The band formed in Adelaide in 1973 as a heavy metal band called Orange around keyboard player Don Walker and original bassist Les Kascmarek and while hard rock remained at the core of their sound Cold Chisel displayed a remarkable versatility. When Kascmarek left in 1975, Walker became the major creative force of the band. Built around Walker's superb songwriting, the group also featured the dazzling guitar and vocal talents of Ian Moss and the enormously powerful lead vocals of Scottish immigrant Jimmy Barnes.
While typically classified as a hard-driving rock and roll band, the Chisel repertoire included such Australian anthems as the landmark Vietnam War song "Khe Sanh", "Bow River", "Flame Trees" and "Saturday Night", but also included thoughtful ballads like "Choir Girl" (written about the subject of abortion), pop-flavoured love songs like "My Baby" and caustic political statements like "Star Hotel", an attack on the late-70s government of Malcolm Fraser and inspired by a riot at a Newcastle pub. The music was not political in context, however Walker's songs were observations of everyday life within the Australian society and culture. One song from this period, "Misfits", which featured on the b-side to "My Baby", was written in the same vein as Chuck Berry, and was about homeless kids in the suburbs surrounding Sydney.
Cold Chisel weren't just a band, they were a lifestyle for many of their followers, who were known as some of the roughest in the land. This gave Chisel their hard living approach to their music and made them a tough live band as well. More than 30 years after they originally played together, they attract generation after generation of new listeners. This is also evidence of Chisel's dominance of the pub rock era. They are the only Australian band to have sold more records after breakup than before and are among other bands that have become transgenerational. "Khe Sanh" consistently ranks highly in lists of Australia's most popular songs and their music remains a staple of rock station playlists. The Ian Moss song "Never Before" (from the East LP) was chosen by FM rock station 2JJJ (Triple Jay) as the first record played on-air when the station made its transition from AM to FM in 1980.
By 1983 the band had reached the zenith of their career in Australia and with overseas markets reluctant to accept them, Cold Chisel began to disintegrate. Their abortive US sojourn was commemorated in Barnes' excoriating rocker "You Got Nothing I Want" from the Circus Animals album, an emotional volume created from the frustration of the band’s experiences overseas.
Increasing internal tensions and the pressures of touring took their toll and Steve Prestwich -- who was often in conflict with Barnes -- left the band, to be replaced by veteran Australian drummer Ray Arnott (ex Spectrum). Shortly afterward, in 1984, Cold Chisel announced their split and a series of farewell concerts, for which Prestwich re-joined. That tour became a legend in itself and was not without incident when Barnes lost his voice before the Sydney shows, which then had to be rescheduled. The band's final performance was filmed for the documentary concert film The Last Stand, which remains to this day the best-selling concert film of any single Australian act.
In mid 2011 the group announced a series of upcoming concerts.
Four Walls
Cold Chisel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Round her Majesty's hotel
The maid'll hose the room out
When I'm gone
I never knew such luxury
Before my verdict fell
Four walls, washbasin, prison bed
When they clubbed the rebels down
And in every congregation
There was silence
You can hear the Angels singin'
When Christmas comes around
Four walls, washbasin, prison bed
I love to march while some Nazi calls the time
Who'd want to go home
I can't see
I can't hear
They've burnt out all the feeling
I've never been so crazy
And it's just my second year
Four walls, washbasin, prison bed
The song "Four Walls" by Cold Chisel paints a gritty picture of life in prison. The first verse describes the routine of daily exercise and mundane tasks that become a luxury for the singer after being sentenced to prison. The second verse talks about the aftermath of the Bathurst riots, where rebellious prisoners were subdued by the authorities. The prisoners are left feeling hopeless and disconnected from the outside world.
The refrain of "four walls, washbasin, prison bed" is repeated in each verse, driving home the monotony and confinement of prison life. The final lines of the song suggest the singer's gradual descent into madness and loss of emotional connection to the world outside his cell.
Overall, "Four Walls" is a haunting meditation on the psychological toll of imprisonment and the isolation it brings.
Line by Line Meaning
They're calling time for exercise
The prisoners are being summoned for exercise at the given time
Round her Majesty's hotel
The hotel belongs to the queen
The maid'll hose the room out
After the prisoner leaves, the maid will clean the room using water from a hose
When I'm gone
The room will be cleaned after the prisoner leaves
I never knew such luxury
The prisoner has not experienced such comfort and luxury before
Before my verdict fell
Before the prisoner was sentenced
Four walls, washbasin, prison bed
The only things in the prisoner's cell are four walls, a washbasin, and a prison bed
Well the Bathurst riots ended
Referring to the end of the Bathurst prison riots
When they clubbed the rebels down
The authorities used force on the prisoners to end the riot
And in every congregation
Referring to the collective prisoners in the prison
There was silence
After the rebellion was put down, there was silence in the prison
You can hear the Angels singin'
A reference to the religious holiday Christmas
When Christmas comes around
During the Christmas holiday
I love to march while some Nazi calls the time
The prisoner enjoys marching to the Nazi officer's commands
Who'd want to go home
The prisoner is content in prison and doesn't want to leave
I can't see
The prisoner is blind, possibly due to the isolation in prison
I can't hear
The prisoner is deaf, possibly due to the isolation in prison
They've burnt out all the feeling
The prisoner no longer has emotions due to the harsh treatment in prison
I've never been so crazy
The prisoner is experiencing a mental breakdown
And it's just my second year
The prisoner is only in their second year of prison, suggesting the severity of the prison conditions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DONALD WALKER, DONALD HUGH WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stevenrudd7358
Jimmy still makes me smile.I’m nudging 58 now ;)
@darrenturner6679
My favorite ever Chisel song. Those 3 women are awesome!
@kdavies3105
One of those women is Jimmy's daughter Mahalia
@blairmarriott965
jesus boys , this is fooking magic .....love cold chisel
@danielmcgrath9369
There I lay,in my hospital bed,four walls around me.OHh,when will I wake to see these Four Walls.My time on death's bed with Four Walls,Hospital curtian around my bed.
My time within four walls was hell,every word in this song was my life for so,so long..Jimmy Barnes you gave me the strength,The will power to go on when I was dead inside these Four Walls.God bless you Mate.
@peterthomas760
Thanks
@peterthomas760
Thanks
@robynclausen9343
He is and has always been awesome
Love love love
@garrysearle8522
Hope you're talking about Don Walker? Barney's voice has left the building.😢
@grantthornton4509
one of my Fav