Early years
Prior to becoming Stiff Little Fingers, Jake Burns, vocals and guitar, Henry Cluney, guitar, Gordon Blair, bass, and Brian Faloon, drums, were playing in a rock music cover band, Highway Star, in Belfast. Upon the departure of Gordon Blair (who went on to play with another Belfast group, Rudi), Ali McMordie took over on bass. Cluney had by this time discovered punk, and introduced the rest of the band to it. They decided that Highway Star wasn't a punk enough name, and after a brief flirtation with the name "The Fast", decided to call themselves Stiff Little Fingers, after the Vibrators song of the same name.
It was while they were doing a gig at the Glenmachan Hotel that they met up with Gordon Ogilvie, who was a Marxist journalist with the Daily Express newspaper, invited along for the evening by Colin McClelland, another journalist, with whom Jake had been corresponding.
Ogilvie suggested they play material based upon their experience of the Troubles. McClelland arranged to get the band some recording time at a local radio station, and in the studio normally used to record jingles, they recorded "Suspect Device". The single was packaged in the form of a cassette, with a cover depicting a cassette bomb, apparently causing great hilarity in the group, when one record company phoned them and asked for another copy, as they'd thrown the first one in a bucket of water for fear that it was a real bomb.
A copy of the single was sent to John Peel. He played it repeatedly leading to a distribution deal through Rough Trade. The single was released on the band's own Rigid Digits label and sold over 30,000 copies. Peel would later do the same with the first single by another famous Northern Irish band, The Undertones. There were a number of well-publicised arguments between the two bands; the Undertones accused Stiff Little Fingers of sensationalising the Northern Ireland conflict, while they retorted that The Undertones ignored it.
The lyrics of many Stiff Little Fingers' songs concerning the troubles are extremely critical of the paramilitary organisations and governments involved, showing them to be exploititative of ordinary people (particularly the young) and all as bad as each other. Their second single, "Alternative Ulster", was originally intended to be given away free with the fanzine of the same name.
Inflammable Material
In the second half of 1978, they toured with the Tom Robinson Band, and in 1979, they released their first album, Inflammable Material. The band agreed a contract with Island Records, but it fell through, leaving the band to release the album on their own label. Despite the album's independent release, it reached number 14 in the UK Albums Chart and reached Silver status, selling over 50,000 copies. Inflammable Material was the first album distributed Rough Trade records, and the first independent album to chart in the UK. This inspired their move to London, which led to the departure of Brian Faloon and Colin McClelland (who along with Gordon Ogilvie had been joint manager of the band up until that point).
Jim Reilly became their drummer in time for the "Gotta Gettaway" single, and played in the Rock Against Racism tour.
Nobody's Heroes and Go for It
In mid-1979, Stiff Little Fingers signed their Rigid Digits label to Chrysalis Records, and in 1980 released their second album, Nobody's Heroes. 1981's Go for It followed. Soon after the Go for It tour, Jim Reilly left the band. His place was taken by Brian 'Dolphin' Taylor, who Jake remembered from Taylor's days with the Tom Robinson Band.
Breakup
Now Then...
In 1982 came a 4 song EP called £1.10 or Less and then their fourth studio album, Now Then... (although their fifth album, as they had released a live LP, Hanx, between Nobody's Heroes and Go for It). By this time they had diversified musically, and Now Then had an almost pop feel about it in places. This led some of their more hardcore fans to feel alienated, and in the face of low sales and concert attendances, they broke up in 1983, when Burns said: "Our last LP Now Then was to my mind the best album we have made. But it is also unfortunately the best I think we will ever make. So I have decided to call it a day." The band later revealed the original split had been somewhat acrimonious, with bandmembers apparently having fistfights rather than talking through their differences.
Reformation
They reformed in 1987; according to Burns, because they were "skint and wanted to make a bit of cash to get back to Ireland for Christmas". They released some live albums and did short tours towards the end of the 1980s, and by 1990 were thinking of reforming permanently.
Flags and Emblems
Ali McMordie decided he could not commit the time to tour full-time or record, and so left, being replaced by Bruce Foxton (previously bass guitarist in The Jam) in time to record 1991's Flags and Emblems. In Britain, the single from this album, "Beirut Moon", was withdrawn from sale on the first day of release, allegedly because it criticised the government for not acting to free hostage John McCarthy, who had been held in the Lebanon.
In 1993 Burns made what he described as one of the hardest decisions of his life and asked Henry Cluney to leave the band, and the trio of Jake Burns, Bruce Foxton and Dolphin Taylor continued for the next four years, joined on live shows by either Dave Sharp or Ian McCallum.
Get a Life
In 1994 they released Get a Life in the UK, releasing it in the U.S. in 1996. By the end of 1996 Taylor left due to family commitments. Burns called in Steve Grantley who had played drums for Jake Burns and the Big Wheel in the late 1980s.
Tinderbox - Guitar and Drum
The trio of Burns, Foxton and Grantley recorded 1997's Tinderbox album, with help from Ian McCallum who joined as a full time member for 1999's and best of all...Hope Street . This same line-up recorded 2003's Guitar and Drum.
Lineup change
On 18 January 2006, the following announcement appeared on the SLF Website. Bruce Foxton has announced that he is to leave Stiff Little Fingers with immediate effect. After 15 years of writing, recording and touring with SLF Bruce says it is time to move on and concentrate on other projects. "The situation is amicable" says Foxton. "I have enjoyed my time with Jake, Ian and Steve and will miss them. Naturally I wish them all continued success and hope to catch up with the boys during their spring tour."
