One Better Day

Madness's song "One Better Day" paints a poignant picture of two individuals, an old man and an old woman, who are seemingly homeless and living on the streets. The song opens with a vivid image of the old man in a three-piece suit sitting in the road, staring across the water. This imagery sets the tone for the song, highlighting the contrast between his past life and his current situation. The old man’s mumbled and fumbled words suggest a sense of confusion and loss, as he tries to make sense of his surroundings and his memories.

Further down the street, the song introduces an old woman surrounded by plastic bags and baggage tags. Her actions of filling out baggage tags and being thrown out with her bags symbolize the transient nature of her existence. When she sees the old man, she decides to share her bags with him, indicating a sense of camaraderie and shared experience. Both characters are depicted as being surrounded by their pasts, trying to remember a time when life was better, a time when people stopped to listen to them.

The recurring lines about walking around and hearing the sunshine beating down in time with the rhythm of their shoes evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for simpler, happier times. The song captures the essence of their struggle and their hope for "one better day" when life was kinder and more meaningful. The final lines, "The feeling of arriving when you've nothing left to lose," encapsulate the bittersweet reality of their existence, where they find solace in each other's company despite having lost almost everything.