… Read Full Bio ↴Ian Dury (1942-2000) was an English singer, songwriter, and bandleader.
Born on 12th May 1942, he is best known as founder and lead singer of the British band Ian Dury and the Blockheads, though he began his musical career in pub-rock act Kilburn & the High Roads. He wrote many famous songs including "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick", "What a Waste", and "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll". He died on 27th March 2000.
At the age of seven, Dury contracted polio; very likely, he believed, from a swimming pool at Southend on Sea during the 1949 polio epidemic. After six weeks in a full plaster cast in Truro hospital, he was moved to Black Notley Hospital, Braintree, Essex, where he spent a year and a half before going to Chailey Heritage Craft School, East Sussex, in 1951. Chailey was a school and hospital for disabled children, and believed in toughening them up, contributing to the observant and determined person Dury became.
Blockheads
Ian Dury Lyrics
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With blotched and lagered skin
Blockheads with food particles in their teeth
What a horrible state they're in
They've got womanly breasts
Under pale mauve vests
Shoes like dead pigs' noses
Catalogue trousers
A mouth what never closes
You must have seen Blockheads
In raucous teams
Dressed up after work
Who screw their poor old Eileens
Get sloshed and go berserk
Rotary accessory watches
Hire-purchase signet rings
A beauty to the bully boys
No lonely vestige clings
Why bother at all about Blockheads?
Why shouldn't they do as they please?
You know if it came to a brainy game
You could baffle a Blockhead with ease
How would you like one puffing
And blowing in your ear hole?
Or pissing in your swimming pool?
Bigger brained Blockheads often acquire
Black and orange cars
Premature ejaculation drivers
Their soft-top's got roll bars
'Fill her up,' they say to Blockheads
'Go on, stick it where it hurts'
Their shapeless haircuts don't enhance
Their ghastly patterned shirts
Why bother at all about Blockheads?
Superior as you are
You're thoughtful and kind
With a well-stocked mind
A Blockhead can't think very far
Imagine finding one in your laundry basket
Banging nails in your big black dog
Why bother at all about Blockheads?
Why should you care what they do?
'Cause after all is said and done
You're a Blockhead too
Blockheads
Blockheads
Blockheads
(Oi oi)
Blockheads
(Oi, oi)
The lyrics of Ian Dury's song Blockheads depict a disdainful, mocking and sardonic criticism of a certain group of people whom he refers to as 'Blockheads'. These people are described as mostly men who come to parties with 'blotched and lagered skin' and have 'food particles in their teeth'. They are portrayed as unkempt, poorly-dressed and lacking in good taste, with 'catalogue trousers', 'cornflake packet jackets', and 'shoes like dead pigs' noses'. Additionally, they are described as being bigoted, ignorant and uncouth, with a 'mouth that never closes'.
Dury goes on to extensively list the different aspects of Blockheads' appearance and behavior, including their 'rotary accessory watches', 'hire-purchase signet rings', their propensity towards drunken revelry and general hooliganism. Despite this, he poses a rhetorical question: why bother caring about them? After all, they are no match for those with more eloquent and intelligent brains, so why not let them have their fun?
However, towards the end of the song, he turns the tables and suggests that the listener too is a 'Blockhead', just like them. He describes how even the most intelligent among us can still be reduced to a state of idiocy under the wrong circumstances. His final words, repeated chorally, emphasize this point: everyone is a Blockhead, whether they like it or not.
Line by Line Meaning
You must have seen parties of Blockheads
With blotched and lagered skin
Blockheads with food particles in their teeth
What a horrible state they're in
It is common to witness parties or groups of blockheads with their stained and intoxicated skin, in addition to having bits of food stuck in their teeth, which makes them appear quite repulsive.
They've got womanly breasts
Under pale mauve vests
Shoes like dead pigs' noses
Cornflake packet jacket
Catalogue trousers
A mouth what never closes
Blockheads typically have features such as soft and plump breasts, mauve colored vests, shoes that resemble the shape of pig noses, dresses stitched out of cornflake packets, and plain trousers picked out of a catalogue. Furthermore, their mouth is never shut, and they always seem to talk excessively.
You must have seen Blockheads
In raucous teams
Dressed up after work
Who screw their poor old Eileens
Get sloshed and go berserk
It is common to find blockheads in groups after work, who get dressed up and drink heavily. They also make advances on Eileen, who they torment and take advantage of in their drunken and wild state.
Rotary accessory watches
Hire-purchase signet rings
A beauty to the bully boys
No lonely vestige clings
The blockheads usually wear a rotary accessory watch, purchase signet rings on hire-purchase, and are usually admired by the bully boys. They show no signs of loneliness because they always have friends and other partners around them.
Why bother at all about Blockheads?
Why shouldn't they do as they please?
You know if it came to a brainy game
You could baffle a Blockhead with ease
Why even bother paying attention to blockheads? They can do whatever they want without any issues. If it comes to a debate or intellectual game, a person with a sharp mind can easily defeat them.
