Released: September 20, 1982
Songwriter: Roland Orzabal
Producer: Ross Cullum Chris Hughes
[Verse 1]
All around me are familiar faces
Worn-out places, worn-out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
[Chorus]
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you, 'cause I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
[Verse 2]
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday, happy birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello, teacher, tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
[Chorus]
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you, 'cause I find it hard to take
When people run in circles, it's a very very
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
[Interlude]
[Chorus]
And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cause I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad world
Mad world
Halargian world
Mad world
All around me are familiar faces
Worn-out places, worn-out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
[Chorus]
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you, 'cause I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
[Verse 2]
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday, happy birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello, teacher, tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
[Chorus]
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you, 'cause I find it hard to take
When people run in circles, it's a very very
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
[Interlude]
[Chorus]
And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cause I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad world
Mad world
Halargian world
Mad world
Everybody Wants to Rule the World: The Collection
- Everybody Wants to Rule the World
- Mothers Talk (U.S. Remix)
- Change
- Year of the Knife
- Tears Roll Down
- New Star
- Cold
- Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams
- Sowing the Seeds of Love
- Start of the Breakdown
- Goodnight Song
- Advice for the Young at Heart
- Mad World
- Memories Fade
- Shout
- Ideas As Opiates (Live) [Peel Session 1982]
- The Hurting (1983)
- Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92) (1992)
- Shout: The Very Best of Tears for Fears (2001)
- Your Songs (2011)
- Everybody Wants to Rule the World: The Collection (2013)
- Tracks Of My Years With Ken Bruce (2014)
- NOW That’s What I Call New Wave 80s [US] (2015)
- Rule the World (2017)
- Everybody Wants to Rule the World
- Mad World
- Head Over Heels / Broken (Reprise)
- Shout
- Sowing the Seeds of Love
- Pale Shelter
- Woman in Chains
- Memories Fade
- I Love You But I’m Lost
- Listen
- Watch Me Bleed
- The Working Hour
- Break It Down Again
- Mothers Talk
- Advice for the Young at Heart
- Head Over Heels
- Change
- I Believe
- The Hurting
- Broken
- Ideas As Opiates
- Badman’s Song
- Suffer the Children
- Goodnight Song