I'm Alright
Stereophonics Lyrics
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One, two, three, four, five
Once I drank a fish alive
I'll drop another pill for you
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten
Did it before, do it again
I'll tell another joke you for you
Did you hear the one about the one that looks like you
I'll sleep with sleeping rounds for you
Why don't you scratch my back and chew the tongue I chew?
I'm alright
I'm alright
I'll tell another lie for you
Tell you what you want to hear but that don't make it true
I'll wear another smile for you
That way you'll know I'm fine and having fun with you
I'll draw another another line for you
That way you'll know I'm hip, that way you'll know I'm cool
I'll smoke another smoke for you
I'll blow back in your mouth and you can blow back too
I'm alright
I'm alright, you gotta go there to come back
I'll take another punch for you
Tie my hands behind my back that way you cannot lose
I'll make another pound for you
So you can drive your motor car and drive you to the moon
I'm alright
I'm alright, alright
Happy, you're free, alright
Love, pain, sun, rain, alright
The lyrics to Stereophonics' song "I'm Alright" speak to the lengths that the singer is willing to go to please and impress the person they are addressing. From drinking and drug use to lying and pretending to be happy, the singer is essentially performing for the other person, attempting to keep them happy and interested. The opening lines, "I'll drink another drink for you / Once I drank a fish alive," set a somewhat absurd tone for the rest of the song. The counting of the drinks and pills adds to the sense of going through the motions, as if the singer is on autopilot as they try to please this other person.
The line, "Did you hear the one about the one that looks like you," suggests that the person the singer is singing to is perhaps a bit self-centered or vain, as if they might be flattered by hearing a joke about someone who looks like them. The mention of sleeping rounds and scratching each other's backs adds a somewhat twisted twist to the song, as if there is an underlying desperation to the singer's attempts to win over this other person.
Despite the somewhat sad and desperate nature of the lyrics, the chorus insists that the singer is "alright." The repetition of the phrase drives home the idea that the singer is trying to convince themselves as much as anyone else that they are okay. The final line, "Love, pain, sun, rain, alright," suggests that even though life has its ups and downs, the singer is determined to keep up the facade that they are okay, even if it means going to extreme lengths to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll drink another drink for you
I'll continue drinking in order to numb my pain and forget about you
One, two, three, four, five / Once I drank a fish alive
I'll keep drinking and pushing my limits to feel something instead of nothing
I'll drop another pill for you / Six, seven, eight, nine, ten / Did it before, do it again
I'll take more drugs to hide from reality, and I've done it before so it's nothing new
I'll tell another joke for you / Did you hear the one about the one that looks like you
I'll try to distract you and myself with humor, even if it's at your expense
I'll sleep with sleeping rounds for you / Why don't you scratch my back and chew the tongue I chew?
I'll take sleeping pills to escape my thoughts and you can comfort me physically in return
I'm alright / I'm alright
Despite everything I'm going through, I'm trying to convince myself and others that I'm okay
I'll tell another lie for you / Tell you what you want to hear but that don't make it true
I'll say what you want to hear and pretend everything is fine, even if it's not
I'll wear another smile for you / That way you'll know I'm fine and having fun with you
I'll put on a fake smile to make you think I'm happy and enjoying your company
I'll draw another line for you / That way you'll know I'm hip, that way you'll know I'm cool
I'll do things to fit in and seem cool to you, so you don't see how much I'm struggling
I'll smoke another smoke for you / I'll blow back in your mouth and you can blow back too
I'll smoke to calm my anxiety, and you can join me and distract each other from our problems
I'll take another punch for you / Tie my hands behind my back that way you cannot lose
I'll let you hurt me again and I won't fight back, so that you can't accuse me of causing the problem
I'll make another pound for you / So you can drive your motor car and drive you to the moon
I'll keep working hard for you, so you can afford to escape and chase your own dreams
I'm alright / I'm alright, alright
I'm trying to convince myself and others that I'm doing okay, even though it's not entirely true
Happy, you're free, alright / Love, pain, sun, rain, alright
Despite everything, I want you to be happy and free, and acknowledge that love can be painful alongside its beauty
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KELLY JONES, RICHARD MARK JONES, STUART CABLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@damianbradshaw7339
Just love the irony in his voice. The most underrated songwriter of his time
@En2595
The lyrics, the instrumentation and feel of this song. One of my favorites from Stereophonics.
@DanielleLucyEllis
Everything about this song is perfection. Stereophonics are way too underrated
@gloomyJulia
I love them, they're my go to music for whatever mood I'm in. They should be more famous. Their music is 10000 times better that what you see on TV.
@damianbradshaw7339
Love the irony in his voice. Most underrated song writer of his term time
@AboveIdiocy
"I'll wear another smile for you That way you know I'm fine, and having fun with you" Dayum. This is amazing <3
@will3002
the message in this music is he gives over everything all of himself to the mercy of someone who takes everything
@jimtimlin4794
Been listening to these guys for years... definitely in my top 5 of all time
@stefmarc4382
Masterpiece...
@martinrose6357
I listened to this for three days straight when I was in my first year in high school, back in 2011, and that's when I felt genuinely lifeless for the first time ever, without any particular reason actually -- just the heaviness of the song.
Mega tune!