He plays Manny Bianco in the sitcom "Black Books" and was a permanent fixture of "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" on the BBC for 11 series' until October 2008. He had a supporting role in Spaced as Bilbo Bagshot the comic book store owner as well as appearing in the 2011 Christmas special of Doctor Who. Bill has done 6 live tours so far: Cosmic Jam, Bewilderness, Part Troll, Tinselworm, Dandelion Mind and Qualmpeddler.
Tinselworm was recorded onto CDs at each individual show and sold to the audience at the end of the show, it is believed that this is the first time it has been done on a Comedy Tour.
Insect Nation
Bill Bailey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They will take us and they'll make us...
Human slaves.
In an insect nation!
Ah-ah-ah ah-ah!
Human slaves
In an insect nation!
Ah-ah-ah ah-ah!
Human slaves!
In an insect nation!
Ah-ah-ah ah-ah!
Human slaves!
In an insect nation!
The locust squats upon the leaf,
He's just bidin' his time.
The human world that he surveys,
He thinks, "One day, all this'll be mi-i-i-i-ine!"
The spiders are not insects,
But in a war they will side
with the insects.
Traitors! Traitors! Spider traitors!
They'll betray us and they'll make us!
Chorus
Where did we all go wrong?
The insects used to be our brothers.
Along came pesticide,
And on that day, our friendship died.
And pouring boiling water down ant's nests, couldn't've 'elped
We had betrayed the trust,
Of Mr Bee and Mr Locust.
Out there are some angry bugs,
And too many salted slugs.
When will the madness end?
We can find
If we look inside,
A different world,
We thought we lost
But, if we look, we're sure to find it,
In the place we thought it was.
It must be here
It's here somewhere.
I only put it down just now,
A kind of world
That's not unkind.
But if look, we're sure to find it.
There it is!
No that's not it.
The one behind,
The green one down the back.
No, the red one, the red one!
Pick it up and spin it round.
Keep going mate! A bit further!
Then I know that I'll be free,
Cos I'll have found the insect in me.
The insect in me!
Xylophone
buzzing noise
Xylophone
loud high whizzing noise
I don't what that bit is!
What about the worms, eh?
Eyeing up your car, yeah.
Thinking they're gonna be driving that one day! Yeah! Imagine that, worms driving your car!
Giving lifts to other worms!
Taking them up the shops, getting stuff!
Fiddling with your videos, messing with your lives!
What about the crabs? Forgot about them, there all at it! We've gotta stop them! Stop them before it's too late!
What we've got to do is harness the worms!
Ride them round upon their backs!
We are superior! We are the humans! These are the facts!
Imagine the nightmare of having an insect boss.
Going into work,
"Good morning Mr Wasp!"
AAAAAAAAAAAH!
OH!
Britain! nananana!
Shout
human slaves, in an insect nation!
Ah-ah- ah ah- ah!
Human slaves, in an insect nation!
Ah-ah- ah ah- ah!
Human slaves, in an insect nation!
Ah-ah- ah ah- ah!
Human slaves, in an insect na...aaa...aaaa...tion
They will take us and they'll make us...
human slaves, in an insect nation!
Ah-ah-ah ah-ah!
Human slaves, in an insect nation!
Ah-ah-ah ah-ah!
Human slaves, in an insect nation!
Ah-ah-ah ah-ah!
Human slaves, in an insect na...aaa...aaaa...tion
The lyrics of Bill Bailey's song "Insect Nation" are a warning about the dangers of destroying the planet and the potential consequences of not doing so. The song highlights the fact that creatures of the earth have ears and are listening, and they will rise up and take what is rightfully theirs. The insects will unite and make the humans their slaves, just as the humans have done with the planet. The song speaks of betrayal, war, and the loss of friendship with the insects due to human activities such as pesticide use and pouring boiling water down ant's nests. The song urges humans to find a different world, a kinder and unspoiled one, by looking inside and retrieving the insect inside them. Harnessing the worms, riding them upon their backs, and being superior to them is the suggested solution to fighting the insect nation.
The song also makes humorous references to insect characteristics, such as ears on their knees, and the potential future of worms driving people's cars, taking up shopping, and messing with people's lives. The song ends with a call to action to stop the insects before it's too late and a repetition of the chorus "human slaves in an insect nation."
Some interesting facts about this song include its origin as a comedic act performed by Bill Bailey on his show "Part Troll." Bailey discusses the inspiration for the song, saying it came from his fascination with the insect world and imagining a world where insects were in charge. The xylophone and buzzing noises in the song represent the insect world's musical style. Interestingly, Bill Bailey and musical collaborator Oly Ralfe of Ralfe Band have created an actual album of insect music, "The Insect Orchestra." The album includes songs performed solely on insect instruments, such as bugles, cicada violins, and cricket drummers.
The chords for "Insect Nation" are not publicly available.
Line by Line Meaning
We've got to stop the destruction of the planet. Yeah. We want trees, not factories. Hehehe. Yeah, think about it.
We need to stop destroying the planet and prioritize trees instead of factories. We should consider the consequences if we fail to do so.
Otherwise, the creatures of this earth will rise up and take what is rightfully theirs. Yeah, they are listening as we speak, ssshhhhhhh. They have ears. Some have ears on their knees. You know of whom I speak.
If we continue to ignore the importance of preserving nature, the creatures of the earth will take matters into their own hands. They are observant and some have unique abilities. We should be aware of their power.
They will take us and they'll make us...
The creatures of the earth will take control and make us their slaves.
Chorus
Repeating the phrase 'Human slaves, in an insect nation!' to emphasize the serious potential outcome of ignoring the importance of nature preservation.
The locust squats upon the leaf, He's just bidin' his time. The human world that he surveys, He thinks, 'One day, all this'll be mi-i-i-i-ine!'
The locust observes the human world and patiently waits to claim its power for himself.
The spiders are not insects, But in a war they will side with the insects. Traitors! Traitors! Spider traitors! They'll betray us and they'll make us!
Although spiders are not insects, they will side with the insect nation if there is a war. This betrayal will lead to our enslavement.
Where did we all go wrong? The insects used to be our brothers. Along came pesticide, And on that day, our friendship died. And pouring boiling water down ant's nests, couldn't've 'elped
At one time, we had a relationship with insects as brothers. The use of pesticides and destroying insect homes caused our relationship to end. These actions have caused harm instead of helping the situation.
We had betrayed the trust, Of Mr Bee and Mr Locust. Out there are some angry bugs, And too many salted slugs. When will the madness end?
Our actions have broken the trust of bees and locusts. There are many angry insects and too many casualties. This madness must end.
We can find If we look inside,A different world, We thought we lostBut, if we look, we're sure to find it,In the place we thought it was.
We can still find a different, better world if we look and explore more deeply. It is possible to find it where we thought it was lost.
It must be here It's here somewhere. I only put it down just now,A kind of worldThat's not unkind. But if look, we're sure to find it. There it is! No that's not it. The one behind, The green one down the back. No, the red one, the red one! Pick it up and spin it round. Keep going mate! A bit further!
The world we are looking for must exist somewhere. Although it is difficult to find, it is not impossible. Persistence is key.
Then I know that I'll be free, Cos I'll have found the insect in me. The insect in me! Xylophone buzzing noise Xylophone loud high whizzing noise I don't what that bit is!
When the world we seek is found, we become free and discover the hidden insect within ourselves. Not sure about the xylophone noises though.
What about the worms, eh? Eyeing up your car, yeah. Thinking they're gonna be driving that one day! Yeah! Imagine that, worms driving your car! Giving lifts to other worms! Taking them up the shops, getting stuff! Fiddling with your videos, messing with your lives!
We should also be aware of the potential threat from worms who have the ambition to drive our cars and mess with our lives.
What about the crabs? Forgot about them, there all at it! We've gotta stop them! Stop them before it's too late!
The crabs are a forgotten potential danger who are also planning to take over. We need to stop them before it's too late.
What we've got to do is harness the worms! Ride them round upon their backs! We are superior! We are the humans! These are the facts!
The solution is to take control and use the ambitious worms for our benefit. After all, humans are the superior beings.
Imagine the nightmare of having an insect boss. Going into work, 'Good morning Mr Wasp!' AAAAAAAAAAAH!
The thought of having an insect boss is a nightmare. The fear of greeting a wasp in the morning is terrifying.
OH! Britain! nananana! Shout human slaves, in an insect nation! Ah-ah- ah ah- ah! Human slaves, in an insect nation! Ah-ah- ah ah- ah! Human slaves, in an insect nation! Ah-ah- ah ah- ah! Human slaves, in an insect na...aaa...aaaa...tion
A random shoutout to Britain followed by another repetition of the phrase 'Human slaves, in an insect nation!' for emphasis.
They will take us and they'll make us... human slaves, in an insect nation! Ah-ah-ah ah-ah! Human slaves, in an insect nation! Ah-ah-ah ah-ah! Human slaves, in an insect nation! Ah-ah-ah ah-ah! Human slaves, in an insect na...aaa...aaaa...tion
Repeating the warning that the creatures will enslave us and we will become 'human slaves, in an insect nation!'
Contributed by Alexis P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jjb2004mk2
This has been stuck in my head for over 15 years.
Armchair Spaceman
Ahh ah-ah-ah- Ahh.
ejayman
Any time a spider comes into my room Iβm always reminded what in a war they would side with the insects
tetris11boy
This really is a brilliant song. So many different melodies he effortless transitions between without breaking the harmony of the song.
OtherBlokeDownThePub
This actually sounds like some prog rock from the 70s & 80s.Β He knows what he's doing, that man Bill.
foogoid
Actually, the insect theme is very similar to Alice Cooper's "Black Widow" from 1975. I'm pretty sure he got some inspiration from that. Here's a quote from the opening speech (by Vincent Price): "I feel that man has ruled
this world as a stumbling demented child-king long enough! And as his empire crumbles, my precious Black
Widow shall rise as his most fitting successor!"
I, Smollet
I took it as a bit of a spoof on the War if the Worlds concept album.
Maxwell Warren
From about 2m 20s reminds me of Steely Dan, and before that (and bits after) of Pink Floyd!
joe grimes
Peter Gabriel watched this and cursed this beardy balding man.
Bez
@joe grimes I wonder if Peter stole his hairstyle from Bill