=>Beginning History
Ian Stuart Donaldson, formerly of The Rolling Stones cover band Tumbling Dice, formed Skrewdriver after seeing the Sex Pistols in Manchester. Skrewdriver at first had a punk appearance, but they changed their image into a skinhead look in 1977. They also temporarily had a rocker/biker look, around the time they released the EP Built Up Knocked Down. In 1978, Donaldson moved to Salford, where he recruited guitarist Glenn Jones and drummer Martin Smith. This lineup toured extensively, but many venues were reluctant to book the band because of their reputation as a violent skinhead band attracting audience fights.
Performing largely for a skinhead fan-base, the first versions of the band released one album and two singles on the Chiswick label. This version of the band split up in January 1979 after a concert in Warrington, but Donaldson resurrected the name Skrewdriver in 1982 using new musicians. Several past individuals associated with the group, many of them politically left-wing or centrist, have condemned the latter third position incarnation.
=>Band Musicians And More History
As mentioned, Skrewdriver inherited its first line-up from it’s predecessor, the band Tumbling Dice, which Donaldson had formed in 1975. They felt influenced by contemporary hard rock as well as seminal punk contemporaries such as the Ramones and The Clash. They were Ian Stuart Donaldson, Kev McKay, John Grinton and Phil Walmsley. When the band changed from punk to skinhead, Walmsley bowed out and was substituted with skinhead Ron Hartley. The 1977 release All Skrewed Up managed to give the group considerable underground success, and it's been regarded since as an early punk classic. However, by 1978, the band disbanded.
Both moving to Salford’s Cheetham Hill, McKay and Donaldson reformed the band in 1979 with local Manchester talents Glenn Jones and Martin Smith. Skrewdriver became a regular act at the Mayflower club in Belle Vue and toured local gig venues around Greater Manchester. The version of the band was to be short-lived and, after an ill-fated concert in Warrington in 1980, the band fell apart again.
This time, Donaldson left all the others behind and moved on his own down to London. By 1981, Skrewdriver had reformed for the 3rd time, still with Ian Stuart Donaldson of course. The new additions were Mark Neeson, Mark French and Geoff Williams. French and Williams had previously played with The Elite.
It was this line-up that released the 12” EP 'Back With A Bang' on Last Resort Records in 1982. External pressure on the band took its toll, and, by 1984, all three had left the band. Donaldson recruited Mark Sutherland, Adam Douglas, and Murray Holmes. Holmes, an Australian, had previously played with the band Quick And The Dead. Skrewdriver soon released their LP Invasion on the newly-signed West German label Rock-o-Rama Records, which would stay faithful to the band until the tragic end. The line-up was strengthened with Steve Roda coming in the following year.
Touring extensively once again, by 1987 the line-up is described on artwork as Ian Stuart (Donaldson), Mark Sutherland, Martin Cross, Ross McGarry, Merv Shields, and John Burnley who was the brother of No Remorse’s Paul Burnley. Steve Calladine, better known as Stigger, joined Skrewdriver in late 1987. Donaldson also launched a solo career as Ian Stuart with the release of solo material backed by a group known as 'Strikeforce', which essentially was the remaining band. Skrewdriver as a band continued, however, in parallel with Donaldson’s solo career.
In 1990, the sprawling line-up was added to with John Hickson. Over the 80s, the group released a variety of albums, many of them striking a chord with disillusioned British youths unhappy with both Thatcherism and the Labour alternative, much to the alarm of the mainstream press. Skrewdriver concerts were, although planned in advance, highly secretive, and Donaldson faced many attempts on his life. Releases at this time prominently included the albums Boots & Braces, Blood & Honour, and Hail The New Dawn.
On the 24th of September 1993, Ian Stuart Donaldson died from the injuries sustained in a car-crash the previous evening and with him the band Skrewdriver ceased. Although subject to a large variety of conspiracy theories, most fans have agreed that the death was a surprising, sudden accident. Since then, countless benefit and remembrance gigs has been played in his and the band’s honour, with virtually every rock against communism band worth their salt, producing a Skrewdriver cover.
=>Labels
During their 17-year career, Skrewdriver were signed by five labels:
1977 - Chiswick Records
1979 - TJM Manchester
1982 - Last Resort Sounds
1982 - White Noise Records
1984 - Rock-O-Rama Records
(This list does not include compilations and spin-off work)
=>Members List
(Initial Band)
Ian Stuart Donaldson - Vocals & Guitar
Phil Walmsley - Guitar
Ron Hartley - Guitar
Kev McKay - Bass
John "Grinny" Grinton - Drums
(Other Members)
Glenn Jones
Martin Cross
Dave Cording
Bradley Napier
Mark French
Geoff Williams
Mark Neeson
Joseph Smith
Adam Douglas
Merv Shields
Murray Holmes
Dave Wane
Paul Swain
Stiv "Iena" Roda
Stigger
John Burnley
Colin Smith
Mushy
Mike French
Mark Radcliffe
Andrew Skinner
Ford Freemantle
Out In The Cold
Skrewdriver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out in the cold now
The powers say to us now do as you're told
Or you could find yourself out in the cold
They say they'll use their agents to grind us down
They have their puppets everywhere as we have found
Out in the cold
Kicked out of the fold, yeah, now
Out in the cold
Yeah, but we'll never sell-out to you
Out in the cold
They use paid traitors to air their views
They lied and they cheated and they use a ruse
They have their methods, yeah, spreading lies
They'll never crush our spirit, it will never die
(chorus)
instrumental break
(chorus)
I've never seem then use such dirty tricks
They're trying to use a law against guitar licks
And if the law ain't legal well they say "so what"
It's just another erosion in our nation's rot, now
(chorus)
Out in the cold
Out in the cold now
Out in the cold
Out in the cold
The Skrewdriver song "Out In The Cold" is a powerful protest song against the powers-that-be who want people to conform to their rules and regulations, and who use their agents and puppets to control the masses. The lyrics warn that those who do not comply with their demands will be "out in the cold," kicked out of the fold, and left to fend for themselves. Despite their lies, cheating, and dirty tricks, the powers will never break the human spirit which refuses to be crushed by their oppression. The song calls for the unity of those who stand against their oppressors, and that they will never sell out to the powers by seeking easy solutions that compromise their ethics and values. The song switches between calls for unity and resistance to the powers and reflections on the tactics used to maintain control over people.
The lyrics use metaphorical language to describe the oppression of the powers-that-be. The title "Out In The Cold" illustrates the isolation and abandonment that people face when they defy the powers. The use of the word "cold" is symbolic of the suffering that one may feel when they are left helpless and on their own. The "cold" can also be seen as the cold disregard that the powers have for the people they control, and as the result of the harshness and cruelty of their rule. The repeated use of the words "they" and "their" emphasizes the separation between the oppressors and the oppressed, and how the oppressors try to divide and conquer people by using their agents and puppets. The use of the second person, "you," makes the song more personal and direct, calling on people to stand up for themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Out in the cold
Feeling isolated and left alone in the harsh conditions of society.
Out in the cold now
Reinforcing the previous line to indicate the present moment of loneliness and detachment from others.
The powers say to us now do as you're told
Authority figures instructing people to obey and follow their orders.
Or you could find yourself out in the cold
Warning that disobedience or non-conformity to authority can lead to further isolation and harsh treatment.
They say they'll use their agents to grind us down
Authority figures employing certain individuals to undermine and weaken the opposition or dissenters.
They have their puppets everywhere as we have found
The existence and pervasiveness of people who blindly follow and promote the agenda of the authorities.
(chorus)
The repeated refrain of feeling isolated and rejected by those in power.
Kicked out of the fold, yeah, now
Being excluded and rejected from the group or collective society.
Yeah, but we'll never sell-out to you
The determination to maintain personal values and beliefs in the face of pressure to conform to authority.
They use paid traitors to air their views
The use of people who have betrayed their own principles or values to further the goals of the authorities.
They lied and they cheated and they use a ruse
The deceitful tactics used by those in power to maintain their grip on society.
They have their methods, yeah, spreading lies
The systematic and intentional spreading of misinformation to distort people's perceptions and beliefs.
They'll never crush our spirit, it will never die
The belief that one's sense of self and values cannot be destroyed by external forces.
(chorus)
The refrain symbolizing the ongoing struggle against oppression and isolation.
I've never seem then use such dirty tricks
The realization that the authorities have sunk to lower depths of deceit and manipulation than previously thought possible.
They're trying to use a law against guitar licks
The utilization of rules and regulations to stifle creativity and expressionism in arts such as music.
And if the law ain't legal well they say "so what"
The flippant attitude of the authorities towards legality and justice.
It's just another erosion in our nation's rot, now
Perceiving the multiple instances of corruption and moral decline in modern society.
(chorus)
Reaffirming the song's central theme of alienation and resistance against authority.
Out in the cold
The finality of the character's isolation and rejection from the mainstream society.
Out in the cold now
The repetition of the opening line as a conclusion to the song.
Out in the cold
The final notes of the song as a mournful coda to the story of detachment and defiance.
Contributed by Audrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@The_L0bster
Lyrics:
He sat in a room
In a square of the color of blood.
He'd rule the whole world
If there was a way that he could.
He'd sit and he'd stare
At the minreds on top of the towers.
For he was a beast
As he hatched his new plans to gain power.
And the snow fell
Covering the dreams and ideals.
And the snow fell
Freezing the blood and the wheels.
And the snow fell
They had to keep up for survival.
And the snow fell
Defeating the beast's only rival.
They took the old roads
That Napoleon had taken before.
They fought as a force as a light
Against the darkness in a holy war.
One day they were looking around
And the sun was shining on the cold flowers.
The next day they were freezing to death
In the sleet and the ice cold showers.
And the snow fell
Covering the dreams and ideals.
And the snow fell
Freezing the blood and the wheels.
And the snow fell
They had to keep up for survival.
And the snow fell
Defeating the beast's only rival.
Then came the deadly roads
Back from the stairs of their retreat.
The cold racked their bodies
But worse was the pain of defeat.
Many people who had hailed them once
Now turned and looked away.
These people now knew
That the beast was on it's way.
And the snow fell
Covering the dreams and ideals.
And the snow fell
Freezing the blood and the wheels.
And the snow fell
They had to keep up for survival.
And the snow fell
Defeating the beast's only rival.
You finally came back
To the borders of your fatherland.
Now enemies came
Traitors everywhere at hand.
Many people who had fought and died
Knowing that they had to win.
It still sickens my heart
To see the picture of the red flag in Berlin.
And the snow fell
Covering the dreams and ideals.
And the snow fell
Freezing the blood and the wheels.
And the snow fell
They had to keep up for survival.
And the snow fell
Defeating the beast's only rival.
@spanglestein66
Never has this music and this movement been so needed ❤
@curtisanderson8013
⚡️☠️⚡️
@jyrkiturunen3180
❤
@tracyann1930
❤❤
@bigdavo77
I need more like this c18
@sarahjones5808
do
@desireeshield5537
And still it sickens my heart to see the picture of the red flag in Berlin… gives me chills everytime I hear it
@GertraudHammerer
This Song Touches my deepest inner feelings and Wakes bitter sweet memories.....nothing compares to IT..... great🙏
@sarahjones5808
@@GertraudHammerer to be or not
@sarahjones5808
Europa will rise