Sham 69 released their first single, "Ulster", on Step Forward Records in August 1977, and its success in the independent charts prompted Polydor to sign the band. Their major label debut was "Borstal Breakout" in January 1978, followed by UK singles chart success with "Angels With Dirty Faces" (reaching number 19 in May 1978), "If The Kids Are United" (number 9 in July 1978), and "Hurry Up Harry" (number 10 in October 1978). The latter came from their second LP and first full studio album, That's Life.
They then started to move away from punk rock into a sound heavily influenced by classic British hard rock bands such as Mott The Hoople, The Who and The Faces, evidenced on their third album, The Adventures of the Hersham Boys. Sham 69 broke up after their fourth album. Pursey moved in a heavy metal direction after working with the remaining members of the Sex Pistols for a short time, under the name Sham Pistols. Dave Treganna joined the pioneering 1980s glam-punk-Gothic band, The Lords of the New Church, with Stiv Bators of The Dead Boys and Brian James of The Damned.
Pursey resurrected Sham 69 in the 1990s with a different line-up, but without major success. "If The Kids Are United" was used in a McDonald's advertising campaign, long after the rights to their songs had been sold. Pursey is a vegetarian, and appeared in the UK media condemning the use of one of his songs by what - he saw - as a multi-national animal and human abuser. The band gained further media attention when "If The Kids Are United" was played during UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's entrance at the 2005 Labour Party Conference. As a result of this, they were invited onto BBC TV's current affairs programme, Newsnight to sing a version of the song. Altered lyrics were sung, including "Mr. Blair / We know you care / So bring them home / Don't leave them there", referring to the troops remaining in Iraq after the the 2003 invasion.
In 2006, Virgin Radio listeners voted overwhelmingly for Jimmy Pursey to record a song to support England in the FIFA World Cup. The song was based on the Sham 69 hit, "Hurry Up Harry", and instead of the lyric being, "We're going down the pub", it was changed to, "We're going to win the cup!" The resulting single, "Hurry Up England" reached number 10 in the UK Top 40, becoming the band's first such hit for over 26 years.
In 2006 Jimmy Pursey left Sham 69, leaving guitarist Dave Parsons to carry on with a new singer. Sham 69 continues to tour in this new line up.
Tell the Children
Sham 69 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Playground jesters
In the heat of the night
Make up Monroes
Caged in heroes
In the heat of the night
In the cold daylight
We gotta let them know
If we don't tell the children
There'll be no tomorrow
Classroom cabbages
Socialised savages
In the heat of the night
Government numbers
Bow Street Runners
In the heat of the night
In the cold daylight
Backstabbing angels
Criminal disciples
In the heat of the night
You're all as good as gold
Then they'd all better be told
In the heat of the night
In the cold daylight
The song "Tell the Children" by Sham 69 is a call for adults to recognize the dangerous upbringing that the younger generation is experiencing. The lyrics focus on the destructive behaviors that children are emulating under the influence of misbehaving adults. The "Junior gangsters" and "playground jesters" are examples of these negative influences, which are developing children into "caged heroes." The phrase "caged heroes" may represent the mentality of adolescents who struggle to define themselves, becoming trapped in a cycle of bad decisions.
The second verse of the song introduces the realities that children face regarding societal issues. "Classroom cabbages" and "socialized savages" may refer to the poorest demographic that receives an inadequate education. The phrase "government numbers" and "Bow Street Runners" may allude to elements of the government that maintain strict control over the marginalized population. In the final verse, the lyrics become darker, describing people as "backstabbing angels" and "criminal disciples." These images may represent the corrupting influence of powerful adults on young minds.
Overall, "Tell the Children" is a warning to the adult population, urging them to become more aware of their actions and impact on the youth. The song's message is that the future generations will suffer the consequences of the decisions made by their predecessors. Therefore, it is crucial that adults accept the responsibility of having a positive influence on young people, teaching them how to make good decisions and avoid the consequences of negative choices.
Line by Line Meaning
Junior gangsters
Young criminals
Playground jesters
Kids who make fun of others and laugh at their expense
In the heat of the night
During a time of trouble and disorder
Make up Monroes
Create false images of themselves, trying to look like famous people
Caged in heroes
People who are great, but are held back from achieving their potential
In the cold daylight
When problems become clearer and more visible
We gotta tell the children
We must educate the younger generation
We gotta let them know
We need to teach them about the world
If we don't tell the children
If we fail to educate the youth
There'll be no tomorrow
There will be no future to look forward to
Classroom cabbages
Uninspired, dull students
Socialised savages
People who are polite in public but violent in private
Government numbers
People who are viewed as statistics by the government
Bow Street Runners
Police officers who take pride in catching criminals
Backstabbing angels
People who pretend to be good but secretly do bad things
Criminal disciples
People who follow the path of crime
You're all as good as gold
You seem like honest, trustworthy people
Then they'd all better be told
Then the truth about them needs to be revealed
Writer(s): Dave Parsons, Jimmy Pursey
Contributed by Alexis D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chaser Chubby
as well as hersham boys, this is my fav tune of them
MKaz
..laced up boots and corduroys?
Chaser Chubby
@MKaz exactly.
MKaz
@Chaser Chubby Nice one .
Adrian Browne
" Blistering Hot Single "!! Which " Unfortunately Didn't Set The UK Charts Alight " !! But 4 Me At least It Remains One Of The Bands " Finest Achievements " !!! From Adrian Browne 1965
steve aston
Don't bother telling the children,theyre all to busy catching Pokemon
fedlad
Their second last single, leaning more towards power pop, still good stuff though
GayDicks420
Seems like something the Adicts would do. (The way 'tomarrow' is sang.) Great song none the less, though.
Ben Sherman
Our exercise Song OkaY2
RattlesnakeBob
I still think the basic song is great ...it's a good rollicking punky tune with a shouty chorus .... Parsons could always pen a tune ...but lets be honest ..Pursey was completely devoid of any ideas long before this came out and was already acting like a complete idiot clown with his head stuck firmly up his own arse ....a shame .....at one time they were a cracking 'live' band too.