Vonnegut's remix of 'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)
In "The Sirens of Titan" Kurt Vonnegut restated and elaborate the philosophy of Sy Oliver and Trummy Young
In 1939 Ella Fitzgerald sang on the original recording of 'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It).
When I was a kid about half past three
My ma said, "Daughter, come here to me"
Says, "Things may come and things may go
But this is one thing you ought to know"Oh, 'tain't what you do; it's the way that you do it
'Tain't what you do; it's the way that you do it
'Tain't what you do; it's the way that you do it
That's what gets resultsYou can try hard, don't mean a thing
Take it easy, breezy, then your jive will swingOh, it 'tain't what you do; it's the place that you do it
'Tain't what you do; it's the time that you do it
'Tain't what you do; it's the way that you do it
That's what gets resultsYou've learned your A B C's
You've learned your D F G's
But this is something you don't learn in schoolSo get your hep boots on
And then you'll carry on
But remember if you try too hard
It don't mean a thing, take it easy'Tain't what bring do; it's the way that you bring it
'Tain't what swing do; it's the way that you swing it
'Tain't what sing do; it's the way that you sing it
That's what gets results
In The Sirens of Titan, the 1959 novel by Kurt Vonnegut, Salo, a robot from a far-away planet, was stranded on Titan, the moon of Saturn, over 2 million years prior. While waiting for assistance from his home world, he closely observed the goings on on the surface of planet Earth and eventually became so fascinated by the humans that he started making sculptures of them.
Salo was inspired to make so many statues by the showy ways in which Earthlings behaved. It wasn't so much what the Earthlings did as the way they did it that inspired Salo.
The Earthlings behaved at all times as though there were a big eye in the sky as though that big eye were ravenous for entertainment.
The big eye was a glutton for great theater. The big eye was indifferent as to whether the Earthling shows were comedy, tragedy, farce, satire, athletics, or vaudeville. Its demand, which Earthings apparently found as irresistible as gravity, was that the shows be great.
The demand was so powerful that Earthlings did almost nothing but perform for it, night and day and even in their dreams.
The big eye was the only audience that Earthlings really cared about. The fanciest performances that Salo had seen had been put on by Earthlings who were terribly alone. The imagined big eye was their only audience.
Salo, with his diamond-hard statues, had tried to preserve some of the mental states of those Earthlings who had put on the most interesting shows for the imagined big eye.