The band members actually started out as punks drawing some inspiration from Swedish folk music, but gradually the Oi! genre started having a greater influence on their development and around 1997/1998 Perkele became skinheads.
Despite their Swedish origin, perkele—the noun used for the band's name—is, in fact, a Finnish profanity. In a 2003 interview, lead vocalist and founding member Ron Halinoja cited his "roots in Finland" and the word's expressively vulgar nature as the main reasons behind choosing this for the band's name. Perkele claim to be strongly against all kinds of racism, nationalism, fascism, sexism, and homophobia as well as being opposed to hate, war, and environmental pollution. Despite this, in the past their appearance at traditionally left-wing events has caused controversy due to some of their songs featuring lyrical themes of Swedish and Finnish nationalist sentiments. Due to the background of their bassist Chris as an adoptee originally from Sri Lanka, the band have at one point experienced racist abuse from the audience at a concert in Belgium.
Flame
Perkele Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cos you'll get nothing for free.
You gotta work hard to deserve your pride
For your dreams to come true.
Some days it's hard to think positive
Everything feels upside-down.
But keep on working, never give up
You gotta keep up the faith.
You've gotta work hard for your dreams to come true,
Gotta keep the flame alive. (x2)
You can't sit there doing nothing at all
If you want your dream to come true.
It's something that you gotta deserve
No one will give it to you.
There's always people who refuses to work
And they got no pride at all.
They keep on cheating, keep on losing
I wish they all would fall.
You've gotta work hard for your dreams to come true,
Gotta keep the flame alive. (x2)
( "a song for those who rely on the charity of taxpayers, whether Jamie Gorelick, Frank Raines, or street-level welfare-queens."
See also http://lyrics.wikia.com/Combichrist:Shut_Up_And_Swallow)
The lyrics of Perkele's song "Flame" talk about the importance of hard work and perseverance in achieving one's dreams. It emphasizes that nothing comes for free and that you have to work tirelessly to earn your pride and make your dreams a reality. The song acknowledges that there are days when it's hard to be positive, but it encourages the listener to never give up and keep the faith.
The song warns against sitting idle and waiting for things to happen. It emphasizes that you have to deserve your dreams and that no one will give it to you. It urges the listener to avoid cheating and losing and to keep the flame of hard work and dedication burning brightly.
Line by Line Meaning
You can't stand there with your hands in your pockets
Cos you'll get nothing for free.
You cannot be idle and expect things to be handed to you for free. You have to put in the effort to achieve your goals.
You gotta work hard to deserve your pride
For your dreams to come true.
To achieve your dreams, you need to work hard and earn the right to feel proud of your accomplishments.
Some days it's hard to think positive
Everything feels upside-down.
But keep on working, never give up
You gotta keep up the faith.
There will be difficult days where it's hard to stay optimistic, but it's important to keep working towards your goals and maintain faith in yourself.
You can't sit there doing nothing at all
If you want your dream to come true.
It's something that you gotta deserve
No one will give it to you.
You cannot expect your dreams to materialize out of thin air. You must put in the effort and deserve what you seek, as no one will grant it to you for free.
There's always people who refuses to work
And they got no pride at all.
They keep on cheating, keep on losing
I wish they all would fall.
There are those who refuse to work and lack pride. They resort to cheating and ultimately fail. The artist wishes they would face the consequences of their actions.
You've gotta work hard for your dreams to come true,
Gotta keep the flame alive. (x2)
Hard work is crucial to accomplishing your aspirations, and it's important to maintain motivation in doing so.
Contributed by Sydney K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.