The "classic lineup" of the group would reunite in 1999 and began recording new material. However, the group continued to change lineups and Guns eventually left to form the hard rock supergroup Brides of Destruction with Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe in 2002. L.A. Guns continued without Guns, bringing in guitarist Stacey Blades, however, following his decision to put Brides of Destruction on hiatus in 2006, Guns formed The Tracii Guns Band. The group's lineup consisted of former L.A. Guns members Black, Alexander as well as Jeremy Guns (though the lineup would eventually change), with the group eventually changing their name to L.A. Guns. Both groups continued to record and tour under the L.A. Guns moniker until 2012, when the Tracii Guns-led version of the group disbanded. Riley died in 2023.
L.A. Guns (feat. Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis) released a new single "Let You Down" on May 6, 2020. It was released as the first single from their then-upcoming fourteenth studio album Checkered Past, which was released on November 12, 2021, and featured producer Adam Hamilton on drums.
In May 2022, it was announced that Shawn Duncan had replaced Shane Fitzgibbon as their drummer. In the following month, guitarist Ace Von Johnson revealed that L.A. Guns had been working on new material for their next studio album. The resulting album, Black Diamonds, was released on April 14, 2023.
Papa
L.A. Guns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He ain't too hip...about that new breed babe
He ain't no drag
Papa's got a brand new bag
Come here mama....and dig this crazy scene
He's not too fancy....but his line is pretty clean
He ain't no drag.
Papa's got a brand new bag
He's doing the Fly
Don't play him cheap 'cause you know he ain't shy
He's doing the Monkey, the Mashed Potatoes, Jump back Jack, See you later alligator.
Come here sister
Papa's in the swing
He ain't too hip now
but I can dig that new breed babe;
He ain't no drag
He's got a brand new bag
Oh papa! He's doing the Jerk
Papa...he's doing the Jerk
He's doing the twist ... just like this,
He's doing the Fly ev'ry day and ev'ry night
The thing's....like the Boomerang.
Hey....come on
Hey! Hey.....come on
Hey! Hey....he's pu tight...out of sight...
Come on. Hey! Hey!
This song is an ode to a father figure, who may not be up to date with current trends, but is still cool and hip in his own way. The singer encourages the listener to come and watch Papa as he dances to some popular moves of the time such as The Jerk, The Fly, The Monkey, The Mashed Potatoes, and more. Despite being of an older generation, Papa can still hold his ground and maintain a clean line. The song ends with the singer urging the listener to join in and have a good time with Papa.
Line by Line Meaning
Come here sister.....Papa's in the swing
Hey girl, come over here, check out my dad, he's feeling good and grooving to the music.
He ain't too hip...about that new breed babe
He's not really up to date with the latest trends and styles.
He ain't no drag
But don't worry, he's not boring or uncool.
Papa's got a brand new bag
He's got a new style or attitude that he's excited to show off.
Come here mama....and dig this crazy scene
Hey lady, come here and check out this wild and exciting environment.
He's not too fancy....but his line is pretty clean
He doesn't have to dress up in fancy clothes or be overly flashy to be cool.
He ain't no drag.
And he's still not boring or uncool.
Papa's got a brand new bag
He's still proud of and eager to show off his new attitude or style.
He's doing the Jerk....
He's dancing to the Jerk.
He's doing the Fly
He's also dancing to the Fly.
Don't play him cheap 'cause you know he ain't shy
Don't underestimate him, he's confident and not afraid to show it.
He's doing the Monkey, the Mashed Potatoes, Jump back Jack, See you later alligator.
He's doing a variety of popular dances from the time period, including the Monkey and the Mashed Potatoes, and saying goodbye in a fun way.
Come here sister
Once again, calling out to the girl to come hang out and enjoy the music.
Papa's in the swing
Dad's still feeling good and grooving to the music.
He ain't too hip now
Still not up to date with the latest trends and styles.
but I can dig that new breed babe;
But that's okay, I still respect and appreciate his new attitude or style.
He ain't no drag
Once again, emphasizing that he's not boring or uncool.
He's got a brand new bag
Still excited and proud to show off his new attitude or style.
Oh papa! He's doing the Jerk
Excitedly acknowledging dad's dance moves.
Papa...he's doing the Jerk
Repeating the excitement and acknowledgement of dad's dancing.
He's doing the twist ... just like this,
Now dad's grooving to the twist dance.
He's doing the Fly ev'ry day and ev'ry night
Still dancing to the Fly, all day and all night.
The thing's....like the Boomerang.
This dance move feels like it's coming back around in popularity, just like a boomerang.
Hey....come on
Calling out to everyone to join in the fun and dance.
Hey! Hey.....come on
Repeating the call out to encourage everyone to dance together.
Hey! Hey....he's pu tight...out of sight...
Dad's feeling really good and dancing really well, out of sight.
Come on. Hey! Hey!
Once more, urging everyone to come join in the fun and dance together.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind