My Way
Sex Pistols Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Regrets and I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
I saw it through without exemption

I've planned each charted course
Each careful step along the highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way

There were times
I'm sure you knew
When there was fuck, fuck
Fuck all else to do

But through it all
When there was doubt
I shut it up or kicked it down
I faced the wall and the world
And did it my way

I've loved and been a snide
I've had my fill, uh
My share of losing
And now the tears subside
I find it all so amusing

To think, I killed a cat
And might I say
Not in the die way
Oh no, oh no, not me
I did it my way

For what is a brat
What has he got
When he wears hats
And he cannot
Say the things he truly feels

But only the words
Of one who kneels
The record shows




I've stuffed a bloke
And did it my way

Overall Meaning

The Sex Pistols' song "My Way" is a punk version of Frank Sinatra's classic tune, with some slight revisions in its lyrics. The song speaks of the singer's life, detailing his experiences and the choices he made, telling it from his own perspective. The first verse mentions that he has had some regrets in his life, but they are too few to mention, implying that he does not dwell on his misfortunes, and instead, he continues to march on with his life. He then emphasizes that he owned his decisions and accepted the consequences, whether good or bad, and that he did so without exemptions. The second verse highlights the moments when he felt lost, indicating that he persevered through those difficult moments, doubting himself, and pushing through the obstacles that came his way. He declared he did it his way and that he faced the wall and the world right in front of him.


The third verse reveals the singer's character in that he has been both loved and hated. He expresses that he embraced the highs and lows of life while recognizing the lessons that come with them. The phrase "I find it all so amusing" suggests a sense of irony and sarcasm, indicating that the singer has grown desensitized to the things around him. The next line, "To think, I killed a cat," is another hint of his indifference, indicating that he has the potential to undertake something bizarre and outlandish. Finally, the last verse is a parody of the original song, with the Sex Pistols changing the word "prat" from the original to "brat," indicating that they have made a subtle update to the lyrics. Though the words "stuffed a bloke" sound violent, in a way, it's just a way of saying that he had done things his way, and whether it was lawful or not, he did it without caring about the consequences.


Line by Line Meaning

Regrets and I've had a few
I have a few regrets in life


But then again, too few to mention
But I don't dwell on them because there aren't that many


I did what I had to do
I did what I thought was necessary


I saw it through without exemption
I followed through with my decisions


I've planned each charted course
I have carefully planned out my actions


Each careful step along the highway
I have taken each step deliberately and with caution


And more, much more than this
And beyond all of that


I did it my way
I did it according to my own decisions and beliefs


There were times
There have been occasions


I'm sure you knew
That you are aware of


When there was fuck, fuck
When there was nothing else to do


Fuck all else to do
No other options available


But through it all
Despite everything


When there was doubt
When there was uncertainty


I shut it up or kicked it down
I either silenced the doubt or powered through it


I faced the wall and the world
I confronted both internal and external obstacles


And did it my way
And tackled them according to my own beliefs


I've loved and been a snide
I have loved and been sarcastic


I've had my fill, uh
I have had my share


My share of losing
My share of experiencing losses


And now the tears subside
And now the emotional pain has lessened


I find it all so amusing
I find the situation to be humorous


To think, I killed a cat
To think, I have done negative things


And might I say
And I must say


Not in the die way
Not in the literal sense


Oh no, oh no, not me
Oh no, not me


I did it my way
I tackled it according to my own beliefs


For what is a brat
Because what is the value of a spoiled person


What has he got
What do they have that has real worth


When he wears hats
When they appear to wear a facade


And he cannot
And they are unable to


Say the things he truly feels
Express their genuine feelings


But only the words
But instead only the standard expressions


Of one who kneels
Of one who is submissive


The record shows
The history shows


I've stuffed a bloke
I have taken someone down


And did it my way
And tackled them according to my own beliefs




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE, JEUNE MUSIQUE EDITIONS
Written by: Claude Francois, Gilles Thibaut, Jacques Revaux, Paul Anka

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
Comments from YouTube:

@cyberglum

My Mother is the woman playing Sid's Mum in the audience in this video. She was made bed-bound 5 years ago and its been my pleasure to be her carer through that time. She passed away back on the 11th of this month (11/12/2022). I will miss her a lot.

@stinks7065

My condolences! My father passed a few years ago and we feel his absence daily, so I thought I'd extend my sympathies to you and your family. It's cool that your mother got to take part in something so culturally significant! My mother would probably be a tad jealous, she is a sex pistols fan and laments the fact that she was born too late to ever be able to see them in concert (not that they would've ever come to our tiny country).

@abbysorenson6685

I'm sorry to hear that your mom passed. It's very cool that she took part in this. She must have been a cool mom. I love exposing my kids to punk, I find the humor in it makes us all laugh and takes some of the seriousness out of parenting. Sending healing thoughts to you and yours. I hope you all are well in spite of your loss.

@user-kg4ut8xv9s

Примите мои соболезнования

@CorvusCorps

Thanks for sharing that. I wish you peace and happiness.

@drake.707

@Can't fix Stupid lol

88 More Replies...

@Bro-ne9sw

he was and still is the best musician who couldn't play or sing

@Bro-ne9sw

+redospure jim morrison could sing and write.so no,i wasnt talking abt jim. sex pistols purposley turnd off sids bass cause he couldnt play.all he was was a stage attraction.he like i said...was the best musician who couldnt play

@negativeindustrial

+redospure
Quite a few similarities there actually (see my comment above about how they are both often mistaken for the actors who expertly played them in 80's movies). Altho I have enjoyed both of their music and stage presence, I have to agree - Morrison might not have been the best singer of his era (still better than 99% of the horseshit being sold today tho) but in addition to his amazing stage presence he was definitely one hell of a poet/lyricist.

@negativeindustrial

+A. Nonny Mouse
It was Sid too. I've read a few accounts of people in and associated with the band reporting this. To be fair tho he learned to play specifically so he could be in the band and had only been playing somewhere around a month before they hit the road on his first tour with the band. Apparently he learned pretty quick to play well enough that a short time later, just before they broke up, he was actually playing on the road. Also, it's not like anyone in that band was a gifted musician - Punk Rock in general, especially the first wave in the '70's, was characterized by pretty shitty musicianship.

More Comments

More Versions