Songs for the Idea album were completed on June 25 (except for the song "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" which was recorded on July 12 during the Odessa sessions). A few songs were given a little more work, the highlight being the last new song, "I Started A Joke", one of the Bee Gees' classics with its enigmatic and thought-provoking lyrics. It must have been newly composed, since Robin did not even include it on his demos of two weeks earlier.[1] Covered by O'Hara's Playboys on the Fontana label and also Heath Hampstead
The song is mainly written and sung by Robin Gibb. "I Started a Joke" is supposedly about someone who has done or said something horribly wrong, which results in feelings of social alienation. Another interpretation is that the song is sung from the point of view of the devil. Prior to performing the song onstage, Barry Gibb has remarked that one interpretation of the song is regarding the devil.
According to Robin Gibb, the melancholic melody of the song was inspired by the sounds on board an aeroplane:
“ The melody to this one was heard aboard a British Airways Vickers Viscount about a hundred miles from Essen. It was one of those old four engine 'prop' jobs, that seemed to drone the passenger into a sort of hypnotic trance, only with this it was different. The droning, after a while, appeared to take the form of a tune, which mysteriously sounded like a church choir. So it was decided! We accosted the pilot, forced him to land in the nearest village and there; in a small pub, we finished the lyrics. Actually, it wasn't a village, it was the city, and it wasn't a pub, it was a hotel, and we didn't force the pilot to land in a field... but why ruin a perfectly good story?"[2] ”
I Started A Joke
Bee Gees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I didn't see that the joke was on me oh no
I started to cry which started the whole world laughing
Oh If I'd only seen that the joke was on me
I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed hurting my head from things that I said
'Till I finally died which started the whole world living
I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed hurting my head from things that I said
'Till I finally died which started the whole world living
Oh if I'd only seen that the joke was on me
Oh no that the joke was on me
The Bee Gees' song "I Started A Joke" is a reflection of the bittersweet and paradoxical nature of life, and the human tendency to misunderstand ourselves and our impact on the world around us. The lyrics describe a situation where the singer, thinking he is being clever and amusing, tells a joke that ends up causing widespread grief and anguish. However, in his own ironic twist, he fails to comprehend the consequence of his own actions and becomes the subject of laughter himself.
The first verse, "I started a joke which started the whole world crying, but I didn't see that the joke was on me oh no," highlights the theme of unexpected consequences. The singer created a joke that he thought was harmless, but it ended up causing widespread despair, which he failed to anticipate. In the second verse, "I started to cry which started the whole world laughing, Oh If I'd only seen that the joke was on me," the singer starts to cry, being unaware that he has become the subject of ridicule, leading to him incurring an unintentional hilarity.
The final verse, "Till I finally died which started the whole world living, Oh if I'd only seen that the joke was on me," encapsulates the whole song. With the singer's death, the world came to realize the joke that had been played on him, an irrevocable loss with a trivial origin. The singer, in hindsight, now understands that he was the joke all along.
Overall, "I Started A Joke" is an exploration of the human experience of misguided intentions and unintended consequences, shown through the medium of a beautiful yet sad melody.
Line by Line Meaning
I started a joke which started the whole world crying
I made a joke that was so powerful, it made people all over the world cry
But I didn't see that the joke was on me oh no
Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the joke was actually directed at me
I started to cry which started the whole world laughing
As I began to realize the joke was on me, I started to cry - and this made people all over the world laugh
Oh If I'd only seen that the joke was on me
If only I had realized sooner that I was the subject of the joke, maybe I could have avoided all this embarrassment
I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes
Feeling foolish and ashamed, I looked up to the sky and covered my eyes with my hands
And I fell out of bed hurting my head from things that I said
I was so upset and caught up in my own confusion that I fell out of bed and suffered physical pain
'Till I finally died which started the whole world living
Being humiliated to the point of feeling like I had died started a new chapter of growth and life for the rest of the world
Oh if I'd only seen that the joke was on me
Once again I lament that I didn't see the joke and the way it would turn the tables on me
Oh no that the joke was on me
The realization that the joke was on me was a painful one, as I had realized too late and was now the laughing stock of the world
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Barry Gibb, Maurice Ernest Gibb, Robin Hugh Gibb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BasketCase420
I started a joke
Which started the whole world crying
But I didn't see
That the joke was on me, oh no
I started to cry
Which started the whole world laughing
Oh, if I'd only seen
That the joke was on me
I looked at the skies
Running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed
Hurting my head from things that I'd said
'Til I finally died
Which started the whole world living
Oh, if I'd only seen
That the joke was on me
I looked at the skies
Running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed
Hurting my head from things that I'd said
'Til I finally died
Which started the whole world living
Oh, if I'd only seen, oh yeah
That the joke was on me, oh no
That the joke was on me
Oh, no, no, no
@jeewanjee
I started a war, that started a war .... that made the whole world cry if I only saw that the joke was on me.
I ignited a conflict, kindling flames across gaza,
Where laughter once echoed, now only the sounds of strife.
In my hands, a spark, that set the world alight,
But in its glow, I see the error of my ways.
The battles I began, a chorus of discord ringing,
Underneath the stars, once bright, now dim with sorrow.
In the echoes of the night, I hear the cries for peace,
A plea for harmony, in a world torn by my hands.
I wish for a return, to days of gentle whispers,
Where swords turn to plowshares, and hearts are mended whole.
In the quiet after the storm, let there be a solemn vow,
For peace to reign supreme, in a world once lost to fight
@METLURGICA1
Anyone in 2024?
@jiimmyneutron
yes sir
@vitorrodrigoferreiracosta5898
Yes. Eu estou falando de 2023.
@iskandarkandar6432
❤❤❤Miisiing
@n1lks811
Yeh Man, i'm Brazilian but this music is amazing
@flaviahoffmann4866
Eu!
@SheilaMatthews-zu6lm
I love the respect Barry showed by turning his back to the audience giving Robin the chance to be front and center. Which was rightly owed. R.I.P Andy, Maurice and Robin ❤️
@moffat2028
He always did that.
@EvanFrenchMusic93
That says a lot about Barry and just makes me love the beegees even more! Not only were they brothers on stage, but they were brothers OFF stage too! They never let ego, fame, or anything else EVER break that brotherly bond!
@gjsjk8787
Don't be sad that there is only one Beegee remaining. Rather be happy that you got the chance to know them and got to listen to their amazing music.