Song: Should I Laugh Or Cry
Artist: ABBA
Album: The Visitors
Year: 1981

Lyrics

He stands towering over me beside my bed
Losing his head
Tells me I must take him seriously
Droning on, the usual way, he's such a clever guy
Then I wonder, should I laugh or cry?

He's dressed in the striped pyjamas that I bought
Trousers too short
Gives me of his small philosophy
Carries on the way he does, and me I get so tired
And I wonder, should I laugh or cry?

High and mighty his banner flies
A fool's pride in his eyes
Standing there on his toes to grow in size (All I see is...)
All I see is a big balloon
Halfway up to the moon
He's wrapped up in the warm and safe cocoon
Of an eternal lie
So should I laugh or cry?

Strange how dangerously indifferent I have grown
Cold as a stone
No more pain where there was pain before
Far away he rambles on, I feel my throat go dry
And I wonder, should I laugh or cry?

High and mighty his banner flies
A fool's pride in his eyes
Standing there on his toes to grow in size (All I see is...)
All I see is a big balloon
Halfway up to the moon
He's wrapped up in the warm and safe cocoon
Of an eternal lie
So should I laugh or cry?


History

“Should I Laugh Or Cry” is an outtake from the recording sessions of ABBA’s eigth and final studio album of their original existence, The Visitors. It would appear as a B-side to the “One Of Us” single and was later included on the Thank You For The Music box set in 1994 and all remastered editions of The Visitors album.

A particularly bitter song, the lyrics flip the script onto the male side of the relationship. Rather than being the woman lamenting the loss of her love, instead, here the female figure is openly and visciously dissatisfied with the man. A key theme is apathy – the lyrics mock this male figure’s ego as little more than a “big balloon” that leaves the woman unsure if she should laugh at him, or cry because the relationship has failed.

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