What's Going On?
Quincy Jones feat. Toots Thielemans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, yea
Father, father
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Ah, what's going on
In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on
Father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me
So you can see
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on - Uh
Right on baby
Right on baby
The lyrics to Quincy Jones's song What's Going On are a call for love and understanding during a time of great unrest and turmoil. The opening lines address mothers and brothers, acknowledging the widespread pain and suffering in the world. The repetition of "too many of you crying" and "far too many of you dying" emphasizes the urgency of the situation and the need for change. The repeated phrase "you know we've got to find a way" emphasizes the responsibility that each person has in bringing about this change.
The second verse speaks directly to fathers and the idea of war as a solution to problems. Jones argues that only love can conquer hate, and that war only perpetuates the cycle of violence. He pleads with fathers to find a way to bring love into the world, again emphasizing that this is the responsibility of each individual.
The third verse touches on the idea of protest and the power of communication. Picket lines and picket signs are symbolic of protest, but Jones suggests that violent enforcement of these protests (i.e. "punishing with brutality") is counterproductive. Instead, he advocates for conversation and understanding as a way to bring about change.
Overall, the song is a powerful call for love and unity, and a reminder that each person has the power to make a difference in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
The world is filled with sorrow and heartbreak, especially among mothers.
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
There are too many deaths and losses among people who share bonds of brotherhood.
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, yea
The need of the hour is to facilitate unity and love among people.
Father, father
We don't need to escalate
We do not need to intensify conflicts and situations causing harm.
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
Acts of love and kindness are the only way to overcome hostility and animosity.
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
The use of aggression to convey a message is not necessary and unwarranted.
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Ah, what's going on
Communication and open dialogue is key in order for everyone to understand the nature of the problem.
In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on
Keep working towards achieving solutions and celebrate small successes along the way.
Father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Many opinions exist and criticisms are unwarranted, especially for those who possess unconventional traits.
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh
Increasing tolerance and mutual understanding among people is a necessity.
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on - Uh
Right on baby
Right on baby
If people take the time to communicate and share with each other, they will be able to understand and solve the issues at hand.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alfred W Cleveland, Marvin P Gaye, Renaldo Benson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jennifer86010
@DBM brian Thank you for your comment !! Yes, from 5:00 until the end of the piece, Toots was freely improvising, but his soulful blues statement was how he played off of Quincy. It was fitting and spontaneous, but also a universal statement
that expressive soul is not exclusively owned by any particular race. I've recently seen some amazing YouTube videos titled "Young black girls listen to Tom Jones" or "Young black men listening to the Righteous Brothers" or titles to that effect.
Since these listeners are young, they have never heard of or seen these artists, so their reactions are hilarious, when they discover these singers are not black.
Another video is a young black man listening to the "Bee Gees" , seeing them for the first time, thinking they were black singers all along. It's worth watching these fun videos to see their reactions, and the empathy they end up giving to the much older white singers.
As a jazz pianist, I have played in many parts of the world, and I learned years ago that soul, expressiveness, depth, passion and musical skill, belong to all people, regardless of race, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, and even age !!
One of my best moments came when I had been the middle aged driver for my niece and her friends for their drinking and music club night. After the last band played, one of its members saw me sitting in the car waiting for the twenty something kids to pile into the car.
"Hi ma'm , I guess you are waiting to pick up your niece and friends....'hope we are not keeping you up too late." After the kids got into the car, they asked me to drop them off at the band's apartment which I did for an after-gig get-together.
I waited outside for about an hour and then slowly came up the stairs to collect my niece and her friends. When I entered, the room got quiet, and the pot smoke started to clear.
"Ma'm, I hear you play a bit of piano yourself, the smug polite youngster said. I replied, "Well, yes, I do." "Would you like to play a little ditty for us on our electric piano?"
I sat down, cranked up the volume, and let loose with a fast swinging 12 bar blues, in ascending keys, then I added a walking bass line, which morphed into a fast stride piano Fats Waller presentation using all ten fingers. I could see their eyes bug out and their jaws drop. They had never heard anything like that before.
The band members forgot all about the girls, picked up their instruments and started to jam with me. When we finished, they asked me to come to the club the next night and play with them, and offered me the keyboard gig if I wanted to be in their pop band.
