Ian Dury And The Blockheads
Lyric guide

The Passing Show

Read The Passing Show lyrics by Ian Dury And The Blockheads on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Ian Dury And The Blockheads visibility12 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Ian Dury And The Blockheads Canonical path: /ian-dury-and-the-blockheads/the-passing-show Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

The Passing Show

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

When we were simple and nave

We wore our feelings on our sleeve

As we've grown jaded and corrupt

Our manner's guarded and abrupt

Oh, how we'd smile most readily

Whilst ploughing on unsteadily

Now frowns are etched upon our face

We can no longer stand the pace

Although we've got to go with the passing show

It doesn't ever mean we haven't made the scene

And what we think we know to what is really so

Is but a smithereen of what it might have been

We'd sing in gay abandon then

We'd get it wrong and try again

As here we brood with doubts assailed

Nothing ventured, nothing failed

When life itself can chart the course

Then life's the product we endorse

When circumstances tell of death

We keep our counsel, save our breath

Our laughter rang around the world

When we were happy boys and girls

As now we baulk and hesitate

Encumbrance comes to those who wait

But when we're torn from mortal coil

We leave behind a counterfoil

It's what we did and who we knew

And that's what makes this story true

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "The Passing Show"?

Ian Dury And The Blockheads performs "The Passing Show", and this lyric page sits inside the Ian Dury And The Blockheads catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "The Passing Show"?

Yes. The related section below points to Tell Your Daddy and Billericay Dickie with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Ian Dury And The Blockheads?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Ian Dury And The Blockheads's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on The Passing Show yet.