What You Is - Robyn Hitchcock, The Venus 3

You might have been a villain

With a capital V

You might have had a plane to catch

And left your family

It doesn’t matter what you was

It’s what you is

And what you is

Is what you are

You might have been a midwife

Trying to help somebody in

You might have been a Cardinal

With an A to Zed of skin

Open up your window…

…honey let me in

You might have been Columbia

Releasing orange 45s

(Hot As Steeeeeeeel)

You might have been the empress bee

In her furry little hive

(Buzz Buzz)

All the other bees:

It doesn’t matter what you was

It’s what you is

And what you is

Is what you are

Well you’ve got to come from somewhere

But you don’t have to go back there…

…anymore

Hey!

You might have been the police

Knock knock knocking at the door

You might have been a nice young man

On a nice young floor

It doesn’t matter what you was

It’s what you is

And what you is

Is what you are

One more, yeah

It doesn’t matter what you was

Or what you is

And what you is

Is what you are

You might be looking innocent

Mmmm… deep inside you’re not

You might be feeling guilty

Just a little not a lot

It doesn’t matter what you was

It’s what you is

And what you is

Is what you are

Yeah!

Hey… hey, hey

Hey… hey, hey

Hey… hey, hey

Hey, hey