This document contains an analysis of the song "Englishman In New York" by Sting. It discusses how the song was inspired by Sting's meeting with Quentin Crisp, a gay writer who moved from London to New York. The song explores the feelings of being an immigrant and not fully belonging. It references British cultural aspects like tea and manners. It also examines the themes of confronting ignorance and staying true to oneself regardless of what others think.

1. ENGLISH PROJECT
ANALYSIS OF A SONG
TOPIC: IMMIGRATION
MEMBERS OF THE GROUP: Grossi, Galmes,
Rodriguez
CLASS: 4º B

2. By Sting

3. Englishman In New York by Sting
I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear
I like my toast done on one side
And you can hear it in my accent when I talk
I'm an Englishman in New York
See me walking down Fifth Avenue
A walking cane here at my side
I take it everywhere I walk
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
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

4. I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
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
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
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
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York

5. Englishmen have never been illegal or
discriminated in the USA due to the English
influence in American history.
In the case of Malvinas islands, USA agreed with the
English position, and against Argentina.
In the First World War, the USA was neutral at first,
but they tended to agree with England and France.
In the Second World War the USA joined great
Britain, France, Australia and new Zeeland against
Germany.

6. Name the song: An Englishman In New York
Sting, Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, was born on October
2nd 1951 in Wallsend – a town in England. If you want to know
about his biography or his professional career (including his
performance with the band The Police), you can find much
more information in his official website: www.sting.com
Quentin Crisp, Denis Charles Pratt, was born on the 25th of
December 1908 and died on the 21st of November in 1999. He
was a writer, an actor and a “raconteur” (story teller). He
became a gay icon in the70s.
But, what has this Quentin Crisp to do with this famous song
written by Sting? Well, this song is inspired on him. Just after
Crisp moved from London to a flat in Bowery, Manhattan, Sting
wrote this song after a visit he paid to Mr. Crisp by the end of
1986 in his flat in New York. During the meeting Crisp told
Sting about how hard was life for an homosexual man in the
homophobic Great Britain between the 20s and the 60s. Sting
was so impressed that he decided to write the song.

7. In one hand, it tells us about the cultural differences between
American and British people, (not only talking about manners,
but also about their accent).
Here are some references to British culture that you can see in the
song:
I don’t drink coffee I take tea my dear (As we all know, tea is a
British tradition)
I like my toast done on one side (They seem to eat toasts done on
one side)
And you can hear it in my accent when I talk (And of course,
British accent is quite different from American accent).
See me walking down Fifth Avenue
A walking cane here at my side I take it everywhere I walk (The
typical image of the English gentleman walking with his cane,
although the song does not mention the bowler hat).

8. In the other hand, this song tells us about the feeling
of being an alien – a foreigner - wherever you are,
without belonging to a group:
Read this line:
I’m an alien, I’m a legal alien, I’m an Englishman in New
York.
Does New York really welcome immigrants? Maybe
Sting wants to show us that Englishmen are proud
everywhere they are, even if people do not welcome
them.

9. • The following stanza talks about manners,
topic which caused passion in Quentin Crisp,
and the fact of feeling proud of themselves,
without worrying about what other people
think .
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

10. The following stanzas mention the same things:
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

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
Does he consider American drinkers? Why are
there so many lights shining at night? According to
him there are other important things to be
considered a man for society.

11. Conclusion:
In our world discrimination towards
foreign people has always existed, but
in this particular case it is not about
the differences between English and
American people. They have always
respected each other. In this song, the
discrimination is about sexuality, not
only in England (his origin country)
but also in the United States, too.

12. References:
http://vocatic.com/el-significado-de-sting-en-ingles-
y-la-cancion-englishman-in-new-york