Gillan was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England. He joined the band Deep Purple in 1969. In 1970, he sang the part of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. After leaving Deep Purple in 1973, he went into brief retirement before forming the Ian Gillan Band. The early band sound had a distinct jazz-rock aspect which proved unpopular and was replaced by a more high powered hard rock sound as Gillan reformed the lineup and shortened the groups name to Gillan. With the release of Mr. Universe Ian Gillan was back in the UK charts and through several more line up changes released a string of hit singles and successful albums including Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, and finally Magic.
Then he announced the band would fold as he needed to rest his damaged vocal cords. In 1983 he joined Black Sabbath to record the Born Again album before rejoining a reunited Deep Purple shortly after completing the Born Again tour in early 1984. He left Purple again in 1989, but rejoined for good in 1992. He remains in the band today.
Gillan is now working on a project to document his 40-year career, tentatively called Gillan's Inn. Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, various members of Deep Purple and many others will be featured on this 2006 DVD project.
Deal With It
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deal with it tonight
Deal with it your own way
You gotta deal with it tonight
Something in my vision
As I'm walking down the towpath
A feeling of aggression
He was coming at me
The kids were in the way
I had to throw them down
I guess they thought it was a game
He was coming at me
He was coming through
Didn't need much imagination
See what he was trying to do
I was in the way
He was going to ride me down
Teach me some respect
This stupid smack head clown
Deal with it your own way
Deal with it tonight
Deal with it your own way
You gotta deal with it tonight
The step aside was easy
And the jab he couldn't see
Laying on his back
He was looking up at me
His dignity was shattered
And the rage began to burn
He started getting up
I thought this boy will never learn
Deal with it your own way
Deal with it tonight
Deal with it your own way
You gotta deal with it tonight
He was frothing at the mouth
And screaming 'bout his rights
So I threw him in the river
And then I threw his bike
Now I'm questioned by the law
About some charge he wants to bring
But I got twenty seven witnesses
Who never saw a thing
Deal with it your own way
Deal with it tonight
Deal with it your own way
You gotta deal with it tonight
In "Deal With It," Ian Gillan narrates an encounter with a "psychopath" who wants to run him over with his bike. The singer describes catching a glimpse of this person on their way down a towpath, and despite their early attempts to avoid the confrontation, the attacker persists. Gillan depicts fighting with the person and ultimately throwing him and his bike into a river. In the aftermath of the attack, the singer has to contend with the law and potential charges, but is confident that they have enough witnesses to evade responsibility.
"Deal With It" offers a vivid portrayal of a violent encounter and its aftermath, depicting the singer's self-defense and efforts to clear themselves in the eyes of the law. The lyrics also suggest a broader message about taking responsibility for one's actions, as the refrain "Deal with it your own way" encourages listeners to take control of their own lives and challenges.
Overall, "Deal With It" is a powerful and gritty track that showcases Gillan's storytelling abilities and rock sensibility.
Line by Line Meaning
Deal with it your own way
You have to handle the situation in your own way
Deal with it tonight
You have to handle the situation right now
Deal with it your own way
You have to handle the situation in your own way
You gotta deal with it tonight
You can't put off handling the situation, you have to do it right now
Something in my vision
I saw something that caught my attention
As I'm walking down the towpath
While I was walking on this path next to the river
A feeling of aggression
I sensed an aggressive energy
Emanating from a psychopath
I felt like the energy was coming from someone who was mentally unstable
He was coming at me
He was approaching me aggressively
The kids were in the way
There were children blocking my path
I had to throw them down
I had to push them aside to get past them
I guess they thought it was a game
The children didn't realize there was any danger and thought it was all in fun
He was coming through
He was trying to push his way past me
Didn't need much imagination
It was obvious what he was trying to do
See what he was trying to do
I could tell he was planning to attack me
I was in the way
He saw me as an obstacle in his path
He was going to ride me down
He was going to knock me over and run me over
Teach me some respect
He wanted to assert his dominance over me
This stupid smack head clown
He was a drug addict and I thought he was foolish for trying to start a fight with me
The step aside was easy
It was easy for me to dodge his attack
And the jab he couldn't see
I was able to punch him and he didn't see it coming
Laying on his back
He fell to the ground
He was looking up at me
He was on the ground and I was standing over him
His dignity was shattered
He was embarrassed and humiliated
And the rage began to burn
He became angrier and more aggressive
He started getting up
He tried to stand back up
I thought this boy will never learn
I didn't think he would try to attack me again, but he did
He was frothing at the mouth
He was angry and spitting when he was talking
And screaming 'bout his rights
He was angry and complaining about how he was being treated unfairly
So I threw him in the river
I pushed him into the river
And then I threw his bike
I also threw his bicycle into the river
Now I'm questioned by the law
The police are asking me questions about what happened
About some charge he wants to bring
He is trying to press charges against me
But I got twenty seven witnesses
I have 27 people who witnessed what happened
Who never saw a thing
None of them saw me push him into the river or throw his bike in after him
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IAN GILLAN, STEPHEN MORRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind