… 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.
Mumble Rumble and the Cocktail Rock
Ian Dury Lyrics
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I heard a mumble rumble and a cocktail rock
A fit breathes like a slide trombone
Goddess Diana plicking all alone
It's the mumble rumble
And the cocktail rock
You did the mumble rumble
You do the m-m-m-mumble rumble
Cocktail rock
I?ve laid around the wearying dream
The mumble rumble got me up again
I climbed out of bed, I call a doc.
I don't need you
The mumble rumble
And the c-c-c-c-c-c-cocktail rock
I got the mumble rumble
And the c-c-c-c-c-c-cocktail rock
The m-m- mumble rumble
Cocktail rock
Well now I'm fit, I'm ready to go
My mumble fast, my cocktail slow
I'll keep mine going around the clock
M-m-m-m-mumble
The mumble rumble
And the c-c-c-c-c-c-
I got the mumble rumble
And the c-c-c-c-c-c-
The m-m-m-mumble rumble
Cocktail rock
Well now I'm fit, I'm ready to go
I mumble fast, I cocktail slow
I keep mine going around the clock
M-m-m-m-mumble
The mumble rumble
And the c-c-c-c-c-c-
I got the mumble rumble
And the c-c-c-c-c-c-
The m-m-m-mumble rumble
Cocktail rock
The lyrics to Ian Dury's song Mumble Rumble and the Cocktail Rock is a reflection of his life and the chaos he faced as a person with disabilities. Dury was diagnosed with polio at a young age, and consequently, he was left with a twisted leg and arm. In the song, he describes waking up in a state of shock, with a mumble rumble and the cocktail rock. The mumble rumble is representative of the cacophony of sounds that he hears due to his deafness, and the cocktail rock is symbolic of the chaos and disorder in his life.
Dury uses the metaphor of the "fit breathes like a slide trombone" to describe his own breathing and the difficulty he faced in daily life. The line "Goddess Diana plicking all alone" is a reference to the mythical story of Artemis, the virgin huntress who turned Actaeon into a stag when he stumbled upon her bathing naked in a stream. In the song, Diana is described as playing a solitary instrument, which may be symbolic of Dury's isolation and loneliness.
The chorus of the song, "You do the m-m-m-mumble rumble Cocktail rock," is an invitation to the listener to join Dury in his world of chaos and disorder. The repetition of the line "I got the mumble rumble and the c-c-c-c-c-c-cocktail rock" is also an indication of the overwhelming nature of his disability and the chaos it brings into his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up this morning in a state of shock
I woke up feeling surprised and unprepared for the day ahead.
I heard a mumble rumble and a cocktail rock
I heard a strange combination of sounds that made me feel restless and agitated.
A fit breathes like a slide trombone
My breathing is heavy and labored like a musical instrument.
Goddess Diana plicking all alone
I feel lonely and disconnected from others like the mythical goddess playing her harp by herself.
It's the mumble rumble
The strange sounds I heard are causing my discomfort and unease.
And the cocktail rock
The combination of unfamiliar sounds is making me feel like I'm in the middle of a chaotic and unpredictable situation.
You did the mumble rumble
Someone else may have caused or contributed to the strange sounds I heard.
And the cocktail rock
Various factors have combined to make me feel unsettled and uncertain, like I'm in the midst of a tumultuous party.
You do the m-m-m-mumble rumble
The strange sounds are something ongoing and persistent that I cannot ignore or avoid.
Cocktail rock
A chaotic and disorienting state of affairs that I am experiencing.
I've laid around in a wearying dream
I feel tired and disconnected from reality, stuck in a dreamlike state that doesn't align with my current situation.
The mumble rumble got me up again
The strange sounds I heard roused me from my lethargy and made me more alert and aware of my surroundings.
I climbed out of bed, I call a doc
I took action to address my discomfort by seeking medical attention.
I don't need you
I feel confident and independent in my ability to take care of myself and my own wellbeing.
Well now I'm fit, I'm ready to go
I feel physically and mentally prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead of me.
My mumble fast, my cocktail slow
I am energized and motivated, with a sense of urgency and yet a calm and deliberate approach.
I'll keep mine going around the clock
I will maintain my momentum and stay focused on my goals no matter what time of day it is.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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