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Loudon Wainwright III — Hard Day On The Planet
Album: More Love Songs
Avg rating:
6.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 373









Released: 1986
Length: 4:38
Plays (last 30 days): 1
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Timely! The US is in the shits right now.
Posted 1 week ago by Dahlia_Gumbo    [ Reply ]
Lyrics from AZ:

The dollar went down and the President said
"Who's in charge, now?" I don't know, take your pick
A new disease every day and the old ones are coming back
Things are looking kind of gray, like they're going to black

Don't turn on the TV, don't show me the paper
(I) Don't want to know he got kidnapped or why they all raped her
I want to go on vacation till the pressure lets up
But they keep hijacking airplanes and blowing them up

It's been a hard day on the planet
How much is it all worth?
It's getting harder to understand it
Things are tough all over on earth

It's hot in December and cold in July
When it rains it pours out of a poisonous sky
In California the body counts keep getting higher
It's evil out there, man that state is always on fire

Everyone has a system, but they can't seem to win
Even Bob Geldof looks alarmingly thin
I got to get on that shuttle get me out of this place
But there's gonna be warfare up there in outer space

It's been a hard day on the planet
How much is it all worth?
It's getting harder to understand it
Things are tough all over on earth

I've got clothes on my back and shoes on my feet
A roof over my head and something to eat
My kids are all healthy and my folks are alive
You know, it's amazing but sometimes I think I'll survive

I've got all of my fingers and all of my toes
I'm pretty well off I guess, I suppose
So how come I feel bad so much of the time?
A man ain't an island John Dunn wasn't lying

It's been a hard day on the planet
How much is it all worth?
It's getting harder to understand it
Things are tough all over on earth

It's business as usual; some things never change
It's unfair, it's tough, unkind and it's strange
We don't seem to learn; we can't seem to stop
Maybe some explosions would close up the shop

You know, maybe that would be fine: we would be off the hook
We resolved all our problems, never mind what it took
And it all would be over, finito, the end
Until the survivors started up all over again

It's been a hard day on the planet
How much is it all worth?
It's getting harder to understand it
Things are tough all over on earth
Posted 4 months ago by q4Fry    [ Reply ]
This is a song I probably never would have heard. Thanks for RP and William! 
Posted 6 months ago by nelsonha    [ Reply ]
 hellsgardener wrote:

last comment was 13 years ago, so no wonder I haven't heard this here before. Please can we hear it again soon so I can make up my mind.  WAY ahead of its time! in 1986



Never heard this before. Didn't recognise the voice at first, but from hearing the lyrics i thought it must be a new tune. So on looking and finding who it was, and from 1986 !! I was pretty surprised at that. How little has changed, and what has, has in general, not been for the 'better'.
'Everything changes, It all stays the same'...
I hope we don't have to wait another 13 years to hear this again.
Love RP
Posted 6 months ago by springof63    [ Reply ]
 Shesdifferent wrote:

I love the line about the survivors starting it all over over again. Excellent song!


Humans love retro. We relive yearly, seems like!
Posted 6 months ago by laserace    [ Reply ]
last comment was 13 years ago, so no wonder I haven't heard this here before. Please can we hear it again soon so I can make up my mind.  WAY ahead of its time! in 1986
Posted 6 months ago by hellsgardener    [ Reply ]
love the jazzy undertones to the folk message...
 
Posted 13 years ago by dpvest    [ Reply ]
Tops!
Posted 13 years ago by jadewahoo    [ Reply ]
Never heard it before... Great song, great words, great bass... I hope hear it here again! Loudon, Martha, Rufus... The Wainwright family is made of (great) music.
Posted 13 years ago by Orodrigues    [ Reply ]
I love the line about the survivors starting it all over over again. Excellent song!

Posted 13 years ago by Shesdifferent    [ Reply ]
VERY flippen appropriate for today!
Posted 13 years ago by robotbass    [ Reply ]
Never heared this before! Very nice indeed!

Posted 13 years ago by helgigermany    [ Reply ]
At last!  Bill is playing "Dad" instead of his kids all the time! Don't get me wrong, I love all the Wainwrigthts (including MOM) but it's soooo good to hear Loudon....amazing singer/songwriter - fantastic voice (!!!) and he's fabulous LIVE!  Loudon - hurry and get back to Austin (or Wimberley!!!).

Posted 14 years ago by Randomax    [ Reply ]
So is that a saxophone or a kazoo? Whatever it is, it sounds like angry bees. I'm covered in bees!
Posted 14 years ago by cayenne    [ Reply ]
Love it. {#Yell}
Posted 14 years ago by Rp10v3r    [ Reply ]
 am wrote:
You said it Mr. Wainwright...it's getting harder to understand today.

Something about his vocal style and writing remind me of Arlo. A good thing!
 
So true!

Posted 14 years ago by nigelr    [ Reply ]
 plutodazed wrote:
Great theme song for me. A cheerful blues song that explains my interplanetary occupation and my location.

