Born in Kent, Judge Dread was the first White British recording artist to get a reggae hit in Jamaica. He got his stage name from a Prince Buster song, and his first hits were inspired by Prince Buster's single, "Big Five".
The Guinness Book of World Records credits Judge Dread for having the most banned songs of all time. Many of his lyrics have sexual connotations, with one song "Big Five" using rhyme to suggest lewd words while not actually saying them. A series of songs with "Big" followed by a number were some of his most notable hits — all of them featuring sexual and humorous lyrics. It is unlikely that you will ever hear his music on mainstream radio because of the nature of his lyrics.
Judge Dread died on stage in The Penny Theatre, Canterbury. At first, his collapse was thought to be part of his humorous and lively stage act, but it was quickly discovered that he was really dead.
In the 1970s, tabloid newspapers expressed concerns that young fans of the comic character Judge Dredd might buy Judge Dread's records by mistake, and hear things that may corrupt their minds.
Ding a Ling
Judge Dread Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My grandmother bought me a cute little toy
Silver bells hanging on a string
She told me it was my ding-a-ling-a-ling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling I want you to play with My Ding-A-Ling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling I want you to play with My Ding-A-Ling
Always went by the best of rule *
Everytime that bell would ring
Catch me playing with my ding-a-ling-a-ling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling I want you to play with My Ding-A-Ling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling I want you to play with My Ding-A-Ling
One day while climbing the garden wall,
I slipped and had a terrible fall
I fell so hard I heard bells ring,
But I held on to My ding-a-ling-a-ling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling I want you to play with My Ding-A-Ling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling I want you to play with My Ding-A-Ling
One day while swimming cross turtle creek
Man them snappers all 'round at my feet
Was so hard swimming cross that thing
with both hands holding my dingaling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling I want you to play with My Ding-A-Ling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling I want you to play with My Ding-A-Ling
The meaning behind the song "Ding a Ling" by Judge Dread may not be immediately clear to listeners, as the lyrics are filled with innuendos and double entendres. The song tells the story of a little boy whose grandmother gives him a toy with silver bells hanging on a string, which she calls his "ding-a-ling". The boy grows up and continues to play with his ding-a-ling, even while at school or climbing a garden wall. The chorus features the repeated phrase "I want you to play with my ding-a-ling," suggesting a sexual connotation.
The song is a prime example of the kind of risqué lyrics and humor that made Judge Dread a popular artist in the 1970s, particularly in the UK. Many of his songs featured explicit language and taboo topics, but were still embraced by fans for their catchy melodies and irreverent spirit. "Ding a Ling" in particular became one of Judge Dread's biggest hits, and is often cited as one of his most memorable and iconic tracks.
Despite its controversial content, the song has been covered by a number of other artists over the years, including Chuck Berry, who wrote the original version in 1952. However, Judge Dread's version is perhaps the most well-known, and continues to be played on radio stations and at parties to this day. Love it or hate it, "Ding a Ling" remains a memorable and influential part of Judge Dread's legacy.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a little biddy boy
As a young boy, I was given a toy by my grandmother
My grandmother bought me a cute little toy
My grandmother gifted me a charming and delightful toy
Silver bells hanging on a string
The toy had silver bells attached to it, hanging from a string
She told me it was my ding-a-ling-a-ling
My grandmother informed me that the toy was called my ding-a-ling-a-ling
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling I want you to play with My Ding-A-Ling
I want you to play with my toy, my ding-a-ling-a-ling
Then momma took me to Grammar school
My mother took me to Grammar school
Always went by the best of rule *
I always followed the rules and regulations at school
Everytime that bell would ring
Whenever the school bell rang
Catch me playing with my ding-a-ling-a-ling
You'd find me playing with my toy, my ding-a-ling-a-ling
One day while climbing the garden wall,
One day while I was climbing up the garden wall
I slipped and had a terrible fall
I had a nasty fall and slipped
I fell so hard I heard bells ring,
The fall was so hard that I heard bells ringing
But I held on to My ding-a-ling-a-ling
But I still had hold of my toy, my ding-a-ling-a-ling
One day while swimming cross turtle creek
One day when I was swimming across Turtle Creek
Man them snappers all 'round at my feet
There were snapping turtles all around my feet
Was so hard swimming cross that thing
It was challenging to swim across the creek
with both hands holding my dingaling
I was swimming with both hands holding onto my toy, my ding-a-ling-a-ling
Writer(s): CHUCK BERRY
Contributed by Jasmine O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@discodave3569
Nice ska reggae 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
@1339LARS
Brilliant!!! //Lars
@johannaeifert3537
hi, when i was a pretty little girl i used to listen to this song- grüße an benni & jorg
@wtrbflo72
Johanna Eifert I saw you listening. I was the unattractive little boy watching. 😉
@asedew
She told me it was my ding a ling
@jamieswain7290
😂🤣😂🤣🕴🏻🕶😎🛵🏁 rude boy ska
@herzogsbuick
This is the same backing music as Donkey Dick, and I don't even care