Convincing People
Throbbing Gristle Lyrics


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There was never a way
And there's never a day
To convince people
You can play their game
You can say their name

But you won't convince people
There's several ways
There's several ways
To convince people

It's the name of the game
It's the game of the name
Convincing people
Convincing people

There's several ways
There's several ways
To convince people
And there's several days
And there's never a way
To convince people

There's one way though
That you'll never convince people
And that's when you try
To be someone

Who's not telling
And who's trying to compel
Who's trying to tell you
What you ought to be
Convinced of

So there's several ways
And there's several days
To convince your people
And you are the people

Convincing people
Convincing people
There's never a way
And there's never a day
To convince people

There's several ways
There's several days
We don't want to convince people
Let me tell you

I'll tell you what I want you to do




It's no way, no way, no way
To convince people

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Throbbing Gristle's song Convincing People is a commentary on the futility of trying to convince other people of one's beliefs, values, or opinions. The song starts off with the lines, "There was never a way, and there's never a day, to convince people." This line suggests that the act of convincing people is not only impossible, but it is also pointless. The singer goes on to say "You can play their game, you can say their name, but you won't convince people." This line implies that people will not be swayed by someone who is merely imitating them or using their words without truly understanding their perspective.


The song goes on to suggest that there are several ways to convince people, but ultimately, these ways are ineffective. The line "There's one way though, that you'll never convince people, and that's when you try to be someone who's not telling" suggests that being insincere in one's message will always fall flat. The singer goes on to say "So there's several ways, and there's several days, to convince your people, and you are the people." This line implies that the only person one can truly convince is oneself.


The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Convincing people" several times over. This repetition underscores the futile and meaningless nature of trying to convince others of anything.


Overall, the song is a bleak commentary on the human condition and the limitations of communication.


Line by Line Meaning

There was never a way
There has never been a way to truly convince people


And there's never a day
There will never be a single day where convincing people will be an easy task


To convince people
To persuade someone to believe what you believe or to think the way you think


You can play their game
You can follow their rules, and play the game in a way they wanted you to


You can say their name
You can speak in their language, understanding their perspective and their needs


But you won't convince people
Despite playing by their rules and speaking their language, it doesn't mean you'll be able to convince people


There's several ways
There are many methods and strategies to persuade or convince people


It's the name of the game
Persuasion or convincing is an essential aspect and a vital objective to achieve, and the ultimate winner is the one who can convince the most people


It's the game of the name
The reputations, the image, or the identities of both the persuader and the persuaded parties have a significant impact on the convincing game


And there's several days
There are times when convincing people is possible, and there are times when it's not


There's never a way
No single method or strategy can assure the success of the persuasion process


To convince people
As stated previously, convincing people is a complex and challenging attitude to master


There's one way though
Despite there being several methods, there's only one way not to convince people


That you'll never convince people
Trying to be someone you're not, or trying to force someone to be someone they're not, will never lead to convincing people


And that's when you try
Trying to make someone believe or think something they don't believe or think is not the way to convince people


To be someone
Aiming to create an image or persona that's not genuine, honest, or authentic


Who's not telling
Hiding information or facts, being vague or unclear about intentions, goals, or objectives


And who's trying to compel
Persuading people through force, threats, or coercion


Who's trying to tell you
Someone who only wants to tell you their opinion, not interested in listening to yours


What you ought to be
Implying there is one right or best way to be or think that everyone should follow


Convinced of
Trying to make someone believe something without giving them enough information or reasons to believe it


And you are the people
We are all part of society, and we all have a role to play in the process of convincing or being convinced


We don't want to convince people
Some of us might not be interested in persuading others or being persuaded


Let me tell you
The artist is about to deliver an important message or share some personal experience or perspective


It's no way, no way, no way
The singer is determined to challenge or reject the idea of convincing people




Lyrics ยฉ Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CHRIS CARTER, COSEY FANNI TUTTI, GENESIS P-ORRIDGE, PETER MARTIN CHRISTOPHERSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@prod.matkee

There's never a way, there's never a day
To convince people
You can play their game, you can say their name
But won't convince people
There's several ways, and there's several ways
To convince people
Now you people, and we people, we've got a way
To convince people
It's the name of the game
It's the game of the name
Convincing people
Convincing people
Now there's several ways, and there's several days
To convince people
And there's several ways, there's never a way
To convince people
There's one way though, that you'll never convince people
And that's when you try, to be someone
Who's not telling and who's trying to compel
Who's trying to tell you, what you ought to be convinced of
So there's several ways, and there's several days
To convince your people, and you are the people
Convincing people
Convincing people
There's never a way, and there's never a day
To convince people
There's several ways, and there's several days
We don't want to convince people
We don't want to convince
We don't want to convince people
We don't want to convince, we don't want to convince
We don't want to convince people
Let me tell you what I want
Let me tell you what I want
I want you to do
I want you to do
I'll tell you what I want you to do
I'll tell you what I want you to do
I'll tell you what I want you to do
It's no way, no way, it's no way, it's no way
To convince people



All comments from YouTube:

@mwells219

This had to be mind blowing to hear in 1979.

@tristramshandy9100

May 26, 1979 - Northampton Guildhall. Live with Bauhaus in support. Audience of 10 people. Now that was mind-blowing!

@philippemarois5828

No shit !!! This must have been the stuff that was popular with a cult following of 20 people!! Now itโ€™s view as true visionary and the first industrial music venture ! Amazing what time can do to how we perceive music and art in general !

@JohnWWild

Well...yes, but I think we as an entire country were more open to something new and unsettling then than people are now. I used to play music like this in the shop where I worked in the '80's. I would not do that today.

@genossinwaabooz4373

@@tristramshandy9100 gtfo!!!
Those kind of moments!

@wmorris189

I think there is a bizarre misunderstanding that in the past everyone was a naive hayseed gazing with open mouthed amazement when confronted with original sounds, er no, we fucking loved them, sought them out, saw them live. So no in the 70s 80s we survived the scariness of Industrial Music and all the other great stuff of our youth, Iโ€™ll let you readers fill in your own decade.

6 More Replies...

@MarkasTZM

One of the few people in the world who I am genuinely disappointed I did not get to meet in person. One of the most under appreciated artists of the past 50 years. "I refuse to be the same." Convincing people, this song, has influenced my entire life and led me to a life of radical honesty.

@stjhnn8592

Mate dont worry, could have seen her in Berlin some years ago and didnt go :(

@raccpootonsuijuris6949

May I suggest one should focus on the gains they have instead of thee regret?
Take joy in what you have.
I take joy in knowing you and I share ideologies, und yet we have never needed to lay eyes upon each other.
Love has no boundaries, please do not empower death (loss) with your remorse.
Celebrate your knowledge bestowed upon thee.
In a silly way ov explanation, shall I regret you never meeting my raccoons?

@BroArmyCommander

This thread fucked with my head

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