 
Hey there.  I got some bad news, and a question.  First the question:  What does one do occupation-wise on Pluto anyway.  Second, the bad news:  We back here on Earth have downgraded your 'location' from Planet Pluto to Minor Planet number 134340.  Sorry to hear about that, not my decision.  I liked it better as a planet.  Of course, there is some good news:  when my daughter is old enough to have to make one of those 'solar system' science projects, I have one less thing to build for it...

Posted 14 years ago by alanthecowboy    [ Reply ]
 blainejuchau wrote:
Lyrics may be black comedy, but wow, was he ahead of his time.  The info here says it was released in 1986.  If he only knew what we've done since then.
 
Oh, he knows. I'm guessing he's so disgusted by it all that he can't even write songs about it anymore. 2010 makes 1986 look like heaven.

Posted 14 years ago by cc_rider    [ Reply ]
Lyrics may be black comedy, but wow, was he ahead of his time.  The info here says it was released in 1986.  If he only knew what we've done since then.
Posted 15 years ago by blainejuchau    [ Reply ]
Nice music, but as a contribution to the so-called culture of fear, not too thrilled about the lyrics.
Posted 15 years ago by lmic    [ Reply ]
 Mugro wrote:
Must be George Bush's fault somehow!
 
And you think it's NOT that creep George Bush's fault?  Wow, you must live under a rock or something.  Get a CLUE, Mugro. It's later than you think.

Posted 15 years ago by bluedot    [ Reply ]
 srbarry wrote:
Yep, the same old negative whining always appeals to the 'woe is us' crowd.

 
Thanks for remaining so positive about it!
;-)


Posted 15 years ago by conglif    [ Reply ]
The best Wainwright!  Awsome!
Posted 15 years ago by More_Cowbell    [ Reply ]
No dead skunk....dammit!

