Van Morrison - The Great Deception lyrics

Did you ever hear about the great deception?
Well, the plastic revolutionaries take
The money and run
Have you ever been down to Love City?
Where they rip you off with a smile
And it don't take a gun

Don't it hurt so bad in the Love City?
Don't it make you wanna not bother at all?
And don't they look so self righteous
When they pin you up against the wall?

Did you ever, ever see the people
With the teardrops in their eyes?
I just can't stand it, stand it no how
Living in this world of lies

Did you ever hear about the
Rock and roll singers?
He's got three or four Cadillacs
He's saying power to the people
Dance to the music
Wants you to pat him on the back

Have you ever heard about
The great Rembrandt?
Have you ever heard about how he could paint?
And he didn't have enough
Money for his brushes
And they thought it was rather quaint

But you know it's no use repeating
And you know it's no use to think about it
'Cause when you stop to think about it
You don't need it

Have you ever heard about the
Great Hollywood motion picture actor?
Knew more than they did
And the newspapers didn't cover the story
Just decided to keep it hid

Somebody started saying it was an inside job
Whatever happened to him?
Last time they saw him down on the Bowery
With his lip hanging off an
Old rusty bottle of gin

Have you ever heard about
The so-called hippies?
Down on the far side of the tracks
They take the eyeballs straight
Out of your head and say "Son, kid
Do you want your eyeballs back?"

Did you ever see the people
With the teardrops in their eyes?
Just can't stand it no how
Living in this world of lies

Did you ever hear about the great deception?
Well, the plastic revolutionaries take
The money and run
Have you ever been down to Love City?
Where they rob you with a
Smile instead of a gun

Did you ever hear about the great deception?