The meaning of the lyrics of the song "I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman" by the artist "White Stripes, The"

In "I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman," The White Stripes delve into the experience of a narrator grappling with the fading relevance of his traditional values and chivalrous gestures in a modern context.

The song's persona laments that the "good manners" he was raised with are becoming obsolete, his attempts at gentlemanly conduct, like holding a door open, met with indifference. He feels misconstrued as selfish when his intentions are to care for and bring happiness to his love interest.

An internal conflict emerges as the narrator grapples with remaining true to his principles while yearning for understanding and reciprocation. He acknowledges his dependency on his beloved ("need you twenty times a day"), yet doesn't receive the same in return. This leads him to question the sanity of their dynamic, even suggesting a doctor's intervention to assess the situation.

The final verse showcases the narrator's willingness to make sacrifices for love, but simultaneously highlights the irony of his efforts being perceived as awkward. The metaphor of his father's jacket, which he's hesitant to soil, followed by a fall with his lover in his arms, symbolizes the futility of his attempts and the inevitability of disappointment.