Collaborating with Edith Wayne and future P-Funk producer Ron Dunbar, Copeland wrote The Music Box, New Play's debut single, and the second ever Invictus release. However, the group broke up soon after it's release and Copeland began planning for a solo career. She struck up an unlikely partnership with George Clinton and became a massively influential force on Parliament's debut album, 1971's Osmium. Not only did she co-produce the sessions, she also wrote what remain two of the most bizarre (and decidedly unfunky) songs in that band's entire repertoire, the haunting Little Old Country Boy and The Silent Boatman. Two further songs, Come In Out of the Rain (co-written with Clinton) and Breakdown (with Clinton and Clyde Wilson) appeared as Parliament singles in 1971 and 1972.
Copeland's partnership with Clinton naturally flowed into her solo career. Viewed today as a virtual twin of Osmium, her Self Portrait debut featured contributions from Eddie Hazel, Lucius Ross, Bernie Worrell, Billy "Bass" Nelson, Tiki Fulwood, and Clinton himself, while the co-writes included a new version of the epic The Silent Boatman.
Late 1971 brought the release of Copeland's second album, I Am What I Am, recorded with many of the same musicians as its predecessor, only now they were her own band. In an odd twist, Hazell, Worrell, Fulwood, and Nelson had all quit Parliament/Funkadelic, but remained together to back Copeland, first in the studio and then on tour as she promoted the album. The tour was a success; the shows were solid and the audiences receptive. Unfortunately, Copeland quickly found herself in an uncomfortable position. Touring as support to Sly Stone, she took to introducing her band as Funkadelic - much to the headliner's annoyance. The last straw came when she allowed the band to take one of her encores. Stone insisted she either leave the tour or lose the band. She lost the band.
Following her solo success in 1971 and 1972, Copeland faded from the spotlight. She would re-emerge briefly in 1976 with her third album, Take Me to Baltimore, but it did little and she once more retreated into shadow.
Gimme Shelter
Ruth Copeland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Powerage
GIMME A BULLET
Powerage (1978)
(Young, Young & Scott)
She had the way
Had the way
She knew the game
Called the play
Oh she hit me low
She said, Now you go your way
I'll go mine
And that's a start
Doctor, doctor
Ain't no cure
For the pain in my heart
CHORUS:
Gimme a bullet to bite on
Something to chew
Gimme a bullet to bite on
And I'll make believe
I'll make believe it's you
Don't need no drink
Don't need no drug
Don't need no sympathy
Sooner or later
Send me a bill
For what she's doing to me
Operator
Long distance lips
On the telephone
Come tomorrow
Come to grips
With me all alone
CHORUS
Bullet to bite on
The lyrics of Ruth Copeland's Gimme Shelter illustrate a woman who knows how to play games in relationships. She is fully aware of how to manipulate her significant other to bend to her will. The woman wants to break up with the singer, but she does not want to deal with the consequences of the heartbreak, which is why she is willing to let him go first. The singer is hurt by her actions and has no idea how to heal the pain in his heart. He desires something to calm his nerves, so he asks for a bullet to bite on, a metaphorical representation of something that will put him at ease. He can make believe that the bullet represents the woman he loves and that, by biting on it, he can feel her presence.
In the second verse, the singer shows that he is not dependent on drugs or alcohol to feel better. He understands that sooner or later, he will have to deal with the pain and might even have to pay for it. The woman's actions are damaging him to the core, and he is slowly losing himself. The operator represents a long-distance line that can connect him with the woman who hurt him, but even now, he is still unsure if he can face her alone. The chorus repeats, with the singer wanting something to chew, a bullet to represent his love.
Line by Line Meaning
She had the way
She possessed the power, the talent, to communicate with me
Had the way
Had the technique to show me how she felt
The way of letting me know
The method to make me aware of her intentions
She knew the game
She was aware of the rules of love and romance
Called the play
She initiated the actions to guide us in the romantic relationship
Oh she hit me low
She emotionally hurt me deeply
She said, Now you go your way
She stated that we should end things
I'll go mine
She planned to continue her life without me
And that's a start
This would be the beginning of our separation
Doctor, doctor
An exclamation of frustration/suffering
Ain't no cure
There is no remedy
For the pain in my heart
My emotional injury cannot be repaired
Gimme a bullet to bite on
Provide me with something to focus my emotions on (symbolized by the bullet)
Something to chew
Something I can use to emotionally process my pain
And I'll make believe
If I have a coping mechanism, I can pretend that it is her
I'll make believe it's you
The coping mechanism will make it seem like I am with her again
Don't need no drink
I do not require alcohol to cope with the pain
Don't need no drug
I do not require drugs to cope with the pain
Don't need no sympathy
I don't want other people's pity
Sooner or later
Eventually
Send me a bill
Make me pay for the romantic pain she has inflicted on me
For what she's doing to me
The fee will be for the emotional damages she has caused me
Operator
The person who facilitates long-distance phone calls
Long distance lips
A euphemism for a long-distance kiss via telephone
On the telephone
Conducting a phone call from a distant location
Come tomorrow
Meet me tomorrow
Come to grips
Accept the reality of our situation
With me all alone
Acknowledge that I am suffering alone without her
Contributed by Alyssa J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bobby Dazzler
Outstanding!!!