Rude Boy Don't Cry
Bedouin Soundclash Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bedouin Soundclash-Rude Boy Don't Cry

Hey Millie boy man you go ahead
Me don't cry see he's not showing it
Walk it then
So, Rude boy don't cry

Suburban boys dance in Cadillac's
Slammin doors to foreign soundtracks
Bad DJ
So, distort the line

Rude boy don't cry
We realize
Dry your wet eye
Rude boys don't cry
Rude boy don't cry
Dry your wet eye
Rude boy don't cry
You realize

A few catch words and they throw them back
You can't pay with the shirt on your back, walk it then
Rude boy don't cry

Suburban boys surf in Cadillac's
Slammin doors to foreign soundtracks
Bad DJ
Distort the line

Rude boy don't cry
We realize
Dry your wet eye
Cause rude boys don't cry
Rude boy don't cry
Dry your wet eye
Rude boys don't cry
You realize

Bad DJ distort the line

Rude boy don't cry
You realize
Dry your wet eye
Rude boys don't cry
Rude boy don't cry
We realize




Rude boy don't cry
Rude boys don't cry

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Rude Boy Don't Cry" by Bedouin Soundclash offer a commentary on the intersection of suburban culture and Jamaican music, emphasizing the gritty reality of life that is often behind the glamour of the style. In the first verse, Millie boy man is told to go ahead and not show his vulnerability. The message is that in a culture that values strength and toughness, showing emotions is a sign of weakness. The next lines describe suburban boys dancing in Cadillac's, slamming doors to foreign soundtracks, and a bad DJ distorting the line. This describes how suburban kids try to immerse themselves in Jamaican music and culture, but ultimately fall short due to their inauthenticity.


The chorus repeats the phrase "Rude boy don't cry," emphasizing the idea that strength and toughness are essential in this culture. The lyrics also mention that the catchwords that people use to try and fit in aren't enough, and that you can't pay your way into the culture. The second verse repeats the themes of the first verse, with a focus on suburban boys surfing in Cadillac's and a bad DJ distorting the line.


Ultimately, the message of the song is that to truly be part of a culture, you have to live it and embody its values. The connection to Jamaican music and culture is used as a metaphor for any cultural identity, emphasizing that it takes more than just adopting the trappings of a culture to truly make it your own.


Line by Line Meaning

Hey Millie boy man you go ahead
Hey, Millie, go ahead with whatever you're doing. I won't cry about it because he's not showing any emotion.


Me don't cry see he's not showing it
I won't cry because he's not showing any emotion, so why should I?


Walk it then
Just walk away from the situation and don't let it get to you.


So, Rude boy don't cry
As a rude boy, you shouldn't let emotions get the best of you, so don't cry.


Suburban boys dance in Cadillac's
Privileged suburban boys are enjoying themselves while driving around in their Cadillac's.


Slammin doors to foreign soundtracks
They're blasting music that they don't even understand the meaning of.


Bad DJ
The person responsible for this music is not doing a good job as a DJ.


So, distort the line
The DJ is distorting the sound and ruining the experience.


We realize
We know and understand what's happening.


Dry your wet eye
Stop crying and toughen up.


Rude boys don't cry
As a rude boy, it's important to not show any vulnerability.


A few catch words and they throw them back
People are just repeating popular phrases without understanding their true meanings.


You can't pay with the shirt on your back, walk it then
You can't always just rely on your clothes or appearance to get you through life, sometimes you have to walk away from a situation.


Suburban boys surf in Cadillac's
Privileged suburban boys are enjoying themselves while driving around in their Cadillac's.


Rude boy don't cry
As a rude boy, you shouldn't let emotions get the best of you, so don't cry.


Cause rude boys don't cry
Being a rude boy means not showing any vulnerability or weakness.


Bad DJ distort the line
The DJ is distorting the sound and ruining the experience.


You realize
You know and understand what's happening.


Rude boys don't cry
As a rude boy, it's important to not show any vulnerability.


Rude boy don't cry
As a rude boy, you shouldn't let emotions get the best of you, so don't cry.


Dry your wet eye
Stop crying and toughen up.


We realize
We know and understand what's happening.


Rude boy don't cry
As a rude boy, you shouldn't let emotions get the best of you, so don't cry.


Rude boys don't cry
Being a rude boy means not showing any vulnerability or weakness.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Carl Pengelly, Eon Sinclair, Jay Malinowski

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

rtee123

i love how in bedouin soundclash, the bass is one of the main instruments. most of the time the bass is just there to fatten up the sound, but yea, its an important instrument in bedouin soundclash.

Benjamin Wessel

This is their best song I have heard by far! love this jam!

Benjamin Wessel

Actually, I just started listening to more of their songs and they are overall pleasant sounding.

whadupbratha

Bedouin Soundclash is a nice combo. They have a very reggae and ska feel but they FUNK the shit out of their music. It's cool. If you pay attention, their really GREAT musicians, their ability to work together w/ just the beat and the sound is AMAZING and I love the vocals because he makes his voice work and it's pretty fucking original and it's not the type of voice you usually hear created to go with reggae or ska music. It's pretty badass.

Douglas Eddie Maxon

awesome band! hope ppl can enjoy, be open to their sound, and not bash or argue about the band.

linesofblood20

love it!!

bighousetube

DUB is a music genre, evolved from reggae, that involves revisions of existing songs. The dub sound consists predominantly of instrumental remixes of existing recordings & is achieved by significantly manipulating & reshaping the recordings, usually by removing the vocals from an existing music piece, emphasizing the drum and bass frequencies or 'riddim', adding extensive echo & reverb effects, panoramic LR delay, & dubbing occasional snippets of lyrics or instruments from the original version.

bighousetube

I completely agree with you there. if one wants to truly hear pure SKA, just take a look at one of the first band to play it, SKATALITES :) good post punkasf..007 ;-)

bowehj96

just 'alright'? are your ears blocked?! nah that's your personal opinion and you're entitled to it i've been looking for this song for six months and finally found it, i've never been without a song for so long! someone had it on a mix CD labelled as damian marley, which didn't help when i googled for it...

John Smith

@scuzzbuzzproductions They're a modern day ska band (they keep true to the first wave format and do it better than most the pioneers and legends of the genre). You can clearly hear how they have the ska. The upstroke on every offbeat is essential for a song to be considered ska. As a result, most Third Wave "Ska" really isn't ska at all; it's punk or rock with a brass section. Although, some Third Wave Ska bands stay true to the roots like The Toasters, Bosstones, Slackers, etc.

More Comments