In 2003 "Austria's best Ska band"(Slamzine 03) tours through Austria and Germany together with 3 Feet Smaller, And the winner is (D) and Cheek Dakota. After being discovered by Austrian alternative radio stations, their single "Mondays", a Bob Geldof cover, is on heavy rotation and Guadalajara becomes an insiders' tip. Finally, the song can be found in several radio charts and in the year's charts of Radio Soundportal 97, 9 FM.
In 2004 Guadalajara plays, besides a multitude of club gigs, at 2 two of the biggest Austrian rock festivals, the "2 Days A Week" festival in Wiesen and the "Frequency Festival" at the Salzburgring with bands like Velvet Revolver, The Offspring, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Die Ärzte, Seeed, Shortly afterwards, Thomas Rathkolb, the long standing bassist, leaves the band to spend more time on his job. Together with temporary bassist Gerald Zollner the band records its 2nd album at the studio of Naked Lunch bassist Herwig "Fuzzman" Zamernik in December 2004.
Early in March 2005 the current album named "Trampled Pathways" (Acute Music/ Edel) is released and followed by a headliner tour through Austria with an average number of 300 visitors. "Trampled Pathways" is voted "record of the week" by Radio Soundportal 97, 9 FM and the first single "Short Time Romance" goes straight up to the 2nd place of the Soundportal charts. The song is on first place of the independent-club user charts for 2 weeks and stays at the Top Ten of the Campus Radio charts for some weeks. Additionally, the song is on rotation on Fm4 radio. From February to September 2005, Guadalajara plays about 50 gigs, for example at the "Aerodrome" festival with bands like Rammstein, Slipknot, The Hives, Asian Dub Foundation, as well as on the radio Fm4 stage at the Donauinselfest in Vienna. The Guadalajara-live-train is rolling and it seems to be unstoppable!!!
What the Hell Is Babylon
Guadalajara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard them singing about it
But I can't find it on ma map
What's a rastafarian?
Aren't that people with a genetic hair defect?
And isn't reggae an imortal dictationship
like wedding an endless relationship
I've never cried about a woman
And I also haven't shot any officer of justice
I've never been to Kingston
Cause I don't know where this place really is
Nobody is strong like a lion
Well I have never seen
Except Clarence and Simba
and the whole jamaican bobsleightteam
I'm walking through the shadow of the pale moonlight
I don't know nothing about reggae and Bob Marley's life
Of using hashpipes, smoking drugs
I don't wanna legalize anything- but I'm allright
I've never been to sunsplash
Aren't green, yellow and red the national colours of Cameroon?
I think I get a headcrash
Singing about reggae as long as soon
Weren't the Wailers a hockeyteam from Heartford
Why are they singing about the power of the lord?
I'm walking through the shadow of the pale moonlight
I don't know nothing about reggae and Bob Marley's life
Of using hashpipes, smoking drugs
I don't wanna legalize anything- but I'm allright
In the song "What the Hell is Babylon?" by Guadalajara, the artist describes their confusion and lack of understanding about various aspects of Jamaican culture and the Rastafari movement. The lyrics express the artist's disbelief and doubt towards Rastafarianism, suggesting that the idea of a "genetic hair defect" is behind the distinctive dreadlocks hairstyle. The confusing reference to "Babylon" in the song may be a reference to the Babylonian empire as mentioned in the Bible, which was known for its decadence and corruption.
The artist also questions the validity of reggae music, describing it as an "immortal dictatorship." Furthermore, the artist expresses a lack of familiarity with the Jamaican capital of Kingston, as well as the "Sunsplash" music festival, which was a seminal event in the reggae calendar. They also make a humorous reference to the Jamaican bobsled team from the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Despite their lack of knowledge of the culture, the artist admits that they have no desire to partake in the use of drugs, particularly marijuana, which is often associated with reggae music. Rather, they are content with being "alright" in their current state of ignorance towards the culture.
Line by Line Meaning
What the hell is Babylon?
I don't understand what Babylon is, even though people keep singing about it.
I heard them singing about it
People have mentioned Babylon in songs, but I still don't know what it is.
But I can't find it on ma map
I've looked for Babylon on a map, but I can't seem to locate it.
What's a rastafarian?
I'm not sure what a rastafarian is, and I think it might be a condition affecting their hair.
Aren't that people with a genetic hair defect?
I think rastafarians have a hair condition that makes it look like they have a defect.
And isn't reggae an imortal dictationship
I think reggae music is an endless cycle of dictatorship or control.
like wedding an endless relationship
It's like being stuck in a never-ending marriage.
I've never cried about a woman
I've never been so emotional over a woman that I've cried.
And I also haven't shot any officer of justice
I haven't broken the law and shot a police officer.
I've never been to Kingston
I've never been to Kingston, Jamaica, because I don't know where it is.
Cause I don't know where this place really is
I'm not sure where Kingston is located and have no way of finding out.
Nobody is strong like a lion
I haven't personally seen anyone as strong as a lion, except for characters like Clarence, Simba, and the Jamaican bobsleight team.
Well I have never seen
I haven't witnessed someone as strong as a lion.
Except Clarence and Simba
The only examples I have of a strong lion are fictional characters like Clarence and Simba.
and the whole jamaican bobsleightteam
The Jamaican bobsleight team is another example of people who are strong like lions.
I'm walking through the shadow of the pale moonlight
I'm in a dark place, both figuratively and literally.
I don't know nothing about reggae and Bob Marley's life
I'm totally ignorant when it comes to reggae music and Bob Marley's life.
Of using hashpipes, smoking drugs
I know that some people associate reggae with drug use, but I'm not interested in that lifestyle.
I don't wanna legalize anything- but I'm allright
I don't support legalizing drugs or drug use, but I'm still okay with myself and my beliefs.
Aren't green, yellow and red the national colours of Cameroon?
I'm confused about the national colors of Cameroon, and I'm not sure what they are.
I think I get a headcrash
All of this talk about reggae music and Jamaica is starting to make my head hurt.
Singing about reggae as long as soon
Singing about reggae for too much longer will probably only make my headache worse.
Weren't the Wailers a hockeyteam from Heartford
I'm not sure who the Wailers are, but I think they might be a hockey team from Hartford.
Why are they singing about the power of the lord?
I don't understand why reggae musicians would be singing about the power of the Lord, since it's not a typical topic for this type of music.
Contributed by Sydney M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.