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.
Stands to Reason
Stiff Little Fingers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say the blacks get all the jobs. They say that they are lazy
A nice girl won't let you have sex. Enjoys it if you make her
The media all twist the facts. I read it in the paper
Stands to reason
You've heard it said so it has to be the truth
Fact or fiction. What's the difference. They say it's so
And you never get the truth if you never ask yourself, what do they know?
They say all cops are bastard thugs. They're all a bunch of racists
The Scots are mean. The Irish mugs. At heart all men are rapists
Girls today they ask for it. I never touched your mother
And youngsters now are all on drugs. Yes, thanks, I'll have another
Stands to reason
Mark my words. Take a tip from one who knows
You will know more when you're older. They say it's so
But come again. Question it when you see it doesn't fit
And you never get the truth if you never ask yourself
So you ask me what's the score
Well, I can only say to make up your own mind
I'd rather see the whole world die than you or I believe a lie
What do I know?
We had it hard when I was young. We used to have such great times
A man took pride in what he'd done. You should have seen the breadlines
To get back to that golden age there must be unemployment
But kids today don't want to work. They're just out for enjoyment
Stands to reason
It won't change 'cause it's always been the same
People hating, people fighting. They say it's so
Do you believe that? Perhaps you do but it's only up to you
And you never get the truth if you never ask yourself
What do they know?
The lyrics of the song Stands to Reason by Stiff Little Fingers address the issue of misinformation and societal prejudices. The song challenges the notion that everything we hear through the media or from others is the truth, questioning the accuracy and reliability of the information that we are fed. The lyrics highlight some of the common stereotypes and beliefs that exist in society: from racism to sexism, from anti-establishment sentiments to nostalgia for the past. The song calls on listeners to question what they hear, to challenge stereotypes and to seek out the truth for themselves.
The lyrics use irony to challenge common beliefs and stereotypes. For example, the line "They say the blacks get all the jobs. They say that they are lazy" suggests the opposite of the common stereotype of black people being unemployed and lazy. Similarly, the line "Girls today they ask for it. I never touched your mother" challenges the belief that women are responsible for sexual assault. The song encourages listeners to question these beliefs and not take them at face value.
Ultimately, the song's message is that it is up to the individual to seek out the truth and not to blindly accept common beliefs and stereotypes. The line "And you never get the truth if you never ask yourself, what do they know?" reinforces this message, reminding the listener that the truth is not always easy to find and that it requires questioning and challenging the information that we are given.
Line by Line Meaning
They say our country's on the rocks and Britain's the greatest
It's a common belief that our nation is failing while Britain is excelling.
They say the blacks get all the jobs. They say that they are lazy
A common misconception is that black people are handed jobs and are lazy.
A nice girl won't let you have sex. Enjoys it if you make her
Misogyny perpetuates the notion that women don't want sex and need to be convinced.
The media all twist the facts. I read it in the paper
The media often manipulates the truth for ratings and attention.
Stands to reason
It's logical to believe based on what we've been told.
You've heard it said so it has to be the truth
If we've heard something from multiple sources, it must be true.
Fact or fiction. What's the difference. They say it's so
It's difficult to distinguish between truth and lies when our sources are not reliable.
But think again. Repeat mistakes and it's never gonna change
If we don't question what we know, we are doomed to constantly repeat mistakes.
And you never get the truth if you never ask yourself, what do they know?
We have to question what we're told to find out the truth for ourselves.
They say all cops are bastard thugs. They're all a bunch of racists
It's believed that all cops are terrible people and inherently racist.
The Scots are mean. The Irish mugs. At heart all men are rapists
There are many bigoted and baseless beliefs about different races and genders.
Girls today they ask for it. I never touched your mother
Blaming women for sexual assault by saying they're asking for it is unjust.
And youngsters now are all on drugs. Yes, thanks, I'll have another
A common perception is that young people abuse drugs and don't have any ambitions.
Mark my words. Take a tip from one who knows
Believe me because I'm an authority on this subject.
You will know more when you're older. They say it's so
Experience will make you wiser, or so we've been told.
But come again. Question it when you see it doesn't fit
If something doesn't add up, we need to ask questions and rethink our beliefs.
So you ask me what's the score
You're asking me to tell you what's really going on.
Well, I can only say to make up your own mind
I don't have all the answers, so you'll need to decide for yourself.
I'd rather see the whole world die than you or I believe a lie
It's better to face harsh truths than to live in ignorance and perpetuate falsehoods.
We had it hard when I was young. We used to have such great times
Nostalgia encourages us to believe that the past was better than the present.
A man took pride in what he'd done. You should have seen the breadlines
In the past, people found pride in hard work, but there were still struggles to make ends meet.
To get back to that golden age there must be unemployment
To recreate the past, we must be okay with people being unemployed.
But kids today don't want to work. They're just out for enjoyment
The younger generation is not seen as being ambitious and focusing only on having fun.
It won't change 'cause it's always been the same
People have been repeating the same mistakes and false beliefs for generations.
People hating, people fighting. They say it's so
The world is filled with conflict and division, and it's believed that it's always been this way.
Do you believe that? Perhaps you do but it's only up to you
We have the power to decide what we want to believe in and what we want to change.
And you never get the truth if you never ask yourself
We have to be willing to question what we know to discover the truth.
What do they know?
We cannot blindly trust everything we hear, and we need to question authority and sources of information.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GORDON OGILVIE, DOLPHIN TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind