Play on Demand

The sense that you just have to go on living
See?
That life is a 'must'
When you say to anything spontaneous
See, life is spontaneous
It happens-in the words of the Taoists
Zìrán (自然)
Which means "of itself so"
That's the Chinese expression [C7]for [Dm7]nature
What happens by itself
What isn't pushed
But it just pops up, you [A7see?
You came into [C7]being
It happening in a kind of a - plop -way
Like that, see?
Now, you [A7can't tell that process
"You ought to [C7]happen! You must happen!"
Because that puts a bind on [C7]it
In the same way as when you [A7have little child,
And all [Em]the ɾelatives have come to [C7]a party on [C7]Thanksgiving,
And you [A7put the child in the middle of all [Em]the ɾelatives
And say, "Now, dear, play!"

Now, dear
Play
Now, dear
Play
Play on [C7]demand
Play on [C7]demand
Play on [C7]demand
Play
Now, dear
Play
Now, dear
Play
Play on [C7]demand
Play on [C7]demand
Play on [C7]demand
Play

See?
It absolutely bugs the child to [C7]do it like [F]that
And so this is the problem [A]for [Dm7]every artist
Because an artist is a man who makes his living by playing
Whether he's dancing, or painting, or playing music
Or whatever it is
And he has to [C7]overcome this problem
He has to [C7]know how to [C7]play in public
At a given time on [C7]an appointment
See?
And that's not an easy thing to [C7]learn
But when you [A7catch on [C7]to [C7]the tɾick of it
You can do it
To play on [C7]demand
That's the hardest lesson [C7]of life
To contɾive
What is called by my [A]Japanese artist friend Saburo Hasegawa
A contɾolled accident

Now, dear
Play
Now, dear
Play
Play on [C7]demand
Play on [C7]demand
Play on [C7]demand
Play
Now, dear
Play
Now, dear
Play
Play on [C7]demand
Play on [C7]demand
Play on [C7]demand
Play