Omegaman Lyrics
City screams are all I've heard in twenty years
The razor's edge of night, it cuts into my sleep
I sit upon the edge now
Shall I make that leap?
I'm the Omegaman
I walk the streets and seek another vision yet
The echo makes me turn to see that last frontier
The edge of time closes down as I disappear
I'm the Omegaman
I'm the Omegaman
I'm the Omegaman
Always talking to myself
Oh!
The presence of another world comes close to me
It's time for me to throw away this paper knife
I'm not alone in reaching for a perfect life
I'm the Omegaman
I'm the Omegaman
I'm the Omegaman
I'm so tired
Of the Omegaman
I'm so tired
Of the Omegaman
I'm so tired
Of the Omegaman
I'm so tired
Of the Omegaman
I'm so tired
Of the Omegaman
Of the Omegaman
I'm so tired
Of the Omegaman
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Is there absolutely any relation to the Charleton Heston flick in 1971 of the same name? It seems you could say it is.
Tired of being the last sane man perhaps?
I could be way off here
Christopher Nicolaides
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this track blows my mind
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This song is about the irony of being surrounded by people but feeling like you are the last person on earth.
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The lyrics for me are evocative of a musician tired and needing a change from his band, feeling like he has been trapped for eons in his band. The televisions in the sky remind me of those TVs you see in everybody's windows in the city at night. (City dwellers often don't cover their windows.)
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No, I'd say you're right.
I would like to know where this line comes from though: "The sky's alive with turned on television sets", it reminds me very much of Neuromancer's opening line: "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel".
The songs's from '81, the book from '84. It looks like a meme that was around before Neuromancer, and considering that Sting read a lot during his Police days, it is not unthinkable he got the lines from somewhere else. Maybe from the novel the movie was based on, Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend"?
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… and Andy Summers' 'Omegaman', opening with a cool phased rhythm, manages somehow to merge a fast punkish rhythm with astral overtones. Besides, watch out for that phased solo; I've yet to hear something like that instrumental section. 'Psychedelic punk' - how's that for you? That's the best categorization for the song I can offer. [George Starostin]
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PC: What was the quickest album you ever made?
AS: The second Police album Regatta D'Blanc was made in 10 days. The Police records were all really fast. We were such a playing band that we would start with the songs and have them together within the week. We didn't need to spend a huge amount of time on it because we were constantly performing so we were always ready. We were a working band. We knew our style. We didn't need 10 years to work things out. When they gave us 6 weeks to go to Montserrat and record Ghost in the Machine we were done in 10 days and would then just sit around. Personally I think people spend too long on records and try to make them too perfect. There is a certain rush of energy that you get. You shouldn't take too long because I think you get a better feeling on the record. People take too much time and detailing and it ends up sounding a bit dead I think.
PC: What about your old Police songs like 'Behind My Camel' or 'Omegaman', do you ever resurrect them live?
AS: No. I can't actually. We should leave them for the right moment.
PC: Would you like to take those old songs and reinvent them?
AS: Not particularly. I think that was an era then. I don't have a great nostalgia for the past. I am pretty embroiled in moving on and moving forward with music. We are about to play at Birdland in New York which is extremely tough and has some of the coolest musicians in the world. I am going to play this album and take it all away. I will be as cutting edge as anybody. It is a full frontal assault when we play this shit. Just the track Earth + Sky alone is a killer live. I pull it off exactly like the record. It is tough to do but it is fun. We practiced and I like the challenge of being able to do it. Mentally being able to get on top of these pieces and get the sequences right is in your hand to be able to play. If you can get through it in a live performance you feel comfortable because it pushes you on. It helps you grow and that is what it is all about.
PC: I'm in Melbourne, Australia. Isn't this the city where the band broke up?
AS: Yeah it was. It was sort of the official end because we did get back together and do those six dates with the Amnesty tour in '86. We did like a covert appearance where we appeared two years later. It was sort of the end but it wasn't. I remember that gig very well. It was a poignant moment because we all knew we were breaking up but the audience didn't know. [Paul Cashmere interview with Andy Summers]
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I heard Andy say in an interview that he was thinking of John Lennon when he wrote this song.
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I've never seen that film but that sounds right "I am the omega man - always talking to myself - I'm so tired of the omegaman"
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aic22 I heard that same interview with Andy. Love this song! The Police's most underrated song. I heard the record company wanted to release it as a single, but Sting was not pleased. I think the song touches on insomnia and stress.
@jim1965 Not to mention that the bass line consists of 4 notes, the whole song. I really love hearing this song, too,. but it is kind of a bore to play, especially when compared to some of their other material. Great song, but I can understand Stings nonplussed attitude toward it.
@jim1965 Not to mention that the bass line consists of 4 notes, the whole song. I really love hearing this song, too,. but it is kind of a bore to play, especially when compared to some of their other material. Great song, but I can understand Stings nonplussed attitude toward it.