seen and not seen

Singer:talking heads

he would see faces in movies

on t.v. in magazines

and in books. he thought that some of these faces might be right for him.and

through the years

by keeing an ideal facial structure fixed in his

mind.or somewhere in the back of his mind.that he might

by

force of will

cause his face to approach those of his ideal.the

change would be very subtle.it might take ten years or so. gradually his face would change its' shape.a more hooked nose. wider

thinner lips.beady eyes.a larger forehead. he imagined that this was an ability he shared with most other

people.they had also molded their faced according to some

ideal.maybe they imagined that their new face would better

suit their personality.or maybe they imagined that their

personality would be forced to change to fit the new appear-

ance.this is why first impressions are often correct. although some people might have made mistakes.they may have

arrived at an appearance that bears no relationship to them. they may have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish

whim

or momentary impulse.some may have gotten half-way

there

and then changed their minds. he wonders if he too might have made a similar mistake.

Lyric Context: seen and not seen - talking heads