The Alan Parsons Project – Don’t Let It Show / It was intended to be based on the ” I, Robot” written by Isaac Asimov

 

Just for the record.. “I Robot” is a concept album. Or, in other words, each song on the album is part of an overall story line (quite common in prog rock, look at “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” by Genesis or “Clutching at Straws” by Marillion). So in this way, the lyrics are often meant to be taken very literally with little or no hidden meaning.

I Robot’s overall plot involves robots taking over humanity. In “Don’t Let it Show”, the protagonist has done something very wrong in the robots’ eyes, and will be executed for his wrongdoing. He is simply telling his lover (or some other person) that nothing will save him, and for her own safety she must never let the robots know she was involved with him.

The singer is about to be executed by the robots and he’s telling his lover that, whatever she does, when the robots come for her, she mustn’t say anything. She must just deny all emotion for him even though it will be extremely difficult.

 

“Don’t Let It Show”

If it’s getting harder to face every day,
Don’t let it show, don’t let it show.
Though it’s getting harder to take what they say,
Just let it go, just let it go…

And if it hurts when they mention my name,
Say you don’t know me…
And if it helps when they say I’m to blame,
Say you don’t owe me…

Even if it’s taking the easy way out,
Keep it inside of you.
Don’t give in.
Don’t tell them anything.
Don’t let it,
Don’t let it show.

Even though you know it’s the wrong thing to say,
Say you don’t care, say you don’t care.
Even if you want to believe there’s a way,
I won’t be there…I won’t be there…

But if you smile when they mention my name,
They’ll never know you.
And if you laugh when they say I’m to blame,
They’ll never own you.

Even if you feel you’ve got nothing to hide,
Keep it inside of you.
Don’t give in,
Don’t tell them anything.
Don’t let it-
Don’t let it show.

 

The Project is indeed from England; Parsons did engineering for several Beatles and Pink Floyd albums, produced Pilot and most of Al Stewart’s records. This one came out late in 1979 on Arista in the US. This one hit hard for me, as the girl I thought would stay forever didn’t . Most APP records cut at Abbey Road or Strawberry in London.