One Better Day
Mad'Ness Lyrics
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An old man in a three-piece suit sits in the road
He stares across the water, he sees right through the lock
But on and up like outstretched hands
His mumbled words, his fumbled words, mock
Further down, a photo booth, a million plastic bags
And an old woman filling out a million baggage tags
She spies the old chap in the road to share her bags with
She has bags of time
Surrounded by his past, on a short white line
He sits while cars pass either side, takes his time
Trying to remember one better day
A while ago when people stopped to hear him say
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
Now she has walked enough through rainy town
She rests her bag against his and sits down
She's trying to remember one better day
A while ago when people stopped to hear her say
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
The feeling of arriving when you've nothing left to lose
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
The feeling of arriving when you've nothing left to lose
The lyrics of the song One Better Day by Mad'Ness present a poignant story of two elderly people who are struggling to cope with their present life, while reminiscing about a better past. The song starts with a vivid description of the surroundings, where an old man in a suit is sitting in the middle of the road, staring out into the water. He seems lost in his own thoughts, and his words come out as a mumble. The scene is hauntingly beautiful, as the old man's fumbled words seem to be mocking his current plight.
The second half of the song introduces another character, an old woman who is being thrown out of a building with her bags. She spots the old man and joins him, resting her bags against his. The two of them represent an elderly population, who have been left behind by society, and are trying to cling onto each other for some solace. They both long for the days when people would listen to them and appreciate them.
Line by Line Meaning
Arlington house, address: no fixed abode
The old man in the road has no permanent address and has to live on the streets
An old man in a three-piece suit sits in the road
The old man, despite his well-dressed appearance, is homeless and forced to live on the street
He stares across the water, he sees right through the lock
The old man gazes out at the water and can see straight through the lock, but is ignored by passersby
But on and up like outstretched hands
His mumbled words, his fumbled words, mock
Despite his attempts to communicate, the old man's words are ignored or dismissed, as if they were mocking him
Further down, a photo booth, a million plastic bags
And an old woman filling out a million baggage tags
Nearby, there is a photo booth and an old woman dealing with countless bags, likely as a result of poverty
But when she gets thrown out, three bags at a time
She spies the old chap in the road to share her bags with
She has bags of time
The old woman is forced to leave with only three bags at a time, but she notices the old man and chooses to share her bags with him, as she has nothing but time on her hands
Surrounded by his past, on a short white line
He sits while cars pass either side, takes his time
The old man is encircled by memories of his past as he watches cars pass on either side of him, taking his time to reflect on his life
Trying to remember one better day
A while ago when people stopped to hear him say
The old man is reminiscing about a time when people would stop to listen to him speak
Now she has walked enough through rainy town
She rests her bag against his and sits down
The old woman has walked through the rain and decides to sit next to the old man, resting her bag beside him
She's trying to remember one better day
A while ago when people stopped to hear her say
The old woman, like the old man, is trying to remember a time where she was heard by others
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
Sometimes when you're walking, you can feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, in sync with the rhythm of your steps
The feeling of arriving when you've nothing left to lose
There's a sense of relief when you've hit rock bottom and have nothing left to lose
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CATHAL JOSEPH SMYTH, CHRISTOPHER JOHN FOREMAN, DANIEL MARK WOODGATE, GRAHAM MCPHERSON, LEE JAY THOMPSON, MARK BEDFORD, MARK WILLIAM BEDFORD, MICHAEL BARSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jose Hidalgo
Arlington house, address: no fixed abode
An old man in a three-piece suit sits in the road
He stares across the water, he sees right through the lock
But on and up like outstretched hands
His mumbled words, his fumbled words, mock
Further down, a photo booth, a million plastic bags
And an old woman filling out a million baggage tags
But when she gets thrown out, three bags at a time
She spies the old chap in the road to share her bags with
She has bags of time
Surrounded by his past, on a short white line
He sits while cars pass either side, takes his time
Trying to remember one better day
A while ago when people stopped to hear him say
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
Now she has walked enough through rainy town
She rests her bag against his and sits down
She's trying to remember one better day
A while ago when people stopped to hear her say
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
The feeling of arriving when you've nothing left to lose
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
The feeling of arriving when you've nothing left to lose
Alexander Waller
...you forget how much stuff they did and still do. All quality. Think they’re music covered most of what life throws at us.
Michael Murphy
I don't think that Madness could ever top this song, it's perfection.
love that string arrangement,
turboslow
Pure refined sound of Madness at its best.
Luis Alberto Sánchez
Espectacular de principio a fin, tanto introducción como final!
kevin ska'd 4 life
Well thought out for sure gets better the more you listen
pennypay1
So lush and polished. One of their finest.
Sergiy R
A gem
Benso Weiland
BEST ALBUM!!!!
comedyfan96
Yes it really is an under rated album. Keep Moving is excellent
Jose Hidalgo
Arlington house, address: no fixed abode
An old man in a three-piece suit sits in the road
He stares across the water, he sees right through the lock
But on and up like outstretched hands
His mumbled words, his fumbled words, mock
Further down, a photo booth, a million plastic bags
And an old woman filling out a million baggage tags
But when she gets thrown out, three bags at a time
She spies the old chap in the road to share her bags with
She has bags of time
Surrounded by his past, on a short white line
He sits while cars pass either side, takes his time
Trying to remember one better day
A while ago when people stopped to hear him say
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
Now she has walked enough through rainy town
She rests her bag against his and sits down
She's trying to remember one better day
A while ago when people stopped to hear her say
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
The feeling of arriving when you've nothing left to lose
Walking round you sometimes hear the sunshine
Beating down in time with the rhythm of your shoes
The feeling of arriving when you've nothing left to lose