This predominantly Glaswegian act became one of the top-selling UK bands of the late 1980s/early 1990s. The group's members were Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh, James Prime, Dougie Vipond, Ewan Vernal and Graeme Kelling.
Ross, a former school teacher originally from Dundee, was the group's frontman, penning the vast majority of Deacon Blue's songs. He married female vocalist Lorraine McIntosh in the later years of the band's career. McIntosh, born May 1964 in Glasgow joined the band in 1987 as a vocalist.
The band's first album, Raintown, produced by Jon Kelly and released in 1987, is regarded by many as the band's finest effort, spawning the singles "Dignity", "Chocolate Girl" and "Loaded". Many consider Raintown to be a concept album, since nearly all the songs contribute to the overall theme of being stuck in a dead-end life in a deprived city longing for something better. The city that the album's title refers to is Glasgow, and the memorable cover art of the album is a shot of the River Clyde's docks taken on a miserable day from Kelvingrove Park.
The second album, 1988's When The World Knows Your Name, was the band's most commercially successful, with the mega-selling singles "Real Gone Kid", "Wages Day" and "Fergus Sings The Blues". However, music critics began deriding the band at this stage for pursuing commercial success over artistic quality, citing the earlier achievements of Raintown.
Jon Kelly returned to the producer's chair in 1991 for Fellow Hoodlums, and the album was met with more critical success, but by now the group's honeymoon period was over and their success started to wane. This album was followed up with Whatever You Say, Say Nothing in 1993, a much more experimental album which gained praise from the critics, but was a commercial failure.
The band released a Greatest Hits compilation the following year.
With Vipond's decision to quit the group in favour for a career in television, Deacon Blue split up in 1994.
Five years later, the band held an unexpected reunion gig in 1999, and this led on to a new album, Walking Back Home, with the band now working on a part-time basis.
The band released another album, Homesick, in 2001.
Though Graeme Kelling died from cancer in 2004, the band has vowed to continue in his absence.
The year 2006 saw Deacon Blue returning to the studio to record three new tracks for a Singles album - including the track "Bigger than Dynamite".
The band performed at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium, as the pre-match entertainment for the Rugby League Super League Grand Final on the 14 October, and continued on to a full UK tour in November.
The album The Hipsters was released in 2012.
http://www.deaconblue.com/, followed by A New House, Believers, City of Love and Riding On The Tide Of Love.
In 2023 the band released a greatest hits set titled "All The Old 45's" along with a box set of all their albums titled "You Can Have It All".
Dignity
Deacon Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's a worker for the council
Has been twenty years
And he takes no lip off nobody
And litter off the gutter
Puts it in a bag
And never thinks to mutter
And he packs his lunch in a Sunblest bag
He never lets on
But I know 'cause he once told me
He let me know a secret about the money in his kitty
He's gonna buy a dinghy
Gonna call her Dignity
And I'll sail her up the west coast
Through villages and towns
I'll be on my holidays
They'll be doing their rounds
They'll ask me how I got her I'll say, "I saved my money"
They'll say, "Isn't she pretty? That ship called Dignity"
And I'm telling this story
In a faraway sea
Sipping down raki
And reading Maynard Keynes
And I'm thinking about home and all that that means
And a place in the winter for dignity
And I'll sail her up the west coast
Through villages and towns
I'll be on my holidays
They'll be doing the rounds
They'll ask me how I got her I'll say, "I saved my money"
They'll say, "Isn't she pretty? That ship called Dignity"
Stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up
Yeah, stand it up again, stand it up again, stand it up again, stand it up again
Stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up
Yeah, stand it up again, stand it up again, stand it up again, stand it up again
And I'm thinking about home
And I'm thinking about faith
And I'm thinking about work
And I'm thinking how good it would be
To be here some day
On a ship called Dignity
A ship called Dignity
That ship
called Dignity
The song "Dignity" by Deacon Blue tells the story of a man who works for the council, picking up litter and taking no lip from anyone. He keeps to himself and packs his lunch in a Sunblest bag. The man reveals to the singer that he has been saving up to buy a boat, which he plans to name Dignity. The lyrics describe the man's dream of sailing up the west coast with his boat, and how he wants to show off his purchase to those who once looked down on him. The song ends with the man contemplating home, faith, and work, and longing for the day when he can sail on his ship called Dignity.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a man I meet, walks up our street
The singer sees a man who works for the council and walks up their street
He's a worker for the council
The man works for the council
Has been twenty years
The man has been working for the council for twenty years
And he takes no lip off nobody
The man is not intimidated by anyone
And litter off the gutter
The man picks up litter from the gutter
Puts it in a bag
The man puts the litter in a bag
And never thinks to mutter
The man does not complain or grumble
And he packs his lunch in a Sunblest bag
The man packs his lunch in a Sunblest bag
The children call him Bogie
The children have given him the nickname 'Bogie'
He never lets on
The man never shows any indication that he knows about his nickname
But I know 'cause he once told me
The singer knows about the man's nickname because he once told them
He let me know a secret about the money in his kitty
The man told the artist a secret about the money he had saved
He's gonna buy a dinghy
The man is going to buy a small boat
Gonna call her Dignity
The man is going to name his boat 'Dignity'
And I'll sail her up the west coast
The singer plans to sail the boat up the west coast
Through villages and towns
The artist plans to sail through various towns and villages
I'll be on my holidays
The artist will be on vacation
They'll be doing their rounds
Others will be doing their work routines
They'll ask me how I got her I'll say, "I saved my money"
When asked how the singer acquired the boat, they will respond by saying they saved up money to purchase it
They'll say, "Isn't she pretty? That ship called Dignity"
Others will admire the boat and comment on how beautiful it is
And I'm telling this story
The artist is recounting their plan to sail the boat
In a faraway sea
The artist is imagining telling this story while on a different sea
Sipping down raki
The singer is drinking raki (an anise-flavoured alcoholic drink)
And reading Maynard Keynes
The artist is reading the works of economist John Maynard Keynes
And I'm thinking about home and all that that means
The singer is reminiscing about their home and what it represents
And a place in the winter for dignity
The singer values having dignity even during the harder winter months
Stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up, stand it up
The repeated line is a rallying cry to stand up for dignity
Yeah, stand it up again, stand it up again, stand it up again, stand it up again
The artist emphasizes the importance of repeatedly standing up for dignity
And I'm thinking about home
The artist continues to think about their home
And I'm thinking about faith
The singer is also considering their faith
And I'm thinking about work
The singer is reflecting on the value of work
And I'm thinking how good it would be
The artist thinks about how wonderful it would be to experience having dignity
To be here some day
The artist hopes to experience dignity one day
On a ship called Dignity
The artist associates this hope with the name of their boat
A ship called Dignity
Reinforcement of the boat's name and its symbolic importance to the singer
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ricky Ross
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ReltubTheWiz
When this song came out in 1987 I was 30 years old. I had a 2 and half year old daughter, whose father had declined to be involved in her care. I was by myself and life was very hard in the UK as a single mum with Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister. This song gave me hope. All the crap people said about single parents in those days was not and is not true. My beautiful loving daughter is grown up, she got a degree, is happily married and has two beautiful children. I am about to retire and at last get to sail that ship called dignity up the west coast.
@glenshea1967
Elizabeth Butler. That's a great story and your daughter is doing well and children of her own. Where in England are you?
@markmcgonnell9824
Superb ❤
@wisenber
" I was by myself and life was very hard in the UK as a single mum with Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister. "
I can only imagine what the PM must have said to the father to make him walk away.
I blame Bill Clinton for my grades in my fist year of grad school.
@JohnSmith-su3ze
It's Thatcher's fault that you decided to start a family with a deadbeat loser who couldn't even take care of his own child.
She's definitely to blame for your hardship.
@0k3ma
Beautiful
@jimbo6693
Without a doubt one of the best songs ever recorded. Absolutely timeless and still sends shivers down my spine. Anyone else still loving this song in 2022.??
@jonnydavis9011
One of my all time favourites, sends shivers down my spine everytime I hear it
@martinquigley6937
Timeless my man ❤
@anthonygreen2100
Yep me - as a proud Englishman.