Rising from the ashes of the pivotal punk rock group the Sex Pistols, PiL branched out to a more experimental sound, and their early work is often regarded as some of the most challenging and innovative music of the post-punk era: the NME[1] described PiL as "Arguably the first post-rock group". Their later music would be somewhat more conventional, and although PiL has been inactive since 1992, Lydon (the band's only constant member) considers the group "on hiatus" rather than broken up.
This is not a love song
Public Image Limited Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
Happy to have, not to have not
Big business is very wise
I'm crossing over into
free enter-prize
Love song
Love song
Love song
Love song
I'm going over to the other side
I'm happy to have not to have not
Big business is very wise
I'm inside free enterprise
I'm adaptable
I'm adaptable
I'm adaptable and I like my new role
I'm getting better and better
And I have a new goal
I'm changing my ways where money applies
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
Now are you ready to grab the cradle
That tunnel vision not television
Behind the curtain out of the cupboard
YOu take the first train into the big world
Now will I find you now will you be there
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
This is not a love song
The repetitive phrase "This is not a love song" in Public Image Limited's song of the same name is a defiant declaration of intent to resist categorization and conformity. It appears that the singer of the song is eager to shed any preconceptions or expectations others might have of him and pursue his own path. He is "crossing over into free enterprise," ready to take risks and embrace change. The motif of big business and free enterprise evokes the capitalist and consumerist values of the 1980s, and it is possible that the singer is critiquing these values by suggesting that they are the only viable alternative to a life of romantic or emotional fulfillment. The phrase "I'm adaptable" suggests a flexible and proactive approach to life rather than a passive acceptance of societal norms.
Overall, "This is not a love song" can be read as a rejection of the traditional values and expectations associated with a love song. Instead, it celebrates individuality and a willingness to embrace change, even if it means sacrificing the trappings of a comfortable and predictable existence. The repeated refrain emphasizes the singer's desire to express his own identity on his own terms, regardless of whether it fits into a neat genre or expectation.
Line by Line Meaning
This is not a love song
This song is not about love
This is not a love song
This song is not about romance
This is not a love song
This song is not a love letter in a musical form
This is not a love song
This song is more than just a love song
This is not a love song
This song means something deeper than love
This is not a love song
This song rejects the idea of a love song
Happy to have, not to have not
I'm content with what I have, not what I lack
Big business is very wise
Large corporations are highly astute
I'm crossing over into free enterprise
I'm transitioning into the realm of entrepreneurship
Love song
A song about love
I'm going over to the other side
I'm leaving my old ways behind
I'm happy to have not to have not
I'm content with what I have, not what I lack
I'm inside free enterprise
I'm in the realm of entrepreneurship
I'm adaptable
I'm versatile
I'm adaptable and I like my new role
I'm flexible and happy in my new position
I'm getting better and better
I'm continuously improving
And I have a new goal
I have set a new objective
I'm changing my ways where money applies
I'm updating my approach where finances are concerned
Now are you ready to grab the cradle
Are you prepared to take control of your life?
That tunnel vision not television
Focus on your objectives, not mindlessly watching TV
Behind the curtain out of the cupboard
Revealing what has been concealed
You take the first train into the big world
You embark on a new journey into uncharted territory
Now will I find you now will you be there
Will you be with me on this voyage?
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@martywhitevan
after listening to the song on repeat for 24 hours i am beginning to think that this may NOT be a love song ...although i questioned it for the first 12 or so hours
@martywhitevan
upon later analysis with an additional 30 hours of listening i am beginning to think this "could" indeed be a love song..thoughts on theory?
@IndridCold
I dunno it is a song, I also love this song. Though I have no idea if it could be a love song from that perspective, even upon your 9 months and 30 more hours Can any of us really say what love is?
@martywhitevan
it is very interesting because i think that this could possibly be love in the form of a song but then again is it a song?
@IndridCold
Well...I suppose that is up for interpretation... I mean Just because I thought it was a song, does not in fact mean it was actually a song.
Perhaps it was always just a message.
or poetry... I mean the artist defines a song as does interpretation, But I am sure 50% of people see a rant from a permanent agitated Johnny.
you sir raise some interesting points in this back and fourth.
@martywhitevan
i would prefer to go fourth at this point and as of 0600 in the am, i am currently convinced that this is "art" and might be considered
a love song
@peterabram62
I think when he says "Are you ready to grab the candles. Out of the cupboard. No television." He's referring to the early 70s power blackouts that made our life a misery in 70s Britain. At our house the tv would go off and my Nan always made sure I was ready to grab the candles and light them.
@Roan7995
I like that one part where he says "This is not a love song."
@timothykozlik6707
***** this is not rap its punk rock
@timothykozlik6707
Well seeing how it is punk