Posted 15 years ago by DD gypsyman    [ Reply ]
Business as usual, some things never change..How much is it all worth?
Posted 18 years ago by Shesdifferent    [ Reply ]
srbarry wrote:
Yep, the same old negative whining always appeals to the 'woe is us' crowd.
Must be George Bush's fault somehow!
Posted 18 years ago by Mugro    [ Reply ]
Bob Geldorf?
Posted 18 years ago by fluorophore    [ Reply ]
Last version I heard was just him and a guitar cool song.
Posted 18 years ago by creativebones    [ Reply ]
Posted 18 years ago by Constantine    [ Reply ]
am wrote:
You said it Mr. Wainwright...it's getting harder to understand today. Something about his vocal style and writing remind me of Arlo. A good thing!
Yep, the same old negative whining always appeals to the 'woe is us' crowd.
Posted 18 years ago by srbarry    [ Reply ]
Posted 18 years ago by rgj13    [ Reply ]
Great theme song for me. A cheerful blues song that explains my interplanetary occupation and my location.
Posted 19 years ago by plutodazed    [ Reply ]
This is a different version than the last one I heard...groovy
Posted 19 years ago by creativebones    [ Reply ]
Definitely not Loudon's best work - how about adding "Unrequited to the n'th degree" to the lineup? I saw him in concert about 1980, a great show. He sang a song about his newborn son breast feeding that cracked everyone up called "Rufus is a tit man". :-)
Posted 19 years ago by Alchemist    [ Reply ]
You said it Mr. Wainwright...it's getting harder to understand today. Something about his vocal style and writing remind me of Arlo. A good thing!
Posted 19 years ago by am    [ Reply ]
Oh, this guy has such a wonderfully tweaked viewpoint. "Even Bob Geldof looks alarmingly thin..." His description of being "pretty well off..." (his parents are alive, he has all his fingers and toes, etc...) is something we could all take to heart, when we start feeling like we're in a world of hurt. I love the ol' Loud...:sunny.gif:
Posted 19 years ago by Cynaera    [ Reply ]
With hurricane Katrina at 165mph this is a well timed play.
Posted 19 years ago by petesoper    [ Reply ]
love hearing loudon! though it makes me wanna hear "dead skunk" so bad it hurts...
Posted 19 years ago by mildersoap    [ Reply ]
Perfect song for the day I am having!
Posted 19 years ago by Shesdifferent    [ Reply ]
He surely's got the capacity to relativise the situation the world's in and put things somewhat in the right perspective (without preaching too much)! The music in the verses is pretty much similar to Fever.
Posted 19 years ago by Johray63    [ Reply ]
keemun wrote:
well, hopefully at some point in past several decades he's realized he's part of the old-time folk scene, but not really a cultural icon. until his son started getting promoted, I had only heard of Loudon III a couple times in vague references. his father, Loudon II, was apparently a longtime editor of Life Magazine, which is probably not genuinely meaningful to anyone under 50--as far as "famous writer", I'm not uneducated, and I've never heard of him. if the ex-wife you're referring to is Kate McGarrigle, I've never heard of her either. hopefully, we're all doing our stuff because we enjoy it, not so we can be famous or be better-known than our fathers/ex-wives/children (who themselves are not exactly competing with Bob Dylan for cultural mindspace). if Loudon III has been able to make a living doing his music and the worst thing to happen to him is that there are other people more famous than he, I can't really call that a cruel fate.
Posted 19 years ago by WonderLizard    [ Reply ]
fitz368 wrote:
It felt more like propaganda to me, which took away from the fun.
Sounds like you've got government disease! 8O ;) Assuming that is, that addiction to self-destructive behavior and the false rationalizations associated with it are still classified as medical disorders.
Posted 19 years ago by NotApplicable    [ Reply ]
keemun wrote:
well, hopefully at some point in past several decades he's realized he's part of the old-time folk scene, but not really a cultural icon. until his son started getting promoted, I had only heard of Loudon III a couple times in vague references. his father, Loudon II, was apparently a longtime editor of Life Magazine, which is probably not genuinely meaningful to anyone under 50--as far as "famous writer", I'm not uneducated, and I've never heard of him. if the ex-wife you're referring to is Kate McGarrigle, I've never heard of her either. hopefully, we're all doing our stuff because we enjoy it, not so we can be famous or be better-known than our fathers/ex-wives/children (who themselves are not exactly competing with Bob Dylan for cultural mindspace). if Loudon III has been able to make a living doing his music and the worst thing to happen to him is that there are other people more famous than he, I can't really call that a cruel fate.
Le'see...been making a living as a singer/songwriter for 30 years; did a funny stint on M*A*S*H; lovely gift for trenchant lyrics...not bad for Rufus's dad. BTW, Kate and Anna McGarrigle were pretty hot back when Loudon III was hitting his stride. Check 'em out.
Posted 19 years ago by WonderLizard    [ Reply ]
I had never heard this song before. Anyway, this sounds like it would be perfect theme song for the beginning of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I just had visions of Authur Dent.
Posted 19 years ago by lazer_brain    [ Reply ]
The one thing about this song that irks me is: for a guy with a name as frequently mispronounced/misspelled as Loudon Wainwright, why does he so conspicuously mispronounce Bob Geldof's name as Bob Geldorf? Jolts me awake every time it gets to that line.
Posted 19 years ago by kaupmees    [ Reply ]
I've been a LWIII fan ever since T-Shirt. He has some of the best lyrics going - ever. Well... maybe not counting Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road...
Posted 19 years ago by diane    [ Reply ]
jonleehacker wrote:
boy, that would burn Loudo's ass to read that. He was the son of a famous writer and he could never live up to his dad's expectations and now he's over shadowed by his son, not to mention his ex-wife...life is cruel sometimes.
well, hopefully at some point in past several decades he's realized he's part of the old-time folk scene, but not really a cultural icon. until his son started getting promoted, I had only heard of Loudon III a couple times in vague references. his father, Loudon II, was apparently a longtime editor of Life Magazine, which is probably not genuinely meaningful to anyone under 50--as far as "famous writer", I'm not uneducated, and I've never heard of him. if the ex-wife you're referring to is Kate McGarrigle, I've never heard of her either. hopefully, we're all doing our stuff because we enjoy it, not so we can be famous or be better-known than our fathers/ex-wives/children (who themselves are not exactly competing with Bob Dylan for cultural mindspace). if Loudon III has been able to make a living doing his music and the worst thing to happen to him is that there are other people more famous than he, I can't really call that a cruel fate.
Posted 19 years ago by keemun    [ Reply ]
aw, can't go knocking jon dunn. but anyway - this isn't the version of this song i'm most familiar with. i seem to remember a less-jazzy acoustic version -- anyone else know that one?
Posted 19 years ago by rah    [ Reply ]
japanmoran wrote:
Dang, this is a fun song with a message....I hate when artists do that.
It felt more like propaganda to me, which took away from the fun.
Posted 19 years ago by fitz368    [ Reply ]
Nuance wrote:
This is Rufus Wainwrights Dad.
boy, that would burn Loudo's ass to read that. He was the son of a famous writer and he could never live up to his dad's expectations and now he's over shadowed by his son, not to mention his ex-wife...life is cruel sometimes.
Posted 20 years ago by jonleehacker    [ Reply ]
Very nice.
Posted 20 years ago by icculus    [ Reply ]
Dang, this is a fun song with a message....I hate when artists do that.
Posted 20 years ago by japanmoran    [ Reply ]
Saw Loudon in concert recently. A small intimate setting. 'Twas loads of fun.
Posted 20 years ago by kimmer    [ Reply ]
Nuance wrote:
This is Rufus Wainwrights Dad.
So he's a young'un, and his dad's a Loudon.
Posted 20 years ago by Patrick    [ Reply ]
This is Rufus Wainwrights Dad.
Posted 20 years ago by Nuance    [ Reply ]
Great line: "Even Bob Geldolf is looking alarmingly thin"
Posted 20 years ago by etwilson    [ Reply ]
Posted 20 years ago by R_P    [ Reply ]
Great lyric
Posted 20 years ago by philarktos    [ Reply ]