In 1984, Plant formed a short-lived all-star retro rock group with musicians Jimmy Page (also of Led Zeppelin), Jeff Beck, and Phil Collins called The Honeydrippers. The band had a Top Ten hit with their song "Sea of Love", a remake of the Phil Phillips' chestnut. Plant's also notably performed with Page in the outfit Page & Plant.
Plant's love of the music of Morocco led him to a new collaboration called Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation. The band's releases met with critical acclaim and numerous Grammy nominations. They completed a notable 2006 tour of Europe in September.
In 2007, Plant began recording and performing with American bluegrass star Alison Krauss. A duet album, Raising Sand, was released on 23 October 2007 on Rounder Records. The album, recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles and produced by T-Bone Burnett, met with enormous critical and commercial success. Tours have reached devoted audiences in multiple cities.
The year of 2010 proves to be yet another successful year for the lemon squeezer. During the summer, Plant will be reuniting with his old, Pre-Zep group, The Band Of Joy, for a tour of the southern and mid continental tour of the US.
In 2012 Robert Plant starts another band project going by the name Sensational Space Shifters releasing the live album Robert Plant Presents: Sensational Space Shifters. Along with Plant himself the band consists of Liam "Skin" Tyson, Justin Adams, Billy Fuller and John Baggot along with Dave Smith, Juldeh Camara and Patty Griffin.
White Clean and Neat
Robert Plant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Depending where you're counting from
Ma didn't tell me what was going abroad
No tales of things to come
Daddy, daddy come home in the evening with the burdens of the day
Pat Boone might come along and take Daddy's blues away
Ma might take Daddy's head into her hands
Soothe awhile, soothe awhile, touch the boy inside the man
It's such a long, long way From the street
Beneath her skirts, between the clean, white sheets
It's such a long, long way From the street
No, no, no Miss Debbie Reynolds promised someone out there always to obey
Sugar, sugar, white, clean and neat
And there was no one better qualified to cry awhile, cry awhile
Not quite like Mr Johnny Ray
Mmm Sugar, sugar, white, clean and neat
Sugar, sugar, white, clean and neat
Beneath her skirts, between the clean, white sheets
It's such a long, long way From the street
Beneath her skirts, between the clean, white sheets
It's such, it's such, it's such a long, long, long, long way
I said it's such a long way From the street
[If you like the blues I think we can ...
Home life, wife and children, a community life centered around the church,
things on which ...basis ...Baby, don't you want me no more?
....teenagers find an idol, they usually emulate what they know of his habits.
Bring it on home, Daddy!]
Don't you want me no more? Talk to me Oh, yeah
Down at the juke joint, back at the drive-in movie show
Moondog made one more white boy sanctified
Out on the streets, the red hot streets, old heroes fell
And I screamed my name with pride
Beneath her skirts, between the clean, white sheets
It's such, it's such, it's such a long way, it's such a long way
It's such a long, long way From the street
Beneath her skirts, between the clean, white sheets
It's such, it's such, it's such a long, long, long, long way
From the street Ooh, let's go
[Singer, Johnny Ray. Trademark, a...]
Hey, baby [Listen to Ray...His long string of best selling records.
Watch this human stick of dynamite reduce himself and the audience to limp rags,
in a pulsating, motion packed, jazz laden half hour. How high can you get?]
Don't you want me baby?
[Cool, crazy and superb, sincerely yours ...They're married to stay, ...
Debbie Reynolds film star Eddie Fisher disks, that's how it's bin'.
Now Debbie has scaled the hit parade ...with a song in the top 10.]
Don't you want me no more? [...turning out a film.
Bring it on home, Daddy!] Little girl, little girl, little girl
Baby, baby, since I've been loving you Ha,
I'm about to lose [Bring it on home, Daddy]
I'm about to lose [You make me want to jump and shout, baby.]
The opening verse in "White Clean and Neat" takes listeners back to the year of 1954 when the singer Robert Plant was five years old. Robert reminisces about how burdensome that day was for his father, who would often come home at night after a long day of work. Robert's mother would ease some of his father's stress by comforting him while he lay his head in her hands. This is marked by the lines, "Ma might take Daddy's head into her hands soothe awhile, soothe awhile, touch the boy inside the man Beneath her skirts, between the clean, white sheets." The chorus depicts a stark contrast between the struggles of working-class life and a more idyllic lifestyle behind closed doors. The chorus states, "Beneath her skirts, between the clean white sheets it's such a long, long way From the street." The final verse speaks of rock 'n' roll culture, where heroes fall and pride is all-important. There is the suggestion of screaming one's own name with pride as a call to fame.
Line by Line Meaning
13th day of August '54 I was five years old
The singer is reminiscing about his childhood and specifically remembers an event on this day
Depending where you're counting from
This line could be interpreted in multiple ways depending on context
Ma didn't tell me what was going abroad
The singer's mother did not inform him of events happening outside of the home
No tales of things to come
The singer was not made aware of any future events
Daddy, daddy come home in the evening with the burdens of the day
The singer's father worked hard and came home carrying the weight of his responsibilities and challenges from that day
Pat Boone might come along and take Daddy's blues away
The mention of Pat Boone, a popular musician known for his clean-cut image and family-friendly music, suggests that the singer's father could find comfort in his music after a hard day
Ma might take Daddy's head into her hands
The singer's mother might have comforted his father with physical affection
Soothe awhile, soothe awhile, touch the boy inside the man
The physical affection from the singer's mother may have reminded the father of simpler times or his youth
Beneath her skirts, between the clean, white sheets
The specific mention of cleanliness suggests that this situation was wholesome and without any sexual undertones
It's such a long, long way From the street
The singer contrasts this comfortable, safe situation (likely inside the family's home) with the busyness and danger of the outside world
No, no, no Miss Debbie Reynolds promised someone out there always to obey
The mention of Debbie Reynolds, a popular actress at the time, is unclear but suggests the singer is reflecting on the popular culture of his youth
Sugar, sugar, white, clean and neat
This line is unclear, but could be a reference to the wholesome, comforting situation hinted at earlier.
And there was no one better qualified to cry awhile, cry awhile
Unclear, but may be a reference to the physical comfort of the singer's mother when someone needs to cry
Not quite like Mr Johnny Ray
Johnny Ray was a popular singer during the 1950s known for emotional performances, and this line suggests that his performances were more emotional than the physical comfort of the singer's mother
Mmm Sugar, sugar, white, clean and neat
This line seems to be a repetition and expansion of the unclear reference to sugar, sugar earlier
Down at the juke joint, back at the drive-in movie show
The singer mentions popular hangouts of his youth
Moondog made one more white boy sanctified
Moondog was a popular DJ at the time, and this line is unclear but suggests that he had a profound influence on the singer
Out on the streets, the red hot streets, old heroes fell
The singer laments the loss of familiar people or culture
And I screamed my name with pride
The singer reflects on growing up and becoming confident in his identity
It's such, it's such, it's such a long way, it's such a long way
The singer repeats this line for emphasis
Hey, baby
The singer addresses someone affectionately
Little girl, little girl, little girl
The singer repeats this line for emphasis
Baby, baby, since I've been loving you Ha, I'm about to lose
The singer suggests that his love for someone may not last
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROBERT PLANT, PHILIP MERRIAM JOHNSTONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind