An old man turned 98
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic, don't you think?
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
And who would've thought, it figures
Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down, he thought
"Well, isn't this nice?"
And isn't it ironic, don't you think?
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
And who would've thought, it figures
Well, life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out
When you think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face
A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic, don't you think?
A little too ironic
And, yeah, I really do think
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
And who would've thought, it figures
And, yeah, life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out
About This Song
"Ironic" is Alanis Morissette's sardonic meditation on life's cruel twists and disappointing coincidences, delivered through a series of vignettes about unfortunate timing and missed opportunities. The song explores themes of fate, disappointment, and the gap between expectation and reality, with Morissette's distinctive raspy vocals conveying both frustration and dark humor over a mid-tempo alternative rock arrangement. While critics have noted that many of the examples aren't technically ironic but rather unfortunate coincidences, this misuse actually reinforces the song's emotional core-the feeling that life conspires against us in ways that feel cosmically unfair. The track became a defining anthem of 1990s alternative rock and helped establish Morissette as a major voice for expressing millennial angst and disillusionment. Its enduring popularity stems from its relatable catalog of life's small tragedies and the cathartic release of naming these universal frustrations.
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