After the Sex Pistols broke up in 1978, he started Public Image Ltd. also called PiL. The group lasted for fourteen years with John Lydon as the only consistent member. In 2010, Lydon reassembled PIL and embarked on a successful tour of Europe, as well as re-visiting the United States for the first time in 18 years.
In 1997 he released a solo album on called Psycho's Path. He wrote all the songs and played (almost) all the instruments on the album.
Besides music, John has written a book called "Rotten - No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs", been in British reality television show, "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!", hosted the short-lived VH1 show "Rotten TV", co-starred in the movie "Copkiller" along with Harvey Keitel and hosted "It's a Rotten Day", a minute-long, syndicated US radio feature, in which he would offer cynical commentary on the day's headlines.
A No And A Yes
John Lydon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Between a no and a yes who knows?
Now which side of the fence
Is best who knows
These confusion days
Confusion...
Now where the riddle will rest
See it leads me, to apathy
Try, try to undo these problems
You see those problems, and faults in you
I know the'yre there, I got them too
Or should I say no
Or should I just let go
Or should I say yes, which ever is best
Too much confusion
These days, these days
Should I say no, should I let I'd go
Should I say yes, whichever is best
Confusion...
Now it leads me to patahy
The thing that I detest
But I try, try try, to undo
You see those problems, and faults in you
I know the'yre there, I got them too
And should I say no
Or should I just let go
And should I say yes, which ever is best
Which answer is best between a no and a yes
Which riddle will rest
Now let go, lets go
Should I just let it rest
These days, let it rest
John Lydon's song A No And A Yes is about the confusion that we face every day in making decisions. The lyrics talk about the difficulty in choosing between the options of yes and no, and the uncertainty that accompanies this decision-making process. The singer expresses his frustration with this confusion, and wonders which side of the fence is better. The song suggests that the confusion leads to apathy, which is detested by the singer. He acknowledges that he too has faults and problems, and he tries to undo them. The chorus repeats the question of whether he should say no or yes, and which option is the best.
The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the dilemma that the singer is facing, and the uncertainty that accompanies it. The lyrics also suggest that this confusion is universal, as it affects everyone. The use of the word 'riddle' implies that the decision-making process is not straightforward or easy, and requires some thought and consideration. The use of the word 'rest' adds to this implication, suggesting that the answer is not obvious, and that it is something that needs to be settled.
Overall, John Lydon's song A No And A Yes is a reflection of the complexities of everyday decision-making, and the confusion that it can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
Too much confusion these days
The current times are filled with a lot of confusion
Between a no and a yes who knows?
It's difficult to differentiate what is a yes and what is a no
Now which side of the fence Is best who knows
It's unclear which side is the better one to be on
These confusion days
These times are filled with confusion
Confusion...
Confusion is everywhere
Now where the riddle will rest
It's uncertain where the answer to this riddle will be found
See it leads me, to apathy
This confusion is causing a sense of apathy in me
The thing that I detest
I hate feeling this way
Try, try to undo these problems
I must do my best to solve these problems
You see those problems, and faults in you
I acknowledge we all have problems and faults
I know they're there, I got them too
I also have problems and faults too
Or should I say no
Maybe I should refuse
Or should I just let go
Maybe I should move on from this situation
Or should I say yes, which ever is best
Maybe I should agree, if it's truly the best thing to do
Too much confusion
There's just too much confusion
These days, these days
These current times
Should I say no, should I let I'd go
Should I refuse or let it go?
Should I say yes, whichever is best
Should I agree or disagree, whichever is truly best
Confusion...
The confusion persists
Now it leads me to patahy
This confusion is making me feel apathetic
The thing that I detest
I hate feeling indifferent
But I try, try try, to undo
I'm doing my best to fix things
You see those problems, and faults in you
I recognize the problems and faults in myself and others
I know they're there, I got them too
We all have flaws
And should I say no
Should I refuse?
Or should I just let go
Should I move on?
And should I say yes, which ever is best
Should I agree if it's truly best?
Which answer is best between a no and a yes
Which decision is better, to accept or refuse?
Which riddle will rest
What's the answer to this question?
Now let go, lets go
It's time to move on
Should I just let it rest
Maybe it's best to let the situation be
These days, let it rest
These times are filled with confusion, it's best to let go
Contributed by Reagan M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.