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I don't drink coffee I take tea, my dear.
I like my toast done on one side.
And you can hear it in my accent when I talk,
I'm an Englishman in New York.
You see me walking down Fifth Avenue,
A walking cane here at my side.
I take it everywhere I walk,
I'm an Englishman in New York.
Whoa. I'm an alien.
I'm a legal alien.
I'm an Englishman in New York.
Whoa. I'm an alien.
I'm a legal alien.
I'm an Englishman in New York.
If "manners maketh man" as someone said,
He's the hero of the day.
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and mile.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Whoa. I'm an alien.
I'm a legal alien.
I'm an Englishman in New York.
Whoa. I'm an alien.
I'm a legal alien.
I'm an Englishman in New York.
Modesty, propriety can lead to notoriety,
But you could end up as the only one.
Gentleness, sobriety are rare in this society.
At night a candle's brighter than the sun.
Takes more than combat gear to make a man.
Takes more than a license for a gun.
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can.
A gentleman will walk but never run.
If "manners maketh man" as someone said,
He's the hero of the day.
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and mile.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
I like my toast done on one side.
And you can hear it in my accent when I talk,
I'm an Englishman in New York.
You see me walking down Fifth Avenue,
A walking cane here at my side.
I take it everywhere I walk,
I'm an Englishman in New York.
Whoa. I'm an alien.
I'm a legal alien.
I'm an Englishman in New York.
Whoa. I'm an alien.
I'm a legal alien.
I'm an Englishman in New York.
If "manners maketh man" as someone said,
He's the hero of the day.
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and mile.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Whoa. I'm an alien.
I'm a legal alien.
I'm an Englishman in New York.
Whoa. I'm an alien.
I'm a legal alien.
I'm an Englishman in New York.
Modesty, propriety can lead to notoriety,
But you could end up as the only one.
Gentleness, sobriety are rare in this society.
At night a candle's brighter than the sun.
Takes more than combat gear to make a man.
Takes more than a license for a gun.
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can.
A gentleman will walk but never run.
If "manners maketh man" as someone said,
He's the hero of the day.
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and mile.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
Be yourself no matter what they say.
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this songs got the atmosphere down to a tee - not necessarily condemning america, but presenting british society as a refreshing little break in the commercial chaos america can be - the culture that kinda stands still, still upholding the values of decency in the face of anything...
Hence the mention to tea, toast done on one side, the walking cane, and the approach to manners. The song is about a quintessential englishman living in America - gay or not.
My personal favorite quote of Crisp's is, "The very purpose of existence is to reconcile the glowing opinion we hold of ourselves with the appalling things that other people think about us." Even in the music video, Sting is dressed up as Crisp! upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/…
So, it isn't to say that being an Englishmen made him all the more polite or have manners, it's actually to say that in Britain he was INSULTED for his sexuality, and THIS is what gave him manners.
If you read the lyrics after reading this, you might understand it a bit more. It is definitely not that hard to understand.
I wish there were more songs about immigrants; there are lot of good reasons to move to the states (or to move to another country). Because they moved here it gives further incentive to be patriotic they have gone through A Lot just to come here Legally. Also, since they're from other countries it gives a periodic infusion of differing cultures which certainly helps to stave off stagnation.
Bassy drums != Ignorance, thenk you veddy much.
Modesty, propriety can lead to notoriety
You could end up as the only one
Gentleness, sobriety are rare in this society
At night a candle's brighter than the sun
Is he telling us *NOT* to be modest and proper? Or is he telling us to "ignore people who think you're notorious because you're modest and proper, and it doesn't matter if you end up alone as a consequence"?
As for the candle, is it useful only at night? What is the message in this statement? It almost sounds like it has the opposite spirit compared to the rest of the song, namely that you should only display your personality (candle) privately (at night).
Am I totally getting this wrong?
The lines "Modesty, propriety .......brighter than the sun" refer to the lack of politeness and chivalry that one associates with English mannerisms. So modesty, propriety could single him out and make him notorious, although these are things one should try and attain, since these "proper" mannerism are rare in the New York culture. The last line alludes to the fact that while during day time, we don't particularly notice sunlight because it's everywhere, at night, a candle also grabs our attention. So, the while modesty, propriety, gentleness, sobriety are visible everywhere like sunlight in England , in New York, one man with these qualities stand out like a candle at night.
hope that helped
WHAT DOES THIS SONG MEAN TO YOU?????
And where is De do do do? Someone took it off and
why is someone posting every friggin comment Sting has about his songs.
I thought this place was about what the song means to us. The writers DO lie sometimes you know! They rip off lyrics all the time. So don't believe everything you read!