But Not For Me
Rod Stewart Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Old man sunshine, listen, you
Never tell me dreams come true
Just try it, and I'll start a riot

Oprah Winfrey don't you dare
Ever tell me she will care
I'm certain, it's the final curtain
I never want to hear from any cheerful Polly-annas
Who tell you fate supplies a mate, it's all bananas

They're writing songs of love,
But not for me
A lucky star's above,
But not for me
With love to lead the way
I've found more skies of gray
Than any Russian play
Could guarantee

I was a fool to fall
And get that way
Hi ho, alas
And also, lack a day
Although I can't dismiss
The memory of her kiss
I guess
She's not for me

It all began so well
But what an end
This is the time
A fella needs a friend
The climax of the plot
Should be a marriage knot
But there's
No knot for me

Although I can't dismiss
The memory of her kiss




I guess
She's not for me

Overall Meaning

"But Not For Me" is a song by Rod Stewart, with lyrics that reflect a feeling of loneliness and rejection. The song opens with a sense of disbelief and aggression towards the notion that dreams can come true. The singer expresses his frustration at the idea of cheerful Polly-Annas who believe in a predestined mate, and his skepticism towards Oprah Winfrey caring about him. He warns old man sunshine to not get his hopes up, as starting a riot seems to be the more likely outcome.


The chorus of the song goes on to lament the lack of love in his own life, despite the presence of a lucky star in the sky. He has found more gray skies than anything that a Russian play could guarantee, and it is made clear that this is not a situation that is unique to him. The second verse continues to build on this theme of unrequited love, as he talks about being a fool to fall in love in the first place. The climax of the song is the realization that there is no marriage knot for him, yet he cannot dismiss the memory of her kiss.


Line by Line Meaning

Old man sunshine, listen, you
I'm addressing the concept of good fortune, but I don't believe in it.


Never tell me dreams come true
I don't want to hear any optimistic sentiments.


Just try it, and I'll start a riot
If anyone tries to convince me otherwise, I'll get angry.


Oprah Winfrey don't you dare
I'm even skeptical of Oprah, a popular talk show host.


Ever tell me she will care
I don't believe anyone will ever truly care about me.


I'm certain, it's the final curtain
I'm convinced that there's no hope for me to find love or happiness.


I never want to hear from any cheerful Polly-annas
I don't want to hear from anyone who's overly positive or optimistic.


Who tell you fate supplies a mate, it's all bananas
I don't believe in the idea of fate and destiny bringing people together.


They're writing songs of love,
Other people are writing love songs,


But not for me
but they're not meant for me.


A lucky star's above,
Other people believe in luck and good fortune,


But not for me
but I don't believe in it, as I am not lucky.


With love to lead the way
If love truly existed and could guide me,


I've found more skies of gray
I've experienced more sadness and gloom than happiness.


Than any Russian play
Even Russian plays dealing with tragedies can't match the sorrow I feel.


Could guarantee
But such feelings about love and disappointment aren't guaranteed in plays.


I was a fool to fall
Although I fell in love and was happy at first,


And get that way
I realize how foolish I was to become so enamored.


Hi ho, alas
This is a lamentation, expressing sadness and disappointment.


And also, lack a day
This is an exclamation of sadness and disappointment as well.


Although I can't dismiss
Even though I know that love isn't in my future,


The memory of her kiss
I still have fond memories of the physical affection I once shared.


I guess
It's become clear to me,


She's not for me
That she isn't the one I am supposed to fall in love with.


It all began so well
Despite the disappointment and sadness I am feeling,


But what an end
The end of my relationship and the failure of my hope for love is so disheartening.


This is the time
Now that I'm alone again,


A fella needs a friend
I need someone to be there for me and to support me.


The climax of the plot
Most love stories have a happy ending with marriage,


Should be a marriage knot
But I do not have the marriage knot to tie.


But there's
However,


No knot for me
I am destined to remain alone without love or partnership.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

xuniM

Old man sunshine, listen, you
Never tell me dreams come true
Just try it, and I'll start a riot

Oprah Winfrey don't you dare
Ever tell me she will care
I'm certain, it's the final curtain
I never want to hear from any cheerful Polly-annas
Who tell you fate supplies a mate, it's all bananas

They're writing songs of love,
But not for me
A lucky star's above,
But not for me
With love to lead the way
I've found more skies of gray
Than any Russian play
Could guarantee

I was a fool to fall
And get that way
Hi ho, alas
And also, lack a day
Although I can't dismiss
The memory of her kiss
I guess
She's not for me

It all began so well
But what an end
This is the time
A fella needs a friend
The climax of the plot
Should be a marriage knot
But there's
No knot for me

Although I can't dismiss
The memory of her kiss
I guess
She's not for me



All comments from YouTube:

naga gab

This guy is very underrated- he for sure is famous- but his voice and the way, he delivers the musical message here is just phenomenal

Antonio Rivero

LA MUSICA MAS LINDA DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS.

Alcires Elias

JAZZ EM SUA VOZ FICOU DIVINAMENTE ....ENCANTADOR ,MÁGICO 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😍😘🇧🇷

Kinto Zero

Finally, a love song for the rest of us.

Maria Fernanda Maldonado

Temazo. ..Tan tipo jazz romántico y cantado por Rod esa voz extraña, áspera, y sensual a la vez ....

Antonio Rivero

Y ROD LO HACE COMO NADIE.GRANDES ARREGLOS .GRAN TROMPETISTA.THANK YOU. THE MUSIK IS UNIVERSAL!!!!!,!,

Tony Marcelo

Obrigado por compartilhar suas musicas !!!!!!!!!! Cordial abraço !!!! :-)

maureen1938

LOVE this SOOOO much !  The song and especially the singer are superb !

angela67841

muito lindoooooooooooo

xuniM

Old man sunshine, listen, you
Never tell me dreams come true
Just try it, and I'll start a riot

Oprah Winfrey don't you dare
Ever tell me she will care
I'm certain, it's the final curtain
I never want to hear from any cheerful Polly-annas
Who tell you fate supplies a mate, it's all bananas

They're writing songs of love,
But not for me
A lucky star's above,
But not for me
With love to lead the way
I've found more skies of gray
Than any Russian play
Could guarantee

I was a fool to fall
And get that way
Hi ho, alas
And also, lack a day
Although I can't dismiss
The memory of her kiss
I guess
She's not for me

It all began so well
But what an end
This is the time
A fella needs a friend
The climax of the plot
Should be a marriage knot
But there's
No knot for me

Although I can't dismiss
The memory of her kiss
I guess
She's not for me

More Comments

More Versions