David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally… Read Full Bio ↴David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music.

Bowie developed an interest in music from an early age. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. "Space Oddity", released in 1969, was his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of Bowie's single "Starman" and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the album Young Americans. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. In 1977, he again changed direction with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the "Berlin Trilogy". "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise.

After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and "Under Pressure" (a 1981 collaboration with Queen). He achieved massive commercial success in the 1980s starting with Let's Dance (1983). Between 1988 and 1992, he fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine before resuming his solo career in 1993. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with The Next Day. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City. He died two days after both his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016).

During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum, eleven gold and eight silver album certifications, and released 11 number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists in history. As of 2022, Bowie was the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie

Studio albums
David Bowie (1967)
David Bowie/Space Oddity (1969)
The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
Hunky Dory (1971)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
Aladdin Sane (1973)
Pin Ups (1973)
Diamond Dogs (1974)
Young Americans (1975)
Station to Station (1976)
Low (1977)
"Heroes" (1977)
Lodger (1979)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)
Let's Dance (1983)
Tonight (1984)
Never Let Me Down (1987)
Black Tie White Noise (1993)
The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
Outside (1995)
Earthling (1997)
Hours (1999)
Heathen (2002)
Reality (2003)
The Next Day (2013)
Blackstar (2016)

Battle for Britain
David Bowie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My, my, the time do fly
When it's in another pair of hands
And a loser I will be
For I've never been a winner in my life

I got used to stressing pain
I used the sucker pills to pity for the self
Oh, it's the animal in me

But I'd rather be a beggarman on the shelf

Don't be so forlorn, it's just the payoff
It's the rain before the storm
On a better day, I'll take you by the hand
And I'll walk you through the doors

Don't be so forlorn, it's just the payoff
It's the rain before the storm
Don't you let my letter get you down
Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you

My, my, but time do fly
When it's in another pair of pants
And illusion I will be
For I've never been a sinner, la di da

Don't be so forlorn, it's just the payoff
It's the rain before the storm
Don't you let my letter get you down
Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you

Don't you let my letter get you down, down, down, down
Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you
Don't you let my letter get you down, down, down, down
Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you

Down, down, down, down, down, down

Down, down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down, down

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to David Bowie's "Battle for Britain" are about the struggle of dealing with the disappointments and pain of life. The line "My, my, but time do fly when it's in another pair of hands" refers to how quickly time seems to pass when life is out of our control. The singer considers himself a loser because he has never been a winner in life. He talks about using "sucker pills" for self-pity, which could be a reference to drugs or other unhealthy coping mechanisms.

However, the singer realizes that the animal inside of him prefers to be a beggarman on the shelf rather than giving in to the negative feelings he is experiencing. The chorus repeats the idea that it's just the payoff and the rain before the storm, which means that the difficult times will pass and give way to better days. The singer reassures someone not to let his letter get them down, implying that he has sent a message of some kind that may not be perceived positively.

Overall, the song is a commentary on the pain and disappointment people experience in life and how it can be a struggle to keep going. The chorus suggests that there is hope for better days ahead, and the singer's willingness to be a "beggarman on the shelf" instead of giving in to his negative feelings shows that there is always a choice to make in how to deal with life's difficulties.

Line by Line Meaning

My, my, the time do fly When it's in another pair of hands
Time passes quickly when it's not in your control

And a loser I will be For I've never been a winner in my life
I always lose because I've never won before

I got used to stressing pain I used the sucker pills to pity for the self Oh, it's the animal in me But I'd rather be a beggarman on the shelf
I've become accustomed to feeling pain and taking pity on myself, but I would prefer to live a simpler life

Don't be so forlorn, it's just the payoff It's the rain before the storm On a better day, I'll take you by the hand And I'll walk you through the doors
Don't be so sad, the reward is coming soon, like rain before a storm. I'll be there to guide you when it gets better

Don't you let my letter get you down Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you
Don't be upset by my letter

My, my, but time do fly When it's in another pair of pants And illusion I will be For I've never been a sinner, la di da
Time moves quickly when someone else is in control. I'll be living in an illusion because I've never done anything wrong

Don't you let my letter get you down Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you
Don't be upset by my letter

Don't you let my letter get you down, down, down, down Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you Don't you let my letter get you down, down, down, down Don't you, don't you, don't you, don't you Down, down, down, down, down, down Down, down, down, down, down, down Down, down, down, down, down, down
Repeated chorus emphasizing the message not to let the letter bring you down

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID BOWIE, MARK PLATI, REEVES GABRELS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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