One of the most rock & roll acts out there, Barry Ashworth’s merry band of reprobates — the unstoppable Dub Pistols — are staying true to form with their sixth long-player. It’s called ‘White Lines’, although Barry is keen to stress that the title isn’t some sort of blatant drug reference. “It’s about the number of white lines we see on motorways and at airports when we’re travelling around all the time,” he says.
Bass. The Dubs continue to be one of the busiest bands on the circuit. Seemingly no music festival is complete without their riotous blend of ska, dub, hip-hop, electro, breakbeat, punk and drum & bass. Good times are guaranteed when the Dub Pistols blaze in to fire up the joint, and they’ll party all night — if you let them — until the motorway sun comes up with the morning light.
Over the years the Dubs have earned their ticket to ride the white line highway — and if you aren’t already hooked, baby, it’s nobody else’s fault. They originally grew out of the DJ sound system that Barry Ashworth started with cohort Jason O’Bryan in the mid-90s.
Along with contemporaries the Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, the Dubs initially surfed the late ‘90s big beat wave with tracks like ‘Cyclone’, ‘Westway’ and ‘There’s Gonna Be A Riot’ before swerving into the more political ‘Six Million Ways To Live’ album after the Millennium and their first hook-up with unforgettable Specials frontman Terry Hall.
The procession of guest vocalists who’ve joined them in the intervening decade or so reads like a roll call of urban legends. UK hip-hopper Rodney P, late reggae great Gregory Isaacs, Freak Power man Ashley Slater, Beats International’s Lindy Layton, acid house original Justin Robertson, the sweet tones of Horace Andy, UK rapper Akala, TK from New York, Red Star Lion from the West Indies, Dan Bowskills… the list goes on. Despite these top collaborators, they’ve somehow still managed to remain a cohesive unit, and it’s for their riotous sense of fun, entertainment value and tireless ability to make crowds jump that the Dubs have carved a niche for themselves. Verily, they’re something of a phenomenon.
‘White Lines’ is more of a party album than the conscious vibes of previous LP ‘Worshipping The Dollar’, and also has its fair share of top-notch guests. Reggae don Earl 16, eminent hip-hopper Seanie T,Dark Horizon, Rodney P in-demand rhymer Serocee — as well as regulars TK, Darrison, Sir Real, Ashley Slater and Barry Ashworth himself on vocals — all make an appearance, as well as the dubwise horns of Tim Hutton.
Running from the Thoughts
Dub Pistols Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I keep bumping back into it
Trying to get away
Keep dragging me into it
Running from the thoughts
I keep bumping back into it
Trying to get away
How many times we been through it
Communication breakdown
Party anthem lay down
Spirits of a playground
Running from a grey town
Amityville horror
Ghosts form the past
That will travel through tomorrow, follow
Each and every step that I take
As many bars I break
I still cant escape
So at night I stay awake
Go out and separate
My soul from my conscience
And all I can equate is a bunch of crazy nonsense
Running from the thoughts
I keep bumping back into it
Trying to get away
Keep dragging me into it
Running from the thoughts
I keep bumping back into it
Trying to get away
How many times we been through it
Try to stay versatile
And switch up my pattern
Cant keep it rotating like the rings of Saturn
Got to break the cycle
And move it like nitro
Get it out of my head before I go psycho
Insomniac on the track
Falling out, bouncing back
Coming with the wild attack
Trying to keep my mind intact
Back to the days of the past
Keep popping in my head like a memory flash
Running from the thoughts
I keep bumping back into it
Trying to get away
Keep dragging me into it
Running from the thoughts
I keep bumping back into it
Trying to get away
How many times we been through it
Ahh shit just can get out that circle
Kids got me by-cycling home
Yeah all you Willy Wonka motherfuckers
Time to move the mast
Throw them in my mustache
Roll a big spliff
Light it up with a match
Puff puff
Rocking kasbahs like the clash
We can all sit back and watch the world crash
Then pick up the pieces of the fractured elements
Write your last will and testament
Like it was the end
But it's never the end
I hate to tell you my friend
They keep coming back again and again
Running from the thoughts
I keep bumping back into it
Trying to get away
Keep dragging me into it
Running from the thoughts
I keep bumping back into it
Trying to get away
How many times we been through it
The lyrics to Dub Pistols' "Running from the Thoughts" describe an unending struggle to escape from negative, unwanted thoughts that constantly plague the singer's mind. Despite their best attempts, they cannot seem to outrun these thoughts and inevitably end up bumping back into them. The lyrics suggest a sense of desperation, as the singer tries to "separate [their] soul from [their] conscience" and "move it like nitro" to avoid succumbing to a breakdown. However, the memories and ghosts of the past continue to follow them, making it impossible to break free.
