There is more than one band with this name.

(1) The Hippos were a th… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one band with this name.

(1) The Hippos were a third wave ska-punk band from Southern California. Unlike other typical bands of the genre, The Hippos employed heavy use of a Moog synthesizer.
The Hippos’s first full album release was Forget the World, released in 1996. Interestingly, many of the songs on Forget The World were written when Ariel Rechstaid, the band’s primary songwriter, was only 15 years old. This album employed traditional ska-punk songwriting, including upbeat tempos and heavy brass instrumentation. Additionally, various percussion instruments were used, such as bongos and wood blocks. The next album was Heads Are Gonna Roll, released in 1999. A transitional album, a balance of horns and synthesizers is found on this album. Commercially, this album was the band’s most successful; it is the only album to be fully produced by a large record label and thus is assumedly the most circulated and heard of the three albums.
The Hippos, a self titled final release, was released in 2003 after the band’s break-up. This album completed the gradual transition from traditional ska-punk to the unique, orginal synthpop sound exhibited here. Ties to the ska-punk scene from which they began had been all but completely severed. In fact, only one track from this album uses horns at all, an essential element of ska. Much of the Hippos’s fanbase was initially reluctant at such a different sound, but for the most part, this reluctance gave way to admiration. To many fans, the Hippos’s final album was their best written and most enjoyable, despite its limited commercial success.

(2) The Hippos are a blues band from Sydney, Australia. They enjoyed modest chart success with Dark Age in 1988, from the album Hippocracy.

We
The Hippos Lyrics

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The word gets around
From show to shore
We've got the sound
You've been looking for

(Ah, looking for)
They try to keep us down
But we'll fight for more

We've got the sound

You've been looking for
(Yeah)
We're here
So clear

Turn up your radio
Till your speakers both explode
Turn up your radio
They've got no style

And they're such a bore
We've got the sound
You've been looking for
You better hide your dollars

Better lock your doors
'Cause we've got the sound
You've been looking for
We're here

So clear
Turn up your radio
Till your speakers both explode
Turn up your radio

We're here
So clear
Turn up your radio
Till your speakers both explode

Turn up your radio
The time
Has come
To choose

Which side you're on
We've been waiting for so long
(We've been waiting for so long)
The time

Has come
To choose
Which side you're on
The revolution's near

So clear
We're here
Turn up your radio
Turn up your radio

We're here
So clear
Turn up your radio
Till your speakers both explode

Turn up your radio
We're here
So clear
Turn up your radio

Till your speakers both explode
Turn up your radio
We're here
So clear

Turn up your radio

Till your speakers both explode
Turn up your radio

Overall Meaning

The Hippos’ song “We’re Here” is an upbeat, pop-punk anthem that exudes empowerment, rebellion, and a call for revolution. From the very beginning, the song exclaims that they have the sound that people have been looking for, and they will fight to be heard despite any attempts to keep them down. The song is an invitation to turn up your radio until your speakers explode with their sound, to drown out the boring and style-less music that dominates the airwaves. The chorus is a repetition of “We’re here, so clear,” emphasizing that their presence and sound are both undeniable and inescapable.

The song’s bridge is a call for action, a challenge to choose which side of the revolution you stand on, and to join in the fight that they have been waiting for so long. The final repetition of the chorus is a rallying cry, urging everyone to turn up their radios and let The Hippos’ sound fill the air and inspire change.

Overall, “We’re Here” is a song that encourages listeners to rebel against conformity and mediocrity, to embrace their individuality, and to fight for what they believe in.

Line by Line Meaning

The word gets around From show to shore
Our music and fame spread quickly from one place to another.

We've got the sound You've been looking for
Our music is exactly what you have been searching and hoping for.

They try to keep us down But we'll fight for more We've got the sound You've been looking for
Despite facing obstacles, we will persist and continue to create the music you desire.

Turn up your radio Till your speakers both explode They've got no style And they're such a bore
Listen to our music so loudly that your speakers burst, because unlike others, we have a unique style and they are uninteresting.

You better hide your dollars Better lock your doors 'Cause we've got the sound You've been looking for
Our music is so good, that people may try to steal or harm you just to get a taste of it.

The time Has come To choose Which side you're on
It's time to decide if you want to support and join our music or not.

The revolution's near So clear We're here Turn up your radio
Our music will lead a change and we are ready and visible for you to listen and be inspired by it.

Till your speakers both explode
Listen to our music so loudly that your speakers burst.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID JON GILMOUR, ROGER WATERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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