The Adicts are an English Punk rock band from Ipswich, Suffolk. They began … Read Full Bio ↴The Adicts are an English Punk rock band from Ipswich, Suffolk. They began life as the Afterbirth & The Pinz, in their hometown of Ipswich in late 1975. Popular in the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts at that time.
They soon changed their name to The Adicts and became known for their distinctive Clockwork Orange 'Droog' image, which, along with their urgent, uptempo music and light-hearted lyrics, helped set them very much apart from the rest of the genre. Temporary 1980s name changes to ADX and FUN ADICTS, for a children's TV appearance, also occurred.

Their song "Viva La Revolution" was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground.

The band still has all its original members, uncommon for a band with such longevity.

The music of The Adicts proves that punk music is a very broad genre, often featuring extra instruments and sound clips such as carousel music (How Sad), violin played by Derick Cook (Joker in the Pack), gongs and keyboard percussion by Anthony Boyd (Chinese Takeaway), and even completely different songs like the switch to Gain To Lose's Tune #24 at the end of G.I.R.L..

The look of the majority of the bandmates is that of the Droogs from the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange based on the book by Anthony Burgess. All white with black combat boots and black bowler hats. The band says that the look appealed to them because of the teenage angst associated with A Clockwork Orange. Singer "Monkey" wears full joker make-up and his clothes are wild, patterned suits, flared trousers, colorful dress shirts, and other such things. His favorites seem to be checkerboard patterns, or polkadots. And of course, there's the obligatory bowler hat and gloves. Along with the look come stage antics involving streamers, confetti, playing cards, joker hats, toy instruments, and glitter just to name a few things.

members:
Keith 'Monkey' Warren - Vocals.
Mel (Spider)Ellis - Bass
Pete Dee Davison - Guitar
Michael 'Kid Dee' Davison - Drums
John 'Scruff' Ellis (Mel’s brother) - Guitar
Dan Gratziani - Violin,Piano,Mandolin

A Man's Gotta Do
The Adicts Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I heard her scream
From the tower above
My heart it wanted to help
But the soldiers' who guard
Would surely stop my attempt

Well, a man's gotta do
What a man's gotta do

I scaled the wall
At night after dark
The coast was o' so clear
When i reached
the young maiden's cell
My heart was o' so near

As we made off
Into the night
My maiden in my arms

I thought it was just like the movies
Eat your heart out Errol Flynn!

Overall Meaning

The Adicts's song, "A Man's Gotta Do" tells the story of a man who hears a young maiden scream from a tower above, indicating that she may be in distress of some kind. The man's heart is moved to help, but he recognizes that the soldiers guarding the tower will stop him if he makes any attempt to do so. In the end, he decides that a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, and he scales the wall at night after dark when the coast is clear. He successfully reaches the young maiden's cell, takes her in his arms, and they make off into the night.

The lyrics of this song can be interpreted in a number of ways. On one level, it can be seen as a story of heroism and chivalry, where the man is willing to risk himself to save a damsel in distress. On another level, it can be seen as a statement about the nature of men and their sense of duty, and the idea that sometimes, we must take matters into our own hands and do what needs to be done, regardless of the risks or obstacles in our way.

Overall, "A Man's Gotta Do" is a powerful and inspiring song that speaks to the resilience, courage, and determination that can be found within all of us. It encourages us to take risks and seize opportunities, even when the odds seem insurmountable, and reminds us that sometimes, we must go it alone in order to reach our goals and fulfill our destinies.

Line by Line Meaning

I heard her scream
I perceived the plea for help from the damsel.

From the tower above
From an elevated structure which makes the rescue more challenging.

My heart it wanted to help
My emotions sympathized with her situation and begged me to come to her aid.

But the soldiers' of the guard
However, the security personnel would oppose and restrict me from doing so.

Would surely stop my attempt
They would undoubtedly foil my rescue efforts.

Well, a man's gotta do
Nonetheless, a man should still carry out what he deems necessary.

What a man's gotta do
It's a man's responsibility to undertake what is obligatory or significant to him.

I scaled the wall
I climbed over the barrier.

At night after dark
During the nighttime when it's pitch black, and people are asleep.

The coast was o' so clear
There was no struggle or obstruction in my way.

When I reached the young maiden's cell
Once I arrived at the girl's imprisonment location.