1.
McCarthy were a British … Read Full Bio ↴There are 2 bands with this name.
1.
McCarthy were a British indie pop band, formed in Barking, East London in 1985 by schoolmates Malcolm Eden, Tim Gane, John Williamson and Gary Baker. They mixed a sweetly melodic style, dominated by Gane's 12-string guitar playing, with Eden's overtly political lyrics, often satirical in tone, which reflected the band's far left leanings.
After a string of singles, including 'Red Sleeping Beauty' and 'Frans Hals', and a track on the NME C86 album, their debut album 'I Am A Wallet' was released in 1987 to much critical acclaim. Two further singles appeared in early 1988, then an EP in February 1989 was followed by a second album, 'The Enraged Will Inherit The Earth', which was considerably less well received. A year later, in 1990, they released a third album 'Banking, Violence and the Inner Life Today', on which they were joined by Gane's girlfriend Lætitia Sadier on vocals. The album suggested a new willingness to experiment musically, and was seen by critics as something of a return to form, but it in fact proved to be their swansong and they split soon afterwards.
Gane and Sadier went on to form Stereolab, while Eden formed Herzfeld while studying Literature.
McCarthy were a major early influence on the Manic Street Preachers who covered 'We Are All Bourgeois Now', which appeared as a hidden track on the CD of their 'Know Your Enemy' album, as well as 'Charles Windsor', which appeared as a b-side on their Life Becoming A Landslide EP. Manics frontman James Dean Bradfield has also covered 'Red Sleeping Beauty'.
2.
A Southern Metal band from Barrie Ontario. They have released one EP: "Wanna Get Rough?"
Frans Hals
McCarthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And send it out to me
Sleeping in the trash
Begrudging everything
They're keen to deal with me
So yesterday I
This land informs me
You stop your money
There's no more money
We've already paid
We're making money
I said you're joking
The rich are out to get to me
They want to see me hung drawn and quartered
You bastards gave me
And I will pinch you dry
It's not much to do
It's all I can do
But one day soon
The poor will deal with you
Make your will out mate
They know your names and they know your faces
Make your will out mate
They know your names and they know your faces
They will deal with you
They'll really deal with you
The lyrics of McCarthy's song Frans Hals revolve around themes of class struggle and rebellion against the rich and powerful. The song's protagonist is determined to defy the rich who are out to get him and take him down. The opening lines reference a scientific fact that rats can be starved to death, and the rich are willing to use such cruel tactics to harm the poor. The subsequent lines indicate the singer's destitution and the desperation that comes with it. The chorus of the song is ironic because it suggests that these are better days when there is no money left, and making money is a lie.
The song's protagonist rages against the wealthy class who are determined to eliminate the poor to preserve their wealth and privilege. The lines "I will pinch you dry, it's not much to do, It's all I can do, but one day soon, the poor will deal with you" suggests a potential violent future where the poor will rise up and take what is rightfully theirs. The chorus is repeated at the end, it insists that every rich person should look out for themselves because they will soon get what's coming to them.
Overall, Frans Hals is a song that highlights the inequalities in society and the potential for radicalization among the poor who are sick and tired of being exploited and oppressed by the rich.
Line by Line Meaning
They calculate how much it takes to starve a rat
They are so ruthless that they would even experiment with the hunger of a rat and send it to me
And send it out to me
They have the audacity to send a starved rat to me
Sleeping in the trash
I am living in extreme poverty
Begrudging everything
I am so resentful of my current situation
They're keen to deal with me
They are eager to exploit me for their own benefit
So yesterday I
But yesterday, I had an epiphany
This land informs me
I have finally realized the true nature of this society and its systems
These are better days
I have hope that things will improve
You stop your money
You, the oppressors, must stop holding onto wealth and power
There's no more money
The money and resources have already been drained from the lower strata of society
We've already paid
We, the poor, have already suffered too much
We're making money
The rich continue to profit at our expense
I said you're joking
I cannot believe the audacity of the wealthy to claim they are not part of the problem
The rich are out to get to me
The wealthy seek to suppress and eliminate any dissenting voices
They want to see me hung drawn and quartered
The rich wish to brutally punish and silence me
You bastards gave me
The wealthy are responsible for the poverty and suffering I endure
And I will pinch you dry
One day, I will have my revenge and drain the wealthy of all their resources
It's not much to do
But for now, this small act of defiance is all I can do
It's all I can do
I am limited in my actions by the oppressive systems in place
But one day soon
I have faith that a revolution is coming
The poor will deal with you
Those in positions of power and wealth will face consequences for their actions
Make your will out mate
The wealthy should prepare for their demise
They know your names and they know your faces
The oppressed are aware of who their oppressors are
They will deal with you
The oppressed will eventually take down those who exploit and harm them
They'll really deal with you
The consequences will be severe and just
Contributed by Brooklyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
bayu p.
They calculate how much it takes to starve a rat
And send it out to me
Sleeping in the trap
Begrudging everything
They're keen to deal with me
So yesterday early
This lad informs me
These are debtor days
They've stopped your money
There's no more money
We've heard that you paint
You're making money
I said you're joking
The rich are out to get to me
They want to see me hung drawn and quartered
You bastards give me heat
And I will paint you drunk
It's not much to do
It's all I can do
But one day soon
The poor will deal with you
Make your will out, mate
They know your names and they know your faces
Make your will out, mate
They know your names and they know your faces
They will deal with you
They'll really deal with you
Jeremy Zihni
This is, quite frankly, unbelievable! There's nowhere near enough video footage of this truly great, classic band so it's a pleasure that this is up for all of us to see. Marvellous stuff and what a brilliant, brilliant song.
jan hedin
Great band. My favorite song is "The Well of Loneliness". I saw them live on a pub in a suburb of London in 1989.
Jim Butterworth
Perfect track. The epitome of late 80's UK indie for me.
agutterfan
If you love this try their second single, "Red Sleeping Beauty". The Pink Label released some damn fine records (see Rumblefish's "Tug-Boat Line")
Tim Neave
Intelligent and beautiful, this puts most pop music to shame, now, doesn't it?
vista7
It really does. Tim is such a musical genius. He knows the right chords and temp to play with. I could play the same chords with the same guitar and it would sound like complete rubbish but Tim turns it into gold. I can get why he broke off and formed Stereolab. McCarthy was awesome but he wanted to create something completely different.
Ulisses de Freitas
amo esta banda
sickparrot3
One of the first John Peel Festive 50's I ever listened to and this comes on a few tracks in. Totally blown away by it.
onlyyesterday1967
Masterpiece!
bestbass42
OMG This takes me back to around 1985 when I was in love for the first time. I Used to run home from my girlfriends house to tape John Peel at 10pm. This is one of the tracks I remember 'tape to tapeing' when I went through the show the next day & kept the best songs. The June Brides, Brilliant Corners, Felt (Primitive Painters), Cocteau Twins, The Dentists, Workforce, The Wake, bloody hell there were some MEGA indi pop bands back then...