I told them "no, the Partridge Family should remain the only band where a mom plays with the youngsters." It's funny how sex and age discrimination immediately goes out the window once someone knows who you are inside. I never thought of Toots as being old, or white or European, or anything other than the wonderful musician he was, and the marvelous music he gave us.
jennifer86010
Nothing more heartbreaking and sensuous than Toots playing mouth harp. I saw him perform many times, talked with him and thanked him for his musical contributions over the years. Movie scores, commercials, concerts, recordings...Toots did it all, and he was a "One of a Kind" in the whole world. The Best ! After he retired and was near the the end of his long road, I wrote his manager to tell Toots how much the world loves him and we always will.
HeyYouGuys!
@jennifer86010. How lucky you were to have experienced Toots’ live music so many times!
DBM brian
Agree Jennifer. You have superlative taste in music. For Toots, I would like to add to your description of his playing the following: charm, super talent, total feeling for the melody line, humor, "cool dudeness" and continual suprising notes, unexpected licks that even bring smiles to Quincy Jones who's heard it all. Lastly, a humble soul look and listen to 5:00 to 5:03. He's saying "look at what music can happen" not "look what I can do." I always appreciated his talent for that.
jennifer86010
@DBM brian Thank you for your comment !! Yes, from 5:00 until the end of the piece, Toots was freely improvising, but his soulful blues statement was how he played off of Quincy. It was fitting and spontaneous, but also a universal statement
that expressive soul is not exclusively owned by any particular race. I've recently seen some amazing YouTube videos titled "Young black girls listen to Tom Jones" or "Young black men listening to the Righteous Brothers" or titles to that effect.
Since these listeners are young, they have never heard of or seen these artists, so their reactions are hilarious, when they discover these singers are not black.
Another video is a young black man listening to the "Bee Gees" , seeing them for the first time, thinking they were black singers all along. It's worth watching these fun videos to see their reactions, and the empathy they end up giving to the much older white singers.
As a jazz pianist, I have played in many parts of the world, and I learned years ago that soul, expressiveness, depth, passion and musical skill, belong to all people, regardless of race, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, and even age !!
One of my best moments came when I had been the middle aged driver for my niece and her friends for their drinking and music club night. After the last band played, one of its members saw me sitting in the car waiting for the twenty something kids to pile into the car.
"Hi ma'm , I guess you are waiting to pick up your niece and friends....'hope we are not keeping you up too late." After the kids got into the car, they asked me to drop them off at the band's apartment which I did for an after-gig get-together.
I waited outside for about an hour and then slowly came up the stairs to collect my niece and her friends. When I entered, the room got quiet, and the pot smoke started to clear.
"Ma'm, I hear you play a bit of piano yourself, the smug polite youngster said. I replied, "Well, yes, I do." "Would you like to play a little ditty for us on our electric piano?"
I sat down, cranked up the volume, and let loose with a fast swinging 12 bar blues, in ascending keys, then I added a walking bass line, which morphed into a fast stride piano Fats Waller presentation using all ten fingers. I could see their eyes bug out and their jaws drop. They had never heard anything like that before.
The band members forgot all about the girls, picked up their instruments and started to jam with me. When we finished, they asked me to come to the club the next night and play with them, and offered me the keyboard gig if I wanted to be in their pop band.
I told them "no, the Partridge Family should remain the only band where a mom plays with the youngsters." It's funny how sex and age discrimination immediately goes out the window once someone knows who you are inside. I never thought of Toots as being old, or white or European, or anything other than the wonderful musician he was, and the marvelous music he gave us.
Caroline Ward
I'm glad you told him how he was appreciated. I can apon him late. He's wonderful. I've lived a sheltered life and by way of spotify it's opened up a world of music i could'nt have known. How lucky you are to have seen him let alone talk to him 🌹
Joanne Hines
These TWO MUSICAL GIANTS were the GREATEST of LIFELONG FRIENDS!! Continue to RIHP " Toots", Harmonica Maestro!! 💘 👼 🎶 🙏🎼
W I L L . S K E T C H E S . M U S I C
Toots could evoke the same emotions from his instrument as Miles Davis did with the trumpet. Those beautiful melody lines. As a musician, I think this is the pinnacle of improvisation. The ability to create beautiful melodies without sounding like they are being dictated by the underlying harmony.
Florian Wolf
What a wonderful sound, I’ll never get enough of it. Thank you Toots & Quincy, just a dream combination !
Dogsen
A tear for Toots...what a great en gentle man..absolute genius. Thank you Toots.
Michele Bensen
RIP, there is no one like Toots, he will be remembered forever!