Sing Joy Spring Lyrics - Singles - Manhattan Transfer

We sing a spring 

(Sing joy spring) 

A rare and most mysterious spring 

(This most occult thing) 

Is buried deep in the soul 

(It's story never has been told) 

The joy spring, the fountain of pleasure 

Is deep inside you whether you're diggin' it or not 

Once you're aware of this spring 

You'll know that it's the greatest 

Treasure you've got 

And furthermore 

The joy spring, the bounteous treasure 

Cannot be bartered away and never 

Can be sold 

Nothing can take it from you 

It's yours and yours alone to have 

And to hold 

And something more: 

It never is lost to fire or theft 

It's always around 

When trouble is gone the pleasure 

Is left I've always found 

It's burglar-proof same as the treasure 

Man lays up in heaven worth a 

Price no one can measure 

that says a lot 

So joy spring this fountain of pleasure 

That's deep inside you let me inform 

You in all truth *(to Coda second time) 

Ponce de Leon sought this 

When he was searchin' for the fountain of youth 

Ol' Ponce de Leon laughed so much he 

Never did find the magic fountain 

But many people with a well-adjusted 

Spirit they could hear it when y'told 

'em it was there tellin' them was 

Like tellin' it on the mountain 

It's quite a life havin' the gift of 

laughter I'm a man who knows in a 

minute I can tell y'just exactly how the story goes 

It involves a firm conviction in another 

previous life givin' your mind a chance to fly 

Fly aroun' the universe investigatin' other 

galaxies n' certain other subtle 

types o'life tryin' t'dig it gettin' 

pretty well-acquainted with a lot of 

other strife an' pretty much acquirin' 

yourself plenty of education 

pretty soon here comes earth birth 

'n then y'ready t'put it all t'work 

but soon as you're finished bein' born 

you start forgettin' what you knew 

'Cause you're another kinda you - a 

reincarnation manifestation 

of spirit in sensation 

Y'really got that right 

The average person isn't bright 

not so bright that they recall the fatal fall 

down here t' this earth 

their minds disguise their death to spirit 

life and call it birth 

that's their reason for forgetting and they 

find it very upsetting when reminded 

tell 'em they've lived before 

They'll show y' the nearest open door 

Gotta have feelin' while dealin' with 

walkers in their sleep 

they can't imagine somethin' as deep 

Here they come - here they come - there they are 

Unimaginative and ignorant of falling from a star 

Here they come - there they are - there they go 

Life is over in a minute an' they never dug 

it in it or enjoy a minute of it 

'cause they put too much above it 

that was gross 

somethin' that was worth a couple bucks 

at mos' 

So there is the reason that the maker of man 

included there in his plan 

A certain fountain deep within' 

where there was laughter, youth 'n gold 

for human beings t'have 'n hold 

'n share the memory of where we've all been 

Brothers called Grimm knew chances were slim' 

Anybody would dig that the human soul 

was Snow White 

and the Seven Dwarfs were seven tempers 

in man 

whose digging out the gold completes 

the plan 

An Bacon was hip that Shakespeare 

couldn't read 

and so he gave him all the rhymes 

that have lasted through the years 

and kept eternal truths alive through 

several centuries 

That's how we know them now 

they lasted 'cause they're true 

What was it from "MacBeth?" 

"Life's but a walking shadow 

a player poor 

that struts and frets upon the stage 

and's seen no more 

A tale that truly has an idiotic ring 

That's full of lotsa sound and fury 

signifying nothing..." 

That's right signifying nothing 

I'll repeat it! Nothing 

Don't forget it - Nothing 

And that's the reason for that spring 

of joy 

That the Father put inside of every 

single girl and boy 

Show time! Everyone's on 

let's hit the stage 

It's show time everyone an' proceed 

to act your age 

Whatever you're frownin' at is funny 

enough f'laughin' 

so you're wastin' all your humor on a frown 

While you're bringin' your spirit down 

You gotta book yourself a comic in your act 

without some laughter life's a maudlin 

farce 'n that's a fact 

Once you know about the spring you always can smile 

It becomes your one expression 

and you're always wearin' it like the 

Buddhas do 

(Repeat Intro to *) 

(Coda) 

Ponce de Leon sought this 

When he was searchin' 

for the fountain of youth 

I say in truth he 

sought a magical thing 

For he was searchin' 

for the joy spring