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The reggae group Inner Circle was formed in 1968 by the brothers Ian and Roger Lewis in Jamaica. At first they covered soul and R&B hits from the United States, and then also a few reggae songs, predominantly from Bob Marley.
The band released two albums as The Inner Circle in 1974 for jamaican label "Starapple"(and they were distributed by "Trojan" in UK), and resigned to Capitol Records in 1976, and Island Records(where the internationally successful album "Everything Is Great" originated. This album reached top 20 in the UK and preceded their other chart success by some years) in 1979.
Inner Circle was decidedly influenced through the original member Jacob Miller, the frontman and lead singer who was killed in a car crash on March 23, 1980. At the end of the 1970s Inner Circle with Jacob "Killer" Miller was more popular in Jamaica than Bob Marley. The band also appeared in the reggae cult film Rockers in 1978.
After the loss of Jacob Miller, Inner Circle broke up, but in 1982 another album called Something So Good was released. In 1986 Ian and Roger Lewis reestablished Inner Circle with the singer Carlton Coffie, and the band experienced a comeback with the album Black Roses.
In 1989, Inner Circle released the song "Bad Boys." Since then, the band calls itself "The Bad Boys of Reggae". They had another big hit with the 1993 song "Sweat (A La La La La Long)."
The lead singer Carlton Coffie was ill for a long period in 1995 and decided after his recuperation to start a solo career. The current singer Kris Bentley took his place.
Bad Boys
Inner Circle Lyrics
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Whatcha want, watcha want
Whatcha gonna do
When sheriff John Brown come for you
Tell me
Whatcha wanna do, whatcha gonna dooo
Yeaheah
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
When you were eight
And you had bad traits
You go to school
And learn the golden rule
So why are you
Acting like a bloody fool
If you get hot
You must get cool
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
You chuck it on that one
You chuck it on this one
You chuck it on your mother and
You chuck it on your father
You chuck it on your brother and
You chuck it on your sister
You chuck it on that one and
You chuck it on me
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Nobody naw give you no break
Police naw give you no break
Soldier naw give you no break
Not even you idren naw give you no break, he he
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Why did you have to act so mean
Don't you know you're human being
Born of a mother with the love of a father
Reflections come and reflections go
I know sometimes you want to let go
Hehehe
I know sometimes you want to let go
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
(You're too bad, you're too rude)
(You're too bad, you're too rude)
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
You chuck it on that one
You chuck it on this one
You chuck it on your mother and
You chuck it on your father
You chuck it on your brother and
You chuck it on your sister
You chuck it on that one and
You chuck it on me
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you
The lyrics of Inner Circle's "Bad Boys" address the issue of delinquency and the consequences that come with it. The chorus, "Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" is a warning to those engaging in criminal behavior that they will be caught eventually. The song acknowledges that everyone, even bad boys, were once innocent children taught the golden rule. The chorus changes to "Whatcha gonna do when Sheriff John Brown come for you?" signifies the imminent arrest of the bad boys by authorities.
The second verse urges the bad boys to calm down and behave as the chorus repeatedly emphasizes the question, "Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" Furthermore, the lyrics reveal that no one, including the "idren" (friends) of the bad boys, gives them a break from their actions. The final verse attempts to humanize the bad boys, urging them to act with kindness and compassion.
Overall, the song's message is that the bad boys must take responsibility for their actions and understand that they are accountable for what they do. The authority figures in the song are represented by Sheriff John Brown, the police, and soldiers, who are all there to make sure that the bad boys pay their dues.
Interesting facts:
Line by Line Meaning
Bad boys
The song is addressing individuals who behave indecently.
Whatcha want, watcha want
What is it that the bad boys want?
Whatcha gonna do
When the authorities come looking for bad boys, what is their plan of action?
When sheriff John Brown come for you
When law enforcement agencies come for the bad boys.
Tell me
Asking the bad boys to speak.
Whatcha wanna do, whatcha gonna dooo
What plans do the bad boys have when the authorities catch up with them?
Bad boys, bad boys
Addressing their deviant behavior.
When they come for you
When the authorities arrest them.
When you were eight
When you were young and innocent.
And you had bad traits
Although nobody is born bad, people develop bad traits as they grow up.
You go to school
Education addresses bad behavior and teaches the golden rule.
And learn the golden rule
The principle of treating others as you would like to be treated.
So why are you
Questioning the bad boys' continued bad behavior.
Acting like a bloody fool
Their current behavior is foolish and detrimental to them.
If you get hot
When they become emotional and angry.
You must get cool
They should calm down and not let their feelings make them act irrationally.
You chuck it on that one
The bad boys shift the blame to other people when caught doing something illegal.
You chuck it on this one
The bad boys still shift the blame to somebody else.
You chuck it on your mother and
The bad boys even blame their mother for their bad behavior.
You chuck it on your father
The bad boys blame their father for their bad behavior.
You chuck it on your brother and
The bad boys blame their own siblings for their misbehaviour.
You chuck it on your sister
They even blame their sisters.
You chuck it on that one and
The bad boys still blame others.
You chuck it on me
Their blaming nature is even directed towards the listener.
Nobody naw give you no break
No one is willing to pardon the bad boys.
Police naw give you no break
Even the police won't forgive them.
Soldier naw give you no break
Even the soldiers won't give them a break.
Not even you idren naw give you no break, he he
Even their friends and peers don't pardon their bad behavior.
Why did you have to act so mean
Questioning the reason behind their harsh behavior.
Don't you know you're human being
Bad boys are reminded that they are humans too and should act accordingly.
Born of a mother with the love of a father
A reminder that we all received love from our parents and as such, we should be responsible and not behave recklessly.
Reflections come and reflections go
Reflecting on the fact that bad actions carry consequences.
I know sometimes you want to let go
Admitting that sometimes it's hard to change but it's necessary.
You're too bad, you're too rude
Further critique of their behavior.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ian Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind