Nemo James

The Wrong Question

Song Not Yet Released

You ask me if it’s yes or no
No in-between or room to grow
It’s the same old story time after time
Will half a dozen be enough
Or maybe six is just the stuff
To sit and wait or stand in line

You’ll find all the answers
In the questions you don’t ask
In that place that lies between black and white
The clues are somewhere hiding
In what has come to pass
But you choose to keep them from the light

Chorus
It’s the wrong question that you’re asking me
It will give the answer how you want it to be
You twist all the words to get what you want
So you get the answer you chose all along

Should it be the birch or whip
Or token words that fail to grip
The choice is ours if it can be found
Is it best to stay or leave
Which fairy tale do we believe
Is it best to jump or to be drowned

Hobson, you were a devious man
You always got your way
Today the choices still remain the same
You make our minds up long before
We get our final say
Then take the credit or pass on all the blame

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG

Thomas Hobson was a livery stable owner born in 1544. When customers came to him to buy a horse, he gave them two choices, you can either take the horse nearest the door, or you can take nothing. In other words, you have no choice.

Over five hundred years later, those in authority still use the same technique to get what they want. Your town council wants to dig up a park, and in its place, they give you the choice of an office block or a shopping mall. Everyone wants to keep the park, but that is not one of the choices. People hate the shopping mall slightly less than they hate the office block, so they vote for the shopping mall. When complaints are made, those in authority say they are only doing what the people voted for.