Jailhouse
Sublime Lyrics


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And I won't make love to you
And I feel love, feel love

Jailhouse gets empty
Rudy gets plenty
The baton stick gets shorter
Rudy gets taller
Can't fight against the youth
'Cause we're strong and they're the rude rude people
Can't fight against the youth
'Cause we're strong and the rude rude people

Baby get down
When I was a youth in 1983
It was the best day of my life, had the eighty nine vision
We didn't fuss or no fight
When all the little daughters wanna be my wife
My vision
It was playin' on my guitar, on my guitar

I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there

When the rhythm, playin'
I know that I'm gonna be there yeah
Bud Gaugh will be singing there
And Eric Wilson will be bangin' up there, yea
Oh and we'll be all singin', with version, with version
Reggae version
Version, version, version oh

What has been told to the wise and up-rooted
It's gonna be revealed unto babes and Sublime
Rudy Rudy Rudy
Can't fight against the youth, right now
Them are rude, rude people
Can't fight against the resistance, oh right now
Them are rude, rude people

We gonna rule this land among children
We gonna rule this land

'Cause when that rhythm it was playin' on my guitar
On my guitar

I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there

Oh when I was a youth it was the best day
It was the best day of my life
We had the eighty nine vision

We didn't fuss or no fight
When all the little daughters wanna be my wife
When that rhythm, it was playin' on my guitar
On my guitar

I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
Had to be there

Jailhouse gets empty
And Rudy gets plenty
Baton stick gets shorter
Rudy gets taller, taller
And fight against the youth
'Cause we're strong, them are rude, rude people
Can't fight against the youth

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sublime's "Jailhouse" speak of rebellion and resistance against authority. The singer acknowledges the power of youth and its ability to challenge the status quo. They refuse to give in to those who try to suppress them and instead embrace their love for music and their ability to unite through it. The mention of Rudy throughout the song could refer to either a specific person or a symbol of the Rude Boy subculture that emerged in Jamaican music in the mid-20th century. The song's reference to the "best day of my life" and "89 vision" could relate to the time when the late lead vocalist Bradley Nowell, who wrote the lyrics, lived in the Bradbury Apartments in Long Beach, California. Nowell used to play his guitar in front of the building, and 1989 was the year Sublime officially formed.


Line by Line Meaning

And I won't give it up to you
I will not surrender to you


And I feel love, feel love
I am feeling love


Jailhouse gets empty
The jail is becoming vacant


Rudy gets plenty
Rudy is gaining abundant wealth


The baton stick gets shorter
The length of the baton stick is decreasing


Rudy gets taller
Rudy is growing taller


Can't fight against the youth
We cannot defeat the younger generation


'Cause we're strong and we're rude rude people
Because we are strong and bold individuals


When I was a youth in 1983
Back in 1983, when I was a young adult


Was the best day of my life, had the 89 vision
It was the happiest moment in my life, having a clear vision of the future


We didn't fuss or no fight
We did not quarrel or fight


When all the little daughters wanna be my wife
When many young girls wanted to marry me


It was playin' on my guitar, on my guitar
I was strumming on my guitar


I had to be there
I absolutely needed to be present


When the rhythm playin'
When the music is playing


I know that I'm gonna be there yeah
I am certain that I will be present


Bud Gaugh will be singing there
Bud Gaugh will be singing with me


And Eric Wilson will be bangin' up there, yeah
Eric Wilson will be skillfully playing his bass guitar


Oh and we'll be all singin', with version, with version, reggae version, reggae version, version, oh
We will be singing together in different reggae versions


What has been told to the wise and up-rooted
The knowledge passed down to the wise and uprooted


Yeah, it's gonna be revealed unto, and Sublime
It will be disclosed to the band Sublime and others


Rudy Rudy Rudy
Emphasizing Rudy's name


Can't fight against the youth, right now
We cannot defeat the young generation at present


Them are rude, rude people
They can be impolite individuals


Can't fight against the resistance, oh right now
We cannot fight against the opposition currently


Them are rude, rude people
They can be impolite individuals


We gonna rule this land among children
We will rule this land with the children


Cause when that rhythm it was playin' on my guitar
Because the music was playing while I was playing guitar


I had to be there
I truly needed to be present


Jailhouse gets empty
The jail is becoming vacant


Rudy gets plenty
Rudy is gaining abundant wealth


Baton stick gets shorter
The length of the baton stick is decreasing


Rudy gets taller, taller
Rudy is growing taller and taller


And fight against the youth
To fight against the younger generation


'Cause we're strong, and we're rude, rude people
Because we are strong and bold individuals




Lyrics © THIRD SIDE MUSIC INC., Third Side Music Inc., THIRD SIDE MUSIC INC
Written by: WARREN WILLIAMS, JOHN HOLT, CLEMENT DODD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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