After their split several former members of the band went on to form another NZ group called Svelte and Che Fu started a successful solo career in hip hop.
The original Supergroove lineup reformed to support Crowded House at three New Zealand shows in October 2007. They have subsequently continued to tour, playing gigs and festivals in New Zealand and overseas.
You Gotta Know
Supergroove Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need 10 grand to buy me back my car.
I can't give you no cookie
But if you give me the cash I'll buy you the whole jar
He scratched his head
Clicked his pen and looked me up and down
As he called for Security
He leaned towards me slowly with a frown
Baby take me by my hand
I'll lead you to the Promised Land
You gotta know to understand
I was driving late at night
With my best girlfriend, her name was Tracy Trump
We took a left up at Norfolk
And stopped the car after I hit a bump
I said "Don't cry baby, we were going so fast it probably didn't feel one thing."
Yeah
As we were laying it to rest
The dog jumped up and started to sing
You gotta know to understand,
Baby take me by my hand
I'll lead you to the Promised Land,
You gotta know
I went out for a walk
I was wondering why my life was standing still
I went up to see the wise man
His cave was on the top of wise man hill
When finally I got there
I saw the old man, he was standing on his head
I said "tell me bout the birds and the bees and the flowers
and the trees and The moon up above and the thing called love"
...he said
You gotta know to understand
Baby take me by my hand
I'll lead you to the Promised Land
You gotta know to understand
You gotta know to understand
Baby take me by my hand
I'll lead you to the Promised Land
You gotta know to understand
End
The lyrics of Supergroove's "You Gotta Know" describe the different situations in life where we need to have a certain level of understanding to get by. The first verse talks about a conversation with a banker where the singer needs to borrow money to buy his car back. He offers to buy the banker the whole jar of cookies if he lends him the cash. However, the banker is not impressed with his proposition and calls for security, indicating that there are certain protocols to follow in a bank, and the singer needs to know how to handle himself in such a situation.
The next verse talks about another situation where the singer is driving with his girlfriend and they hit a bump in the road. He offers a light-hearted explanation of the situation to calm her down, indicating that sometimes we need to know how to see the bright side of things and be positive even in unlikely situations. The last verse talks about a spiritual journey to see the "wise man" who stands on his head and asks about the mysteries of life. The wise man tells him that he needs to "know to understand," implying that to truly appreciate the beauty and complexity of the world, one needs to have a deep understanding and knowledge of it.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the need for a certain level of understanding to navigate through different aspects of life, be it in financial matters, relationships or spiritual journeys. It urges the listener to gain knowledge and deeper understanding to lead them to the "Promised Land."
Line by Line Meaning
I said "Please Mr. Bankman"
I pleaded with the bank manager
I need 10 grand to buy me back my car.
I need $10,000 to regain possession of my car
I can't give you no cookie
I have nothing to offer you
But if you give me the cash I'll buy you the whole jar
If you give me the money, I'll give you something of greater value
He scratched his head
He was confused
Clicked his pen and looked me up and down
He was assessing me
As he called for Security
He was summoning security
He leaned towards me slowly with a frown
He was expressing disapproval
You gotta know to understand
You need knowledge to comprehend
Baby take me by my hand
Come with me
I'll lead you to the Promised Land
I'll take you to a better place
I was driving late at night
I was driving during the late hours
With my best girlfriend, her name was Tracy Trump
I was with my close friend named Tracy Trump
We took a left up at Norfolk
We turned left at Norfolk
And stopped the car after I hit a bump
We halted the car when I hit an obstacle
I said "Don't cry baby, we were going so fast it probably didn't feel one thing."
I comforted her by implying the accident was not significant
As we were laying it to rest
As we settled after the incident
The dog jumped up and started to sing
The dog began to vocalize
I went out for a walk
I went for a stroll
I was wondering why my life was standing still
I was contemplating why my life stagnated
I went up to see the wise man
I visited a sage
His cave was on the top of wise man hill
His dwelling was at the summit of a hill
When finally I got there
After arriving there
I saw the old man, he was standing on his head
I observed the elderly person performing an unusual feat
I said "tell me bout the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees and The moon up above and the thing called love"
I asked about the fundamental aspects of life
...he said
He responded
Contributed by Dominic M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tbputera
I spent 5 years of my childhood in NZ watching son of a gunn and listening to supergroove
@NickGranville
tb putera ha. I do too. Kiwis
@alexlodda
RIP Thingee
@potterj09
CHOICE BRU!
@Refdsfan
Kiwi as bro. This is the best song (and band) to come out of the the greatest country ever!
@hunterblair3555
Dean Barker well I wouldn't exactly say greatest its OK at best
@judejohnston7257
Dean Barker you know it
@bodenkree7053
Dean Barker that's not saying much 😂😂😂😂😂
@bigluke001
These guys are still fantastic. I wasnt a fan until they played in a bar i worked at "margaritas" in the Chase plaza Auckland about 1993/94. They were incredible and i have loved them ever since. I have kids now and they also dig the Groove!
@rowandekker9228
We used to do roadies from raglan to aucks and hit margaritas. It had an upstairs and downstairs ..... I think.