How would you like one puffing
And blowing in your ear hole?
Or pissing in your swimming pool?
How would you feel if you had a blockhead blowing smoke in your face or urinating in your pool? It’s an indication of their immense rudeness.
Bigger brained Blockheads often acquire
Black and orange cars
Premature ejaculation drivers
Their soft-top's got roll bars
Blockheads with larger brains often purchase black and orange cars with a convertible roof that has roll bars. They are reckless drivers and hence classified as premature ejaculators when it comes to driving.
'Fill her up,' they say to Blockheads
'Go on, stick it where it hurts'
Their shapeless haircuts don't enhance
Their ghastly patterned shirts
Blockheads typically instruct gas station attendants to 'fill her up' and are often seen wearing loose and unflattering apparels such as ghastly patterned shirts. To add to that, their hairstyle is often unidentifiable.
Why bother at all about Blockheads?
Superior as you are
You're thoughtful and kind
With a well-stocked mind
A Blockhead can't think very far
Why focus attention on trivial matters like blockheads? You, as a person with a superior mind, are thoughtful and kind, with a diverse mind that can do much more than a blockhead, whose thinking capacity is narrow and limited.
Imagine finding one in your laundry basket
Banging nails in your big black dog
It’s not pleasant to imagine encountering a blockhead in your laundry basket, especially not when they are hammering nails into your lovely dog with dark fur.
Why bother at all about Blockheads?
Why should you care what they do?
'Cause after all is said and done
You're a Blockhead too
Why even pay attention to blockheads? Why should you care about what they do when you're a blockhead yourself?.
Blockheads
Blockheads
Blockheads
(Oi oi)
Blockheads
(Oi, oi)
Blockheads are blockheads, blockheads all around, usually represented by the chant oi oi, oi oi, and the track concludes with an echo of 'Blockheads.'
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Chaz Jankel, Ian Robins Dury
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@OLDGOLDDREAMER
Caroline these should be absolutely perfect 4U !
1980 CHART HITS ( up to July so far ) All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphfjcVulJ5jsP3oHslGjCuc
1979 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry
Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpgFJC8P6awEQ3zPR1k07esz
1978 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpgAF5b_f7oq0HWeO-AZhq99
1977 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpjIz9L-Iu3f7dKL1AhYs3R8
1976 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpj3riek7_6jeobh8-8rPLe4
1975 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphrbPyiOhDbBXMvnVHWHny9
1974 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphuqH7QYq76bta1-Qcynn_-
1973 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpiOv78ntVws-hceYHK11hTU
1972 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpji_ftPX_vuFMCmnAfSh4rR
1971 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpi9qNJbKbDmY0Sbze6lwQqu
1970 CHART HITS (All In Weekly Chart Entry Order)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphv7Bsr4moeVzlB_vKmFq5j
70’s NUMBER ONE CHART HITS ( IN RELEASE ORDER )
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcphLKAJrLRdeONXjJhADydQ3
70’s GLAM ROCK
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpiA8pJS3T4DFh70PUZZrcvT
1976 SUMMER HEATWAVE
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpipwJR4uGBgWMERVBvJ8x9p
NEW ROMANTIC MUSIC ( 79’80’81’)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpj03NHpKG7HwOQo-0cVKqgk
POST DISCO & DISCO ( MAJORITY 1980 )
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpjPQ1XOreWRk8EJgi0mPwZz
DISCO GREATEST HITS ( 250 )
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpj7-6cdgtg5oZ19HLtlHINA
YACHT ROCK
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbO1DMzDZcpj25v-sjmbqDMeHFtDRJZxg
@ninaevans4501
God Bless you Ian Dury.
Life hit you hard.
With polio and a bloody walking stick.
But you hit back, you hit back quick.
A lovely guy with a heart so strong.
But a elephant hide that don't break quick.
We miss you all Mr Fantastic
The warm and loving guy with his walking stick.
God Bless Fella
A True Legend
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@neilneil7911
A standout in a crowd of poets. He tangled words and rhythms into our being and I thank him for it.
@user-zt2wc3uh1l
56 yo bassist here, child and disciple of the 70s and 80s. I....never...heard...this...till.... today. How did I miss this? I am blown away, jaw wide open.
@blindsquirrel7802
68 yo bassist and Im going nuts trying to figure it out. 3 tutorials, 3 slightly different versions all in the same place and none sounds exactly like this. NW-R is from the future.
@janemortimore6081
Wow!
@edhoughton2609
you're 56 and you have never heard of this track? get out! i am 59 and we used to sing this on the bus on the way to school
@user-zt2wc3uh1l
@@edhoughton2609 , I'm in America. These guys were basically unheard of.
@johnfone758
Not possible was you raised in a bubble
@stevefinn618
Lyrically nothing comes close this gem
@jamesfestini
I have never heard of this guy. Add 51 years old I look forward to diving in real deep because this guy is my kind of guy
@Chewligan1
You've lived under a rock then