The duo released their debut album Ego War in 2003 to positive reviews which helped to establish them as one of the best new acts in dance music. The album fused elements of breaks, hip-hop, punk, garage and house with clever beats and samples.
In 2005 they released Generation, the follow-up to their debut album. Despite reaching number 3 in the UK Singles Chart with their 2005 hit, "Shot You Down", which samples the Nancy Sinatra version of the song "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", the album was poorly received. Generation was seen as a step away from what made Ego War appealing due to the pace being slower and a number of tracks being downbeat in mood. In a 2008 interview, Simon Franks suggested that they listened to their label, Virgin, too much: "We should never have listened to anyone else". "Virgin admitted they didn't know how to market house music, and it slowly turned into us making this slower album. The daft thing is, Shot You Down was the big hit, this old-school club track, but it was followed by a moody, dark record. It confused everyone."
In making Generation, the group worked with Suggs of Madness collaborating on the track "This Road".
Their new album, Sunday Night Fever, was supposed to be out September 2008, but has been delayed till 2009. It has been renamed to Higher Than The Eiffel and will be released in 2010. The first single promoting that album entitled Only Man, will be released on March 22nd 2010.
Real Life
Audio Bullys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel the benefit, mental arithmetic
I waited by the staff room
In time for benediction
Living a law just short of delusion
When we fall in love there's confusion
This must be the place I waited years to leave
We shiver in the rain by the touchline
Then a coach ride to the station
"My lord, the carriage awaiteth!"
Living a law just short of delusion
When we fall in love there's confusion
This must be the place I waited years to leave
This must be the place I waited years to leave
And how
How long?
I'm listening to the words I thought I'd never hear again
A litany of saints and other ordinary men
Kneeling on the parquet
Whatever has gone wrong?
The fear and feeling hopelessness
I don't want to belong
I dreamt I was back in uniform
And a candidate for examination
History, someone had blundered
And a voice rapped "knuckle under!"
Living a law just short of delusion
When we fall in love there's confusion
This must be the place I waited years to leave
This must be the place I waited years to leave
And how
And how
How long?
The Audio Bullys's song Real Life is a reminder of the struggle of feeling trapped in a mundane existence. The lyrics describe the routine of the singer's life, from the morning routine of mental arithmetic after eating Sunblest bread, to waiting for benediction in the staff room, to shivering in the rain by the touchline. The singer feels like they are living a law just short of delusion, and when they fall in love, it adds to the confusion of their life. The line "This must be the place I waited years to leave" is the recurring theme of the song, and it encapsulates the feeling of being stuck in a situation that one has outgrown.
In the second verse, the lyrics shift to a more reflective mood. The singer is listening to words he thought he'd never hear again, possibly from a religious sermon. He questions whatever has gone wrong and feels a sense of hopelessness and fear. He dreams of being back in uniform and being a candidate for examination, perhaps a reminder of a time when he felt he had purpose or direction. However, even in his dream, he experiences a sense of oppression with the phrase "knuckle under." The themes of confusion, feeling trapped, and wanting to leave are echoed in this verse.
Line by Line Meaning
Each morning after Sunblest
Every day after breakfast
Feel the benefit, mental arithmetic
Experience the positive effects of exercising the mind
I waited by the staff room
I stood outside the staff room waiting
In time for benediction
Arriving just in time for the prayer
Living a law just short of delusion
Following a belief system that is almost crazy
When we fall in love there's confusion
Relationships can create chaos and uncertainty
This must be the place I waited years to leave
Having the feeling that you're in a situation you've been waiting to escape for a long time
To our voices nobody's listening
No one is paying attention to what we say
We shiver in the rain by the touchline
Standing on the sidelines getting soaked and cold
Then a coach ride to the station
Taking a bus to the train station
"My lord, the carriage awaiteth!"
"Sir, your ride is ready!"
I'm listening to the words I thought I'd never hear again
Hearing something that I believed I would never hear
A litany of saints and other ordinary men
A long prayer commemorating saints and common people
Kneeling on the parquet
Bending down on the wooden floor
Whatever has gone wrong?
What caused the problem?
The fear and feeling hopelessness
Being scared and feeling hopeless
I don't want to belong
I don't want to be a part of this group
I dreamt I was back in uniform
I had a dream where I was wearing the same clothes as everyone else
And a candidate for examination
Taking a test to prove my knowledge/skills
History, someone had blundered
There was a mistake made in the past
And a voice rapped "knuckle under!"
A voice said to submit, obey
And how
What will happen next or how will it end?
How long?
How much time will pass until this is over?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID FRANK, DAVID MARTIN FRANK, PAMELA SHEYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MsTigr3ss
Thank you so much for uploading this!!!
Kirsty Moore
What a tune to wake upto in the morning
Angelo M. De Ieso II
Love this shit!
Ey b0ss
Heard this as a kid on an axe body spray cd
Leon J
“Yeah, me too Now!” Axe Fresh Sounds Mix. Actually a great, unknown album
Chris Patterson
tune!!
marqizaa
wicked
Dick Damage
Gangsta tunage, safe.
Sasha Barac
can someone write lyrics please!?
drunkinthetrunk
it dont matter who you know cuz this is real life
real life
we live our lives more than worlds apart
because this is real life