, describe what I found
Confuse, confuse, I told you what to say*
[*The printed sleeve lyrics end here with the instruction "repeat with reversal of gender."]
Oh the girls still want to talk
Would like to talk about those problems
And the boys say they're concerned
- (that they are)
Concerned with decisiveness
And it's a hard logic I know
- and the girls get lost
And the boys say they're concerned
- (that they are)
Concerned with decisiveness
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
(I wanna talk) I wanna talk as much as I want
(I'm gonna give) I'm gonna give the problem to you
Decide, decide, make up your mind
Decide, decide, I told you what to say
Confuse, confuse, describe what I found
Confuse, confuse, I told you what to say
more tracks from the album
Once in a Lifetime
- Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town (Alternate Version)
- Love for Sale
- The Big Country
- Stay Hungry
- I’m Not in Love
- Artists Only
- Found a Job
- Warning Sign
- Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
- The Democratic Circus
- Mr. Jones
- Blind
- People Like Us
- City of Dreams
- Love → Building on Fire
- Burning Down the House
- New Feeling (Alternate Version)
- Lifetime Piling Up
- A Clean Break (Let’s Work)
- Sax and Violins
- I Wish You Wouldn’t Say That
- In Asking Land
- Sugar on My Tongue
- Drugs (Alternate Version)
- Cities (Alternate Version)
- Puzzlin’ Evidence
- Wild Wild Life
- The Lady Don’t Mind
- Creatures of Love
- This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
- Swamp
- Slippery People
- Girlfriend Is Better
- Making Flippy Floppy
- Pulled Up
- Psycho Killer
- Don’t Worry About the Government
- The Book I Read
- No Compassion
- Tentative Decisions
- Heaven
- Life During Wartime
- Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
- Houses in Motion
- Memories Can’t Wait
- I Zimbra
- Road to Nowhere
- (Nothing But) Flowers
- Crosseyed and Painless
- Take Me to the River
- Air
- Listening Wind
- Stay Up Late
- And She Was
- Once in a Lifetime
From the albums
- Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
- Once in a Lifetime (2003)
Talking Heads popular songs
- Once in a Lifetime
- Psycho Killer
- This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
- Burning Down the House
- Life During Wartime
- Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
- Road to Nowhere
- Crosseyed and Painless
- The Great Curve
- Girlfriend Is Better
- Slippery People
- (Nothing But) Flowers
- Heaven
- Take Me to the River
- And She Was
- Listening Wind
- Don’t Worry About the Government
- Seen and Not Seen
- Making Flippy Floppy
- Houses in Motion
- I Zimbra
- The Overload
- Cities
- Wild Wild Life