"Who are Britain's most important guita… Read Full Bio ↴Dum Dums; A Brief History...
"Who are Britain's most important guitar band ? JJ72? Coldplay? Muse? But look at that list and tell me whether those bands are really changing peoples lives? Because, believe it or not, Dum Dums are. ...where others preach to the converted, they are leading an increasingly significant segment of the pop massive up the dark slopes of indie" - MELODY MAKER
From their formation in 1997 to their farewell show in August 2001, Dum Dums went from early years of intensive gigging around the UK toilet circuit to rock stardom and chart success. Their one and only album, "It goes without saying", recorded with producer Steve Power (Feeder, Robbie Williams, Babybird, Blur) was the "Ferris Bueller" for its generation. Sonically influenced by other British bands such as the Police and the Jam, it spoke of dead end jobs, the pressures of finding your own way, and struck a chord in the hearts of anyone faced with having to decide what to do with their lives.
Released at a time when radio was saturated with manufactured pop acts, Dum Dums were one of the few British guitar bands to breakthrough in 2000, having four chart hits in and around the official top 20, a hit album, and a constant residency on MTV, VH1, and CD:UK. They sold out tours in the UK and abroad, had top 20 chart success in Japan and a major record deal with MCA in the USA.
But still none of this accounts for their continuing popularity. Three years after the band parted ways, the Dum Dums website still attracts thousands of hits weekly from all over the world. The message bored(sic) is a thriving community active 24 hours a day. There is at least one Dum Dums cover band, many reports of bands starting because of them, and record companies have even manufactured acts to be new versions of the Dum Dums - ironically one of the things the band railed against.
Running Away
Dum Dums Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flow like rain where we are found,
Like rain in this godforsaken town,
Where there’s nothing to do but sit around.
When there’s no one to hold,
And your conversations leave you cold,
Don’t be down you’ve got to pull it all together,
And you can barely make it on your feet,
'Cause running away isn’t gonna make your life better.
When you’re too depressed at the world going round so fast,
Trying to make the moment last,
When the thrill is everything but gone,
All you can do is carry on.
When there’s no one to hold,
And your conversations leave you cold,
Don’t be down you’ve got to pull it all together,
Try to be strong when your heart is weak,
And you can barely make it on your feet,
'Cause running away isn’t gonna make your life better.
You try to get away try to get away,
But you’re running along the road to your destruction,
And the faster you run,
The further away from love you become,
'Til you that you’ve broken down,
And then you start to drown.
Close your eyes, you’ll be stronger in the morning,
Won’t feel like you are dying,
Must be tired, if your heart keep on aching,
With every smile you're faking,
When there’s no one to hold,
And your conversations leave you cold,
Don’t be down you’ve got to pull it all together,
Try to be strong when your heart is weak,
And you can barely make it on your feet,
'Cause running away isn’t gonna make your life better.
When there’s no one to hold,
And your conversations leave you cold,
Don’t be down you’ve got to pull it all together,
Try to be strong when your heart is weak,
And you can barely make it on your feet,
Cause running away isn’t gonna make your life better.
Make your life better,
Make your life better,
Make your life better,
Cause running away isn’t gonna make your life better.
In the song "Running Away", Dum Dums sings about the futility of running away from problems and how it is important to face them head-on. The lyrics state that there are tears following them everywhere they go, much like rain in a desolate town where there is nothing to do but sit around. The song says that when someone feels alone and their conversations leave them feeling unfulfilled, it is important to find the inner strength to keep going, rather than run away.
The song highlights that when someone is feeling low, they might try to escape by running away or distracting themselves, but it won't solve their problems. The lyrics talk about how the thrill of life may be gone, but they must carry on anyway. The song says that if someone keeps running away, they will only become further removed from love and eventually break down and drown. Instead, they must close their eyes and be stronger in the morning, knowing that running away won't make their life better.
The message of the song is clear: running away isn't the solution to the problems we face in life. Instead, we must face them head-on, no matter how difficult it may seem. Sometimes we may feel alone, but we always have the strength to pull ourselves together and carry on.
Line by Line Meaning
There are tears following us around,
We're constantly surrounded by sadness.
Flow like rain where we are found,
The tears are as persistent and frequent as rain in this place.
Like rain in this godforsaken town,
This place is so depressing, it's devoid of even the slightest joy.
Where there’s nothing to do but sit around.
The lack of any activity makes everything so monotonous and mundane!
When there’s no one to hold,
When there's no support system around.
And your conversations leave you cold,
When even talking to others is not helping.
Don’t be down you’ve got to pull it all together,
You have to stay strong despite everything crumbling around you.
Try to be strong when your heart is weak,
Even though it's tough and emotionally taxing, it's essential to hold on.
And you can barely make it on your feet,
You feel like you're on the verge of giving up, but you push through anyways.
'Cause running away isn’t gonna make your life better.
Leaving your problems behind won't help you escape them; it'll only delay the inevitable.
When you’re too depressed at the world going round so fast,
When you're feeling lost and disconnected from the rest of the world.
Trying to make the moment last,
Trying to hold onto fleeting moments of happiness as much as possible.
When the thrill is everything but gone,
When things that used to excite you no longer do.
All you can do is carry on.
You have to keep moving forward despite feeling discouraged.
You try to get away try to get away,
You try to escape your problems.
But you’re running along the road to your destruction,
All attempts to run away eventually lead to self-destruction.
And the faster you run,
The harder you try to escape, the worse it gets.
The further away from love you become,
You distance yourself from those who love and care for you.
Til you that you’ve broken down,
Until you're at your lowest, losing hope and feeling helpless.
And then you start to drown.
You find yourself sinking deeper into despair and sadness.
Close your eyes, you’ll be stronger in the morning,
Reassurance that things will get better and tomorrow will bring new strength.
Won’t feel like you are dying,
Assurance that the pain won't be as bad as it feels in the moment.
Must be tired, if your heart keep on aching,
Acknowledging the exhaustion and fatigue that comes with heartbreak and sadness.
With every smile you're faking,
Pretending to be okay and putting on a brave face even when you're not feeling it.
Make your life better,
Encouraging the listener to take action towards improving their situation.
Cause running away isn’t gonna make your life better.
Once again, reminding the audience that escaping their problems won't solve anything.
Contributed by Hunter L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
m latham
Love this song :)
Daniel Evans
Never heard these demos! Nice one!
Minus Sumthin
Beauty