The Real Thing lyrics by Russell Morris, 2 meanings, official 2024 song lyrics | LyricsMode.com
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Russell Morris – The Real Thing lyrics
Come and see the real thing, come and see the real thing, come and see
Come and see the real thing, come and see the real thing, come and see
There's a meaning there, but the meaning there doesn't really mean a thing
Come and see the real thing, come and see the real thing, come and see
I am the real thing!

Oo mama mow-mow (repeat x 4)

Oo mama mama mama mama mama mama mow
Tryin' hard to understand the meaning that you'll see in me
Tryin' hard to understand the meaning that you'll see in me
There's a meaning there, but the meaning there doesn't really mean a thing
Come and see the real thing, come and see the real thing, come and see
I am the real thing!

Oo mama mow-mow (repeat x 4)

I am not seeing you
I am not seeing you
Ahhhhh!

I am the real thing!
(ad-lib fade-out)
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Lyrics taken from /lyrics/r/russell_morris/the_real_thing.html

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Songwriters: JOHN B. YOUNG, JOHN YOUNG
The Real Thing lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

The Real Thing meanings

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    The song refers to other songs of the time with hidden meanings, such as “I am the Walrus” and “Strawberry Fields” and explains that while those songs have a hidden meaning, the meaning is trivial and of little value, and ultimately not even worth knowing. The repeating chant of ooh mama mow mow is a reference to the coo coo kachoo in I am the Walrus and the sound associated with meditation craze that was sweeping around in the sixties.

    Ironically, The Real Thing achieved what other songs with hidden meanings did too; it reached the top of the charts because it had a catchy tune and no one really cared about the words. But at least it did expose the other songs for what they are. In that way it was genuine; it was The Real Thing.
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    This song is about the Vietnam War. The Real Thing is being there and seeing entire villages burned and women and children being napalmed, raped, or summarily executed just in case they might be supporting the Viet Cong, as opposed to the sanitised reports deemed appropriate for public consumption on the nightly news. Oo-mow-ma-mow-mow is soldier speak for automatic gun fire. The speech in the song regarding ‘use of the product’ is from the disclaimer in the AK-47 product disclosure statement, exonerating the manufacturer from any responsibility in how ‘the product’ was used. The children singing near the end is from a recording of German children singing ‘Tomorrow the World is Mine’, a patriotic song of the Third Reich, ending with the Reich slogan ‘Zieg Heil’ (Victory and honour). The implication is the actions of the US and it’s allies were as barbaric as those of the Third Reich. This followed by a nuclear explosion, suggesting that that was how the Vietnam War might end.
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      The song refers to other songs of the time with hidden meanings, such as “I am the Walrus” and... Read more →
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      This song is about the Vietnam War. The Real Thing is being there and seeing entire villages burned... Read more →

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