The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Celebrating over 40 years since their founding in 1977, New Orleans-based Dirty Dozen Brass Band has taken the traditional foundation of brass band music and incorporated it into a blend of genres including Bebop Jazz, Funk and R&B/Soul. This unique sound, described by the band as a ‘musical gumbo,’ has allowed the Dirty Dozen to tour across 5 continents and more than 30 countries, record 12 studio albums and collaborate with a range of artists from Modest Mouse to Widespread Panic to Norah Jones. Forty-plus years later, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a world famous music machine whose name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances.
Roger Lewis - Baritone Sax/Vocals
Kevin Harris - Tenor Sax/Vocals
Gregory Davis - Trumpet/Vocals
Kirk Joseph - Sousaphone
TJ Norris - Trombone/Vocals
Julian Addison - Drums
Takeshi Shimmura - Guitar
The History of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band
In 1977, The Dirty Dozen Social Aid and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band. It was a joining of two proud, but antiquated, traditions at the time: social aid and pleasure clubs dated back over a century to a time when black southerners could rarely afford life insurance, and the clubs would provide proper funeral arrangements. Brass bands, early predecessors of jazz as we know it, would often follow the funeral procession playing somber dirges, then once the family of the deceased was out of earshot, burst into jubilant dance tunes as casual onlookers danced in the streets. By the late '70s, few of either existed. The Dirty Dozen Social Aid and Pleasure Club decided to assemble this group as a house band, and over the course of these early gigs, the seven-member ensemble adopted the venue's name: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
Website: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Save The Children
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who really cares?
To save a world in despair
There'll come a time, when the world won't be singin'
Flowers won't grow, bells won't be ringin'
Who really cares?
Who's willing to try to save a world
That's destined to die
Little children today are really gonna suffer tomorrow
Oh what a shame, such a bad way to live
All who is to blame, we can't stop livin'
Live, live for life
But let live everybody
Live life for the children
Oh, for the children
You see, let's save the children
Let's save all the children
Save the babies, save the babies
If you wanna love, you got to save the babies
All of the children
But who really cares
Who's willing to try
Yes, to save a world
Yea, save our sweet world
Save a world that is destined to die
Oh, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Oh, oh dig it everybody
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band's song "Save The Children" is a soulful plea to the world to pay attention to the suffering of children and take action to save them. The opening line, "I just want to ask a question, who really cares?" sets the tone for the rest of the song as the band questions who is actually willing to try to save a world that seems destined to die. The imagery of a world in despair, where flowers won't grow and bells won't be ringing, paints a bleak picture of the future. The band notes that when they look at the world, it fills them with sorrow because they see the suffering of children who will only continue to suffer tomorrow. The repeated refrain of "save the children" serves as a call to action, a plea to listeners to step up and make a difference.
Line by Line Meaning
I just want to ask a question
The singer wants to ask a question about the state of the world
Who really cares?
The singer is questioning if anyone truly cares about the problems facing the world
To save a world in despair
The goal is to save the world from its current state of hopelessness
There'll come a time, when the world won't be singin
A time will come when the world will be silent and filled with despair
Flowers won't grow, bells won't be ringin'
The natural beauty of the world will fade away and be nothing but a memory
Who really cares?
The singer is once again questioning if anyone truly cares about the world's problems
Who's willing to try to save a world that's destined to die
The singer is questioning if anyone is willing to make an effort to save the world even though it seems doomed to fail
When I look at the world it fills me with sorrow
The singer is filled with sadness when they see the state of the world
Little children today are really gonna suffer tomorrow
Children are the ones who will suffer the most from the world's problems
Oh what a shame, such a bad way to live
It is a terrible shame that the world has to be this way
All who is to blame, we can't stop livin'
It is impossible to stop living, but people need to take responsibility for the state of the world
Live, live for life
The singer is encouraging people to live their lives to the fullest
But let live everybody
Everyone should be allowed to live their life as they see fit
Live life for the children
People should live their lives for the sake of the children and their future
Oh, for the children
The singer is emphasizing the importance of the children and their future
You see, let's save the children
The singer is urging people to take action and save the children's future
Let's save all the children
All children need to be saved, not just a select few
Save the babies, save the babies
Babies, who are the most vulnerable, need to be saved
If you wanna love, you got to save the babies
To truly love, people need to take action and save the most vulnerable, the babies
All of the children
Every child's future must be saved
But who really cares
The singer is questioning once again if anyone truly cares about the children's future
Who's willing to try
The singer is questioning if anyone is really willing to make an effort to save the children's future
Yes, to save a world
The goal is to save the world and the future of the children
Yea, save our sweet world
The singer emphasizes the importance of the world and the need to save it
Save a world that is destined to die
The world might seem doomed, but people still need to make an effort to save it
Oh, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
The singer is expressing their emotions through nonverbal sounds
Oh, oh dig it everybody
The singer is encouraging people to listen and take action
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: COURTNEY FITZGERALD PINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind