When the group was first formed in 1971, they were called Shacklock after their guitarist Alan Shacklock. Members included Janita Haan and Dave Hewitt, with Dave Punshon and Dick Powell later joining. The first release was their single "Elusive"; their first album, First Base, went gold in Canada. In 1973, Ed Spevock replaced Powell and Chris Holmes replaced Punshon on the second album. In 1975, Steve Gurl, keyboardist from Glenn Cornick's Wild Turkey replaced Holmes for the third album. The same year, Shacklock exited and Bernie Marsden (Wild Turkey) joined the team for the fourth album. After this, Haan and Hewitt left.
Though no original member remained, the group incorporated Ellie Hope and Ray Knott for the fifth album in 1976. Shortly before Babe Ruth disbanded, they were joined by the 17 year-old Birmingham born Simon Lambeth who made a few appearances on their last tour. Lambeth's hauntingly naïve sound on rhythm guitar, behind the lead of Marsden, promised much but sadly it was too late; Marsden moved on to bigger things and joined Whitesnake. Simon changed careers and sadly was lost to the music scene - Hope did an outstanding job on the LP, later releasing her own solo effort in the booming disco era. Unfortunately, these later efforts are harder to pin down.
A disco cover of Babe Ruth's classic "The Mexican" appeared in the late 70s, performed by the Bombers. This version inspired an electro/freestyle cover produced by John Jellybean Benitez in 1984, for which he managed to recruit Haan on vocals - the cover subsequently becoming noted for its popularity as an underground dance hit.
Between late 2005 and early 2006, Haan, Shacklock, Punshon, and Hewitt recorded new material together in Nashville, with Spevock recording his drums in London. The album was completed September 2006, and after being made available in digital form via the band's official web site, it was released on CD through Revolver Records in the first quarter of 2009.
Standing In The Rain
Babe Ruth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Living with the strain
Life is just a game
For playing
Never learned the lie
You made when we started
Now you've gone away I’m paying
I don't know
Life is a misery
Oh don’t it show
Seems the way to be
For those who cannot see
Walking in the dark
Forever
Signs along the street
That only leads us nowhere
We’re be on our own
Together
Where am I going?
I don't know
Life is a misery
Oh don’t it show
On and on we go
Far away from here
Drifting like a time machine
Gone by
All I need is time
Is it such a crime?
You know what its like to happiness
Has left you behind
Standing in the rain
Living with the strain
Will it be the same tomorrow?
Is there any chance
That we can get together
I might as well have you than sorrow
Where am I going?
I don't know
Life is a misery
Oh don’t it show
The song 'Standing in the Rain' by Babe Ruth talks about the struggles of a person who's standing alone in the rain and dealing with the hardships of life. The first stanza talks about the pain of life and how it's just a game that we play, but the person singing has never learned to lie or pretend. They trusted someone who made a promise when they started, but now that person has gone away, and the singer is paying the price. The feeling of being lost and not knowing where to go is emphasized in the second stanza. The lyrics suggest that life is full of misery and it shows in the way people carry themselves. They also suggest that those who cannot see are the ones who end up walking in the dark, forever lost. The lyrics in the third stanza talk about how the signs along the street only lead us nowhere, and we're on our own, together. This stanza suggests that we're all in this together, but we're all alone at the same time. The singer poses a question wondering where they're going, but they don't know the answer. They know that life is full of misery, and it shows in the lyrics of the song. The singer is drifting away from where they are and looking for something more, but they don't know what it is. They just need time to figure it out. They've experienced happiness before, but it's left them behind now. The last stanza suggests that the singer is still standing in the rain, living with the strain of life. They wonder if tomorrow will be the same, or if there's any chance of things getting better. The singer would rather have the person they're missing than to deal with sorrow alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing in the rain
Being in a difficult situation with no support
Living with the strain
Enduring the difficulties of life
Life is just a game
Living life as it comes
For playing
Without any predetermined outcome
Never learned the lie
Did not learn to live deceitfully
You made when we started
The lies told by a past partner
Now you've gone away I’m paying
Suffering the consequences of a failed relationship
Where am I going
Uncertainty about the future
I don't know
Lack of direction
Life is a misery
Life is unpleasant
Oh don’t it show
Visible sadness and sorrow
Seems the way to be
Appears to be the norm
For those who cannot see
For those who lack insight
Walking in the dark
Living blindly
Forever
Permanently without change
Signs along the street
Unhelpful and misleading indications
That only leads us nowhere
Indications without any real benefit
We’re be on our own
All alone
Together
With each other's support
On and on we go
Continuously moving forward
Far away from here
At a distance from home
Drifting like a time machine
Moving aimlessly through time
Gone by
Over and finished
All I need is time
Time is required to heal
Is it such a crime?
Is it wrong to need time?
You know what its like to happiness
You understand the feeling of being happy
Has left you behind
But now that feeling is gone
Will it be the same tomorrow?
Will tomorrow be as difficult as today?
Is there any chance
Is there any hope for change?
That we can get together
That we can reconcile
I might as well have you than sorrow
It's better to have you than to be alone and sad
Contributed by Eva W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.