There are at least five bands with the name 'Grapefruit': a psychedelic roc… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least five bands with the name 'Grapefruit': a psychedelic rock band band from London (1), a punk band from Hawaii (2), a czech crossover band (3) and an anarcho-folk/punk duo from England (4) a electronic project in Portland, Oregon (5).

(1) Grapefruit was a psychedelic rock band formed in 1967 by Scotland-born singer and guitarist George Alexander (b. Alexander Young), a member of the multi-talented Young family that also spawned his brothers George, the rhythm guitarist and founding member of The Easybeats and also Malcolm and Angus Young, both founding members of the Australian hard rock band, AC/DC. Alexander Young had chosen to remain in Britain when the rest of the Youngs emigrated to Australia.

Together with three former members of 'Tony Rivers & The Castaways' (namely John Perry, Geoff Swettenham and Pete Swettenham) Alexander formed 'The Grapefruit' (the band discarded the initial 'The' soon afterwards). Terry Doran, a friend of John Lennon, became their manager, seeing some commercial potential in them. Doran arranged for the band's music publishing rights (as songwriters) to be assigned to the publishing wing of The Beatles' new company Apple and they were the first writers to sign to the company, in early 1968.

Grapefruit's record career was launched in Spring 1968, albeit not on the Beatles' own Apple label, which opened for business a few months later, but on the UK Decca Records label. However, The Beatles continued to take some interest in Grapefruit, with John Lennon introducing the band to the media and inviting John Perry to join in on the recording of the hit single "Hey Jude".[1]

Grapefruit's recording career spanned only two years, from late 1967 to the end of 1969. They released two albums (Grapefruit in 1968, Around Grapefruit in 1969) and several of singles, none of which made a significant impact on the charts. Their best-known track is probably the Terry Melcher-produced "Dear Delilah", which was released in early 1968, but failed to enter the UK Top 20. Towards the end of their career, Grapefruit shifted from melodic pop to a more rough, blues-influenced style of music.

Grapefruit broke up in late 1969. Alexander remained in the music business as a session musician, while John Perry sung and played with artists including Cliff Richard and Bryn Haworth, before going solo in 1985.
For more information, check the official Grapefruit page
http://www.myspace.com/officialgrapefruit

(2) Grapefruit is a punk band from Hawaii.
For more information, check the official Grapefruit page http://www.myspace.com/grapefruit808

(3) Grapefruit is a czech crossover band from Stare Malenovice. Go check out their music webpage (in czech) at http://www.grapefruit.cz

(4) Grapefruit is a folk-punk band from England who play free shows and give away free music. http://myspace.com/grapefruitband

(5) is an electronic project in Portland, Oregon consisting of Charlie Salas-Hamara.
http://www.fieldhymns.com/fh023-grapefruit/

Dead Boot
Grapefruit Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a dead boot
That won't walk anymore
Won't walk anymore at all

There's a dead boot
That won't walk anymore
That boot hasn't got his sole

And the tongue who never moved again
It's lying broke and still
And the eye that never cried a tear
It never ever knew

There's a dead boot
That won't walk anymore
Won't walk anymore at all

There's a dead boot
That won't walk anymore
That boot hasn't got a sole

And the heel that had no feeling when
A little flower died
It can never trample down again
On anything, on anything alive
A no no, no

There's a dead boot
It's lying on the flames
It lies on the flames and burns
It was a...

It was a bad boot

For it that was lying on the flame,
And like the flaming boot has gone

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Grapefruit's "Dead Boot" speak about a boot that is no longer functional. It has lost its sole, and the tongue and eye of the boot are broken and cannot function anymore. The words paint a picture of a boot that has lived its life, served its purpose, and is now no longer needed. The heel of the boot had no feeling for a flower that had died and can never trample on anything alive.

The song is a metaphor for life and death. It reminds us that we, like the boot, have a purpose in life, and when that purpose is fulfilled, death comes calling. The imagery of the flames in the last verse speaks of the burning of the boot, much like the cremation of a person's dead body. The song makes us reflect on life's ephemeral nature, reminding us that everything, including us, will eventually meet its end.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a dead boot
There is a boot that is no longer functioning

That won't walk anymore
The boot is incapable of walking or functioning as it should

Won't walk anymore at all
The boot has completely stopped working

That boot hasn't got his sole
The boot is missing a key component, the sole

And the tongue who never moved again
The part of the boot that resembles a tongue is still and unmoving

It's lying broke and still
The tongue is broken and not able to move anymore

And the eye that never cried a tear
A part of the boot that resembles an eye has never shown any indication of emotion

It never ever knew
The eye has never experienced any kind of emotional response

And the heel that had no feeling when
The heel of the boot had no sensory perception during a certain event

A little flower died
During an event where a flower died

It can never trample down again
The heel cannot stomp or crush anything alive anymore