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Another Tricky Day Lyrics
You can't always get it
When you really want it
You can't always get it at all
Just because there's space
In your life it's a waste
To spend your time why don't you wait for the call
(Just gotta get used to it)
We all get it in the end
(Just gotta get used to it)
We go down and we come up again
(Just gotta get used to it)
You irritate me my friend
(This is no social crisis)
This is you having fun
(No crisis)
Getting burned by the sun
(This is true)
This is no social crisis
Just another tricky day for you
You can always get higher
Just because you aspire
You could expire even knowing.
Don't push the hands
Just hang on to the band
You can dance while your knowledge is growing
(It could happen anytime)
You can't expect to never cry
(Patience is priceless)
Not when you try to fly so high
(Just stay on that line)
Rock and roll will never die
(This is no social crisis)
[etc.]
Another tricky day
Another gently nagging pain
What the papers say
Just seems to bring down heavier rain
The world seems in a spiral
Life seems such a worthless title
But break out and start a fire y'all
It's all here on the vinyl
(No crisis)
[etc.]
[Repeat verse 1.]
(Just gotta get used to it)
Gotta get used to waiting
(Just gotta get used to it)
You know how the ice is
(Just gotta get used to it)
It's thin where you're skating
(This is no social crisis)
[etc.]
Just another tricky day for you fellah
When you really want it
You can't always get it at all
Just because there's space
In your life it's a waste
To spend your time why don't you wait for the call
We all get it in the end
(Just gotta get used to it)
We go down and we come up again
(Just gotta get used to it)
You irritate me my friend
(This is no social crisis)
This is you having fun
(No crisis)
Getting burned by the sun
(This is true)
This is no social crisis
Just another tricky day for you
Just because you aspire
You could expire even knowing.
Don't push the hands
Just hang on to the band
You can dance while your knowledge is growing
You can't expect to never cry
(Patience is priceless)
Not when you try to fly so high
(Just stay on that line)
Rock and roll will never die
(This is no social crisis)
[etc.]
Another gently nagging pain
What the papers say
Just seems to bring down heavier rain
The world seems in a spiral
Life seems such a worthless title
But break out and start a fire y'all
It's all here on the vinyl
(No crisis)
[etc.]
Gotta get used to waiting
(Just gotta get used to it)
You know how the ice is
(Just gotta get used to it)
It's thin where you're skating
(This is no social crisis)
[etc.]
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Face Dances was the first album I ever bought. I was only 11 years old.
Another tricky day is still my favourite track on the album..
Sleep in Peace John.
WOW! What an awesome first album to get! I wish my 11 year old self could have hung out with your 11 year old self. :p I got into the Who when I was 13, starting with Tommy. By age 14, I had all the big albums (took me a while to find the earlier ones like 'Sings My Generation', as it was before the Internet was popular.) BTW- My first album that I picked out all by myself was Queen's 'A Night at the Opera.'. Great album, but The Who is the only band I truly idolize, and have...
WOW! What an awesome first album to get! I wish my 11 year old self could have hung out with your 11 year old self. :p I got into the Who when I was 13, starting with Tommy. By age 14, I had all the big albums (took me a while to find the earlier ones like 'Sings My Generation', as it was before the Internet was popular.)
BTW- My first album that I picked out all by myself was Queen's 'A Night at the Opera.'. Great album, but The Who is the only band I truly idolize, and have all the members' solo albums, mostly on LP (yes, even Two Sides of the Moon.)
Also a huge fan of Entwistle. Saw them in 2000 with John, and 2002 just seven days after his death. Both great shows, but definitely lost something without John's thunder fingers.
As I could discern - it was Pete's attempt to help him through bad times, by writing a song saying "you think you have it bad? it's just another tricky day for you". At the point of writing this, his family had temporarily left him, and he was drinking and still unable to recover from losing keith, thinking he was next. Gossip columns were talking negatively about him in 1980 (when it was written, though released in 1981). A passionate, powerful song, and one that has helped me through lots of rough patches. Oh, for the record, the beginning of the 2nd verse is actually "you can't always get higher"
I don't see anything about social class here. This is about someone's social life, or lack thereof. The song is addressed to somebody who wants exciting things to be happening in his or her life and isn't getting what they want. Moreover, the world in general seems bleak to him or her. The song tells that person that it's not actually such a big deal.
I love the moment in the song that goes along with "rock and roll will never die" -- truly inspired.
This song came out when I was in high school, and it is one of my all-time favorites. I really did feel like it was addressing me and my social life (or lack thereof). It's a song of encouragement, a much cooler, deeper version of "Don't worry, be happy."
I feel this song is about someone who just makes up problems for themselves so that they can have something to complain about. An attention seeker making a mountain out of a molehill. "This is no social crisis, this is you having fun."
I get that out of it too. "You irritate me, my friend."
I get that out of it too. "You irritate me, my friend."
Ahh, I somehow missed this post when I wrote mine, part of which says pretty much what you said here so succinctly!
Ahh, I somehow missed this post when I wrote mine, part of which says pretty much what you said here so succinctly!
When I had my computer set up to play an mp3 for an alarm in the morning, this is one of the songs I would use. Every day is potentially another tricky day for you.
Love the lines “Rock and Roll Will Never Die” and “break out and start a fire, you all; it’s ALL HERE on the vinyl” - a meta remark In this song about facing difficulties in our life and not blowing them up to be the end of the world. I find a similar sentiment in ‘Don’t Let Go The Coat’’s final verse-line: “ sure to get the hang of hanging in there someday”, which sounds to me like Pete speaking to his inner self about not getting too high or too low, not making life about great “events” that probably won’t happen, or don’t happen often enough to be worth having much faith in. It’s a poetic way of saying ‘Keep On Keeping On. There’s no Other way, day in day out, keep it on an even keel. Inside, at least...
rip ox
This song is about the higher social class complaining about everything when the lower class doesn't. Love this song. Best tune on Face Dances. Awesome bass by John.
First off, I saw The Who perform this song live for the first time in over 25 years. It was on July 4th, 2002, just seven days after John's death. So, I think they were just testing new songs since they could no longer do My Wife or The Real Me live. (though I'd still love them to do the real me.. nudge nudge, lame joke, but you know what I mean. ahem Sorry. )
As for song meaning, I always felt it was about one of those types of people who are always having some sort of crisis, but almost all of their problems are self-inflicted or made worse by their actions/inaction.
They also exaggerate how bad things really are to gain others' sympathy, and the singer sees through the act: "This is no social crisis, just another tricky day for you."