Obviously, we as well wish Bruce every success in everything he goes on to do in the future. He has been a fantastic asset to the band and we'll miss him as well.
Jake, Steve, Ian.
On 23 January 2006, it was announced that original bass guitarist Ali McMordie was to rejoin the band for the duration of their upcoming March tour. The tour was a success, with many fans writing into SLF's message board saying how much they enjoyed it, and how fired up the band seemed to be. After much discussion regarding the status of McMordie within the band after the tour, on 21 April 2006, Burns posted the following on the message board.
"For the time being Mr. McMordie is happy to continue as long as his busy schedule allows. It may be that occasionally we have to bring on a "substitute", if he is up to his eyes and we need to do something, but hopefully we can avoid that.
Cheers,
Jake."
New album
On 9 March 2007, Jake Burns announced that Stiff Little Fingers would be recording a new album which would hopefully be completed by the end of 2007. They have previewed a track from the new album, "Liars Club", at live concerts. The track is named after a bar Jake drove past on his way home whilst listening to a press report about Tony Blair, George W. Bush and the Iraq War. As of February 2009, the new album is still unreleased. This is mainly due to the fact that Burns had more or less completed writing, when he decided on a change of direction, and scrapped most of the songs.
At The Edge
Stiff Little Fingers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never listened to a word I said
Back when I was younger they were talking at me
Never listened to a word I said
Always yap-yap-yapping and complaining at me
Made me think I'd be better off dead
I don't want to talk about it
I don't want to hear no lip
That's your lot, remember you're a kid
They would always teach me that to swear was a sin
Always speak your mind but not aloud
Think of something that you want to do with your life
Nothing that you like, that's not allowed
I've no time to talk about it
All your stupid hopes and dreams
Get your feet back on the ground, son
It's exams that count, not football teams
And I'm running at the edge of their world
They're criticising something they just can't understand
Living on the edge of their town
And I won't be shot down
Taught me to defend myself and to be a man
How to kick someone and run away
Gave me everything that any young man could need
But don't understand why I won't stay
Here's your room and here's your records
Here's your home and here you'll stay
Here's somewhere I don't believe in
Wish someone would take it all away
And I'm running at the edge of their world
They're criticising something they just can't understand
Living on the edge of their town
And I won't be shot down
Running at the edge of their world
And they're criticising something they just can't understand
Living on the edge of their town
And I won't be
No, I won't be
No, I won't be shot down
Stiff Little Fingers' song At The Edge is an anthem for anyone who has ever felt stifled and misunderstood by the people they grew up around. The lyrics tell the story of someone who has been talked at all their life, with nobody listening to what they have to say. The singer is tired of being told what to do, and what not to do, by people who think they know better but have never taken the time to understand who they really are.
The song touches on themes of self-discovery and personal freedom, with the singer rejecting the narrow-mindedness of those around them and forging their own path. They refuse to be shot down by people who don't understand them and are determined to run at the edge of their world. The lyrics are raw and powerful, with the anger and frustration of the singer coming through in every line. It's a song that speaks to anyone who has ever felt like they don't belong, and it's a reminder that sometimes the people who are supposed to support us the most can also be the ones holding us back.
Line by Line Meaning
Back when I was younger they were talking at me
When I was younger, people would talk without listening to me
Never listened to a word I said
They did not take my words seriously
Always yap-yap-yapping and complaining at me
They would always chat and complain to me
Made me think I'd be better off dead
Their words and attitude led to me feeling hopeless
I don't want to talk about it
I do not want to discuss those times
I don't want to hear no lip
I do not want to hear any criticism
Take your share, don't shout about it
Take your part of the responsibility and do not make a fuss about it
That's your lot, remember you're a kid
That is all you're going to get, keep in mind that you're still young
They would always teach me that to swear was a sin
They tried to teach me that curse words are wrong
Always speak your mind but not aloud
They wanted me to be honest, but only in private
Think of something that you want to do with your life
Imagine something you want to do in the future
Nothing that you like, that's not allowed
You cannot pursue something you enjoy
I've no time to talk about it
I do not have the time to discuss this subject
All your stupid hopes and dreams
They did not value my aspirations
Get your feet back on the ground, son
Come back to reality and give up your unrealistic desires, son
It's exams that count, not football teams
Performing well in exams is more important than playing sports
Taught me to defend myself and to be a man
They taught me how to protect myself and be responsible
How to kick someone and run away
They taught me how to fight and flee
Gave me everything that any young man could need
They provided me with everything necessary for a young man to have
But don't understand why I won't stay
But they cannot seem to comprehend why I do not want to remain
Here's your room and here's your records
Here is your living space and your music
Here's your home and here you'll stay
This is your home and where you belong
Here's somewhere I don't believe in
This is a place I do not believe is right for me
Wish someone would take it all away
I wish someone would remove me from this situation
And I'm running at the edge of their world
I am at the boundary of their world
They're criticising something they just can't understand
They are being negative towards something they are incapable of comprehending
Living on the edge of their town
I am residing on their town's boundaries
And I won't be shot down
And I will not fail or be defeated
No, I won't be
I will not lose
No, I won't be shot down
I will not be defeated
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAKE BURNS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind