Described as "classic UK rock delivered with whiskey vocals", the band have been summarised as possessing a sound akin to the genres of alternative rock and "British traditional rock". Stereophonics' debut album, Word Gets Around, was released in August 1997 and charted at number six in the UK, aided by the singles "Local Boy in the Photograph", "More Life in a Tramps Vest" and "A Thousand Trees". The band reached mainstream success with the release of Performance and Cocktails (and its promotional singles "The Bartender and the Thief", "Just Looking" and "Pick a Part That's New") in 1999 and have achieved a total of ten top-ten singles as well as one number one: "Dakota" (2005). Having sold around 10 million copies worldwide by 2016, Stereophonics are one of the most successful Welsh rock acts. Upon their release of Pull the Pin, they achieved five consecutive UK number one albums.
The band have also been praised for their live performances, which have landed them headlining slots at many of the UK and Ireland's most high-profile music festivals, including Reading and Leeds in 2000, Glastonbury in 2002, V Festival in 2002, the Isle of Wight in 2004 and 2009, Oxegen in 2010, Tramlines Festival and TRNSMT in 2018, and Latitude in 2019. The band is part of the Cardiff music scene.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonics
Studio albums
Word Gets Around (1997)
Performance and Cocktails (1999)
Just Enough Education to Perform (2001)
You Gotta Go There to Come Back (2003)
Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005)
Pull the Pin (2007)
Keep Calm and Carry On (2009)
Graffiti on the Train (2013)
Keep the Village Alive (2015)
Scream Above the Sounds (2017)
Kind (2019)
Oochya! (2022)
Handbags & Gladrags
Stereophonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to make the other side
Ever seen a young girl growing old
Trying to make herself a bride
So what becomes of you my love
When they have finally stripped you of
The handbags and the gladrags
Once I was a young man
All I thought I had to do was smile
While you are still a young girl
And you bought everything in style
So once you think you're in you're out
'Cause you don't mean a single thing without
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
Sing a song of six-pence for your sake
And drink a bottle full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake
And bake them all in a pie
They told me you missed school today
So what I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
They told me you missed school today
So I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
The lyrics to Stereophonics’ song “Handbags & Gladrags” explore the transience of material possessions and the futility of superficiality. The opening lines describe a blind man attempting to cross the road and a young girl aspiring to marriage, both struggling to attain their goals against the odds. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which warns against the dangers of being consumed by consumerism and attempting to find one’s worth in material goods.
The chorus repeats the phrase “The handbags and the gladrags that your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you,” highlighting the idea that the material possessions we accrue are often inherited from those who worked hard to provide for us. The lyrics suggest that these items are only temporary and will eventually be stripped away, leaving the individual questioning their own worth without them. The song acknowledges the value of hard work and the reward of earning things for oneself rather than simply buying them.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on their own youth, as they believed that all they had to do was smile to get what they wanted. However, they now realize that this is not the case and that true fulfillment cannot come from material possessions alone. The third verse contains a reference to the nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence,” which, when paired with the line “drink a bottle full of rye,” suggests that the acquisition of wealth and material goods can lead to an intoxicating but ultimately meaningless existence.
Overall, the lyrics of “Handbags & Gladrags” encourage listeners to evaluate the role that material goods play in their lives and to strive for a more meaningful sense of self-worth.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever seen a blind man cross the road Trying to make the other side
Have you ever witnessed a visually impaired person crossing the street, striving to reach the opposite end?
Ever seen a young girl growing old Trying to make herself a bride
Did you ever observe a young woman growing old attempting to transform herself into a bride?
So what becomes of you my love When they have finally stripped you of The handbags and the gladrags That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
What will happen to you, my darling, when you are separated from the material possessions, such as handbags and fancy clothes, that your grandfather had to work arduously to provide for you?
Once I was a young man All I thought I had to do was smile
At one time, I was a young man who believed that all I needed to do to succeed was to smile.
While you are still a young girl And you bought everything in style
Meanwhile, when you were still a young girl, you purchased everything in vogue and fashion.
So once you think you're in you're out 'Cause you don't mean a single thing without The handbags and the gladrags That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
Therefore, once you believe that you belong, you become an outsider, as you are worthless without the handbags and fancy clothes that your hardworking grandfather procured for you.
Sing a song of six-pence for your sake And drink a bottle full of rye Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake And bake them all in a pie
This stanza presents nonsensical lyrics and has no concrete meaning.
They told me you missed school today So what I suggest you just throw them all away The handbags and the gladrags That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
I heard that you did not attend school today, so my recommendation is for you to discard all of those handbags and trendy clothes that your elderly grandfather toiled to purchase for you.
They told me you missed school today So I suggest you just throw them all away The handbags and the gladrags That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
This is a repetition of the previous stanza with no additional meaning.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Michael d'Abo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oliviagriffin625
Ever seen a blind man cross the road
Trying to make the other side
Ever seen a young girl growing old
Trying to make herself a bride
So what becomes of you my love
When they have finally stripped you of
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
Once I was a young man
All I thought I had to do was smile
While you are still a young girl
And you bought everything in style
So once you think you're in you're out
'Cause you don't mean a single thing without
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
Sing a song of six-pence for your sake
And drink a bottle full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake
And bake them all in a pie
They told me you missed school today
So what I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
They told me you missed school today
So I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy you
@rebeccarichardson1102
Just stunning vocals, he gives me goosebumps. He can smash it but he can also control it. So soulful ♥️
@juanlizama2590
....es SOLO UNA COPIA de .... LA VERDION de ROD STEWART👁️🎼🎵🎼🎵🎼🎵
@padraigjohnson927
So well said!
@sunnysxyz
Hi his voice is husky voice
Song it’s a great song but it’s a shame about his voice is so growly heavy
It’s like he’s got a sore throat
Maybe it’s all the drug abuse smoking drinking drugs he needs to sort his voice out ASAP get his voice cleared out like Liam did from Oasis
@ilonahesseling4821
@Juan lizama, No, this is the original version
@Truffle_Pup
When I went to Uni in Cardiff, a fair while ago, first day I asked this girl what are you looking forward to most about Uni life? She said "Well, i Ferkin Lurves the 'Phonics and I Fancy a Gangbang."
Ladies, gentlemen, cynts... I can can vouch that that sentence is 100% Cardiff in a nutshell. Cymru Am Byth! 🐲
@duncanlangton5348
One of the most under rated bands ever. My personal opinion is stereophonics have never been given there true acknowledgement . Fantastic 👍🏼😃
@leannewilliams9400
One of my favs
@willyoueatmypussyplease3549
Just about to write the same thing you beat me to it 😃
@vanessaoconnor1539
Totally agree