The band was formed by Dot, Betty, and Helen on the insistence of their father, Austin Wiggin, who believed that his mother foresaw their rise to stardom. The only studio album, 'Philosophy of the World', was released in 1969 and failed to garner attention, though the band continued to exist as a locally popular live act. The group disbanded in 1975 after the death of Austin.
The Shaggs have a consistent (but highly idiosyncratic) approach to melody, harmony, and rhythm. The songs use irregular verse structures, which are emphasized by the melodic structures. These typically accord one note per syllable: the guitar accompaniment attempts to reproduce this pattern as well. Most of the Shaggs material is made up of eighth- and quarter-notes.
Posthumously, the band gained notoriety and praise for their unconventional style, and lyrical honesty. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain highlighted their work for praise. Frank Zappa named 'Philosophy of the World' one of his favorite records. He even said they were "better than The Beatles." 'Philosophy of the World' was later reissued on Rounder, the label of the rock group NRBQ, and the compilation 'Shaggs' Own Thing' was released in 1982.
Philosophy of the World
The Shaggs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the poor people want what the rich people's got
And the skinny people want what the fat people's got
And the fat people want what the skinny people's got
You can never please anybody in this world
The short people want what the tall people's got
And the tall people want what the short people's got
The little kids want what the big kid's got
And the big kids want what the little kid's got
You can never please anybody in this world
Oh, the girls with short hair want long hair
And the girls with long hair want short hair
Oh, the boys with cars want motorcycles
And the boys with motorcycles want cars
You can never please anybody in this world
It doesn't matter what you do
It doesn't matter what you say
There will always be
One who wants things the opposite way
It doesn't matter where you go
It doesn't matter who you see
There will always be
Someone who disagrees
We do our best
We try to please
But we're like the rest
Whenever at ease
Oh, the rich people want what the poor people's got
And the poor people want what the rich people's got
And the skinny people want what the fat people's got
And the fat people want what the skinny people's got
You can never please anybody in this world
The Shaggs's song "Philosophy of the World" speaks to a universal truth: people are never satisfied with what they have. No matter what you do or say, there will always be someone who wants things the opposite way. The lyrics list various examples of this discontentment: rich people want what poor people have, skinny people want what fat people have, short people want what tall people have. Interestingly, the song makes no value judgments about these desires - it is simply noting that people are always searching for something they don't have.
The repetition of the line "You can never please anybody in this world" drives home the point that trying to please others or seeking satisfaction in material possessions is ultimately futile. The final lines suggest that we should stop trying to please others and simply accept ourselves as we are, acknowledging that we are just like everyone else - flawed but doing our best.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the rich people want what the poor people's got
People always want what they don't have, regardless of their social status
And the poor people want what the rich people's got
People always want what they don't have, regardless of their social status
And the skinny people want what the fat people's got
People always want what they don't have, regardless of their body type
And the fat people want what the skinny people's got
People always want what they don't have, regardless of their body type
You can never please anybody in this world
There will always be someone who wants what they don't have, making it impossible to satisfy everyone
The short people want what the tall people's got
People always want what they don't have, regardless of their height
And the tall people want what the short people's got
People always want what they don't have, regardless of their height
The little kids want what the big kid's got
People always want what they don't have, regardless of their age
And the big kids want what the little kid's got
People always want what they don't have, regardless of their age
It doesn't matter what you do
No matter what actions you take
It doesn't matter what you say
No matter what words you speak
There will always be
There is always going to exist
One who wants things the opposite way
Someone who desires the opposite of what you have or what you want
It doesn't matter where you go
No matter where you travel to
It doesn't matter who you see
No matter who you interact with
There will always be
There is always going to exist
Someone who disagrees
Someone who has a different opinion or perspective
We do our best
We try as hard as we can
We try to please
We attempt to satisfy
But we're like the rest
But we are the same as everyone else
Whenever at ease
Whenever feeling comfortable
Contributed by Lila Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
j.c.
"Whenever at ease"
might be "We're never at ease" ?
@Caustic_Window
Lyrics:
Oh, the rich people want what the poor people's got
And the poor people want what the rich people's got
And the skinny people want what the fat people's got
And the fat people want what the skinny people's got
You can never please anybody in this world
The short people want what the tall people's got
And the tall people want what the short people's got
The little kids want what the big kids got
And the big kids want what the little kids got
You can never please anybody in this world
Oh, the girls with short hair want long hair
And the girls with long hair want short hair
Oh, the boys with cars want motorcycles
And the boys with motorcycles want cars
You can never please anybody in this world
It doesn't matter what you do
It doesn't matter what you say
There will always be
One who wants things the opposite way
It doesn't matter where you go
It doesn't matter who you see
There will always be
Someone who disagrees
We do our best
We try to please
But we're like the rest
Whenever at ease
Oh, the rich people want what the poor people's got
And the poor people want what the rich people's got
And the skinny people want what the fat people's got
And the fat people want what the skinny people's got
You can never please anybody in this world
@Olhado256
This is the ultimate band for people who have heard too much music.
@HeyThisIsTommy
Earl Lemongrab hahahaha holy shit you are correct. As fuck.
@swoodboiye3053
Earl Lemongrab I agree because I’m here
@thegreathawk3659
That sentence somehow fits your profile pic perfectly
@jessica_jam4386
Earl Lemongrab yep.
@Spanishdog17
Exactly! That's why I'm here.
@3am4am
Only band talented enough to play 3 different songs at once 10/10
@sanborns
LOL!
@hijodesumatter
+TronTigerGO OMG LMAOAOAOIAOAOFOIAOHAOUFHUGHGJDKhhdfs