One of the more popular and enduring groups of a short-lived trend, The Beat released three albums: "I Just Can't Stop It" (1980), "Wha'ppen" (1981) and "Special Beat Service" (1982), and a string of excellent singles including "Mirror in the Bathroom", the politically-charged "Stand Down Margaret" (which refers to controversial British PM Margaret Thatcher), "Save It For Later" and "I Confess".
Although the group's main fan-base was in the UK, they were also popular in Australia thanks to regular exposure on the government-owned rock radio station Triple J and the nationally-broadcast TV pop show Countdown. They had a sizeable following in the U.S., and a strong presence on that country's college radio.
After the break-up of The Beat, Dave Wakeling (guitar, lead vocals) and Ranking Roger (vocals) went on to form General Public, while Andy Cox (guitar) and David Steele (bass guitar) formed Fine Young Cannibals with vocalist Roland Gift.
Members of the band often collaborated on stage with The Specials and performed together on tracks such as "Free Nelson Mandela". In the early 1990s, Roger joined members of The Specials to form the new band The Special Beat, which released two live albums.
Ranking Roger's son, Ranking Junior, has followed in his father's footsteps. In 2005, he appeared on The Ordinary Boys' single "Boys Will Be Boys". In 2003, The Beat's original line-up, minus Cox and Steele but with the addition of Junior, played a sold-out one-off gig at the Royal Festival Hall. As of 2005, The Beat has reformed, counting Roger, Blockhead and Morton of the original line-up, with Ranking Junior also on vocals. The band is said to have the blessing of Cox, Steele and Saxa (of Desmond Dekker fame).
The Beat's lead singer Dave Wakeling also continues to tour as The English Beat, as he has done for the last three decades, with an amazing all-star ska backing band playing the hits of The English Beat, General Public, and his new songs.
Official Website: www.davewakeling.com
Rough Rider
The English Beat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run like a spider
Run like a tiger y'know
She was a rough rider
A strong whiner
Who start to whine 'n whiney
I had a hard night
Lord, me feel so broke up today
Lord, me feel so broke up today
Lord, me feel so mash up today
She was a rough rider
A cool stroker
A winding bush
She chop di wood
Me had a hard night
Last night
Yeah, alright
She was a rough rider
A rough rider
She brought me home me take off my jeans beside her
Me take off me jeans and she starting to scream
Take off me knickers and she say good thing
But the brand new thing is a war
Say what the brand new thing is blood
Me say I take her inna bed and then she run like she red
Should have been dead and then a some brrr, a war
Treat your body so n'see you got to come around, is how we say
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza
Then good enough to
Good enough to go den good thing!
You rub-a-dub-dub
You rub it all around
You rub it all down
You rub it on the ground
Yeah
Well, I don't know what to say
You see me yesterday
And I don't know what to say
If you speak to me today
She was rough rider (rough rider)
With solid riddim
I say solid like this
She whine and push
I see you whine and grine till you feel alright
She had a hard night
She had a hard night
Last night
Last night, was the finals, I ride right through you
Yeah
Last night
I say bosoms and give me love and unity
And what about humanity
Tonight
Last night I had sugar and spice
Tonight
As I would tell ya brrr
The English Beat's song "Rough Rider" is a lively tune that embodies a great deal of fun and mischief. This song, although difficult to decipher in a few instances, is essentially about a wild and free-spirited woman - the rough rider. The song is sung from the perspective of a man who had a hard night last night and is still feeling it this morning. The man is singing about his encounter with the rough rider, who is full of life and vitality. The rough rider is the kind of woman who can run like a spider, run like a tiger, and chop wood with ease. She is rough and tough but cool and stroking. The singer of the song had a wild night with her and is now feeling the after-effects.
The lyrics are clearly symbolic, and some of the phrases are challenging to comprehend. However, the song's intention is to lift people's spirits and have them enjoy themselves, regardless of the deeper meanings behind the words. The song features a reggae vibe with influential elements of punk rock, which gives it its characteristic sound. The English Beat's "Rough Rider" is an upbeat and energetic song that showcases the essence of the band's style and creativity.
Line by Line Meaning
Great song's the rough rider y'know
This song is really great and it's about a woman who is tough and strong.
Run like a spider
She runs quickly and gracefully like a spider.
Run like a tiger y'know
She runs quickly and powerfully like a tiger.
She was a rough rider
The woman in the song is a tough and strong person.
A strong whiner
She complains loudly and persistently.
Who start to whine 'n whiney
She begins to complain and continues to do so in a whiny tone.
I had a hard night
The singer had a difficult night.
Lord, me feel so broke up today
The singer is feeling very sad and broken today.
Lord, me feel so mash up today
The singer is feeling very messed up and troubled today.
She was a rough rider
The woman in the song is a tough and strong person.
A cool stroker
She is a smooth and confident seducer.
A winding bush
She is a winding and elusive person.
She chop di wood
She does manual labor such as chopping wood.
Yeah, alright
The singer agrees or acknowledges something said.
She brought me home me take off my jeans beside her
The woman brings the singer to her home and he removes his jeans next to her.
Me take off me jeans and she starting to scream
The woman screams when the singer takes off his jeans.
Take off me knickers and she say good thing
The woman approves when the singer takes off his underwear.
But the brand new thing is a war
Something new is causing conflict or struggles.
Say what the brand new thing is blood
The new thing is bloody or violent.
Me say I take her inna bed and then she run like she red
The singer claims he takes the woman to bed but then she runs away as if embarrassed.
Should have been dead and then a some brrr, a war
It's unclear what this means; it could be a reference to something violent or chaotic.
Treat your body so n'see you got to come around, is how we say
If you take care of your body, you'll be healthy and happy.
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza
This is a reference to a children's song; its relevance here is unclear.
Then good enough to
It's good enough that...
Good enough to go den good thing!
It's good enough to proceed or move on, which is great.
You rub-a-dub-dub
This is a nonsensical phrase or sound effect.
You rub it all around
You spread something around.
You rub it all down
You rub something until it is all the way down or gone.
You rub it on the ground
You rub something on the ground.
Well, I don't know what to say
The singer is at a loss for words.
You see me yesterday
You saw the singer yesterday.
And I don't know what to say
The singer is still at a loss for words.
If you speak to me today
If you talk to the singer today.
With solid riddim
With a strong and consistent rhythm.
I say solid like this
It's a strong as this.
I see you whine and grine till you feel alright
The singer sees the woman dancing and enjoying herself until she feels okay again.
Last night, was the finals, I ride right through you
The previous night was the finals and the singer triumphantly passed through.
I say bosoms and give me love and unity
The singer calls for love and unity with this nonsensical phrase.
And what about humanity
The singer is questioning what we are doing for humanity.
Tonight
The current night.
Last night I had sugar and spice
The singer had a good time the previous night.
As I would tell ya brrr
It's unclear what this means; it could be a nonsensical sound effect.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EDDY GRANT, DERV GORDON, LINCOLN GORDON, PATRICK GRANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind