Beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Parker sang in small-time amateur English bands such as the Black Rockers and Deep Cut Three, while working in dead-end jobs at a glove factory and a petrol station. In late 1974 he placed an ad in Britain’s "Melody Maker" music mag seeking like-minded musicians and he began performing professionally. In 1975, he recorded a few demo tracks in London with Dave Robinson, who would shortly found Stiff Records and who connected Parker with his first backing band of note.
Graham Parker & the Rumour (with Brinsley Schwarz and Martin Belmont on guitar, Bob Andrews on keyboards, Andrew Bodnar on bass and Steve Goulding on drums) formed in the summer of 1975 and began doing the rounds of the British pub rock scene. Their first album, Howlin' Wind, was released to acclaim in 1976 and rapidly followed by the stylistically similar Heat Treatment. A mixture of rock, ballads, and reggae-influenced numbers, these albums reflected Parker's early influences (Motown, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan) and contained the songs which formed the core of Parker's live shows -- "White Honey", "Soul Shoes", "Lady Doctor", "Fool's Gold", and his early signature tune "Don't Ask Me Questions", which hit the top 40 in the UK. Like the pub rock scene he was loosely tied to, the singer's class-conscious lyrics and passionate vocals signaled a renewal of rock music as punk rock began to flower in Britain.
Parker preceded the other "new wave" English singer-songwriters, Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. Early in his career his work was often compared favorably to theirs, and for decades journalists would continue to categorize them together, long after the artists' work had diverged. Characteristically, Parker would not hesitate to criticize this habit with caustic wit.
The first two albums' critical acclaim was generally not matched with LP sales. Graham Parker and the Rumour appeared on BBC television's Top of the Pops in 1976, performing their top 30 hit version of The Trammps' "Hold Back the Night".
At this point, Parker began to change his songwriting style, reflecting his desire to break into the American market. The first fruits of this new direction appeared on Stick To Me (1977). The album broke the top 20 on the UK charts but divided critical opinions.
Energized by his new label, Arista, and the presence of legendary producer Jack Nitzsche, Parker followed with Squeezing Out Sparks (1979), widely held to be the best album of his career. For this album, The Rumour's brass section, prominent on all previous albums, was jettisoned, resulting in a spare, intense rock backing for some of Parker's most brilliant songs. Of particular note was "You Can't Be Too Strong", one of rock music's rare songs to confront the topic of abortion, however ambivalently.
Squeezing out Sparks is still ranked by fans and critics alike as one of the finest rock albums ever made. Rolling Stone named it #335 [1] on their 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In an early 1987 Rolling Stone list of their top 100 albums from 1967-1987, Squeezing Out Sparks was ranked at #45, while Howlin' Wind came in at #54 [2].
Although marginally less intense than its predecessor, 1980's The Up Escalator was Parker's highest-charting album in the UK and featured glossy production by Jimmy Iovine and guest vocals from Bruce Springsteen. Nevertheless it was Parker's last album with the Rumour, although guitarist Brinsley Schwarz would join most of the singer's albums through the decade's end.
The 1980s were Parker's most commercially successful years, with well-financed recordings and radio and video play. Over the decade, the British press turned unkind to him, but he continued to tour the world with top backing bands, and his 1985 release Steady Nerves included his only US Top 40 hit, "Wake Up (Next to You)". The singer began living mostly in the United States during this time.
In early 2011, Parker reunited with all five original members of The Rumour to record a new album. The record, titled Three Chords Good, was released in November 2012.
Syphilis & Religion
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Big guns blazin' bibles in our hands
Comin' from a cold place
To lead those natives by the hand
Back to back to back to back to
Back to the promised land
Now this is called fire
This is called brimstone
Chorus
So bring me your coconuts
Bring me your sweet mango too
Bring me your papaya
And I'll tell you what I'll bring for you
Syphilis & religion
That's what we are handin' out
Syphilis & religion
Two things you could
Probably do without
Now get your little donkeys
Pack'em with straw and mud and water
Build me a church right here
Build me a whorehouse and
Bring me your daughter
She could do with some extra tuition
Later on behind the mission
Fanned by the cool night breeze
I'll spread the word and the std's
Chorus
(two things the world could do without)
Now I'm talkin' to my man upstairs
He talks through me
My burden he shares
He says go unto the islands boy
Spread my word ann my gospel there
Teach those little savages
The one and only truth there is
Go out and build me one nation
Beach front property prime location
Chorus
In Graham Parker's song Syphilis & Religion, the lyrics depict the arrival of colonizers in a foreign land, with the intention of imposing their beliefs and way of life on the natives. Parker paints a picture of violent conquest, with "big ships" and "big guns blazin' bibles in our hands." The colonizers come to "lead those natives by the hand/ Back to the promised land," using fire and brimstone tactics to assert their dominance. The chorus then reveals their ulterior motives - they come bearing "syphilis & religion," two things the world could do without. They use their power to spread sexually transmitted diseases alongside their religious dogma, with the intention of subjugating the people of the land.
Line by Line Meaning
We're comin' in our big ships
We are arriving with our big ships
Big guns blazin' bibles in our hands
We have weapons and bibles with us
Comin' from a cold place
We are coming from a colder climate
To lead those natives by the hand
To guide the native population
Back to back to back to back to
Repeatedly
Back to the promised land
Back to the land of their ancestors
Now this is called fire
This is called passion
This is called brimstone
This is called punishment
Do you understand
Do you comprehend
Chorus
Refrain
So bring me your coconuts
Please offer your coconuts
Bring me your sweet mango too
Bring your sweet mangoes as well
Bring me your papaya
Bring your papayas
And I'll tell you what I'll bring for you
I will reciprocate with something for you
Syphilis & religion
We bring syphilis and religion
That's what we are handin' out
This is what we are distributing
Two things you could probably do without
Undesirable things
Now get your little donkeys
Gather your small donkeys
Pack'em with straw and mud and water
Prepare them with supplies
Build me a church right here
Construct a church here
Build me a whorehouse and
Make a brothel as well
Bring me your daughter
Bring your daughter to me
She could do with some extra tuition
She could benefit from additional lessons
Later on behind the mission
After the church service
Fanned by the cool night breeze
Refreshed by the evening air
I'll spread the word and the std's
I will propagate religion and sexually transmitted diseases
Chorus (two things the world could do without)
Refrain (two undesirable things)
Now I'm talkin' to my man upstairs
Now I am speaking to God
He talks through me
He speaks through me
My burden he shares
He shares my burdens
He says go unto the islands boy
He instructs me to go to the islands
Spread my word ann my gospel there
Disseminate my teachings and good news there
Teach those little savages
Educate the indigenous people
The one and only truth there is
The singular and absolute truth
Go out and build me one nation
Construct a country for me
Beach front property prime location
A desirable coastal area
Chorus
Refrain
Contributed by Caden M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.