My Way
The Sex Pistols Lyrics


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And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain (Ha ha ha!)
You cunt, I'm not a queer
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full
And each and every highway
And much, much more than this
I did it my way

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
But I did .. what I had to do
I'll see it through without devotion

I planned, each chartered course
Be careful thought 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 else to do

But through it all, when there was doubt
I shot it up, or kicked it out
I faced the wall .. and .. the wall
And did it my way

I've loved in bed last night
I've had my fill, my share of looting
And now, the tears subside
I find it all so amusing

To think, I killed a cat
And may I say .. not in the way
"But no, no, not me"
"I did it my way"

For what is a brat, what has he got
When he wears hats that he cannot
Say the things he truly thinks
But only the words, not what he feels





The record shows, I've got no clothes
And did it my way

Overall Meaning

The Sex Pistols’ rendition of “My Way” is a punk rock cover of Frank Sinatra’s classic song. This version has angry lyrics and a defiant tone, making it a rebellious version of a song typically associated with conformity and tradition. The song itself speaks to the Punk Rock spirit of independence and non-conformity.


The opening lines “And now, the end is near / And so I face the final curtain” convey a sense of defiance against death, paired with the laughter that emphasizes the song’s upbeat tempo. The following lines are meant to establish the punk rock attitude of rebellion and individuality. The repetition of “I did it my way” emphasizes the importance of free will and the importance of living life without being held down by outside forces. The second verse goes on to highlight the singer’s strength of will, determination and the joy they find in being themselves.


The third verse is where the song takes a dark turn. The singer mentions killing a cat, implying they may have done something sinister or violent. However, the line “not in the way” indicates that this was a rebellious action and not to be taken literally. The final verse highlights the philosophy of punk rock, stressing the importance of speaking one’s truth and being true to oneself.


Line by Line Meaning

And now, the end is near
I'm getting closer to the end of my life


And so I face the final curtain (Ha ha ha!)
I approach death with a funny attitude and entertain myself


You cunt, I'm not a queer
I'm confident in my heterosexuality


I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I'll confidently present my argument


I've lived a life that's full
I've experienced a rich and fulfilling life


And each and every highway
I've explored all the opportunities available


And much, much more than this
And along with that, so much more


I did it my way
I lived life on my own terms


Regrets, I've had a few
I've made some mistakes


But then again, too few to mention
But they're not worth dwelling on


But I did .. what I had to do
But I did what I needed to do to get through it


I'll see it through without devotion
I'll push through it without emotional attachment


I planned, each chartered course
I carefully plotted out my ventures


Be careful thought along the highway
I carefully considered every decision


And more, much more than this
And I did it all on my own terms


There were times, I'm sure you knew
There were moments when you surely understood my feelings


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


But through it all, when there was doubt
Despite moments of uncertainty


I shot it up, or kicked it out
I either took drugs or fought through it


I faced the wall .. and .. the wall
I confronted the obstacles in front of me


And did it my way
And solved them the way I wanted to


I've loved in bed last night
I had a sexual encounter last night


I've had my fill, my share of looting
I've taken what I needed to live my life my way


And now, the tears subside
Now the crying is over


I find it all so amusing
I realize how ridiculous it all is


To think, I killed a cat
To think, I did something unexpected and unconventional


And may I say .. not in the way
And I did it my way, not the expected way


"But no, no, not me"
"But I'm not the average person"


"I did it my way"
"I did things my way from start to finish"


For what is a brat, what has he got
What is a spoiled kid, what does he truly have?


When he wears hats that he cannot
When he puts on airs he can't back up


Say the things he truly thinks
Express his deepest thoughts


But only the words, not what he feels
But really only fake feelings


The record shows, I've got no clothes
The record indicates that I wasn't following the norm


And did it my way
And I did things on my own terms and in my own style




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CLAUDE FRANCOIS, MARCELO DRUMOND NOVA, JACQUES REVAUX, GILLES THIBAUT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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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.

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