Honey Bane began her musical career at the age of 14 in 1978 when she formed the punk rock band the Fatal Microbes. The band released a split 12" record with anarcho-punk band Poison Girls the same year. The first single, "Violence Grows" garnered some press attention and was given positive reviews by the British music paper Sounds.
After the 1979 breakup of the Fatal Microbes, and a stint in a juvenile detention facility that garnered more press attention, Honey Bane began a collaboration with the Essex-based anarcho-punk activist band Crass while she was on the run from the Social Services after serving a sentence at the St. Charles Youth Treatment Centre in Essex. Lending lead vocals and backed by the band under the name Donna and the Kebabs, Crass released the EP "You Can be You" in 1980. That same year, Honey Bane sang vocals for the post-punk band Killing Joke on a song entitled "What's the Matter" during a February 1980 gig at London's Venue club. The recording was later released as an inclusion on an album entitled "Killing Joke - Live At The Venue LP".
In 1980, she met Sham 69 vocalist Jimmy Pursey who began to manage her musical career. That year she was signed to EMI/Zonophone records for a five year contract. In 1981 the single "Turn Me On Turn Me Off" was released and climbed the British pop charts to Number 30 and Honey Bane subsequently appeared performing the single on Top of the Pops. "Turn Me On Turn Me Off" marked a musical departure of Honey Bane from the overtly punk rock material of her earlier releases to a decidedly more new wave sound.
Although she released several more singles, none charted well and her musical career floundered. In 1982 she appeared in a play opposite Richard Jobson of The Skids at London's Arts Theatre. In 1983 she gained a prominent role in the Mai Zetterling directed British film Scrubbers. Honey Bane played the role of "Holly" and the film centered on the lives of young women incarcerated in a British girls' borstal. The film also featured actors Amanda York, Kathy Burke, Pam St. Clement, Robbie Coltrane and Miriam Margolyes.
Honey Bane spent the remainder of the 1980s as a pin-up model for erotic magazines. During the 1990s, she fronted the band Dog's Tooth Violet. In 2006 she released a two track 7" single entitled "Down Thing/Got Me All Wrong".
She currently resides in London, United Kingdom and is a mother and grandmother.
Girl on the Run
Honey Bane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She drifts about in London attracted by the lights
She knows she should be home but she won't give up her fight
Girl on the run, attractive and so young
Ruining herself 'cause she detests her mum
So she keeps on running in her desperate search
To find some love she'll remember
Girl on the run, walking in the park
Thinks she's alone in that mass of darkness
And all of the time she's being followed
By somebody strange wanting easy game
Girl on the run gets raped by a man
Won't tell no one because she's afraid
Then she gets pregnant and then goes home
Tells her mother, so she's back on the road
Girl on the run, out in the cold
The baby inside her is growing old
She won't ask advice or seek any help
She's slowly killing not only herself
Pains violent pains, she falls in the road
There's no one around, it's late and it's cold
She lays down and screams but nobody hears
She dies, the kid dies drowned in her fears
The song "Girl on the Run" by Honey Bane paints a vivid picture of a young woman who is lost and searching for love in all the wrong places. The song opens with the melancholy image of a girl who is aimlessly drifting around London, drawn in by the bright lights of the city. Despite knowing that she should be at home, she refuses to give up her fight for independence.
Throughout the song, we learn about the girl's troubled relationship with her mother, which seems to be driving her self-destructive behavior. She is constantly on the run, searching for something that will fill the void in her heart. As she wanders through the park, she is stalked by a predator who ultimately rapes her, leaving her afraid to seek help.
The story takes a tragic turn when the girl becomes pregnant, and she is forced to return home to her mother. However, she is unable to find the support and guidance she needs, and she ends up back on the road. As the song comes to a close, the girl's pain and despair become too much to bear, and she tragically dies along with her unborn child.
Overall, "Girl on the Run" is a powerful and emotional song that reminds us of the dangers of running away from our problems and the importance of seeking help when we need it.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl on the run, she's got nowhere to go to
The girl is a runaway with nowhere to turn to for help or support.
She drifts about in London attracted by the lights
She wanders around London, drawn to the bright lights and excitement of the city.
She knows she should be home but she won't give up her fight
Although she knows she should return home, she refuses to give up her inner struggle and aims to persevere on her own terms.
Girl on the run, attractive and so young
The girl is young and attractive, yet troubled.
Ruining herself 'cause she detests her mum
Her contempt for her mother causes her to engage in self-destructive behavior.
So she keeps on running in her desperate search
Due to her desperation and desire for love, she continues to run from her problems.
To find some love she'll remember
She is searching for a connection and love that will truly leave a long-lasting impression on her life.
Girl on the run, walking in the park
The girl walks through the park alone.
Thinks she's alone in that mass of darkness
She feels alone and vulnerable in the darkness of the park.
And all of the time she's being followed
Unbeknownst to her, she is being followed.
By somebody strange wanting easy game
The person following her is looking to take advantage of her vulnerability.
Girl on the run gets raped by a man
The girl is sexually assaulted by the man following her.
Won't tell no one because she's afraid
She is too scared to tell anyone what has happened.
Then she gets pregnant and then goes home
She becomes pregnant as a result of the assault and returns to her mother's home.
Tells her mother, so she's back on the road
She confides in her mother about what has happened but ends up leaving home again.
Girl on the run, out in the cold
The girl is back on the streets.
The baby inside her is growing old
The girl's pregnancy is progressing.
She won't ask advice or seek any help
Despite her situation, she refuses to ask for help or guidance from anyone.
She's slowly killing not only herself
Her refusal to seek help and improve her situation is leading to her slow demise.
Pains violent pains, she falls in the road
She experiences intense pain and collapses in the street.
There's no one around, it's late and it's cold
No one is there to help her, and she is alone on a cold night.
She lays down and screams but nobody hears
She screams out in agony, but no one is around to hear her.
She dies, the kid dies drowned in her fears
Both she and her unborn child die as a result of her fear, loneliness, and refusal to seek help.
Writer(s): donna & the kebabs, honey bane
Contributed by Adeline P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nicknack3648
Girl on the run,
She's got nowhere to go to,
She aint got no money,
She aint got any food,
She drifts about in London,
Attracted by the lights,
She knows she should be home,
But she won't give up her fight.
Girl on the run,
Attractive and so young,
Ruining herself
Coz she detests her mum,
So she keeps on running
In her desperate search
To find some love
She'll remenber.
Girl on the run,
Walking in the park,
Thinks she's alone in that
Mass of darkness and
All of the time
She's being followed by
Somebody strange
Wanting easy game.
Girl on the run,
Gets raped by a man,
Won't tell no one
Because she's afraid.
Then she gets pregnant
And then goes home,
Tells her mother, so,
She's back on the road.
Girl on the run,
Cut in the cold,
The baby inside her
Is growing old,
She won't ask advice
Or seek any help,
She's slowly killing
Not only herself.
Pains violent pains.
She falls in the road,
There's no one around,
It's late and it's cold,
She lays down and screams,
But nobody hears,
She dies, the kid dies,
Drowned in her fears.
@onlyme219
The bass and lyrics, this is what I call real art. This was back in the day you went to town bought a physical record and took it home to play and it was yours. Special times
@LarzGustafsson
The guitars.
@onlyme219
@@LarzGustafsson yeah, also but it's the bass for me :)
@trefwoordpunk2225
PETE WRIGHT!!!! The real force in Crass!
@sunnyjim1355
This level of artistry in brute force instrumentation and vocal arrangement was only equaled by Black Sabbath up until that time. And the only band who later came close to reviving such rawness were The Pixies.
@sunnyjim1355
@@onlyme219 That bass line is one that even J.S. Bach would have been proud to pen - it certainly impressed the 14 year old me, and still does to this day.
@eamonquinn5188
God I miss John Peel where you would hear classics like this every night between 10 and 12, what a show, what a time to be alive. x
@bobbinogs
Just tune in to Marc Riley on 6, he's simply fantastic at finding great new and old music to play. You won't like everything, which is exactly the point about being pushed out of your comfort zone.
@onlyme219
Yeah, I was 12 when I bought this single, stay safe, Eamon
@colddaze6680
So true, I managed to catch a few Peel sessions in the late 80's, he turned me onto a few I would of never of heard otherwise. Guy was punk as fuck in attitude and ethos, though he never claimed to be one. He only cared about the underground and putting a lime light on different artistic and d.i.y bands. Punk as fuck ,R.I.P John.