The second verse brings up the idea of trying to switch up one's pattern to avoid falling into the same negative thought cycles, but the singer acknowledges the difficulty of doing so when memories of the past keep "popping in my head like a memory flash." The song's chorus repeats the idea of constantly bumping back into these thoughts, emphasizing the futile struggle to escape from them.
Overall, "Running from the Thoughts" is a poignant and relatable exploration of the struggle with negative thinking and the difficulty of breaking free from thought patterns.
Line by Line Meaning
Running from the thoughts
The singer is struggling to cope with their own thoughts and is attempting to avoid them but is unsuccessful
I keep bumping back into it
Despite their attempts to avoid their thoughts, the singer keeps encountering them
Trying to get away
The singer is actively trying to escape their thoughts
Keep dragging me into it
Their thoughts are overpowering and persistent, making it difficult to escape them
How many times we been through it
The artist has attempted to escape their thoughts multiple times before
Communication breakdown
A metaphor to describe the singer's inability to communicate and understand their own thoughts
Party anthem lay down
A possible attempt to distract themselves from their thoughts by listening to music
Spirits of a playground
The artist's thoughts are childlike and playful, possibly linked to their past
Running from a grey town
The artist is attempting to escape the monotony of everyday life and their thoughts
Amityville horror
A reference to a horror movie, symbolizing the artist's thoughts as a frightening entity
Ghosts form the past
The singer's thoughts are connected to their past, possibly in a haunting way
That will travel through tomorrow, follow
The artist's thoughts are persistent and will continue to influence them in the future
Each and every step that I take
Every action the singer takes is influenced by their thoughts
As many bars I break
The singer is trying to break free from their thoughts but is struggling
I still cant escape
Despite their efforts, the singer is unable to escape their thoughts
So at night I stay awake
Their thoughts are keeping them up at night, preventing them from sleeping
Go out and separate
The artist is attempting to separate themselves from their thoughts by going out and distracting themselves
My soul from my conscience
The singer is separating their emotional self from their rational self
And all I can equate is a bunch of crazy nonsense
Despite their best efforts to escape, their thoughts are nonsensical and unsettling
Try to stay versatile
The artist is attempting to adapt and change to escape their thoughts
And switch up my pattern
The artist is changing their routine in order to distract themselves from their thoughts
Cant keep it rotating like the rings of Saturn
The artist is unable to continue in a repetitive cycle
Got to break the cycle
The singer is actively attempting to break free from their repetitive cycle
And move it like nitro
The artist is making a sudden, explosive change in order to escape their thoughts
Get it out of my head before I go psycho
The singer is trying to prevent themselves from going insane due to their thoughts
Insomniac on the track
The singer is unable to sleep due to their thoughts
Falling out, bouncing back
The singer is struggling but is trying to bounce back from their negative thoughts
Coming with the wild attack
The artist is making a sudden, intense move to escape their thoughts
Back to the days of the past
The artist's thoughts are connected to their past
Keep popping in my head like a memory flash
Their past memories keep recurring in their thoughts, making it hard to escape them
Time to move the mast
An indication that it's time to take control of the situation
Throw them in my mustache
A metaphor to describe the artist taking control of their situation and putting their thoughts in order
Roll a big spliff
Possibly an attempt to relax and distract oneself from their thoughts
Light it up with a match
The artist is actively making an effort to distract themselves
Puff puff
A reference to smoking marijuana, possibly used as a way to reduce anxiety
Rocking kasbahs like the clash
The artist is making an effort to enjoy themselves and distract from their thoughts
We can all sit back and watch the world crash
A cynical line that suggests giving up and watching events unfold rather than trying to escape their thoughts
Then pick up the pieces of the fractured elements
A more positive line that suggests that it's possible to recover from difficult thoughts
Write your last will and testament
A hyperbolic line suggesting that the singer's thoughts are life-changing
Like it was the end
The artist's thoughts are overwhelming as if it's the end of the world
But it's never the end
There is always hope that the artist can overcome their thoughts
I hate to tell you my friend
A somewhat sarcastic line aimed at their own negative thoughts
They keep coming back again and again
Their thoughts keep recurring and are difficult to escape
Contributed by Emma D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.