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.
Wells Fargo
Babe Ruth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Headin' for the Mexican border
Shotgun movin' to the rhythm of his range
Just to help him keep law and order
Sits right back just a-takin' it easy
Drinks a shot a whisky and it makes him mighty wheezy
He coughed hard once
He coughed hard twice
Don't mind the sheriff's advice
Ridin'
Shotgun
Runnin' over land
To the Rio Grande
Now
Shots rang down from the rocks up above
And bore Jake to his feet
His pants fell down and actin' like a clown
The bullets had him dancin' to a rock 'n' roll beat
Big Jake did the boogaloo too
Got lucky, he cried like a drunk
His operations ain't no ??? for you
And that's the way it is
Ridin'
Shotgun
Runnin' over land
To the Rio Grande
Now
Stage gotten in to the centre of town
And Jake gotta have himself a drink
He got to the bar and what he saw
Simple station folk would hate to think
Ella-May was dancin' to the sound of the blues
Her belly must be wobblin' right down to her shoes
It's a-groovin' on the sidewalk, just don't get too near
'Cause you're gonna get knocked over by a belly full o' beer
Ridin'
Shotgun
Runnin' over land
To the Rio Grande
Take the law in hand
To the Rio Grande
Now
The song "Wells Fargo" by Babe Ruth is a storytelling ballad that tells the tale of Jake, a sheriff who rides shotgun and is on his way to the Mexican border. He has a shotgun and keeps his law and order while moving to the rhythm of his range. He sits back and takes it easy, drinking whiskey and coughing hard twice. Jake neglects to keep watch while he's relaxing, and so he doesn't mind the sheriff's advice. When he is almost at the Rio Grande, shots from above hit Jake, making him dance to a rock 'n' roll beat. His pants fall down, and he acts like a clown. He then just does the boogaloo and cries like a drunk, but his operations are not for anyone else. The chorus repeats, making up the rest of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Jake ridin' shotgun the whole of his days
Jake has been riding shotgun (the front passenger seat in a vehicle) for a long time.
Headin' for the Mexican border
Jake is on his way to the Mexican border.
Shotgun movin' to the rhythm of his range
The shotgun is moving along with the motion of the vehicle.
Just to help him keep law and order
Jake is using the shotgun to help him maintain law and order along the way.
Sits right back just a-takin' it easy
Jake relaxes and sits back in his seat.
Drinks a shot a whisky and it makes him mighty wheezy
Jake drinks whisky, which he enjoys, but it makes him cough.
He coughed hard once
Jake coughed really hard.
He coughed hard twice
Jake coughed really hard twice.
Neglecting keeping watch
Jake is not paying attention to his duties.
Don't mind the sheriff's advice
Jake is not taking the advice of the sheriff.
Stage gotten in to the centre of town
A stagecoach has arrived in the center of town.
And Jake gotta have himself a drink
Jake wants to have a drink.
He got to the bar and what he saw
Jake arrived at the bar and saw something surprising.
Simple station folk would hate to think
The people at the station would disapprove of what Jake saw in the bar.
Ella-May was dancin' to the sound of the blues
A woman named Ella-May was dancing to blues music.
Her belly must be wobblin' right down to her shoes
Ella-May's belly is moving a lot while she dances.
It's a-groovin' on the sidewalk, just don't get too near
The music is so good that it's making people dance on the sidewalk, but you should be careful not to get too close because of the crowds.
'Cause you're gonna get knocked over by a belly full o' beer
People dancing might knock you over if they're carrying a lot of beer in their bellies.
Shots rang down from the rocks up above
Gunshots were fired from above the rocks.
And bore Jake to his feet
The gunshots made Jake stand up.
His pants fell down and actin' like a clown
Jake's pants fell down and he started acting silly after being hit by the bullets.
The bullets had him dancin' to a rock 'n' roll beat
Even though he was hit by bullets, they made him dance to a musical beat.
Big Jake did the boogaloo too
Jake did a type of dance called boogaloo.
Got lucky, he cried like a drunk
Jake felt lucky to survive and cried like a drunk person.
His operations ain't no ??? for you
It's not your business to know about Jake's operations.
And that's the way it is
That's the end of the story.
Ridin'
Jake is riding in a vehicle.
Shotgun
Jake is using a shotgun.
Runnin' over land
The vehicle is moving over land.
To the Rio Grande
Jake's destination is the Rio Grande river.
Take the law in hand
Jake is enforcing the law himself.
Now
This is happening currently.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN SHACKLOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind