The Boys made arguably one of the best LPs of the 70s with their self-title… Read Full Bio ↴The Boys made arguably one of the best LPs of the 70s with their self-titled first album and provided the template for superior Pop Punk before even the Buzzcocks had got out of first gear. Formed from the ashes of '70s glam outfit The Hollywood Brats, the Boys were responsible for four albums and ten singles, several of which were released under the name "The Yobs," always released just in time for The Christmas season. The track "First Time," from their debut EP, is a bona fide '78 second-wave UK punk classic, amidst such groups as Chelsea, The Undertones, The Lurkers, and Eater.

Yet for some reason The Boys occupy a neglected position in relation to London's early Punk scene, probably because they weren't clothed by Sex or managed by Malcolm McLaren. Being tagged the "Punk Beatles" couldn't have helped either, and by '81 they called it quits.

Plagued by mishaps, bad timing and plain bad luck they managed to keep smiling and come up with corking, hyper-speed pop classics like "Brickfield Nights" and "Rue Morgue". In short The Boys were a gem of a band and a total inspiration to any Punk band who value tunes over noise.

There are others artists with the same name:
2) Jheryl Busby signed the Abdulsamad Brothers, better known as the Boys, while employed at MCA Records. "The Boys" Khiry (born November 8, 1973), Tajh (born December 10, 1976), Hakim (born March 27, 1975), and Bilal Abdulsamad (born April 17, 1978) started singing in their hometown of Carson, CA, when Bilal was five and Khiry nine. They are best known for their 1988 hit single "Dial My Heart". Today, they live in Gambia on the West Coast of Africa

3) The Boys. Australia (1980), Made "When You're Lonely" 7" a nice new wave/power pop single.

4) The Boys were a Lincoln, Nebraska band power pop group. They put out three singles including "She's All Mine" (1975) and "You Make Me Shake" (1977).

5) The Boys was a powerpop group from Sweden.

6) The Boys is also an all-girl grunge band from Brisbane, Australia. Currently unsigned, they released a self-titled 3-song EP demo (September, 2012).

Keep Running
The Boys Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Another street and another town
Another mother in a black Sedan
You`ll never win ‘cos you’ll never lose
The flashing light and electric blue

I don’t believe all is black or white
Someone’s wrong is another’s right
Soon learn how to get around

Keeping tuned to the sight and sound

Keep running, gotta keep running

Keep running, gotta keep running
Keep running, nine nine nine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Boys' song Keep Running seem to speak about the constant need to keep moving forward in life. The song begins with the lines "Another street and another town, Another mother in a black sedan", which suggests a constant state of change and movement and makes it seem like the singer is on the run from something. The next line "You'll never win 'cause you'll never lose" could be taken to mean that the person is in a limbo, where they neither win nor lose, but just exist.

The chorus of the song repeatedly uses the phrase "keep running" and this seems to be the main message of the song. The lyrics "I don't believe all is black or white, Someone's wrong is another's right" speak about the complexity of life and the fact that there are no easy answers. It suggests that there are different perspectives to consider and that what is right for one person might not be for another.

The final line of the chorus, "nine nine nine", is a reference to the UK emergency phone number. It could be interpreted as a cry for help, which reinforces the idea that the singer is on the run and needs to keep moving to stay safe.

Line by Line Meaning

Another street and another town
Moving from place to place, constantly on the move.

Another mother in a black Sedan
Seeing the same routine of life on the streets.

You'll never win ‘cos you’ll never lose
Success or failure is just a matter of perception.

The flashing light and electric blue
An apt representation of modern technology.

I don’t believe all is black or white
There is always a gray area in every situation.

Someone’s wrong is another’s right
Differences in beliefs and opinions can be subjective.

Soon learn how to get around
Adapting to the current situations and environment.

Keeping tuned to the sight and sound
Remaining alert to the environment to stay ahead.

Keep running, gotta keep running
The only way to keep moving forward, never stop.

Keep running, nine nine nine
A reference to the emergency number, implying a sense of urgency to keep moving forward.

Contributed by Kayla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.