Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger Meaning
Song Released: 1996
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Don't Look Back in Anger Lyrics
Don't you know you might find
A better place to play
You said that you'd never been
But all the things that you've seen
Will slowly fade away
So I start a revolution from my bed
Cos you said the brains I...
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1TOP RATED
anonymous Feb 10th 2008, 17:10 report
My girlfriend dumped me a while ago and slept with my best friend the day afterwards, this was a few months ago... I remember I was listing to this song and I realized its meaning, at least to me. The whole song revolves around "don't look back in anger" I see this as in,whatever mistakes you made you can't help them or change them, forget the past and have a great time. The very last line of the song turns everything around... "don't look back in anger, I heard you say.... at least not today" and sure enough I know that my ex girlfriend is already looking back in anger at every mistake she made
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2TOP RATED
jim morrison Jun 18th 2005, 15:53 report
This is a song about how it's stupid to look back and think what "could have been" It's just not worth it, and when you see that lost-love on the street, just walk on by, because it's not worth anything, don't look back in anger. "And so sally can wait, she knows it's too late, as we're walking on by, her soul slides away, but 'don't look back in anger,' I heard you say"
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anonymous Mar 14th 2012, 23:12 report
One of the roadies told me about this. Aw! You all have thoroughly centred my song to one thing alone...that is breaking up. When I wrote that song, I was reflecting on my relation with my dad, how much that cunt tormented us and our mum. He used to whack the shit out of me and Paul. Liam was luckier though, has always been. You know what I mean? So, this song indicates anyone on whom you're anrgy, not exclusively ex-es.
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anonymous Jan 11th 2012, 17:33 report
I tnik that the meaning of this song is that sally is at start of song with guy that's singing this song because he sings "so sally can wait,she nows it's too late,when we'r walking on by",and then next she dumped him because he sings in next chorus "so sally can wait,she nows it's too late,when she's walking on by". That means that whem she was with him she cheated him purposly,and dumped him,and he's like i'm cool with that,i don't give a fuck,life goes on
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anonymous Dec 10th 2011, 09:26 report
The opening line is about accessing your 3rd eye (close your eyes ,breath deep,lay down without crossing your fingers or legs etc: it blocks yr channels.with yr eyes still closed clear yr mind of all thought and look up a bit at the utmost of where your vision would go ; without opening yr eyes.For a few minutes just stare in to the blackness and see what happens .....be warned u might want to be in a positive state of mind b4 trying. the mglass in front of one of his own eyes in the vid is a masonic symbol for hellios the one eye aka appolyon angel of the bottomless pit .9hope this helps.
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anonymous Nov 6th 2011, 18:00 report
'please don't put your life in the hands of a rock and roll man to throw it all away' means she's had the good upbringing he's just a working class lad making a living out of his guitar, he can't promise security what she will have been promised her whole life. It is like she is being told not to get heavily involved with him because if it goes wrong she will fall flat on her backside with nothing, however it can't be entirely figured in my eyes if she is being told by the onlookers or whever the lad has realised this and that she is too good for him and will feel the guilt if it goes horribly wrong 'Don't look back in anger' means they are both set free with no attachments and she can strive for the success and security she deserves
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anonymous Oct 3rd 2011, 19:00 report
Sally is uptight, with lots of opinions about Noel, who she had a chance with but lost coz she didn't seize the day / live in the moment, so since he is living in the moment he moved on and is now reflecting and advising her how to break out (step inside the eye of your mind). Living in her head, Sally made some intellectual statements like "don't look back in anger" that she couldn't live coz now she's pissed she missed the chance, but he's embraced it. He's free, she's not.
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Dalamanza Jun 4th 2011, 13:41 report
this song is about a guy's past relationship with a girl. he's now got a new girlfriend, but whenever he sees his ex he gets one of those, "what if" moments. but everytime his girlfriend is there to remind him that he's moved on and is with her now (btw peeps this is a GOOD thing, not a controlling act - shes helping him move on). or, it cud possibly be his ex sayin that, tho she's sad, he should move on coz she wants him to be happy
"And so Sally can wait,
She knows it's too late" - sally is his ex and his saying confidently now that his girlfriend is right, it's no good dwelling on the past (looking back in anger), and so Sally should just move on and can 'stuff' it
"Slip inside the eye of your mind
Don't you know you might find
A better place to play" - eye of your mind (mind/imagination or just look elsewhere) and you'll find somewhere and someone better for you
etc. etc. etc.
basically Palindromesx03 and Jim Morrison hav got it right. gud work guys keep it up.
just luv this song tho... -
anonymous May 12th 2011, 07:00 report
I've always thought that Sally is actually Noel, and that it is about being upset over a much loved band splitting up, maybe the smiths or the stone roses, 'please don't put your life in the hands, of a rock and roll band, who'll throw it all away'
My guess is that the original lyric was 'so sad he can wait', which changed after Liam misheard the Lyric. -
anonymous May 4th 2011, 11:19 report
I think its written plainly in the title. "Don't look back in anger" And I think its also partly homage to John Lennon cause in the vid he is wearing John-looking glasses and the intro piano sounds (kinda) like Imagine.
