Lyrics Seen and Not Seen - 2005 Remaster - Talking Heads

He would see faces in movies, on TV
In magazines and in books
He thought that some of these faces might be right for him
And that through the years
By keeping 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 may 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
That they had also molded their faces according to some ideal
Maybe they imagined they imagined their new face
Would better suit their personality
Or maybe they imagined that their personality
Would be forced to change, to fit the new appearance
This is why first impressions are often correct

Although some people might have made mistakes
They might have arrived to an appearance that bears no relationship to them
They might have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish whim
Or a 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