You Are What You Is Lyrics - Thing-fish - Frank Zappa

Do you know what you are? 

Dat what I ast ya! 

You are what you is you is what you am 

And dat de trufe! 

(a cow don't make ham...) 

I meant dat now! 

You ain't what you're not 

Not even hardly... 

So see what you got 

And you got a lot o' lookin' t'do, junior! 

You are what you is 

Dat entirely too correct! 

An' that's all it 'tis! 

Uh-huhhhh! 

A foolish young man 

Bring dat dummy ovuh heah 'n show it to 'em! 

Stashed away in san quentim ate de mys'try potatoes 

Told ya 'bout dem 'taters! 

Evil prince was inventin' now he talk like de thing-fish 

("hmmmm, saffiiiee!") 

An' he look like a mammy! 

("see de mammy, now! see de mammy, now!") 

His fav'rit co-log-numm... 

Smell like... 

Sister potato head bobby brown, sister ghenghis adonis osmosis, sister jasmine noxema tapioca: 

Chitlins! 

Is de one dey call 'sammy'! 

One-adam-twelve... see de mammy... 

He finally layin' 

Armed 'n dangerous, reproach wit cautium! 

De whole thang down, 'cept de nivea lotium! 

Rub it on good, now! 

An de royal crown! 

Take good care o' dat "ash"! 

Do you know what you are? 

You's a wimp... she's a shrew! 

You are what you is 

Got dat? 

You is what you am 

One-adam-twelve, see de mammy agin'! 

(a cow don't make ham...) 

And it never will... 

You ain't what you're not, 

Unless science do somethin' 'bout it! 

So see what you got! 

I know dey woikin' on it... 

You are what you is, 

Underneath virginia! 

An' that's all it 'tis! 

Boog-boogmmm, dano..."mammy one"! they toss dummy #1 into the wings, an d introduce dummy #2 to harry & rhonda. their torture-chairs, (on a rolling platform), are wheeled to center 

E. the action takes place all around them. 

A foolish young man 

Of de negro persuasion 

Devoted his life 

To become a caucasian 

He stopped eating pork 

He stopped eating greens 

He trade his dashiki 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: (manipulating the dummy) 

("uhuru!") 

For some jordache jeans! 

He learned to play golf 

An' he got a good score 

Now he says to himself: 

"i ain't no..." 

"nignint!" 

No more... hey! hey! hey!" 

One-adam-twelve, see de "nignint" wit knife... proceed wif cautium... knife may be open... 

Bwana ma-coo-bah 

All right! let's go! 

Mercedes bainnnzzzzz! 

Who is who? 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: (singing) 

I don't know... 

'n what is what 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Somethin' I just don't know... 

'n why is this 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Tell me now... 

Appropriot 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

That's a funny pronunciation, if'n ever I heard one! 

If you don't like 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Where'd you get that word? 

What you has got 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Appropriot? the word is not! 

Drop it in the dirt 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Drop it, yeah! 

'n let it rot 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I can smell it now! 

Someone else 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Here de come, here de come! 

Will surely come 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I told you he was comin'! 

'n pick it up 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

That's right! 

'cause he wants some 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

An' he wants it for free! 

And when one day 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

There will come a day! 

You wonder who 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I wonder too! 

You used to was 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Who I was, anyway! 

'n what you do 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I used to work at the post office! 

You'll scratch your head 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

But I don't wanna un-do my doo! 

'n look around 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

To see what's goin' on! 

But what you lost 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Can't seem to find it! 

Will not be found 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

A mercedes benz! 

Do you know what you are? 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I know! 

You are what you is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I'm the kinda guy... 

You is what you am 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

That ought to be drivin' 

A cow don't make ham 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

A four-fifty slc... 

You ain't what you're not 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

A big ol' red one! 

So see what you got 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

With some golf clubs stickin' out de trunk! 

You are what you is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I'm gwine down to de links on saturday mornin'! 

An' that's all it is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Gimme a five dollar bill! 

You are what you is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

And an overcoat too... 

An' that's all it is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Where's my waitress, yeahhhh! 

You are what you is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

Robbie, take me to greek town! 

An' that's all it is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I'm harder than yer husband; harder than yer husband! 

You are what you is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I'm goin' down to white street, to the mudd club, y'all! 

An' that's all it is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

I'm goin' down 'n work the wall! 'n work the floor 

You are what you is 

Sister owl-gonkwin-jane cow-hoon: 

'n work the pipe, 'n work the wall some more! 

An' that's all it is 

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