I think its also partly about life itself. He says in the first part "....better place to play.." In you mind, like when you imagine about how things will be better. And when it does, all the bad things will "fade away"
Then the pre-chorus is kind of like "Bah To you! You can't bring me down" Then the chorus, is about the change in life, and life itself. People coming and going, people dying etc.
I like to think that "Sally" is like the old "him" And he's changing and moving on and his old self says "Next time when you reflect back, don't look back in anger or malice or pain" The "her soul slides away" is like his old self vanishing, disappearing.
I think over all its about how when you reflect back you shouldn't regret so much or be in pain. And about change. Things are changing all the time, without a change our lives will never last. -
anonymous Feb 17th 2011, 11:48 report
This song could be about Sally, the character and namesake of a book called suffragette Sally. The book is about the womens suffrage movement in Britain around 1900-1912. If you read the book you could see definite justification for my interpretation.
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anonymous Jan 13th 2011, 22:38 report
OKAY! THIS SONG IS NOT ABOUT WHIPLASH!!!!!!!! What were you thinking?!!!? Whiplash. :) ha! This song is about breakup. Sally broke up with him and sees him and his new girlfriend walking together "her soul slides away" she regrets her decision but at the end of the song he says "my soul slides away" he sees her too and probably still has feelings for her but she broke up with him so he needs to move on. It's a story.
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shoveitin Aug 11th 2009, 22:00 report
this song is about noels mother telling him in 1981 to stop being a depressed sook lounging about indoors and to go out and play 'just sniffin some glue' wth the other kids in the street, and he's making an overblown massive deal about it like any 80's child would do.
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anonymous Apr 24th 2009, 20:38 report
This is a break up song end of story
"don't you know you might find a better place to play"
means your ex thinks there's someone better than you
"don't look back in anger"
is what his ex said she means don't look bad at our break up
think of it as moving on -
theninja Jan 9th 2009, 14:09 report
This song is actually a reference to "Look Back In Anger" an extremely popular play and in turn movie (made by John Osborne in 1958) and is attributed to starting the use of the term "angry young men" in reference to Osborne and other Writers of the time who used harsh realism which started the British New wave as an attempt as commentary on the post-war disillusionment.
The song is a call, during a period in time when revolution was on the brink. The song has two meanings, he is saying, Sally is a direct reference to Allison and the bourgeois conflict between her upperclass upbringing and his working class status. This song is basically saying "don't look back in anger" forget about these inner conflict, walk past Sally, and it is saying harsh realism isn't necessary, but rather look around you and acknowledge the beauty too - adopt the peaceful strategy of the hippy generation, but through a critical standpoint (don't put your heart in the hand of a rock and roll band). This can be seen in the reference to john lennons bed-in and other peace movements, but be skeptical of them as well (the beatles, lennon ect.).
That's what this song is about - its really a reference to the film, and that generation of revolution it all inspired. It is a critique on negative and angry approaches to change. -
anonymous Feb 24th 2007, 11:43 report
in reference to "sally" being "sally cinnamon" from the stone roses song ! noel was actually singing this song to the band for the first time and his brother liam asked "are you singing so sally can wait" to which noel replied "no" and liam said "well you should" so it was actually liam that wrote this classic line ! years later at an oasis gig, a female fan asked noel if "sally" was "sally cinnamon" which is where he got the idea from and said in later interviews that he wished that he had come up with the idea !
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anonymous Feb 22nd 2007, 17:11 report
I think the line "start a revolution from my bed..." is a tribute to John Lennon...after all oasis did sample a lot of Beatles stuff
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anonymous Dec 2nd 2006, 13:55 report
one of noel's finest pices of work! every line is packed with emotion and it can be interpreted in a number of ways. for me personaly it's about constructing a plan to win back the love of his life. He knows he wants her for the rest of his life ''you aint never gonna burn my heart out'' and that maybe its not too late to start again.
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anonymous Nov 20th 2006, 18:56 report
This song was clearly made to raise awareness of the dangers of whiplash. Turning around quickly is always dangerous, but looking back in anger is EXTRA DANGEROUS. REPEAT. DANGER DANGER: looking back in anger may cause severe whiplass and/or accidental exorcist reenactments
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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