Played The Garage February 2013 and have a further g… Read Full Bio ↴REFORMED! 2013!
Played The Garage February 2013 and have a further gig lined up at;
Newcastle University Students Union on Friday May 10 2013. Check the NUSU website for details.
China Drum were formed in the late 80's and were made up of Adam Lee (Drums and Vocals), Bill McQueen on guitar and his younger brother Dave on Bass. (They were to be augmented later by Jan Alkema, ex Compulsion, on drums when Adam stepped from behind his kit)
They are probably best described as pop-punk but that really doesn't do them justice. They had the guitars, they had the energy and the speed, but their melodies were just that cut above the usual offerings.
Their first album, Goosefair, released in 1996 on Mantra featured a stonking version of Wuthering Heights (originally released on Fierce Panda), and the promotion of this album saw them touring the world with Green Day, Leatherface, Doughboys, Ash to name but a few, as well as numerous dates on their own.
Their follow up album followed the traditional "difficult" second album path. Self Made Maniac saw them throttle down the pace, and focus on the songs. Highlights include the single Fictions of Life, Another Toy, and the genuinely menacing 60 Seconds.
Steve Lamacq was a fan, as were John Peel and Phil Jupitus; indeed there was strong Radio 1 support for them for a while in the late 90s. The turn of the century saw them release their final album, Diskin (released as The Drum). The writing must have been on the wall, as this album ended up being the album that THEY wanted to write, and soon after they were dropped by Mantra and the band split up.
Essential China Drum:
Goosefair:
Can't Stop These Things
Cloud 9
Take it Back
Pictures
Wuthering Heights
Self Made Maniac:
Fictions of Life,
Another Toy,
60 Seconds.
Diskin:
The Beast
Dogpile
Also read Andrew Meullers article on:
http://www.andrewmueller.net/scroll.lasso?ID=62&story=_full_story
One Thing
China Drum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In front of me, right in my face
You just tore it up and threw it out
I know, that you wasted time on me
I wasn't blessed with social graces then
So you'll have to rely on honesty
Knowing I wouldn't want a time machine
it's better keeping all my dreams in
Than seeing how it really reads
I've got cool rain running in
I've got fools rain coming in
You've got no shame from where you've been
You must have scrubbed all night to get that clean
Biting, so what am I supposed to do now?
Just quietly sit and watch you gnaw your way through our insanity
You don't listen to a word I say
You're too busy remembering the broken promise
That lies so many years away
Looking back has left me one thing
Knowing I wouldn't want a time machine
It's better keeping all my dreams in
Than seeing how it really reads
I've got cool rain running in
I've got fools rain coming in
You've got no shame from where you've been
You must have scrubbed all night to get that clean
I've got cool rain running in
I've got fools rain coming in
I've got cool rain running in
I've got fools rain coming in
Agh no, what do you think I'll do now?
I know, that you wasted time on me
Biting, so what am I supposed to do now?
You don't listen to a word I say
The lyrics of China Drum's One Thing explore the aftermath of a broken relationship where one person has hurt the other and disrespected their feelings. The singer addresses their former partner and expresses their sense of betrayal and disappointment at how the relationship ended. They reflect on the time they spent together and recognize that they didn't have the necessary social skills back then to succeed in the relationship. However, they insist that honesty is crucial for any relationship to work, and they won't tolerate being treated poorly.
The singer is now in a better place and has moved on from the past. They realize that thinking about what might have been would only make them feel worse, and they prefer to keep their aspirations and dreams intact. The lyrics convey a sense of sadness and regret but also highlight the singer's strength and resilience. They refuse to let their former partner's behavior determine their future and choose to focus on their own happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Agh no, what do you think I'll do now?
Expressing confusion and dismay at the current situation and questioning what actions to take next.
In front of me, right in my face / You just tore it up and threw it out
You blatantly disrespected me and threw away something important to me right in front of my face.
I know, that you wasted time on me / I wasn't blessed with social graces then / So you'll have to rely on honesty
I recognize that you spent time and effort on me, but I lacked the proper social skills at the time. Therefore, the only way to communicate with you is through honest communication.
Thinking back has left me one thing / Knowing I wouldn't want a time machine / it's better keeping all my dreams in / Than seeing how it really reads
Reflecting on the past has taught me one lesson: I don't wish to change anything in the past even if I could. It's better to keep my aspirations and dreams to myself than to face potential disappointment if they don't come to fruition in reality.
I've got cool rain running in / I've got fools rain coming in / You've got no shame from where you've been / You must have scrubbed all night to get that clean
I am experiencing mixed emotions, both a sense of calm and foolishness. You, on the other hand, feel no shame for your past actions and have gone to great lengths to cover up your past mistakes.
Biting, so what am I supposed to do now? / Just quietly sit and watch you gnaw your way through our insanity
I am feeling emotionally drained and don't know what to do. Should I just sit idly and watch as you continue to unravel our already unstable relationship?
You don't listen to a word I say / You're too busy remembering the broken promise / That lies so many years away
You aren't actively listening to me as you are preoccupied with an old promise that has long since been broken.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM LEE, DAVID JONATHAN MCQUEEN, NEIL WILLIAM MCQUEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind