The original lineup was Mick Jones - guitars & vocals, Don Letts - sound effects & vocals, Dan Donovan - keyboards, Greg Roberts - drums & background vocals, Leo Williams - bass.
The group's initial incarnation, founded by Jones and film director Don Letts once played in Basement 5 (maker of The Punk Rock Movie, various Clash music videos, and later the Clash documentary Westway to the World), debuted with the 1985 release This Is Big Audio Dynamite. 1986's No. 10, Upping St. reunited Jones for one album with former Clash-mate Joe Strummer who co-produced the album and co-wrote a number of songs, but that reacquaintance soon ended. BAD supported U2 on their 1987 world tour, then followed with 1988's Tighten Up Vol. '88 and 1989 Megatop Phoenix. BAD supported U2 on the leg of their 1992 Zoo TV Tour that included Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
The band changed their name to Big Audio Dynamite II for the 1990 album "The Globe", when
Don Letts, Greg Roberts and Leo Williams left to form the band Screaming Target (and later Dreadzone) and changed the name once more to Big Audio for 1994's "Higher Power". The band returned to the Big Audio Dynamite name in 1995 for the albums "F-Punk" (1995) and "Entering a New Ride" (1997) before ultimately disbanding in 1997. The band reunited in 2011.
Jones' latest projects include work with The Libertines and his own outlet with Tony James of Sigue Sigue Sputnik fame - CARBON SILICON
A Party
Big Audio Dynamite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jungle's in a cage
Tra-tra-trouble, trouble in the homelands
Trouble in the homelands makes front page
Zu-zu-lu come out to play
Bongo drums said today
Front page caption read like this
Tribal war a perfect plan for the one that damned the land
Since that ain't you or me tribal war continually
Mountain milk for mount nutrition send us some more ammunition
Never buy me ivy trade, let's go plug a hand grenade
Thank you boss for Red Cross
Apreciate good will
No no no, stomach for our loss
Yeah yeah yeah, I feel quite ill
I-I-I'd rally round the flag
Rally round the flag, but we got so many
I guess that's why, why you act
Like we ain't got any
Tarzan has come home again, heard the news diamond vein
Had to split no room to swing, Sun City wanted him to sing
Easy to see no unity, masses ruled by minority
When these guys come on the scene, ruined a good blues party
"I know I've heard the tune before"
I thought as I was kicked through the door
Something 'bout admission fee
But I was sure, house belong to me
They told us to go in stereo
Machine guns 'gainst spear and bow
Egged on by TV cameraman
Someone called the teargas van
White knight write our wrongs, lyrics for the protest song
Number one top of the charts, rock 'n' roll bleeding hearts
They offer us a special patch, knew there had to be a catch
Family tree pulled at the root, they still bear that old strange fruit
Plenty reason, plenty reason to be gum
Living by the gun down in a slum
Stake your claim blow by blow
Saw my pals go flying through the window
Li-li-lion, lion's in a jungle
Jungle's in a cage
Tra-tra-trouble, trouble in the homelands
Trouble in the homelands, bosses in a rage
I know mister if it was you, it would be cut down like a flower
Some things never change, corporate crime gets free range
Only out for personal gain, grab the land and seize the power
What's all this about big game, don't you know the lions tame?
The lyrics to Big Audio Dynamite's song "A Party" address themes of conflict, colonization, and exploitation in Africa. The first verse sets up the scene with the line "Lion's in a jungle / Jungle's in a cage," suggesting that the natural world is being tamed and controlled. The second verse speaks of the violence and unrest in the homelands, with the phrase "natives dress as terrorists" highlighting the way that people are often demonized and misunderstood by the media. The chorus, with its repeated call for rallying around the flag, suggests a sense of confusion and uncertainty about how to respond to these complex and deeply entrenched problems.
The third verse takes a more cynical view, with lines like "Thank you boss for Red Cross / Apreciate good will / No no no, stomach for our loss / Yeah yeah yeah, I feel quite ill" expressing skepticism about the motives of those who claim to be helping. The verse also introduces the character of Tarzan and references the diamond trade and Sun City, both of which are commonly associated with exploitation in Africa. The fourth verse introduces the idea of a white knight coming to save the day, but ultimately suggests that this is an unrealistic expectation, given the power and influence of those who benefit from the status quo.
The song concludes with a repeated refrain of "li-li-lion, lion's in a jungle / Jungle's in a cage / Tra-tra-trouble, trouble in the homelands / Trouble in the homelands, bosses in a rage," emphasizing the cyclical nature of the problems and the ongoing struggle for justice and freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Li-li-lion, lion's in a jungle
There is a lion in the jungle.
Jungle's in a cage
The jungle is confined in a cage.
Tra-tra-trouble, trouble in the homelands
There is trouble in the homeland.
Trouble in the homelands makes front page
The trouble in the homeland is in the headlines.
Zu-zu-lu come out to play
Someone of the Zulu tribe is invited to play.
Bongo drums said today
The bongo drums made a sound today.
Front page caption read like this
The caption on the front page reads as follows.
Natives dress as terrorists
Natives are dressed up like terrorists.
Tribal war a perfect plan for the one that damned the land
The one who has damned the land believes that a tribal war is a perfect plan.
Since that ain't you or me tribal war continually
Since it is not you or me, the tribal war is ongoing.
Mountain milk for mount nutrition send us some more ammunition
We need more ammunition to fight the war.
Never buy me ivy trade, let's go plug a hand grenade
Instead of buying ivy, let's go use a hand grenade.
Thank you boss for Red Cross
The boss is thanked for the Red Cross.
Apreciate good will
Goodwill is appreciated.
No no no, stomach for our loss
The loss is hard to stomach.
Yeah yeah yeah, I feel quite ill
The person is feeling quite ill.
I-I-I'd rally round the flag
The person would rally around the flag.
Rally round the flag, but we got so many
There are so many things to rally around.
I guess that's why, why you act
That's probably why you behave that way.
Like we ain't got any
As if we don't have anything.
Tarzan has come home again, heard the news diamond vein
Tarzan has returned home and heard the news about a diamond vein.
Had to split no room to swing, Sun City wanted him to sing
He had to leave because there was not enough space, and Sun City wanted him to perform.
Easy to see no unity, masses ruled by minority
It is clear that there is no unity, and the masses are ruled by a minority.
When these guys come on the scene, ruined a good blues party
When these guys arrived, they ruined a good blues party.
"I know I've heard the tune before"
The person is familiar with the tune.
I thought as I was kicked through the door
The person was thinking that as they were kicked through the door.
Something 'bout admission fee
There is something about an admission fee.
But I was sure, house belong to me
However, the house belongs to the person.
They told us to go in stereo
They instructed us to go in stereo.
Machine guns 'gainst spear and bow
Machine guns against people with spears and bows.
Egged on by TV cameraman
Encouraged by a TV cameraman.
Someone called the teargas van
Someone requested the teargas van.
White knight write our wrongs, lyrics for the protest song
The White Knight writes our wrongs, lyrics for the protest song.
Number one top of the charts, rock 'n' roll bleeding hearts
The rock 'n' roll bleeding hearts are at the top of the charts.
They offer us a special patch, knew there had to be a catch
They offered a special patch, but the person knew that there was a catch.
Family tree pulled at the root, they still bear that old strange fruit
The family tree has been uprooted, but they still have the old, strange fruit.
Plenty reason, plenty reason to be gum
There are plenty of reasons to be gunned down.
Living by the gun down in a slum
People living in a slum and relying on guns.
Stake your claim blow by blow
Fight for your claim with each blow.
Saw my pals go flying through the window
The person saw their friends go flying through the window.
Bosses in a rage
The bosses are angry.
I know mister if it was you, it would be cut down like a flower
The person thinks that if the boss were in their shoes, they would be cut down like a flower.
Some things never change, corporate crime gets free range
Things never change, and corporate crime is allowed to continue.
Only out for personal gain, grab the land and seize the power
The only goal is personal gain, and the land is being seized for power.
What's all this about big game, don't you know the lions tame?
What's all this about big game? Don't you know that the lions are tamed?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JONATHON GLYNNE JONES, BRYON GLYNNE JONES, RAYMOND MEDHURST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Micah Winston
on The Battle Of All Saints Road
honky's should be: honkies
Also, like Eek-a-mouse's song, I think the last line should be "Wa-Do-Dem", not "Wadda dem"