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.
Roller
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Screw it down I've never missed one
Keep alive never losing
95 I'm barely cruising
Go with the roller go
Say what the dirty roller say
Get in the roller
Keep your hands on my lever
Watch it while I stab your beaver
He's no good he's no more boy
I'm the ruler he's the poor boy
When I'm dead when it's over
You can have my dirty roller
Smear my blood on your body
And you'll get no shit
Ian Gillan's song "Roller" is a classic hard rock tune with some interesting lyrics. The song starts off with an aggressive tone, with the singer urging the listener to get their hands onto the roller and keep it alive. The roller may refer to a motorcycle or some other vehicle that the singer is in control of. He speaks about never missing one, which could mean that he is skilled at handling this vehicle and has never had any accidents or mishaps while doing so. He also mentions that he is barely cruising at 95, perhaps referring to the speed at which he is driving or his overall level of performance.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of going with the roller and doing what it commands. The roller is a force to be reckoned with and the singer is urging the listener to follow its lead. The second verse takes on a darker tone, with the singer talking about keeping his hands on someone's lever and stabbing their beaver (which may refer to a car part or another type of machine). He asserts his dominance over someone else, calling himself the ruler and referring to the other person as a poor boy.
The final lines of the song are especially intriguing, with the singer saying that when he is dead, the listener can have his dirty roller and smear his blood on their body. This could be interpreted in a number of ways, such as the singer leaving behind a legacy that others will want to emulate or a more sinister message that death is inevitable and one should embrace the roller while they can.
Line by Line Meaning
Get your hands onto this one
Take hold of what I'm offering you
Screw it down I've never missed one
Tighten it up, I've never made a mistake before
Keep alive never losing
Stay alert and don't give up
95 I'm barely cruising
I'm not pushing myself too hard
Go with the roller go
Follow the pattern of the roller
Say what the dirty roller say
Repeat the words spoken by the immoral roller
Get in the roller
Join the other people who are following the roller
Do what the dirty roller do
Copy the actions of the immoral roller
Keep your hands on my lever
Don't let go of my control
Watch it while I stab your beaver
Be cautious while I hurt someone close to you
He's no good he's no more boy
The other person is not useful anymore
I'm the ruler he's the poor boy
I'm in control while the other is helpless
When I'm dead when it's over
After I've died and this situation is resolved
You can have my dirty roller
You can keep the immoral way of living that I had
Smear my blood on your body
Cover yourself with the evidence of my wrongdoings
And you'll get no shit
You won't suffer any consequences for what you did
Writer(s): Ian Gillan Copyright: Miracle Prestige International Limited
Contributed by Adam L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.