Adam was a member of Bazooka Joe, the band that the Sex Pistols opened for in the Pistols' first live appearance. Adam and the Ants started as a punk band, but by the early '80s they had taken a different path and started making pop music. By 1981 they were one of the biggest bands in Britain.
In March 1982, feeling certain band members "lacked enthusiasm", Ant disbanded the group. A few months after the split Ant launched a solo career (though he retained Marco Pirroni as guitarist and co-songwriter).
After the split, Ant went solo, taking his song writing partner Pirroni with him. His greatest American chart success was 1982's Friend or Foe album, which included the hit single "Goody Two Shoes" which made it to #1 in the UK and Australia, and #12 in the U.S. Other hits from that album included the title song (which made #9 on the UK chart) and "Desperate But Not Serious". Goody Two Shoes first charted in the UK in Spring 1982, reaching no.1 that summer, but its US peak did not come until 1983 when it reached #12 on the Billboard Top 100.
In 1983, Ant worked with Phil Collins and Richard James Burgess on the "Strip" album which was recorded at Polar Studios in Stockholm. The single "Puss 'N Boots" reached #5 on the UK charts, but the BBC banned both the video and the song for the follow-up single "Strip," which peaked at #41. Although Strip had some highlights and hit singles, it marked the end of his reign as one of Britain's top pop stars for a while. That same year, Ant also memorably appeared as a guest performer on the NBC television network's Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special that aired in May.
In 1985, he worked with veteran producer Tony Visconti on his third solo album, "Vive Le Rock". He secured a spot at the Live Aid concert, but was asked to cut his set to one song. He chose his new single, "Vive le Rock." Vive Le Rock was intended to be his ultimate hard rock album but the single underwent a pressing error and the album received mixed reviews. As a result, Adam decided to end his career in music and focus on his acting career.
In 1989, whilst maintaining an interest in acting, Ant returned to America and re-entered the pop music world with the album "Manners & Physique", a collaboration with André Cymone, a solo artist and an early member of Prince's band. The album was another moderate success, and featured the UK and U.S. hit single "Room at the Top". "Rough Stuff" became the second single for the United States and Germany as "Can't Set Rules About Love" charted in the United Kingdom.
In 1993, he toured in support of a planned album called "Persuasion". On account of a regime change at MCA, the record company made the unilateral decision not to release this album on the basis that Manners & Physique had failed to achieve a gold sales certification. Ant was subsequently released from his contract with MCA and later signed by EMI. Persuasion remains unreleased to this day and, as a result, it has become something of a lost legend among "Antfans", although it is widely available online for download.
In 1995, Ant released the album "Wonderful". The title track was a successful single, as was a tour of the U.S. in support of the album. While Ant and his group (which retained longtime guitarist Pirroni) played in smaller venues than they had played in the 1980s, the houses were often packed with enthusiastic fans. The tour was cut short due to Ant and Pirroni both contracting glandular fever (for those who don't know the term, glandular fever is generally a euphemism for what usually manifests as mononucleosis).
"Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter" is the sixth solo studio album by Adam Ant. The album's title was announced by Ant in the NME in April 2010. As per Adam's announcement at his gig in Chatham in September 2012, the new album was released on 21 January 2013 by Ant's own record label Blueblack Hussar Records. Despite the independent self-release, the album reached number 25 on the UK Albums Chart, only one place lower than its predecessor, released on the major EMI label nearly eighteen years earlier. It had previously been at number 8 in the Midweeks.
Cradle Your Hatred
Adam Ant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am sorry I don't listen when you talk
Stand up
I am sorry I never took the load of you
Stand up
I am sorry if my behavior seems too cruel
I am sorry it's time to talk, it's time
I am sorry that you're not me and I'm not you
Stand up
I am sorry for all the shit I've put you through
Stand up
I am sorry I stole away your perfect dream
Stand up
I am sorry for all the time I didn't kiss you
It doesn't matter
Stand up
You cradle your hatred like a baby
Slave to resentment lately
Stand up
God only knows when it's gonna stop
Whatever I say is okay as long as you come out on to
You cradle your hatred like a baby
Slave to resentment lately
Stand up
God only knows when it's gonna stop
Whatever I say is okay as long as you come out on top
I am sorry we're not like the cartoon family
Stand up
I am sorry but I see that as nothing to envy
Stand up
I am sorry no-one has ever sworn at you
I am sorry 'cause they sure have sworn at me
Let me explain:
A poor boy's dreams are the only luxury
I am sorry we're always locking horns
I am tired of sitting on the dunces step
The dunces cap just another crown of thorns
It's time...
You cradle your hatred like a baby
Slave to resentment lately
Stand up
God only knows when it's gonna stop
Whatever I say is okay as long as you come out on to
I am sorry but I see that as nothing to envy
The lyrics to Adam Ant’s “Cradle Your Hatred” deal with themes of apologies, self-reflection, and the nature of resentment. The song’s opening lines, “I am sorry I eat my soup with a fork / I am sorry I don't listen when you talk,” suggest a kind of humorous self-deprecation, but soon the tone grows more serious. Ant expands upon his apologies, stating that he’s sorry for not helping carry another person’s burdens and for being cruel. However, he also acknowledges that there are things he’s not sorry for, such as stealing someone’s “perfect dream” or not kissing them. The song’s refrain, “You cradle your hatred like a baby / Slave to resentment lately / Stand up / God only knows when it’s gonna stop / Whatever I say is okay as long as you come out on top,” speaks to the destructive nature of holding onto feelings of anger and bitterness towards others.
The third verse of the song is a bit harder to decipher, but it seems to touch on class differences and feeling trapped in certain family dynamics. Ant mentions a “poor boy’s dreams” being a “luxury” and how he’s tired of “sitting on the dunces step / The dunces cap just another crown of thorns.” It’s not completely clear what he means by these lines, but they do suggest a kind of deep-seated frustration with societal expectations and perhaps not fitting into certain molds. In the end, the song seems to encourage listeners to acknowledge their own faults and try to move past feelings of resentment in order to find a sense of resolution.
Line by Line Meaning
I am sorry I eat my soup with a fork
I apologize for not following social norms, but it's a small thing and not worth getting upset over.
I am sorry I don't listen when you talk
I apologize for not giving you my full attention, but I have my own thoughts and distractions that I can't always control.
Stand up
Assert yourself and your own needs and wants.
I am sorry I never took the load of you
I apologize for not helping and supporting you as much as I could have, but I have my own burdens to bear.
I am sorry if my behavior seems too cruel
I apologize if I've come across as overly harsh or unkind, but I can't always control my emotions and reactions.
I am sorry it's time to talk, it's time
I apologize for avoiding important conversations and issues that need to be addressed, but it's time to face them now.
I am sorry that you're not me and I'm not you
I apologize for our differences and the conflicts that arise from them, but we are individuals with our own unique perspectives and experiences.
I am sorry for all the shit I've put you through
I apologize for all the pain, difficulty, and hardship that I have caused you in our relationship.
I am sorry I stole away your perfect dream
I apologize for ruining your idealistic vision of what our relationship could be or should have been.
I am sorry for all the time I didn't kiss you
I apologize for neglecting physical affections and intimacy in our relationship.
It doesn't matter
This issue or incident is not important enough to dwell on or let it affect our relationship in a negative way.
You cradle your hatred like a baby
You hold onto and nurture your feelings of anger, resentment, and bitterness towards me, even though it's unhealthy and harmful.
Slave to resentment lately
You have become a slave or prisoner to your negative emotions and thoughts, especially towards me.
God only knows when it's gonna stop
It's uncertain and unknown when you will be able to let go of your animosity and forgive me.
Whatever I say is okay as long as you come out on top
You prioritize winning, revenge, or getting the upper hand over resolving our issues or working towards a healthier relationship.
I am sorry we're not like the cartoon family
I apologize for not living up to your expectations or ideal image of a perfect family or relationship.
I am sorry but I see that as nothing to envy
I apologize for disagreeing with your vision of a perfect family or relationship and not wanting to emulate it.
I am sorry no-one has ever sworn at you
I apologize for causing you emotional pain and trauma, as others in your life have been kinder and more respectful towards you.
I am sorry 'cause they sure have sworn at me
I apologize for being defensive or reacting badly to your anger towards me, but I have also been hurt and mistreated by others in my life.
Let me explain:
I want to clarify or justify my actions or behavior, in hopes of finding common ground for forgiveness and healing.
A poor boy's dreams are the only luxury
Growing up in poverty or oppression, a person's dreams and aspirations are the only thing they have that is truly their own and can't be taken away.
I am sorry we're always locking horns
I apologize for our constant arguments and disagreements, but they stem from our individual personalities and perspectives.
I am tired of sitting on the dunces step
I'm tired of feeling like a fool or being punished for my mistakes, when we should be working towards mutual understanding and forgiveness.
The dunces cap just another crown of thorns
Being labeled a fool or a failure, even by oneself, is painful and burdensome, like a crown of thorns.
Contributed by Riley T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.