Talk:I've Seen All Good People

Latest comment: 1 year ago by Jayron32 in topic Robert Christgau

OR edit

", but could also be seen as a piece comparing life itself to the game of chess. It is also considered an anti-war song. For example, the lyric "Don't surround yourself with yourself" is a reference to self-righteous entities, and the song discusses how news is captured by the queen to manipulate troops against enemies, a criticism of the Vietnam War of the time. [citation needed]" --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) 04:38, 25 September 2007 (UTC)Reply

The first chunk of that, chess strategy as a symbol for life strategy, is pretty blatantly obvious. The rest definitely needs citation. --75.161.84.72 (talk) 07:05, 22 November 2007 (UTC)Reply
I've removed the Bishop interpretation, and just included a couple of chess-descriptive lyrics instead. "Move me on to any black square" may be a description of a Black Bishop's domain, but the deeper meanings go beyond that and would be speculative. Wdfarmer (talk) 07:21, 29 January 2008 (UTC)Reply

Doesn't he sing "move on back TO squares" ? Like, get back into the game? 207.118.38.234 (talk) 06:25, 21 November 2012 (UTC) ArkmabatReply

I believe that it is "TWO" squares, not "TO" squares. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 04:34, 29 June 2015 (UTC)Reply

Image copyright problem with Image:The yes album.jpg edit

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first half. edit

what's the instrument that steve howe is playing during the first part of this song? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.251.196.249 (talk) 22:39, 19 December 2008 (UTC)Reply

It's a guitar. 76.111.67.200 (talk) 02:57, 11 January 2009 (UTC)Reply
Steve Howe writes on his own website:
"This Portuguese guitar came to me via my sister Stella who bought it for me in the ‘60s. She went to Spain and found that little guitar and brought it back and she said, ‘I bought you’re a Spanish guitar,’ and I saw the case and said I don’t think so. And she said, ‘No, it’s a Spanish guitar, I bought it in Spain for you,’ and pulled it out, and not wishing to diffuse my joy at seeing the guitar my only dilemma was that this wasn’t a Spanish guitar, it was later I’d discovered it’s actually a Portuguese guitar, and yes, I play it on a lot of songs, on more songs than I use on stage, but I use it on stage for ‘Your Move’ and ‘Wonderous Stories’. It’s also on TOPOGRAPHIC and ‘And You And I’, it’s coloring and jangling along with other guitars in numerous other occasions, even on some of my solo projects."
Others say that it is actually a Spanish laud, a 12-string instrument usually tuned differently than a guitar. In this clip from the movie Yessongs, Howe plays a laud. If you stop the clip at 1:55–1:56, it's clearly a 12-string. In this video of Howe playing the opening of "Your Move", he uses a standard acoustic guitar. — Walloon (talk) 06:40, 12 April 2010 (UTC)Reply
I don't know who last edited the article, but it looks like a pile of original research. Claiming that the end of the first half features a pipe organ? Sounds more like a Hammond organ. A pipe organ has a distinct cadence and timbre, and those organ chords don't have it. Kinda like the assumption of the laúd versus the "Portuguese guitar".
71.241.94.75 (talk) 08:43, 19 June 2010 (UTC)Reply

Single release edit

This was a single in the US and other countries, so maybe this should be listed as such? This was Yes's first Top 40 hit in the US. Sposato (talk) 00:49, 23 December 2008 (UTC)Reply

Instant Karma? edit

There seems to be some confusion as to whether this should be "Instant Karma" or "instant comment." Unfortunately I don't have any official source of lyrics for this song, so I'm just looking at web pages, which seem to list both. On the one hand, "Instant Karma" is a reference to John Lennon. The problem is that grammatically speaking, you would not use an article before instant karma (it would be "send instant karma," not "send 'an' instant karma"). Also, it seems more likely that you would initial an instant comment with loving care, which is the next line of the song.

Also, does anyone know what "don't surround yourself with yourself" means? Is this a chess term, or is it just saying that you shouldn't surround yourself with like-minded people? Phil Bastian (talk) 20:22, 23 February 2009 (UTC)Reply

Its definatly 'instant Karma' on the lyrics of the CD release in the booklet. Gramatically it dons't make much sense though. Phillipmorantking (talk) 11:16, 10 March 2009 (UTC)Reply

Well known edit

While I will not dispute the claim that the song is well known, I was shocked to discover that while it remained on the Billboard Hot 100 list for 14 weeks, at its peak it barely squeaked into the Top 40 (at #40). JH443 (talk) 17:43, 12 June 2009 (UTC)Reply

What does the repeated sentence mean? edit

"I've seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I'm on my way" is an oddly phrased sentence. I thought I was misunderstanding the lyrics, but according to this article, they're exactly as I heard them. I thought maybe I'd find an explanation here, but there is none; does anyone know if Jon Anderson or anyone else involved has given an explanation in an interview (or maybe there are liner notes)? B7T (talk) 02:23, 16 October 2009 (UTC)Reply

I think he's trying to say that good people are positive and self-motivating. 207.118.38.234 (talk) 05:55, 21 November 2012 (UTC) ArkmabatReply

"Give me some time"? edit

The information here says that "All we are saying is give peace a chance" is not the lyrics to the chorus at the end of Your Move, but that the lyrics are "All we are saying is give me some time." The words 'peace a chance' and 'me some time' don't in any way even sound similar, and no matter how many times I listen to it... it still sounds like 'give peace a chance.' Is there any documentation to back up the claim? Has anyone ever asked Jon Anderson or Chris Squire? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rainforester (talkcontribs) 12:44, 4 September 2010 (UTC)Reply

removed. — goethean 13:01, 4 September 2010 (UTC)Reply

Not only do they sing "all we are saying, is give peace a chance," but they sing it to the tune of the Lennon song. I'm not sure why there is confusion, unless it is the power of suggestion. 65.32.51.234 (talk) 01:52, 13 January 2011 (UTC)Reply

Maybe the power of trolling. I found a cite IHeardFromBob (I Heard From You)(contribs) 15:20, 10 March 2011 (UTC)Reply

Editorializing edit

There's some weird editorializing ("This is the opposite of what we were taught" etc.) in the "Structure and Lyrics" section. This is not appropriate for an encyclopedia, but how to make it more appropriate? Beggarsbanquet (talk) 00:51, 6 November 2012 (UTC)Reply

This might be an unsourced quote by a Yes member when commenting on the song. --The Evil IP address (talk) 20:28, 8 April 2013 (UTC)Reply

Albums edit

I'm pretty sure I saw this song on Yessongs. Why is my edit being reverted? — Preceding unsigned comment added by TarkusELP (talkcontribs)

Because the whole rest of your edit introduced factual errors. Note to everyone else: I've blocked this account as vandalism-only, but it appears it's actually true about Yessongs, so if anyone with interest/knowledge wants to re-add that one part, feel free. --Floquenbeam (talk) 16:09, 12 May 2017 (UTC)Reply

Robert Christgau edit

Given how he's generally not a fan of prog and has rated a seminal album like Close to the Edge a C+, it's a bit odd that his faint praise of this song gets mentioned twice in the article. Wouldn't one time suffice? Jules TH 16 (talk) 17:22, 25 May 2022 (UTC)Reply

WP:SOFIXIT. --Jayron32 17:23, 25 May 2022 (UTC)Reply