The Laughing Game by Ted Egan Lyrics
[Intro]
I have a friend who's blind
And he said to me
When people talk I can tell a lot about their accents
And where they come from and how old they are
But when people laugh
They all sound exactly the same
[Verse 1]
When you travel round the world
People are so different
Different sizes, colours, shapes
No two quite the same
All those different languages
We cannot understand
But it doesn't matter
If we play the laughing game
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game
[Verse 2]
In Tokyo, you go "ho, ho, ho"
In Greece, you say "ti kanis"
English drink their tea
The French wear no pyjamas
Have a nice day, "hey", in the U.S. of A
A giggle in Venezuela
Laugh "ha, ha" with kookaburra
Whenever you're in Australia
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game
[Verse 3]
Laughs are free in Fiji
And in Bulolo
Chinese say "ni hao ma"
To Marco Polo
In Germany its "rapa pa"
In Wales, they all say "iechyd da"
North, south, east, west
Near and far
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game
[Verse 4]
Oh, the Pitjantjatjara say "ha, ha"
Whenever they're in Sumatra
Whoopi Goldberg, when she laughs
Sounds like Frank Sinatra
In Italia, "¿cómo estás?"
In España, say "¡hola!"
Funiculì, Funiculà
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game
And this is how you play it!
[Bridge]
You start with a "ha, ha, ha, ha, ha"
And you go to a "ho, ho, ho"
Then cut to a "tee, hee, hee, hee, hee
Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee", and
This might sound absurd
But you can take my word
Every person in the world
Sounds like you and me
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game, yes!
Everyone can play the laughing game
Ba dum, ba dum bum, woo!
I have a friend who's blind
And he said to me
When people talk I can tell a lot about their accents
And where they come from and how old they are
But when people laugh
They all sound exactly the same
[Verse 1]
When you travel round the world
People are so different
Different sizes, colours, shapes
No two quite the same
All those different languages
We cannot understand
But it doesn't matter
If we play the laughing game
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game
[Verse 2]
In Tokyo, you go "ho, ho, ho"
In Greece, you say "ti kanis"
English drink their tea
The French wear no pyjamas
Have a nice day, "hey", in the U.S. of A
A giggle in Venezuela
Laugh "ha, ha" with kookaburra
Whenever you're in Australia
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game
[Verse 3]
Laughs are free in Fiji
And in Bulolo
Chinese say "ni hao ma"
To Marco Polo
In Germany its "rapa pa"
In Wales, they all say "iechyd da"
North, south, east, west
Near and far
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game
[Verse 4]
Oh, the Pitjantjatjara say "ha, ha"
Whenever they're in Sumatra
Whoopi Goldberg, when she laughs
Sounds like Frank Sinatra
In Italia, "¿cómo estás?"
In España, say "¡hola!"
Funiculì, Funiculà
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game
And this is how you play it!
[Bridge]
You start with a "ha, ha, ha, ha, ha"
And you go to a "ho, ho, ho"
Then cut to a "tee, hee, hee, hee, hee
Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee", and
This might sound absurd
But you can take my word
Every person in the world
Sounds like you and me
[Chorus]
'Cause it doesn't matter who you are
And it doesn't matter where you come from (opa!)
When we laugh, we all sound just the same
Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor
In a crowd or on your lonesome (opa!)
Everyone can play the laughing game, yes!
Everyone can play the laughing game
Ba dum, ba dum bum, woo!