Their peculiar brand of politically driven retro-pop made an impression on the British pop charts during 1981-1982. Their biggest hit was Our lips are sealed, a retread of Go-go's 1981 song, which was co-written by Terry Hall. Other well-known tracks include The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum) and T'ain't What You Do (Its The Way That You Do It), recorded with the fledgling all-girl group Bananarama.
Fun Boy Three's music draws on influences such as vintage soul, ska, reggae, muzak and kitsch movie soundtracks.
The band split-up in 1984, and Terry hall went on to perform solo and also form The Colourfield.
The Farm Yard Connection
Fun Boy Three Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
What's your name? Peter and Bob.
What's your age? We're 23.
Where do you live? We live on the farm.
We gotta do what we do 'cause we can't draw a job
We've gotta earn a living
But every time the drug squad commin in june
BAM goes another week's wages, BAM goes another week's food
Farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
What happened next? Policemen come.
What did they do? They make a raid.
What did you do? We stood still.
What did they do? They drove away.
We try to sleep in the fields to protrect our weed
We've gotta earn a living
But when the law squad gone and took away our weed
BAM went another week's wages, BAM went our family's feed
Farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
Hey diddle diddle, policemen on the fiddle
He sold off the drugs to the man in the middle
who put it on the plane to Heathrow Central
It was picked up by a hippie in a Hertz car rental
Drove it into town and split it up in parcels
Sold it to his friends at an ethnic party
They talked about life but missed all the points, points, points, points, points, points, points, points, points
They sat cross legged and passed around the joints
And they inhaled the west Indian exports
They talked about life but missed all the points, points, points, points, points, points, points, points, points, points
Meanwhile back on the farm
We're still working hard
We've got deadlines to meet
We're rushed off our feet
We've got to replant the field, it takes nine months to grow
We've got to earn a living
But if the crops don't show, we're gonna starve
BAM goes another year's wages, goodbye to life on the farm
Farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
At the farm yard connection
The Fun Boy Three's song "The Farm Yard Connection" tells the story of two young farmers, Peter and Bob, who are growing weed on their farm to make a living. They are continually confronted by the drug squad, who take away their crops, resulting in them losing their livelihoods and not being able to provide for their families. The song also criticizes the corrupt police officers who profit from drug dealing by selling the seized drugs to the man in the middle, who then distributes it to others. Meanwhile, Peter and Bob continue to work hard to replant their fields, hoping to get a successful crop to support their businesses and families.
The song's lyrics are written in a conversational manner, with the questions asked by the police and Peter and Bob answering honestly about what they do. The use of the repeated chorus line "Farm Yard Connection" emphasizes the theme of the song as well as showcases the band's unique vocal style.
Line by Line Meaning
Farm yard connection
The connection between the farm and drugs.
At the farm yard connection
The place where drugs are grown and cultivated on the farm.
What's your name? Peter and Bob.
The names of the individuals involved in growing drugs on the farm.
What's your age? We're 23.
The age of the individuals involved in growing drugs on the farm.
Where do you live? We live on the farm.
The location where the drug production takes place.
What do you do? we plant weed.
The illegal activity of growing marijuana on the farm.
We gotta do what we do 'cause we can't draw a job
The individuals grow drugs because they cannot get legitimate employment.
We've gotta earn a living
The reason why the individuals grow drugs on the farm is to make money.
But every time the drug squad commin in june
The fear of being caught by the drug squad while growing drugs on the farm.
BAM goes another week's wages, BAM goes another week's food
The financial impact of losing the drugs to the drug squad.
What happened next? Policemen come.
A police raid on the farm where the drugs were being grown.
What did they do? They make a raid.
The police raided the farm to seize the drugs being grown illegally.
What did you do? We stood still.
The individuals involved in growing drugs did not resist the police raid.
What did they do? They drove away.
The police left the farm after seizing the drugs and making arrests.
We try to sleep in the fields to protrect our weed
The measures taken to protect the drugs being grown on the farm.
But when the law squad gone and took away our weed
The impact of losing the harvested drugs to the police raid.
BAM went another week's wages, BAM went our family's feed
The financial impact of losing the drugs that were being grown on the farm.
Hey diddle diddle, policemen on the fiddle
The corrupt police officers involved in the drug trade.
He sold off the drugs to the man in the middle
The drugs were sold to someone who acted as a middleman in the illegal drug trade.
who put it on the plane to Heathrow Central
The transportation of the drugs via plane to Heathrow Central.
It was picked up by a hippie in a Hertz car rental
The drugs were picked up by a drug dealer using a Hertz car rental.
Drove it into town and split it up in parcels
The breaking down of the drugs into smaller quantities to be sold separately.
Sold it to his friends at an ethnic party
The selling of the drugs to friends at a party, likely for recreational use.
They talked about life but missed all the points, points, points, points, points, points, points, points, points
The people at the party who indulged in drugs while missing the important aspects of life.
They sat cross legged and passed around the joints
The sharing and smoking of marijuana at the party.
And they inhaled the west Indian exports
The type of marijuana being consumed at the party.
Meanwhile back on the farm
Returning to the situation at the farm after the drug trade scenario described above.
We're still working hard
The continued effort to grow weed on the farm despite the risks involved.
We've got deadlines to meet
The need to maintain a schedule or timeline for growing and harvesting the marijuana on the farm.
We've got to replant the field, it takes nine months to grow
The farming process of replanting the field and growing new marijuana plants.
But if the crops don't show, we're gonna starve
The dependence on the marijuana crop for survival and livelihood.
BAM goes another year's wages, goodbye to life on the farm
The severe financial impact and potential loss of the farm due to the failure of the marijuana crops.
Contributed by Claire M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jaiv Koltun
This is pure poetic genius. . . Insanely brilliant lyrics with music to match. . .
Graeme Christopher
Well put sir.
Mickey 12
This entire album is fantastic. I was so upset when they disbanded.
pascalsar
A great song from a great album. Terry Hall is a genius.
Tommy Ouyamico
RIP Terry the music will live forever
katoness
Criminally underrated second album from the FB3. Sound was much closer to The Specials sound.
Warsong27
Genius!!! This band stands the test of time indeed.
Grégory Vidal
i love this album. i discover it only since his death. A great artist
Wojciech K
Terry is freaking amazing.
totomorris
Spent most my youth growing up to the Specials and then FB3. Terry hall is a lyrical genius. He is such a rare talent. Why doesn't he write anymore?