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The meaning of IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU

PostPosted: 22 Mar 2011 21:50
by giovanni
Hey gang, can you help me again with It's Alright For You?
When I will see Stewart in July around here (ops...I shouldn't say that yet...ehm) I will ask him, but as of now, I kindly ask you if you have some hints about the meaning of It's Alright For You; I don't get it easily and I can't find any interview where Sting talks about it. Sounds weird.
I may have my idea about it, but I'd better have some more interpretation to mix them all.
That's again for my book as you may have imagined.
Danke.

Re: The meaning of IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU

PostPosted: 22 Mar 2011 22:22
by smax
as a life long listener of these songs, holder of an english degree, qualified teacher, member of the Guild of Scholars and Freeman of the City of London, my considered opinion is that this song makes no fucking sense at all.

a strong hook and driving riff interspersed with words that rhyme.
i guess it's mostly just a list of how shit my life is with a sarcastic "it's alright for you" chorus, as in "it's alright for you. you don't have to deal with the crap of my life".
i can barely see a convincing pattern to the rhymes in the verses tho it's generally AABACCDC or AABACCCC. there are enough half-rhymes that that's not even that clear.

Re: The meaning of IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU

PostPosted: 23 Mar 2011 00:52
by English-lion
I've always acquainted this with Sting missing the bus and standing in the rain looking back on how shitty his life and how shitty the world is.

Re: The meaning of IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU

PostPosted: 23 Mar 2011 05:21
by luddite lady
I always thought of this song as the audio version of one of those video collages that bombards the viewer with a multitude of somewhat disconnected images flashed across the screen at a speed almost too quick to fully take in. The listener responds to the song on an emotional level rather than a rational one. And the emotions vary from person to person as the images evoke different feelings from each listener. It's very subjective. The lines "it's alright for you" may be sarcastic for "you and you", but may be sincere for the next "you and you".
As far as I can see, the images themselves represent flashes of moments in the day-to-day life of the up and coming band that The Police was at the time. For Sting, Andy and Stewart, things were happening in real life at a speed that left little time for contemplation. Indeed, for a contemplative guy like Sting, things may have been happening a little too fast. In my view, the last images suggest thoughts of suicide which one might have when they find their life spinning out of control. The lack of a coherent rhyming scheme reinforces this idea of a life racing forward without structure or routine.
Having said all that, I don't think Sting put much thought into these lyrics. The words may have been place holders just as was the case with most of "Does Everyone Stare". However, if these were words that just popped into Sting's head, I believe they say a lot about what was going on in that head at the time.
I've always really liked this song. Thanks, Gio, for giving me an occasion to really think about it, and figure out why I like it so much.

Re: The meaning of IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU

PostPosted: 24 Mar 2011 01:14
by smax
[quote="luddite lady"]However, if these were words that just popped into Sting's head, I believe they say a lot about what was going on in that head at the time.
I've always really liked this song. Thanks, Gio, for giving me an occasion to really think about it, and figure out why I like it so much.[/quote]

nice.

Re: The meaning of IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU

PostPosted: 24 Mar 2011 14:08
by zilboy
The Punk philosophy?

Re: The meaning of IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU

PostPosted: 25 Mar 2011 01:16
by luna_virgo
I hear it as him rattling off things that he doesn't want, and saying to everyone else involved with it all, "Good luck with that".

Just my take.