Lyrics for I've Seen All Good People: Your Move/All... as interpreted by Nelly

I've Seen All Good People: Your Move/All... Lyrics
I've seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I'm on my way.
I've seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I'm on my way.

Take a straight and stronger course to the corner of your life.
Make the white queen run so fast she hasn't got time to make you wise.

Cause it's time, is time in time with your time and its news is captured
For the queen to use.
Move me on to any black square,
Use me any time you want,
Just remember that the goal
Is for us all to capture all we want.
Yea, yea, yea.

Don't surround yourself with yourself,
Move on back two squares,
Send an instant karma to me,
Initial it with loving care
Don't surround
Yourself.

Cause it's time, it's time in time with your time and its news is captured
For the queen to use.
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda.
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit Don't surround
Didda. Yourself with yourself.
Don't surround yourself with yourself, Don't surround yourself.
Move on back two squares,
Send an instant karma to me, send an instant
Initial it with loving care Comment to me. Don't surround Yourself.

Cause it's time, it's time in time with your time and its news is captured
For the queen to use.
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda.
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda.
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda.
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda.

Cause it's time, it's time in time with your time and its news is captured.
---
"I've Seen All Good People: Your Move/All Good People" as written by Jon Anderson, Chris Squire
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powerd by LyricFind



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KirstenDanielle
06-18-2002

 Rated  0 
I saw a color guard do a rutine to this song once. Just thought I'd say that.

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MrMojoRisin5552
07-22-2002

 Rated  0 
Listening to this song while clam-baking a car with my two best friends was one of the best experiences of my life, and has changed me forever. This song is amazing.
I'm not sure what it's about. If I had to guess I'd say it's about living a quality life... "straight and stronger course" "don't surround yourself with yourself" Time is also a heavy theme in the song. Otherwise I'm confused. Whatever, it's a great song

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1 Reply  · 
Bojian
07-23-2002

 Rated  +1 
As far as I can tell, it's about chess tactics. I think the lyrics are told from the perspective of a black bishop, since there's reference to making the "White Queen run so fast" and also "Move me onto any black square". 'He' is singing to either the Black King or Queen, because he sings "Don't surround yourself with yourself" - the second 'yourself' being the army of pawns or the body politic. I think it's more likely the Queen, since it's the Queen's mobility that is her greatest strength. If she were surrounded by pawns, she would be hampered, whereas the King needs all the protection he can get. That's my best guess...

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AeroLed286
04-03-2003

 Rated  +1 
Who would write a song about chess? Yeah, ProgRock is supposed to be for the smart people, but nah, I don't think chess. There are refrences to chess, but the song is probably more about a life situation using metaphors with chess. Don't make a Wall around yourself. I'm not really totally sure what the lyrics mean, and I'm probably wrong. Beautiful song though.

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1 Reply  · 
lara311
05-09-2003

 Rated  0 
The situation he is reffering to is a relationship- and being used by someone else.

"I've seen all good people turn their heads"- it's about being turning the other cheek when they know they should do something to help.

"Don't surround yourself with yourself"- don't be self-centered or selfish.

"Send an instant comment to me, initial it with loving care, don't surround Yourself." - stop being selfish, let someone know how you feel, let them know your true feelings, etc.

At least that's what it means to me...

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cakeladycasey
04-14-2004

 Rated  0 
it's "instant karma", not "instant comment". awesome song, it's the one that turned me onto this band.

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LP
04-16-2004

 Rated  0 
I agree with Bojian's comments about chess. He is also correct about the general tactics of chess. Though I am sure that they are being used metaphorically, as AeroLed286 stated. I guess we see what we connect with the most.

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bimOlicious
05-18-2004

 Rated  0 
wow i dont' think there is one translation that i dont' think it could be. i think the part "I've seen all good people turn their heads each day
so satisfied I'm on my way." is like what lara311 said, but the so satisfied i'm on my way is like but i don't really pay attention to it because i have my own faults too. its basically a song about where you place yourself in life. not to be selfish, and not to be critical of other people. i think there was a verse in proverbs about not judging other people for the speck in their eye for you have a board in your own. something like that. move on back from yourself and look around at whats around you, notice the people and send them loving messages. don't do it later or say that you haven't cause we all can improve, so thats why "'Cause it's time, is time in time with your time". like a do it now sort of thing.

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Mahakala
05-27-2004

 Rated  +1 
I was really hooked on this song a couple of weeks ago, and I was talking to my dad about music in general and he brought up this song as well. He said he used to get real drunk and drive home listening to this, and he'd always wait until it finished before he got out the car and went to bed, and that would complete the night for him. It's truly a beautiful song, and will be etched upon my memory as long as it has been on my dad's

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SongMeaningGuy
06-10-2004

 Rated  0 
It's "Send an instant comet to me," not "comment" or "karma."

Also, it's "...she hasn't got time to make you a wife," not "...to make you wise."

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Mahakala
06-26-2004

 Rated  0 
It's karma in the CD lyric booklet, and while I've seen some pretty poor CD lyrics (think black sabbath) I'm gonna trust it and think of it as karma.

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tooloud
10-14-2004

 Rated  0 
I believe it to be one of the earliest pro-feminist songs sung by a male group. Life is a game of chess... let the women play too. It was a relevant thought in 1971. Seems quaint today.

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forum727
10-31-2004

 Rated  0 
One day after this song was played on the radio, the radio dick jockey said this song was an Anti-war song. It makes sense to me, after all, if you listen closely in the background, it says at one point, "all we are are saying is give peace a chance"

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1 Reply  · 
maharishi
01-04-2005

 Rated  +1 
This song contains two quotes from John Lennon songs:

1. "Instant Karma"

2. "All we are saying, is Give Peace a Chance"

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bigfatder3
02-18-2005

 Rated  +1 
It would be hard to deny the chess metaphor. The song mentions queens and squares, sometimes of white and black color, as well as "capture." It's unlikely these would all appear repeatedly in a song as a coincidence. From a chess perspective then, the lines "Don't surround yourself with yourself / Move on back two squares" could be referring to the king. In a special chess move, the king can move two squares, switching sides with the rook, which effectively makes the king isolated in the corner (by itself). The song seems to be warning the king (or boss, leader, whoever) against this. The vocals seem to come from the bishop (only moves on black squares), as someone already mentioned. He's telling the king or player to use him as he'd wish, but keep in mind that his purpose is to capture all he can, or get as much out of life, etc. Seems to be a song directed at those in charge.

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acrosstheuniverse
04-16-2005

 Rated  0 
chess = great game.
othello as well. try it.

otherwise, great song that i can listen to 50,977,006 times in a row.
best part is when it gets fffffffffast. the change sorta reminds me of boston's let me take you home tonight.

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whapcapn
05-02-2005

 Rated  0 
I can't argue that it seems to be about chess. It might be about something else, I suppose. I can't really be bothered to thematically anylase Yes songs in detail; I'm always too busy doing that to Pink Floyd and Radiohead :D

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kailkay
08-30-2005

 Rated  0 
No, I do believe this song is all about the non-War thing. Definitely anti-War.

Well, in my opinion anyways. Just, the reference to "Give Peace a Chance" at the end, as well as people turning their heads, and the one being satisfied heading forth...

It would have been directed, then, at Nam, but I think it's a really good anti-War song that could be used for the War in Iraq... After all, many americans are blindly averting their eyes to the war crimes George W. Bush has already commited just by starting an illegal war.

Sad, isn't it, that such a beautiful and poetic song can have such an undertone. Well, not really sad. Certainly inspiring!

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findsomepeace
09-07-2005

 Rated  0 
just a fun comment, i love this song, it's totally true about 'don't surround yourself with yourself' because my dad is pretty good at chess and yet i can beat him if early in the game i put him in checkmate before he has freed up any squares for his king to move into. basically, that's the easiest way to beat someone at chess.

yeah, this song was the first Yes song i really listened to and liked. they're an awesome group.

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w4nn4b3p07h34d
10-05-2005

 Rated  0 
It seems to make a lot of sense that this is an anti-war song. Chess is supposed to represent medieval war (with the goal to capture and kill the enemy's king), and so the chess-war metaphor holds a lot of weight. On that note, it seems to be written from the perspective of a soldier on the battlefield ("Move me on to any black square/ Use me any time you want") who is opposed to the war ("Don't surround yourself with yourself" - listen to dissidents and protesters, not just your advisors, and "Move on back two squares" - start pulling troops out). Just a thought.

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bugmenot
12-14-2005

 Rated  0 
AeroLed - it's called a "metaphor" - it means using something else as an analogy to draw comparisons and make a point. So while the song appears to be about chess, it's really about something else.. I don't think you have a good grasp on ProgRock.

oh and maharishi - this song came out long before Lennon's "Instant Karma" was released...

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ProgPirate
12-31-2005

 Rated  0 
It definitely sounds like he's saying instant karma and even the lyrics on the official Yes site say so.
And the "give peace a chance" bit doesn't surprise me since I know Yes were highly influenced by The Beatles.

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Bojian
01-03-2006

 Rated  0 
Interesting to read some of the remarks concerning this song. I'm entirely open to the suggestion that the chess scenario is a metaphor and this is what I actually think is the case, but with 'Yes', who knows?

It may well be an anti-war song and the 'Instant kharma' and 'Give peace a chance' references seem to be both tribute to John Lennon and an echo of his anti-war stance. According to Lennon's discography, the former was released in February 1970 and the latter in July 1969, so they both pre-dated the Yes song by at least a year.

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bunchie
01-15-2006

 Rated  0 
It is about LIFE, and how you live it. By the way this part: Make the white queen run so fast she hasn't got time to make you wise.
Is wrong above.
it is....Make the white queen run so fast she hasn't got time to make you A WIFE.

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omgitsn1cole
03-13-2006

 Rated  0 
I heard that Jon anderson wrote this song after having an acid trip about life being like a game of chess. This is an anti-war song: The term "I've seen all good people" is ALL the people, including the so-called enemy.
The line, "Don't surround yourself with yourself" refers to self-righteous behavior; "Move on back two squares" is a chess term meaning to retreat and rethink your position. The lyrics also refer to the queen, which is the most versatile and powerful chess piece. It talks about how news is captured for use by the queen, which uses forces to take control and manipulate troops against the enemy. War is like a game of chess.
This song references "Instant Karma" which was a song recorded by John Lennon a year earlier.
The lines: "Just remember that the gold is for us to capture all we want, anywhere, Yea, yea, yea" refers to the rich and powerful victimizing the weak and poor. The US was taken off the Gold standard by Richard Nixon August 15, 1971 the same year this was released.

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