Kerri eventually found himself intrigued with the production element in dance music and soon began to create his own grooves on his self-label, Express Records. In 1991, Atlantic Records signed his debut single, "SuperLover/Get It Off." Despite his success, Kerri Chandler has always remained true to the spirit of the underground on tracks such as the "Atmosphere E.P." on Shelter Records and the seminal, "A Basement, Redlight and A Feeling" album on Madhouse.
Kerri prays before making a record, and injects his free spirit into his
productions. With a solid education in Garage grooves, Kerri takes vocals, rhythms and instruments and with uncanny precision pieces them together, delivering beautiful, monster jams. In the expanses of his breaks the odd counter rhythm will inexplicably appear for a second and then disappear, creating fleshy excitement, not mechanical repetition. His basslines go from heavy and heady to playful and quirky--always deliriously intoxicating. His hooks are loving details like horn hits, washes of synthesizer or catchy choruses that emerge to create songs from a maddening bulldozer of brutal drive. Here the dreamer takes hold, transporting us into a dimension of seemingly endless travel....
There But for the Grace of God Go I
Kerri Chandler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A lovely girl with a crooked smile
Now they gotta split 'cause the Bronx ain't fit
For a kid to grow up in
Let's find a place they say, somewhere far away
With no blacks, no Jews and no gays
Chorus:
Poppy and the family left the dirty streets
To find a quiet place overseas
And year after year the kid has to hear
The do's the don'ts and the dears
And when she's ten years old she digs that rock 'n' roll
But Poppy bans it from home
Chorus
Baby, she turns out to be a natural freak
Popping pills and smoking weed
And when she's sweet sixteen she packs her things and leaves
With a man she met on the street
Carmen starts to bawl, bangs her head to the wall
Too much love is worse than none at all
Chorus
The song is an insightful commentary on societal issues surrounding race, gender, and sexuality. The first verse introduces Carlos and Carmen Vidal, who have just become parents to a beautiful baby girl. However, they are forced to leave their neighborhood in the Bronx, where they feel the environment is not suitable for raising a child. They set out to find a new place to live and are heard saying they want to find a place with "no blacks, no Jews, and no gays." The lyrics expose the racist and bigoted attitudes that existed in society at that time, and unfortunately still persist today.
The chorus, "There but for the grace of God go I," emphasizes the idea that anyone could easily fall victim to societal prejudices and injustices. The next verse introduces Poppy and his family, who move overseas in hopes of finding a quiet place to raise their child. However, their strict rules and regulations heavily impact their daughter as she grows up. They forbid her from listening to rock 'n' roll, leading her to rebel and turn to drugs.
Finally, the song concludes with Carmen, now a single mother, lamenting over her daughter's decision to leave with a man she met on the street. The tragedy of the situation is amplified by the fact that Carmen's overwhelming love for her daughter may have played a role in her daughter's rebellion.
Overall, Kerri Chandler's "There But for the Grace of God Go I" is a poignant message about the societal issues of race, gender, and sexuality, and the impact they can have on individuals and families.
Line by Line Meaning
Carlos and Carmen Vidal just had a child
A new baby has been born to Carlos and Carmen Vidal
A lovely girl with a crooked smile
Their daughter has a beautiful smile, even if not perfectly straight
Now they gotta split 'cause the Bronx ain't fit
They need to leave the Bronx as it's not a suitable place to raise their child
For a kid to grow up in
It's not the right environment for a child to thrive in
Let's find a place they say, somewhere far away
They want to find a new home in a faraway location
With no blacks, no Jews and no gays
They want to live in a place without diversity and discriminate against certain groups
There but for the grace of God go I
Expressing gratitude for one's current situation and acknowledging the role of fate or God
Poppy and the family left the dirty streets
Poppy and his family have moved away from the dirty streets where they used to live
To find a quiet place overseas
They wanted to find a peaceful home in another country
And year after year the kid has to hear
Their child has to endure being told what to do, what not to do, and what to say
The do's the don'ts and the dears
Rules and expectations are constantly being imposed on the child
And when she's ten years old she digs that rock 'n' roll
When the child reaches ten years old, she becomes interested in rock music
But Poppy bans it from home
Poppy does not allow his daughter to listen to rock music at home
Baby, she turns out to be a natural freak
The daughter becomes a free-spirited person naturally
Popping pills and smoking weed
She starts taking drugs such as pills and smoking weed
And when she's sweet sixteen she packs her things and leaves
At sixteen, she decides to leave home
With a man she met on the street
She leaves with a man she met randomly on the street
Carmen starts to bawl, bangs her head to the wall
Carmen begins to cry uncontrollably and even bangs her head against the wall
Too much love is worse than none at all
Carmen's excessive love and affection for her daughter has caused her even more pain
There but for the grace of God go I
Once again expressing gratitude for one's own life while reflecting on the misfortunes of others
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: A. DARNELL, K. NANCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Walter Hicks
The days of disco funk WAS, WILL BE, & WILL FOREVER BE THE TRUE DAYS DANCE, DANCE, & DANCE!!!
Michael Stanton
slay'd5000.....i can't thank you enough for this song! this anthem got everyone in the clubs on the floor EVERY time! hard to belive this track is over 30 years old but it still kicks ass, better than anything on the radio today they're trying to laughingly pass off as dance music. another blast from my past; again all i can say is thank you!
Jeff Archuleta
OMG, I remember how much I loved this song and what a HUGE dance hit it was in the clubs back in 1979. Thanks for sharing this.
Reginald Cottrell
omg wow this song brings back memories we would dance our ass off . you could go to a club enjoy yourself no problems nobody getting killed just pure enjoyment oh how I miss these days
philip Rappa
the gop wants to use it for all their campaigns
Gilbert Jones
I still have this 12" on vinyl...Love it!
Slayd5000
Thanks so much for both the kind words and for watching.
LaDonna Brooks
Always has been and Always will be one of my FAVORITES.
Westrocker 67
AS A KID IN THE BRONX..I ALWAYS FOUND THIS SONG TO BE BEAUTIFULLY HAUNTING. love this one>
HobbsBhipp
Takes me back to my high school era in the late 70's. August Darnell was very talented.