Englishman in New York Lyrics

[Chorus]
Whoa
I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
Whoa
I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York

[Bridge]
Modesty, propriety, can lead to notoriety
You could end up as the only one

Gentleness, sobriety are rare in this society
At night a candle's brighter than the sun

[Saxophone solo followed by drums]

[Verse 4]
Takes more than combat gear to make a man
Takes more than a license for a gun
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can
A gentleman will walk but never run

[Verse 3]
If "manners maketh man" as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself, no matter what they say
Be yourself, no matter what they say
Be yourself, no matter what they say
[Chorus]
Whoa
(Be yourself, no matter what they say)
I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
Whoa
(Be yourself, no matter what they say)
I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York

[Outro]
Whoa
I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
(Be yourself, no matter what they say)
Whoa
I'm an Englishman in New York
Whoa
I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
(Be yourself, no matter what they say)
I'm an Englishman in New York

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

“Englishman in New York” was released as a single in 1988. The song’s main subject was Quentin Crisp, a British writer. Sting said this about the song in the liner notes for Nothing Like the Sun:

I wrote “Englishman in New York for a friend of mine who moved from London to New York in his early seventies to a small rented apartment in the Bowery at a time in his life when most people have settled down forever. He once told me over dinner that he looked forward to receiving his naturalization papers so that he could commit a crime and not be deported. "What kind of crime?” I asked anxiously. “Oh, something glamorous, non-violent, with a dash of style” he replied. “Crime is so rarely glamorous these days.”

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Translations
Genius Answer
Is there a live performance of the song?
Genius Answer

Yes! On November 25, 2021, Sting interpreted the song in live at Le Grand Studio RTL.

Credits
Producers
Writer
Video Director
Saxophone Solo
Percussion
Recorded At
AIR Montserrat, Salem, Saint Peter Parish, Montserrat, British Dependent Territories
Released on
October 13, 1987
View Englishman in New York samples
Tags
Comments
Sign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓
Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.
  翻译: