Robert Allen Palmer (January 19, 1949 – September 26, 2003), born in Batley… Read Full Bio ↴Robert Allen Palmer (January 19, 1949 – September 26, 2003), born in Batley, Yorkshire, England, was a British singer. He was known for his soulful voice and the eclectic mix of musical styles on his albums, combining soul, jazz, rock, reggae, blues, and even yodeling.

His eighties hits were promoted by particularly striking award winning videos, featuring an all-female, black-clad backing band. The memorable videos, directed by Terence Donovan, featured heavily on MTV and played a large part in his transatlantic success.

His eighties success was kickstarted by his participation in supergroup The Power Station, along with Andy Taylor and John Taylor of Duran Duran and Tony Thompson of Chic.

Robert Palmer died on September 26, 2003 in Paris, France, while staying at the Warwick de berri Hotel. The cause of death was of a heart attack. He was in Paris promoting his Drive CD which had been released in May of 2003. He was joined there by his longtime friend, Jack Bruce. He was survived by his parents, Anna and Leslie Palmer, his brother, Mark Palmer, and his children, James, Jane, Anna, Anthony and Martin. He is interred in London, England.

Solo Albums:

Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley (1974)
Pressure Drop (1975)
Some People Can Do What They Like (1976)
Double Fun (1978)
Secrets (1979)
Clues (1980)
Maybe It's Live (1982) (live)
Pride (1983)
Riptide (1985)
Sweet Lies (1987) (single)
Heavy Nova (1988)
Addictions Volume I (1989) (compilation)
Don't Explain (1990)
Addictions Volume II (1992) (compilation)
Ridin' High (1992)
Honey (1994)
Very Best Of Robert Palmer (1995) (compilation)
Woke Up Laughing (1998) (compilation)
Very Best Of Robert Palmer (1997) (re-release of the 1995 compilation feat: "Addicted To Love '97)
Rhythm & Blues (1999)
Best Of Both Worlds: The Robert Palmer Anthology (1974-2001) (2002) (compilation)
Drive (2003)
At the BBC (2010)

Albums by the group Power Station (Feat: Robert Palmer):

Power Station (1985)
Living in Fear (1997)
The Best of The Power Station (2002)

Albums by the group Vinegar Joe (Feat: Robert Palmer):

Vinegar Joe (1971)
Rock n Roll Gypsies (1972)
Six Star Generals (1973)
Six Star Gypsies (1994) (Compilation)
Speed Queen of Ventura: An Introduction to Vinegar Joe (2003) (Compilation)

Albums by The Alan Bown Set (Feat: Robert Palmer on vocals)

The Alan Bown (1969) (Only the UK release featured Palmer on vocals)
Listen (1970) (although was re-recorded with Gordon Neville on vocals when Palmer left)

Some Guys Have All the Luck
Robert Palmer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Some guys have all the luck
Some guys have all the pain
Some guys get all the breaks
Some guys do nothing but complain

Alone in a crowd on a bus after working, I'm dreaming
The guy next to me has a girl in his arms, my arms are empty
How does it feel when the girl next to you says she loves you?

Seems so unfair when there's love everywhere but there's none for me

Some guys have all the luck
Some guys have all the pain
Some guys get all the breaks
Some guys do nothing but complain
Woo woo woo
Woo woo woo

Someone to take on a walk by the lake Lord, let it be me
Someone who's shy, someone who'd cry at sad movies
I know I would die if I ever found out she was foolin' me
You're just a dream, and as real as it seems, I ain't that lucky

Some guys have all the luck
Some guys have all the pain
Some guys get all the breaks
Some guys do nothing but complain

All of my friends have a ring on their finger, they have someone
Someone to care for them, it ain't fair, I got no one
The car overheated, I called up and pleaded, there's help on the way
I called you collect, you didn't accept, you had nothing to say

Some guys have all the luck
Some guys have all the pain
Some guys get all the breaks
Some guys do nothing but complain

But if you were here with me
I'd feel so happy, I could cry
You are so dear to me
I just can't let you say goodbye
Woo woo woo. Woo woo woo
Woo woo woo. Woo woo woo
Woo woo woo. Woo woo woo
Woo woo woo. Woo woo woo
Woo woo woo. Woo woo woo

Woo woo woo. Woo woo woo
Woo woo woo. Woo woo woo

Overall Meaning

The song "Some Guys Have All the Luck" by Robert Palmer is a tale of unrequited love and the feeling of being left out while everyone else seems to be lucky in love. The song talks about the singer's frustrations of feeling alone and envious of others who have someone to love and care for them. The first verse speaks about his feelings of being alone in a crowd and his longing for the love that others seem to have. The second verse deepens the singer's sense of frustration as he asks for someone who will be with him and love him. Later, he laments the fact that he has no one, while all of his friends have someone to love and care for them. The chorus indicates his frustration that some guys seem to have it easy, with love, breaks and good luck, while he's left alone and unhappy.

Line by Line Meaning

Some guys have all the luck
There are some men who seem to be luckier than others and things always seem to work out for them.

Some guys have all the pain
On the other hand, there are men who always seem to be struggling and going through a lot of hardship.

Some guys get all the breaks
Certain men seem to have every opportunity and advantage handed to them on a silver platter.

Some guys do nothing but complain
Unfortunately, some men spend their time griping and moaning, regardless of what they do or don't have.

Alone in a crowd on a bus after working, I'm dreaming
Narrated by the artist, who is daydreaming while taking a bus ride home after a long day's work.

The guy next to me has a girl in his arms, my arms are empty
A fellow commuter sitting next to the singer is in a loving embrace with his girlfriend, while the singer sits alone and lonesome.

How does it feel when the girl next to you says she loves you?
The singer wonders what it would be like to be told by the girl he likes that she loves him.

Seems so unfair when there's love everywhere but there's none for me
The artist is jealous of all the love he sees around him while he remains unloved.

Someone to take on a walk by the lake Lord, let it be me
The artist desires someone special to spend time with him on romantic outings, like walking by a lake.

Someone who's shy, someone who'd cry at sad movies
The artist is looking for someone who shares his sensitive nature and is moved by emotional films.

I know I would die if I ever found out she was foolin' me
The singer knows that he would be crushed if he discovered that the woman he loved wasn't genuine about her feelings.

You're just a dream, and as real as it seems, I ain't that lucky
The artist realizes that the woman he desires might only be a figment of his imagination, and that his chances of finding true love are slim.

All of my friends have a ring on their finger, they have someone
The singer is envious of his friends, all of whom have significant others and are in committed relationships.

Someone to care for them, it ain't fair, I got no one
The singer bemoans his position of having no one to care for him in the way that his friends have.

The car overheated, I called up and pleaded, there's help on the way
The singer's car broke down, and he called for assistance.

I called you collect, you didn't accept, you had nothing to say
The artist called the woman he loved, but she refused to take his call, leaving him with unanswered questions.

But if you were here with me, I'd feel so happy, I could cry
The artist's deepest desire is to have the woman he loves by his side, and if she were there, he would be overjoyed.

You are so dear to me, I just can't let you say goodbye
The singer is unwilling to let the woman he loves go, and will fight to keep her by his side if she tries to leave.

Woo woo woo. Woo woo woo
Repetitive vocalizations to bring emphasis to the chorus.