smoke on the water
The BB Band Lyrics
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On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didn't have much time
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But Swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty cold and bare
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We make a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
I know we'll never forget
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
The lyrics of The BB Band's song "Smoke on the Water" narrate the band's visit to Montreux, Switzerland, in December 1971, to record an album with a mobile recording unit. The first verse describes the serene setting of Lake Geneva, and the excitement of the band to make a record at the best place in town. However, the euphoria is short-lived as a fan fired a flare gun during a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers. The second verse tells the tale of how the band watched the Montreux Casino burn down, and Funky Claude (the venue’s caretaker) pulled kids out of the burning building. The chorus, "Smoke on the water, fire in the sky," refers to the thick smoke rising from the casino and the flames in the night.
The third verse talks about the band's search for a new location to record their album. They settled on the nearby Grand Hotel, which was almost empty, cold and had no equipment. However, they found a way to rig their recording equipment in the hotel, including some red lights and old beds, and continued recording music. The last line of the song, "No matter what we get out of this, I know we'll never forget," is a fitting tribute to the resilience of the band, who managed to persevere despite the fire and the subsequent relocation.
Line by Line Meaning
We all came out to Montreux
We arrived in Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
Near Lake Geneva
To make records with a mobile
To record using a portable studio
We didn't have much time
We were on a tight schedule
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Frank Zappa and his band were there
Were at the best place around
They were at the best venue in the area
But some stupid with a flare gun
However, someone foolishly used a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
Which caused the venue to catch on fire and eventually burn down
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
The fire caused smoke to rise and fill the air
They burned down the gambling house
The fire also burned down the neighboring casino
It died with an awful sound
Which resulted in a terrible noise
Funky Claude was running in and out
A man named Funky Claude was rescuing people from the burning building
Pulling kids out the ground
Saving children from the wreckage
When it all was over
After the fire had been put out
We had to find another place
We needed to find another location to record
But Swiss time was running out
However, time was running short since we were in Switzerland
It seemed that we would lose the race
It appeared that we might not finish our project in time
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
The memory of the fire and smoke lingered
We ended up at the Grand Hotel
We eventually settled at the Grand Hotel
It was empty cold and bare
The hotel was vacant and not well-equipped
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
However, we were inspired by the Rolling Stones' nearby truck
Making our music there
And we continued to make our music
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We made do with only a few lighting and bedroom resources
We make a place to sweat
We created a space to work hard and passionately
No matter what we get out of this
Regardless of the outcome of the project
I know we'll never forget
We will always remember the experience
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
The haunting image of the smoke and fire remains with us
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN GILLAN, IAN PAICE, JON LORD, RITCHIE BLACKMORE, ROGER GLOVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elmer Reyes
Bellísimo... Qué manera tan hermosa de hacer música!
0AlienFromUrAnus0
Wow, this version sounds pretty good. Nice new way to play it. Never heard anything similar. Any "Official" video/music track of this cover?
ENOCH THE RAD
absolutely dig it!
Santi Garcia
Grandes bandas
valikk85
the best cover. I've heard in my life. Blues is eternal!
Trent Magowan
very cool, it is nice to see a band as popular as ZZ Top do a very popular song in it's own, but do it with there blue grass tone!!
mootle661
I don't know how or why you've done this, but I love it.
Jori Kaila
Dusty, Billy and Frank reaching new musical levels .. yoyo :)
Peter Rosenqvist
Yeah, I realized that this clip is a fake, an awful sounding fake. My respect for ZZ top is still intact.
Ernie Cook
I seen Black Sabbath cover Smoke On the Water live when they had Ian Gillan on lead vocals, the Born Again album from '83 I believe