Fishbone first assembled with John Norwood Fisher (bass), his brother Philip "Fish" Fisher (drums), Angelo Moore (vocals, saxophones and theremin), Kendall Jones (guitar), "Dirty" Walter A. Kibby II (vocals, trumpet), and Christopher Dowd (keyboards, trombone, vocals). They achieved their greatest success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, after which they went through many personnel changes. From 2003 to 2010, John Norwood Fisher and Angelo Moore were the last remaining original members of the band. In the 2010s, all the other original members except Kendall Jones rejoined the band for various reunions and anniversary activities.
Skankin' to the Beat
Fishbone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Skankin' to the beat got my toe jams peelin'
Skankin' to the beat got the rude girls squeelin'
I'm just skankin' to the beat
Dancin', I'm dancin' to the Rastafarian up beat
Hangin' with my rude ska brothers in the street
Our brother over here say, "Turn up the box a"
It'll knock your sock off
Sayin' there's no brother Fishbone
So, get up off your seats and let's skank to beat
Said Fishbone brothers, let's skank to the beat
Skankin' to the beat is an alright feelin'
Skankin' to the beat got my toe jams peelin'
Skankin' to the beat got the rude girls squeelin'
I'm just skankin' to the beat
Skankin' through hard times, slim with the good
I said all this kickin' doesn't make it feel real good
I don't know what's up, now grindin' like it should
All they wanna do is turn on that reggae beat
All they wanna do is skank to the beat, skankin'
All they wanna do is skank on the street
Skankin' to the beat is an alright feelin'
Skankin' to the beat got my toe jams peelin'
Skankin' to the beat got the rude girls squeelin'
I'm just skankin' to the beat
Let's slow down the pace for the human race
Said let's low down the pace for heaven's sake
Let's slow down the music to drum 'n' bass
Let's slow down the pace and make it alright
Now, it's my time to say what I got to say
Now, it's my time to just skank my way
I said you skankin' to the east, you skankin' the west
I'm skankin' with my rude girl with the big breast
Oh, east or west, I love to skank
Oh, east or west, said I love to skank
Oh, [Incomprehensible] and I love to skank
Oh, [Incomprehensible] said I love to skank
Skankin' to the beat is an alright feelin'
Skankin' to the beat got my toe jams peelin'
Skankin' to the beat got the rude girls squeelin'
I'm just skankin' to the beat
Skankin' to the beat is an alright feelin'
Skankin' to the beat got my toe jams peelin'
Skankin' to the beat got the rude girls squeelin'
I'm just skankin' to the beat
The lyrics of Fishbone's song "Skankin' to the Beat" portray the feeling of enjoying oneself while dancing to the rhythm of ska music. The lyricist describes how skankin' to the beat provides a good feeling, gets their toes jamming and makes the rude girls scream in joy. The song emphasizes on the enjoyment of the rhythm and the importance of dancing with others, especially with Rastafarians, and other "rude ska brothers." They also mention the power of the music to uplift and unite people, as well as the desire to slow down the pace of life to prevent stress and anxiety.
The lyrics also express a sense of unity and connection within the ska music community, with people cheering the Fishbone Brothers and the deep love for skankin' in any direction (east or west). Through the use of metaphors, the lyricist conveys the joy of being part of a larger ska movement and the feeling of belonging that comes from dancing to the beat with others.
Overall, "Skankin' to the Beat" is a lively and energetic song that celebrates the power of ska music to connect people, spread joy, and create community.
Line by Line Meaning
Skankin' to the beat is an alright feelin'
It's a great feeling to dance to the rhythm
Skankin' to the beat got my toe jams peelin'
Dancing to the beat is causing my feet to sweat
Skankin' to the beat got the rude girls squeelin'
The girls are excited by the dance, making noise
I'm just skankin' to the beat
I am simply enjoying the dance
Dancin', I'm dancin' to the Rastafarian up beat
I'm dancing to the upbeat Rastafarian music
Hangin' with my rude ska brothers in the street
I'm spending time with my rude ska friends in the open
Our brother over here say, "Turn up the box a"
One of our friends say to increase the music's volume
Dancin' and dance could rock us all the day long
Dancing is an activity that can make us happy all day long
It'll knock your sock off
Dancing is so exciting that it will blow your mind
Sayin' there's no brother Fishbone
When we dance, we feel like there is no one else but us
So, get up off your seats and let's skank to beat
Everyone should stand and dance together to the beat
Said Fishbone brothers, let's skank to the beat
We, the Fishbone brothers, invite everyone to dance with us
Skankin' through hard times, slim with the good
Even in difficult situations, we can dance and feel good
I said all this kickin' doesn't make it feel real good
Too much dancing can make us tired and uncomfortable
I don't know what's up, now grindin' like it should
I don't understand what's happening, but I'm dancing as expected
All they wanna do is turn on that reggae beat
People just want to hear the reggae music and dance to it
All they wanna do is skank to the beat, skankin'
All they want is to dance to the beat and nothing else
All they wanna do is skank on the street
The only thing people want to do is dance on the streets
Let's slow down the pace for the human race
Let's take it slow and not rush in life
Said let's low down the pace for heaven's sake
Let's not hurry, for our own good
Let's slow down the music to drum 'n' bass
Let's reduce the tempo of the music to a drum and bass pattern
Let's slow down the pace and make it alright
By slowing down, we can enjoy and appreciate things better
Now, it's my time to say what I got to say
It's my turn to speak my mind
Now, it's my time to just skank my way
I want to dance the way I like it
I said you skankin' to the east, you skankin' the west
You can dance in any direction you want
I'm skankin' with my rude girl with the big breast
I'm dancing with a confident and exciting partner
Oh, east or west, I love to skank
I love to dance in any direction
Oh, [Incomprehensible] and I love to skank
I love it no matter what happens
Skankin' to the beat is an alright feelin'
It's a great feeling to dance to the rhythm
Skankin' to the beat got my toe jams peelin'
Dancing to the beat is causing my feet to sweat
Skankin' to the beat got the rude girls squeelin'
The girls are excited by the dance, making noise
I'm just skankin' to the beat
I am simply enjoying the dance
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WALTER ADAM II KIBBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@titaniumpecker
One of those bands that deserves a much bigger audience.
@manholeeunuchsbane6197
Best live band I've ever seen, and it wasn't even close.
@guitarciaaleon5900
I saw them at lolapalooza 3 in front of 15,000 people.
@fishbone3333
The greatest band to ever grace this good earth. They have brought me so much joy.
@PM332
Fishbone is one of those groups I loved, and always thought I was the only listening to them. None of my friends had thier stuff, but ever since I saw an MTV video of them (Modern Industry) back in like in 1986 (in the 6th grade), I was hooked.
@seanortega8195
cool!
@caolanod2261
They were on the Say Anything soundtrack with this song.
@starchpatchak
saw them in concert twice they were great!
@babygorilla4233
ya man there still rocking out i got to see em at riot fest last year.
@manholeeunuchsbane6197
Best live act I've ever seen.