The Adverts were an English punk rock band who formed in 1976 and broke up … Read Full Bio ↴The Adverts were an English punk rock band who formed in 1976 and broke up in 1979. They are mainly remembered for their singles "One Chord Wonders" and "Gary Gilmore's Eyes". "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" reached the UK top 20 in August 1977.

Their first gig was to support Generation X on January 15, 1977 at The Roxy in London; their last was at Slough College on October 27, 1979. When the Adverts finally split up, T.V. Smith continued with Tim Cross forming as TV Smith's Explorers, then Cheap, and finally through the 1990s to date performing as a solo artist.

Adverts' guitarist Howard Pickup (Howard Boak, Born 1951) died in 1997 of a brain tumor.

Great British Mistake
The Adverts Lyrics

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The great British mistake was looking for a way out,
Was getting complacent, not noticing
The pulse was racing.
The mistake was fighting.
The change, was staying the same.
It couldn't adapt so it couldn't survive,
Something had to give.
The people take a downhill slide into the gloom.

Into the darn recesses of their minds.

I swoop over your city like a bird.
I climb the high branches and observe.
Into the mouth, into the soul.
I cast a shadow that swallows you whole.
I swoop, I climb, I cling, I suck,
I swallow you whole.

String out the drip-feed, they're losing their world,
They're losing their hard boys and magazine girls.
Advert illegal, T.V. as outlaw, motive as spell.
They'll see the books burn. They'll be 451,
It's people against things and not against each other.
Out of the pre-pack, into the fear, into themselves.
They're the great British mistake.
The genie's out of the bottle, call in the magician.
They didn't mean to free him, devil behind them,
devil in the mirror, chained to their right hands.
They're the great British mistake.
They'll have to come to terms now, they'll take it out somehow.
They'll blame it all on something.
The British mistake - when will it be over?
How can they avoid it?

The great British mistake.

The great British mistake.
The great British mistake.

Overall Meaning

The Adverts' song Great British Mistake is a critical analysis of the British society. The lyrics acknowledge that the British society had made a great mistake by looking for a way out, getting complacent, and not noticing that the pulse was racing. The society was fighting against change, instead of adapting to survive. The mistake was in staying the same, and something had to give. As a result, the people took a downhill slide into the gloom, into the dark recesses of their minds.

The singer describes himself as a bird that swoops over the city, climbing the high branches and absorbing everything. He casts a shadow that swallows people whole. The society has lost its world, the hard boys, and magazine girls. Adverts are illegal, TV is an outlaw, motive as a spell. In this context, the singer refers to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, where books are illegal and burned. The people are against things and not against each other, out of the pre-pack and into the fear, into themselves. The genie is out of the bottle, and the magician called in to cope with the devil behind them and the devil in the mirror chained to their right hands. The people have become the great British mistake, and they'll have to come to terms with it. However, they'll blame it on something.

In summary, The Adverts' song, Great British Mistake, is a critical analysis of the British society. The lyrics point out that the society had made a great mistake by fighting against change and staying the same. As a result, people took a downhill slide into the gloom, into the dark recesses of their minds. The singer describes himself as a bird that casts a shadow, swallowing people whole. The society has lost its hard boys and magazine girls, and they're against things and not against each other.

Line by Line Meaning

The great British mistake was looking for a way out,
The British people made a mistake by searching for a way out of their problems.

Was getting complacent, not noticing The pulse was racing.
They got too comfortable and failed to recognize the urgency of the situation.

The mistake was fighting. The change, was staying the same.
They made the mistake of resisting change and chose to maintain the status quo.

It couldn't adapt so it couldn't survive, Something had to give.
Their inability to adapt meant that they couldn't survive and change had to happen.

The people take a downhill slide into the gloom. Into the darn recesses of their minds.
The people are experiencing a decline in their situation and retreating into a state of despair.

I swoop over your city like a bird. I climb the high branches and observe. Into the mouth, into the soul. I cast a shadow that swallows you whole. I swoop, I climb, I cling, I suck, I swallow you whole.
The singer is describing their powerlessness in the face of societal collapse, as if they are a bird of prey consuming the city and its inhabitants.

String out the drip-feed, they're losing their world, They're losing their hard boys and magazine girls. Advert illegal, T.V. as outlaw, motive as spell.
The constant stream of media and advertising has led to a loss of identity and a sense of community, as well as the commercialization of personal motivation.

They'll see the books burn. They'll be 451, It's people against things and not against each other. Out of the pre-pack, into the fear, into themselves.
The people will be complacent and allow censorship and the destruction of knowledge to occur, while they ignore the real issues and turn inward with fear and paranoia.

They're the great British mistake. The genie's out of the bottle, call in the magician. They didn't mean to free him, devil behind them, devil in the mirror, chained to their right hands. They're the great British mistake.
The British people are responsible for their problems, and now must attempt to rectify them with great difficulty.

They'll have to come to terms now, they'll take it out somehow. They'll blame it all on something.
They will need to accept responsibility for their situation and try to find a solution, but they may end up blaming external factors for their predicament.

The British mistake - when will it be over? How can they avoid it?
The British people must face and rectify their mistake, and there is uncertainty as to when this will happen or how they will achieve it.

The great British mistake. The great British mistake. The great British mistake.
Repetition of the title emphasizes the severity and significance of the British mistake and the need for change.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TIM TV SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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