Feelin' Alright

I believe that even in the Traffic version, the word is "die" and not "sign". Dave Mason also says "die" on the version of this song that appears on his solo album, "Headkeeper". Since Mason is the writer of this song, I have to believe that "die" is the word.

I don't think that the song is about breaking up, but it does seem to be about relationship problems. Things are difficult between them, and the singer isn't "feelin' alright" about what's going on between them.

In the second verse, he said that he "can't waste my time" and wants to move on "before I die", but then, in this final verse, he says for her not to "get too lost in what I say." In that verse, he "can't get up yet" and he's "here to stay", which to me, implies that he has decided not to leave her, and that he's staying put while he tries to decide if he has the strength and courage to leave her, in spite of "all your lies".

This song is one of the best songs about "divorce" ever written.

The first line should be "Seems I've got to have a change of SCENE" and the verse goes on to discuss being tortured by thoughts of how things might have turned out better.

The chorus is just asking the girl if she feels as bad as the singer does.

The second verse discusses how it is time to move on. The final line, in all the Traffic and Dave Mason (who I believe wrote the song) versions, is "Cause there's too much to do before I SIGN"; which is why I feel this is about divorce specifically and not just a breakup. (The Joe Cocker "hack job" of this song does use the words "before I DIE" but then I think Joe basically missed the point of the song.)

The final verse is possibly about the girl asking to reconcile and the singer telling her find some other sap, but I am not sure about this; it might just be about his acceptance of moving on.

As far as the lyrics, I think hippoman is right. I just went back a listed yet again with headphones and I think it’s “die.” As far at the meaning, I think you are both right in away. That song is about the point in a relationship where everyone knows that it is over but doesn’t know how to let I go. Maybe because it’s comfortable or because they aren’t sure how. So they keep recapping the same old ground and taking it back only to repeat the cycle. We’ve all been there; at least I know I have.

As a listener, my first impression of "Feelin' Alright" was always about a relationship with a girl. But the line about "must keep dry" never made any sense in that context to me, and it occurred to me that if you look at this as a song about a relationship with drinking, it makes much more sense.

Think of the song as the voice of someone on a bar stool, and it makes a LOT of sense.

Also, to correct a few lyrics, the first line is "have a change of scene," and in the refrain, it should read, "I'm not feeling too good myself" in each instance.

swoods_blue has it right. It's clearly about a relationship with alcohol...

I think the beauty of this song is how well it can be adapted to so many states in life. I admit, however, that I never considered that it might be about a woman. The word that gets me is "boy" -- I know it can be used as a simple exclamation, but I just feel like if he was talking about a girl he wouldn't have used it. It makes me lean more toward the alcohol theme, which I agree the word "dry" connotes.
But before coming here and reading these interpretations, I was always overcome with a theme of death. I have always liked this song, but I listened to it again recently after the passing of my brother and it opened up a whole new world of meaning for me. There are elements of the song that don't quite fit, and yet others fit so exactly, it is as though Mason looked into my heart and wrote this song from what he saw there.
There is an attitude of sadness, loss, and regret, and yet there is bitterness too. Certainly these are associated with a breakup, but they are common to death as well. No matter how much you love someone you lose, a part of you feels a little angry and abandoned.
What I love about this song is that even though the lyrics aren't very happy, the music isn't all that sad. And he doesn't say he's feeling bad, he just says he's not feeling so good...it's as though he can see the light at the end of whatever tunnel he's in, he can see that he has to live the rest of his life and he isn't going to make it very long if he doesn't eventually get out of that tunnel and get his head up again. He just isn't ready to do that yet.

PS: "left her on my own" isn't right either...its "left to own my own home" ...as in, his house, he has a mortgage etc...

I feel this is written as an F off by a very hurt and scorned person Either lover or best friend For the line but boy you sure took me for 1 big ride

The first time I heard this song I was amazed that anyone anywhere could put my heroin addiction into words. I'm sure the song is about many things to many people but if anyone out there has suffered through an addiction listen to this song and think about what they went through. It's years ahead of its time. I don't know what Dave Mason was thinking about when he wrote this song. But I know what I think about every single time I hear it.