The first album by Graham Parker and the Rumour, Howlin' Wind, was released to acclaim in 1976 and was 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,Van Morrison) 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.
Parker and the Rumour built a reputation as incendiary live performers: the promotional album Live at Marble Arch was recorded at this time and shows off their raw onstage style. 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.
Bob Andrews left The Rumour in early 1980, and was not officially replaced. However, in studio sessions for the next album (The Up Escalator), Nicky Hopkins and Danny Federici (of The E Street Band) sat in on keyboards.
1980's The Up Escalator was Parker's highest-charting album in the UK and featured production by Jimmy Iovine and guest vocals from Bruce Springsteen. Significantly, the front cover of the album credited only Graham Parker, not "Graham Parker and The Rumour".
The Up Escalator would prove to be Parker's last album with the Rumour, although guitarist Brinsley Schwarz would reunite with Parker in 1983 and play on most of the singer's albums through the decade's end. As well, bassist Andrew Bodnar would rejoin Parker from 1988 through the mid 1990s, and drummer Steve Goulding would play on Parker's 2001 album Deepcut To Nowhere.
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.
The Raid
Graham Parker & The Rumour Lyrics
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Slow intro
A d a e
Where were you when the raid came? where were you when the raid came?
A d a e d a
Out of the window or on the floor. yeah, on the night of the raid
A d
A e
Knock on the door and the window cracked
A d
The ds just come to bust the fun
A e
Everybody scatter and run
I was jossing with the baby in the bathroom
Hanging out the party with the coke spoon
Somebody yelled hey my head's on fire
Just can't take it no higher
Hey, dealers from the north and dealers from the south
Joints in the noses and joints in the mouth
But the friction in the kitchen only wanted out
On the night of the raid
Somebody yelled help put that thing on me
That's one man I wouldn't want to be
If you said now I'm going to make it sing
On the night of the raid
Well the boys hit the wall like bowling balls
Questioned them all like they had no balls
Snow hit their noses like an avalanche
On the night on the raid
Chorus (as inro except..)
Where were you when the raid came?
Where were you when the raid came?
Out of the window or on the floor
A
Yeah, on the night of the raid
Chorus repeat and fade /pre>
The song "The Raid" by Graham Parker & The Rumour is a vivid depiction of a police raid on a party where drugs were being consumed. The song opens with a slow instrumental intro, followed by the repeated question "Where were you when the raid came?" which sets the tone for the rest of the song. Parker then describes his own experience during the raid, where he was caught rolling marijuana and had to flee when the police arrived. The chaos that ensues is captured in lines like "Everybody scatter and run" and "Snow hit their noses like an avalanche," referring to the cocaine being used by partygoers.
The song's chorus repeats the opening refrain, further emphasizing the sense of confusion and disorientation that the raid caused. The references to drug use and the police targeting those who use and/or sell drugs speak to the larger cultural context of the time in which the song was written (the late 1970s). Parker's lyrics are not condoning drug use or breaking the law, but are rather a commentary on the societal pressures and attitudes that lead people to these behaviors.
Line by Line Meaning
Where were you when the raid came? where were you when the raid came?
Asking the listener where they were when the raid happened
Out of the window or on the floor. yeah, on the night of the raid
Wondering if the listener was either trying to escape through a window or hiding on the floor
I was just rolling up some real good black
Admitting that the singer was preparing some drugs
Knock on the door and the window cracked
Describing the moment the police arrived
The ds just come to bust the fun
Acknowledging that the police were there to raid the party
Everybody scatter and run
Suggesting that everyone present at the party tried to run away
I was jossing with the baby in the bathroom
Explaining that the singer was using drugs in the bathroom
Hanging out the party with the coke spoon
Admitting that the artist was using cocaine at the party
Somebody yelled hey my head's on fire
Sharing a chaotic moment from the party where someone was in distress
Just can't take it no higher
Implying that the party had reached its climax and things couldn't get any wilder
Hey, dealers from the north and dealers from the south
Acknowledging that there were various drug dealers at the party
Joints in the noses and joints in the mouth
Describing how people were using drugs through their nose or mouth
But the friction in the kitchen only wanted out
Explaining that there was tension and conflict in the kitchen that couldn't be contained
Somebody yelled help put that thing on me
Another chaotic moment where someone needed assistance
That's one man I wouldn't want to be
Observing that the person in trouble was in a difficult situation
If you said now I'm going to make it sing
Suggesting that the person in trouble might reveal sensitive information to the police
Well the boys hit the wall like bowling balls
Describing how the police came into the party abruptly and forcefully
Questioned them all like they had no balls
Suggesting that the police were aggressive and intimidating during their questioning
Snow hit their noses like an avalanche
Use of a metaphor to describe how the police found and confiscated drugs
Where were you when the raid came?
Repeated line asking where the listener was during the raid
Where were you when the raid came?
Repeated line asking where the listener was during the raid
Out of the window or on the floor
Repeating the options for where the listener might have been during the raid
Yeah, on the night of the raid
Reiterating that the events in the song took place during a police raid
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GRAHAM THOMAS PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind