Ned's Atomic Dustbin are an alternative/grebo band formed in 1987 in Stourb… Read Full Bio ↴Ned's Atomic Dustbin are an alternative/grebo band formed in 1987 in Stourbridge, England. They consisted of John Penney (vocals), Gareth "Rat" Pring (guitar), Mat Chelsin (bass), Alex Griffin (bass) and Dan Warton (drums). They were known for their distinct sound that utilized two bass guitarists. The band split in 1995, only to reform in 2000. They are best known for the songs "Kill Your Television", "Grey Cell Green" and "Not Sleeping Around".

The band took their name from an episode of The Goon Show. The band were noted for an extremely unusual two bass player line up. Bass player Alex Griffin played melody lines high up on one bass, and Mat cheslin played the regular basslines on the other. This gave the band a tense and highly driven sub-hardcore sound with distorted indie guitars and complicated Baggy drum beats. The band were also noted for their extremely young ages. The band formed while at sixth form college, and recorded their first album while still teenagers. This led to a strong teenage fanbase with a reputation for enjoying stage diving and moshing at their gigs. The band were also noted (and sometimes ridiculed) for their early image which consisted of uniformly crimped hair, short trousers and t shirts. The Neds (as their fans referred to them) were well known for their T shirts and produced over 80 different designs within three years.

The band quickly gathered a strong fanbase after being noticed by local superstars The Wonder Stuff and offered a support slot on a UK tour. A top 50 hit Kill Your Television followed. They recorded their debut album God Fodder shortly afterwards and had top ten hits with "Until You Find Out" and "Happy" in 1991. Several years of hard working touring followed, playing with, amongst others Mega City Four, Senseless Things and Jesus Jones. During this period they recorded their second album Are You Normal in 1992, which was promoted by the singles Not Sleeping Around and Intact.

The band spent the next few years on a worldwide tour before recording their final album Brainbloodvolume. The album had a more adult sound than before (because they were, after all, no longer teenagers), together with a more diverse sound including samplers and keyboards. Their record label released the album in America before the UK, so most fans bought in on import leading to a poor UK chart position when it was eventually released leading to tensions within the band and with the label. The poor chart showing may have also been to do with a changed music scene now fully in the swing of Britpop. The band had one last UK top 40 single with All I Ask of Myself Is That I Hold Together in 1995 following an appearance on The Word. The band split in 1995. Singer Jonn Penney formed a new band, Groundswell who had little success.

The band reformed with a different line up in 2000, for a show in Dudley. The show was a success and the band have done a christmas show every year since then, including a four date tour in 2004 where the band performed several new songs. In 2005 they again played a few late-December gigs, and in June of 2006 their first new single in 11 years, "Hibernation" was released reaching No 23 in the UK Indie Chart. The "NedFest" weekend gigs to coincide with this at Birmingingham Barfly and London Forum were filmed for a DVD "Neds Dont Exist".

In June 2007 the DVD was released and Neds returned to headline the Glastonbury Left Field Stage on the Friday night of the festival following some low key warm up gigs.

On 12 May 2008 the band announced that the original line-up of Jonn, Rat, Mat, Alex, and Dan would be performing live together for the first time since 1995 on 6 December 2008 at the Astoria London.

What Gives My Son?
Ned's Atomic Dustbin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Far be it for me to say you're loose son
For be it for me to say you're no one
I've heard your excuse, I've heard your excuses,
Every one

You don't know what's going on
You don't know what's going on
My son

Far be it for me to say you're brain dead

It might help if you get your ass out of bed
It twists me inside to see your girlfriend's backside
She get tongue-tied and run
You're my son, I'm older than you,

You can't be a man too
Your hair's too long
Get out of my home
Papa, growing old

You're growing cold
You went to far
You crashed my car
I'm in a rage

Get off of that stage...
O.k.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ned's Atomic Dustbin's song "What Gives My Son" are a conversation between a father and his son. The father is disappointed with the son's behavior, and he expresses his concerns. He does not want to criticize his son, but he wants him to realize that he needs to shape up. The father tells him that he has heard all of his excuses and does not want to listen to anymore.

The father believes that his son is not aware of what is happening around him. He senses that his son is not making good decisions and needs to change his ways. The father suggests that his son needs to wake up and get out of bed to start taking responsibility for his life. The father is not pleased with his son's girlfriend either and is disappointed to see her influence on him.

The father is frustrated with his son's behavior and wants him to understand that he cannot continue living like this. He tells his son that he cannot be a man if he continues acting the way he does. The father is emotional and angry, and he is considering kicking his son out of the house. This song is about a father's love for his son and his desire for him to become a responsible adult.

Line by Line Meaning

Far be it for me to say you're loose son
I do not wish to speculate that you are promiscuous, my dear son

For be it for me to say you're no one
I am in no position to label you as insignificant in any way

I've heard your excuse, I've heard your excuses,
I have listened to your reasoning, all of them

Every one
All of them

You don't know what's going on
You lack understanding of the current situation

You don't know what's going on
You still lack understanding of the current situation, my son

My son
I am referring to you, my offspring

Far be it for me to say you're brain dead
I do not intend to label your cognitive abilities as null, my son

It might help if you get your ass out of bed
Perhaps, getting out of bed may aid you

It twists me inside to see your girlfriend's backside
It distresses me to witness your partner's buttocks

She get tongue-tied and run
She becomes speechless and flees

You're my son, I'm older than you,
You are my offspring, I am your elder

You can't be a man too
You cannot be considered a mature adult either

Your hair's too long
Your hair length exceeds my acceptance threshold

Get out of my home
Please vacate my place of residence

Papa, growing old
I am aging, my son

You're growing cold
You are becoming emotionally distant, my son

You went too far
You have exceeded reasonable limits

You crashed my car
You were responsible for the collision involving my automobile

I'm in a rage
I am in a state of uncontrolled anger

Get off of that stage...
I demand that you leave that platform immediately

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ALEXANDER THOMAS GRIFFIN, DANIEL CHARLES WORTON, GARETH JOHN PRING, JOHNATHAN PENNEY, MATTHEW RICHARD CHESLIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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