Shortly after Cold Chisel both defined and popularized the sound of Austral… Read Full Bio ↴Shortly after Cold Chisel both defined and popularized the sound of Australian pub rock, the Choirboys formed in Sydney's Northern Beaches. Singer Mark Gable, guitarist Brad Carr, and drummer Lindsay Tebbutt performed around Sydney's pub scene for several years through the early '80s before one of their demos fell into the hands of George Young of the Easybeats. Together with Harry Vanda he produced the Choirboys' self-titled debut album in 1983. "Never Gonna Die," their first single, made it to the Top 20 of the national charts. While touring, Gable ruptured his vocal chords and the band were forced into hiatus, unable to capitalize on their sudden popularity for three years.

When they re-emerged in 1987 with new guitarist Brett Williams and a new album called Big Bad Noise things continued as if they'd never been gone. The album eventually went double platinum and its lead single "Run to Paradise" became the biggest hit of their career, remaining a soundtrack for football games and backyard barbecues for decades to come. Big Bad Noise's other singles, "Struggletown" and "Boys Will Be Boys" both charted as well. This success afforded them the chance to travel to Los Angeles in 1991 to record their follow-up album, Midnight Sun, but like all of their later releases it didn't repeat the success of Big Bad Noise. That year they also recorded a live album, Dead Drunk Live Hangovers, at a concert in Melbourne. Richard Lara of the Screaming Jets and Barton Price of the Models joined the band on guitar and drums respectively in 1996, when they released two albums, Dancing on the Grave of Rock 'N' Roll and Yo Yo. Price left to be replaced by Paul Wheeler of fellow pub rock legends Icehouse before their 2004 album, Evolver. That year they had a bigger hit when Mark Gable contributed a new vocal take for a remix of "Run to Paradise" by Nick Skitz, a DJ known for making minimal changes to pop hits of yesteryear to turn them into dance hits of today. The single, credited to Nick Skitz vs. the Choirboys, went platinum. In 2007 they released their tenth album, So Easy.

Like Fire
Choirboys Lyrics

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It was gonna be
One of those lives
With everything worked out
But like a crack
In a perfect picture
Fracturing my life
I gotta tell you about it
I gotta let you know

This heart burns like fire
These hands touch like fire
I'm gonna burn up
I'm gonna burn up

I am the one
With the golden touch
I am the one born to be King
Yes I am a beacon
On a warm wet night
I penetrate the darkness
With light
I, I tried to tell you about it
I gotta let you know

This heart burns like fire
These hands touch like fire
I'm gonna burn up
I'm gonna burn up

This heart burns like fire
These hands touch like fire
These eyes cut like fire
I'm gonna burn up
I'm gonna burn up

Like fire, I burn, like fire

This heart burns like fire
These hands touch like fire
These eyes cut like fire
This soul sears like fire

I'm gonna burn up
I'm gonna burn up

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Choirboys's song "Like Fire" depict a life that was once seemingly perfect but is now fractured, with the singer burning like fire. It implies that despite their initial assumptions of having everything figured out, the reality is quite different. The lyrics "I am the one with the golden touch", "born to be king", "a beacon on a warm wet night" all suggest that the singer is confident, and the line "I penetrate the darkness with light" suggests a strong, guiding influence. However, despite their confidence, it appears that something has gone wrong, and the singer is burning up like fire.

The repeated chorus "This heart burns like fire, these hands touch like fire" suggest an intense and passionate love or desire, with the singer almost consumed by the intensity of their emotions. The phrase "I'm going to burn up" suggests a sense of inevitability and loss of control, implying that the singer is unable to resist the powerful forces that are driving them.

Overall, the song conveys a sense of power and intensity, with the singer suggesting that they are both a powerful figure but also a victim of their own passions. The lyrics are open to interpretation but could be read as exploring the theme of loss of control and being consumed by something one cannot resist.

Line by Line Meaning

It was gonna be
This is how I thought everything would go

One of those lives
A life that seems perfect with nothing wrong

With everything worked out
With everything falling into place with little effort

But like a crack
But like a tiny flaw

In a perfect picture
In an otherwise perfect situation

Fracturing my life
Causing my life to shatter

I gotta tell you about it
I need to share my story with you

I gotta let you know
I need to inform you of what happened

This heart burns like fire
My heart feels intense passion

These hands touch like fire
My touch is powerful and passionate

I'm gonna burn up
I'll be consumed by my intense emotions