In 1977, Bragg formed the punk rock/pub rock band Riff Raff, and toured London's pubs and clubs. The band released a series of singles, which did not receive wide exposure. He also worked in Guy Norris Records in Barking. Bragg became disillusioned with his music career, and in May 1981 joined the British Army as a recruit destined for the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars of the Royal Armoured Corps. After three months, he bought his way out of the army for £175 and returned home, having attended basic training but having never served in a regiment as a soldier.
Bragg began performing frequent concerts and busking around London, playing solo with an electric guitar. His roadie at the time was Andy Kershaw, who became a BBC DJ (Bragg and Kershaw later, in 1989, appeared in an episode of the BBC TV programme, Great Journeys, in which they travelled the Silver Road from Potosí, Bolivia, to the Pacific coast at Arica, Chile). Bragg performing at South by Southwest in 2008.
Bragg's demo tape initially got no response from the record industry, but by pretending to be a television repair man, he got into the office of Charisma Records' A&R man Peter Jenner. Jenner liked the tape, but the company was near bankruptcy and had no budget to sign new artists. Bragg got an offer to record more demos for a music publisher, so Jenner agreed to release them as a record. Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy was released in July 1983 by Charisma's new imprint, Utility. Hearing DJ John Peel mention on-air that he was hungry, Bragg rushed to the BBC with a mushroom biryani, so Peel played a song from Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy although at the wrong speed (since the 12" LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm). Peel insisted he would have played the song even without the biryani and later played it at the correct speed.
Within months, Charisma had been taken over by Virgin Records and Jenner, who had been laid off, became Bragg's manager. Stiff Records' press officer Andy Macdonald – who was setting up his own record label, Go! Discs – received a copy of Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy. He made Virgin an offer and the album was re-released on Go! Discs in November 1983.[citation needed] In 1984, he released Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, a mixture of political songs (e.g., "It Says Here") and songs of unrequited love (e.g., "The Saturday Boy"). The following year he released Between the Wars, an EP of political songs that included a cover version of Leon Rosselson's "The World Turned Upside Down" – the EP made the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and earned Bragg an appearance on Top of the Pops. Bragg later collaborated with Rosselson on the song, "Ballad of the Spycatcher". In 1985, his song "A New England", with an additional verse, became a Top 10 hit in the UK for Kirsty MacColl. After MacColl's early death, Bragg always sang the extra verse in her honour. In 1984–1985 he toured North America.
In 1986, Bragg released Talking with the Taxman about Poetry, which became his first Top 10 album. Its title is taken from a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky and a translated version of the poem was printed on the record's inner sleeve. Back to Basics is a 1987 collection of his first three releases: Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, and the Between The Wars EP. Bragg released his fourth album, Workers Playtime, in September 1988. With this album, Bragg added a backing band and accompaniment.
In May 1990, Bragg released the political mini-LP, The Internationale. The songs were, in part, a return to his solo guitar style, but some songs featured more complicated arrangements and included a brass band. The album paid tribute to one of Bragg's influences with the song, "I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night", which is an adapted version of Earl Robinson's song, "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night", itself an adaptation of a poem by Alfred Hayes.
The album Don't Try This at Home was released in September 1991, and included the song, "Sexuality", which reached the UK Singles Chart. Bragg had been persuaded by Go! Discs' Andy and Juliet Macdonald to sign a four-album deal with a million pound advance, and a promise to promote the album with singles and videos.[citation needed] This gamble was not rewarded with extra sales, and the situation put the company in financial difficulty. In exchange for ending the contract early and repaying a large amount of the advance, Bragg regained all rights to his back catalogue.[citation needed] Bragg continued to promote the album with his backing band, The Red Stars, which included his Riff Raff colleague and long-time roadie, Wiggy.
Bragg released the album William Bloke in 1996 after taking time off to help raise his son. Around that time, Nora Guthrie (daughter of American folk artist Woody Guthrie) asked Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The result was a collaboration with the band Wilco and Natalie Merchant (with whom Bragg had worked previously). They released the album Mermaid Avenue in 1998, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II in 2000. A rift with Wilco over mixing and sequencing the album led to Bragg recruiting his own band, The Blokes, to promote the album. The Blokes included keyboardist Ian McLagan, who had been a member of Bragg's boyhood heroes The Faces. The documentary film Man in the Sand depicts the roles of Nora Guthrie, Bragg, and Wilco in the creation of the Mermaid Avenue albums.
In 2004, Bragg joined Florida ska-punk band Less Than Jake to perform a version of 'The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out' for the Rock Against Bush compilation.
At the 2005 Beautiful Days Festival in Devon, Bragg teamed up with the Levellers to perform a short set of songs by or associated with The Clash in celebration of Joe Strummer's birthday. Bragg performed guitar and lead vocals on "Police and Thieves", and performed guitar and backing vocals on "English Civil War", and "Police on my Back".
In 2007, Bragg moved closer to his English folk music roots by joining the WOMAD-inspired collective The Imagined Village, who recorded an album of updated versions of traditional English songs and dances and toured through that autumn. Bragg released his album Mr. Love & Justice in March 2008. This was the second Bragg album to be named after a book by Colin MacInnes. In 2008, during the NME Awards ceremony, Bragg sang a duet with British solo act Kate Nash. They mixed up their two greatest hits, Nash playing "Foundations", and Bragg redoing his "A New England". Bragg also collaborated with the poet and playwright, Patrick Jones, who supported Bragg's Tour.
In 2008, Bragg played a small role in Stuart Bamforth's film "A13: Road Movie". Bragg is featured alongside union reps, vicars, burger van chefs and Members of Parliament in a film that explored "the overlooked, the hidden and the disregarded."
He was involved in the play Pressure Drop at the Wellcome Collection in London in April and May 2010. The production, written by Mick Gorden, and billed as "part play, part gig, part installation", featured new songs by Bragg. He performed during the play with his band, and acted as compere.
Bragg curated the Leftfield stage at Glastonbury Festival 2010.
He took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.
Bragg performed a set of the Guthrie songs that he had set to music for Mermaid Avenue during the Hay Literary Festival in June 2012. Mermaid Avenue Vol. III and Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions were also released in early 2012.
On 18 March 2013, Bragg released his latest studio album, five years since Mr. Love & Justice, titled Tooth And Nail. It featured 11 original songs, including one written for the Bush Theatre, and a Woody Guthrie cover. Stylistically, it continues to explore genres of Americana (music) and Alternative country, both of which he has said he has been playing and writing regularly since Mermaid Avenue (1998).
In November 2017, he released all six tracks from the mini-album Bridges Not Walls as downloads and CD through the Billy Bragg website and other sellers, followed by the single Full English Brexit through Cooking Vinyl.
Think Again
Billy Bragg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
These are the children of parents who died in the last one
Do you think that's possible knowing their past
That they'd ever considered repeating the past
When twenty million were slaughtered by NAZI invasion
They died fighting on our side you know
In a fight to defend human kind from NAZI terror and hatred
In the name of our children as yet to be born
Before we do that which can never be undone I beg of you
Think, Think again
And again and again and again and again
Do you think that the Russians want war
These are the children of parents who died in the last one
Do you think that they want to go through that again
The destruction the bloodshed the suffering and pain
In the second world war out of every three dead one was Russian
If we try with all of our power
Can we not find a way to peacefully settle our difference
In the name of humanity bitter and torn
In the name of our children as yet to be born
Before we do that which can never be undone I beg of you
Think, Think again
And again and again and again and again
Do you think that the Russians want war
Will the voice of insanity lead you to total destruction
Will you stumble to death as though you were blind
Will you cause the destruction of all human kind
Will you die because you don't like their political system
There will be no survivors you know
No one left to scream in the night and condemn our stupidity
In the name of humanity bitterly torn
In the name of our children as yet to be born
Before we do that which can never be undone I beg of you
Think, Think again
And again and again and again and again
In Billy Bragg's song "Think Again," the lyrics try to dismantle any potential desires for war between Russia and the West. The lines "So you think that the Russians want war / These are the children of parents who died in the last one" encapsulate the theme of empathy and understanding for those who lived through the horrors of war in the past. Bragg emphasizes the absurdity of believing that the Russians would want another war, given that their country lost millions of lives to the Nazi invasion during World War II.
The lyrics are a call to action for peaceful resolutions and emphasize the cost of war: "There will be no survivors you know / No one left to scream in the night and condemn our stupidity." Bragg highlights the importance of understanding humanity as one entity and recognizing that war is not a solution but a destructive force. The lines "In the name of humanity, bitter and torn / In the name of our children, as yet to be born" further imply the detrimental consequences of a war that could wipe out countless lives.
Overall, Bragg's song serves as a plea for critical thinking and empathy towards the other side in times of potential conflicts. The song highlights the consequences that war can have on humanity and encourages listeners to think before acting on aggression and violence.
Line by Line Meaning
So you think that the Russians want war
Are you under the impression that Russians want to go to war?
These are the children of parents who died in the last one
The current generation of Russians lost their parents in the Second World War.
Do you think that's possible knowing their past
Considering their history, is it likely for Russians to want war?
That they'd ever considered repeating the past
Is it possible for Russians to even consider reliving the horrors of the Second World War?
When twenty million were slaughtered by NAZI invasion
During the Second World War, over 20 million Russians died due to the Nazi invasion.
They died fighting on our side you know
Russians also fought against Nazi forces during the Second World War.
In a fight to defend human kind from NAZI terror and hatred
Russians fought against Nazis to protect human rights and save humanity from their terror.
In the name of humanity bitter and torn
For the sake of humanity, which faced destruction and chaos during the Second World War.
In the name of our children as yet to be born
For the sake of future generations, who deserve to live in a world without wars.
Before we do that which can never be undone I beg of you
Before we make a decision that cannot be undone, I plead with you to reconsider.
Think, Think again
Reflect on this deeply and consider all angles of the situation.
And again and again and again and again
Keep thinking until you have made an informed decision and are confident in your stance.
Will the voice of insanity lead you to total destruction
Will irrational thinking lead us to utter destruction?
Will you stumble to death as though you were blind
Will we blindly follow a path that leads to our demise?
Will you cause the destruction of all human kind
Will our actions lead to the end of all humanity?
Will you die because you don't like their political system
Is it worth losing our lives over a disagreement in political systems?
There will be no survivors you know
If there is a war, there will be no one left to tell the tale.
No one left to scream in the night and condemn our stupidity
Our foolishness will have no one left to criticize it, because there will be no one left.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind