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.
seattle
John Lydon Lyrics
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What goes up must come down
Character is lost and found
On unfamiliar playing ground
Get out of my world
What in the world
Have all your functions rearranged
Your mind and body gagged and bound
On a new familiar playing ground
The ordinary will ignore
Whatever they cannot explain
As if nothing ever happened
And everything remained the same again
What in the world
What in the world
What in the world
Get out of my world (What in the world)
Get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
Open your mouth now
Secret signs and knowing looks
These sunny days will cook the books
Happy to take the misery
This mortal life can bring to me
Don't like the look of this town
What goes up must come down
Character is lost and found on unfamiliar playing ground
What in the world
What in my the world
What in the world
(What in the world) what in, get out, get out, get out of my world
What in the world
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
In John Lydon's song Seattle, he sings about his dissatisfaction with the town and how it creates a loss of character, stifling freedom and creativity. He repeats the line "What in the world" several times throughout the song, as if questioning the state of the world around him. He describes how people can become complacent and ignore what they cannot explain or understand. The lyrics "On unfamiliar playing ground" and "On a new familiar playing ground" suggest Lydon's search for something different and the struggle that comes along with it.
The chorus "Get up, get out, get out of my world" can be interpreted as Lydon's call to leave behind what is familiar and safe and to explore new horizons. The lyrics "Secret signs and knowing looks / These sunny days will cook the books / Happy to take the misery / This mortal life can bring to me" suggest that Lydon is aware of the corruption and negativity in the world, but accepts it as a part of life.
Overall, Seattle can be seen as a song about the need for change and the frustration that comes with being stuck in a stagnant environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't like the look of this old town
The singer dislikes the appearance of the town he's in
What goes up must come down
Things that go up or get popular must eventually come down or become unpopular
Character is lost and found
People's true character is revealed in new and unfamiliar environments
On unfamiliar playing ground
This new environment or situation is unfamiliar to the singer
Get out of my world
The singer wants someone to leave his world and go away
What in the world
An exclamation of surprise or frustration
Shoeboxed around the rifle range
People are being controlled or confined in a military-like environment
Have all your functions rearranged
These people are being brainwashed or reprogrammed to think and act a certain way
Your mind and body gagged and bound
These people are being restricted both mentally and physically
On a new familiar playing ground
This new environment is becoming more familiar to the singer, but is still unfamiliar to those being controlled
The ordinary will ignore
Average people will ignore or not acknowledge things they can't explain or understand
Whatever they cannot explain
People won't try to explain things they don't understand
As if nothing ever happened
People will act like nothing out of the ordinary occurred
And everything remained the same again
Everything went back to how it was before
Get up, get up, get out, get out, get out of my world
The singer strongly wants someone to leave his world and go away
Open your mouth now
An order for someone to speak or explain something
Secret signs and knowing looks
People have secret ways of communicating with each other
These sunny days will cook the books
Things may seem good now, but eventually the truth will be revealed
Happy to take the misery
People are sometimes willing to endure pain or suffering
What in my the world
The same as 'what in the world', expressing surprise or frustration
Palaces, palaces, barricades, barricades, threats, threats, meet promises, meet promises
This line may refer to the situations of power and authority conflicting with the needs and concerns of the common people
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: John Lydon, John Mcgeogh, Alan Dias, Bruce Neal Smith, Lu Edmonds
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind