At its formation the band consisted of Paul Heaton (vocals), Stan Cullimore (guitar), Ted Key (bass) and Chris Lang (drums). The band's membership changed frequently throughout its existence. Ted Key was replaced by Norman Cook (who later became internationally famous as big beat musician Fatboy Slim) and drummer Chris Lang was replaced by Hugh Whitaker, former drummer with The Gargoyles, who in turn was replaced with Dave Hemingway. The band split in 1988.
The band often referred to themselves as "the 4th best band in Hull," referring to Kingston upon Hull, the city in England where the band formed in 1983. (The three bands that were "better" were Red Guitars, Everything but the Girl, and The Gargoyles.)
In 1986, the band broke through with the single Happy Hour, which reached No. 3 in the UK charts helped by a claymation animated pop promo of a type that was in vogue at the time. At the end of the same year, they had a No. 1 single with a cover version of Isley Jasper Isley's Caravan of Love.
The band released three albums: London 0 Hull 4, The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death, and the greatest bits compilation Now That's What I Call Quite Good. A new collection, Best of the Housemartins, was released in 2004, and was available in a expanded edition with a DVD collecting their music video clips.
The Housemartins lyrics were an odd mixture of Marxist politics and born-again Christianity, reflecting Paul Heaton's beliefs at the time.
The band split in 1988, but the members have since remained friends and worked on each other's projects. Norman Cook has enjoyed significant success with both Beats International and then as Fatboy Slim, while Heaton, Hemingway and roadie Sean Welch formed The Beautiful South. Stan Cullimore has become an author of children's books. Despite repeated requests from fans, they have never reformed.
In 1993, former drummer Hugh Whitaker was convicted of assault after attacking his business partner James Hewitt with an axe. Whitaker was subsequently released from prison and now resides in Leeds, where he occasionally drums with local band Percy. Whitaker is also a member of The Malkies fronted by Alistair Hulett.
Bow Down
The Housemartins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stay at home with you for another year
That building's so tall and it makes me feel so small
That I might get lost and simply disappear
Evil smiles won't change my mind
I'm worried and I'm not the worrying kind
Why's that man rubbing his hands
Today I have been molding plasticine
and I made a little man who looked just like me
His limbs were so weak and he couldn't move his mouth to speak
And I could bend him into any shape I wanted him to be
Evil smiles won't change my mind
I'm worried and I'm not the worrying kind
Why's that man rubbing his hands
Looking at me writing down his plans?
Those kids with the blazers on
They went in with names on their elbows
Came home with medals on
Spit it out that's the way the story goes
A flying start for the briefcase crew
Oh, you didn't have to teach me like you did
But you did
And you didn't have to beat me like you did
But you did
But you did
You did
You did
In the Housemartins' song "Bow Down", the lyrics speak to the pressures of society and the fear of not fitting in. The song starts with the singer expressing a desire to stay at home with their parents for another year, rather than facing the outside world. They feel small and insignificant in the face of a tall building, fearing they might disappear. The lyrics suggest that this is a common feeling amongst people, and that the world can be a scary place.
The second verse is where the lyrics become more pointed. The singer expresses a distrust of those around them, wondering why a man is looking at them and writing down his plans. The lyrics suggest that this person is planning something nefarious, and the singer is right to be worried. The song then shifts into a description of the singer making a little plasticine man that looks just like them. They can bend the figure however they want, suggesting that they may feel powerless in their own life.
The final verse of the song describes a group of kids who went into school with names on their elbows and came out with medals. This suggests that there is a pressure to conform to society's expectations, and those who do are rewarded. The final lines of the song describe the physical abuse the singer suffered at the hands of someone who should have been teaching them. This further reinforces the idea that the outside world can be a cruel place.
Line by Line Meaning
Mother, Father, I think that I would rather
I want to stay back with you and not go out for one more year
Stay at home with you for another year
I prefer to be with my parents than to go outside
That building's so tall and it makes me feel so small
The tall building makes me feel insignificant
That I might get lost and simply disappear
I am afraid of getting lost in the huge building
Evil smiles won't change my mind
I won't be swayed by fake smiles
I'm worried and I'm not the worrying kind
Even though I worry, I am not the type to worry much
Why's that man rubbing his hands
Why is that man rubbing his hands nervously?
Looking at me writing down his plans?
Why is he staring at me while writing something down?
Today I have been molding plasticine
I have been playing with clay today
and I made a little man who looked just like me
I created a little clay figurine that looks like me
His limbs were so weak and he couldn't move his mouth to speak
The figurine's arms and legs were fragile, and it could not talk
And I could bend him into any shape I wanted him to be
I could manipulate the clay figurine into any shape I wanted
Those kids with the blazers on
Those neatly dressed children
They went in with names on their elbows
The children had their names written on their shirt sleeves
Came home with medals on
They returned with medals won for their achievements
Spit it out that's the way the story goes
That's just how it is, no use complaining
A flying start for the briefcase crew
The people with briefcases had a good start
Oh, you didn't have to teach me like you did
You could have taught me in a better way
But you did
But you still taught me that way anyway
And you didn't have to beat me like you did
You could have been gentler instead of hitting me
But you did
But you still beat me anyway
But you did
You still did it despite having a choice not to
You did
You did what you did
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IAN PETER CULLIMORE, PAUL HEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gastonrafa
Lyrics :
Mother, Father, I think that I would rather
Stay at home with you for another year
That building's so tall and it makes me feel so small
That I might get lost and simply disappear
Evil smiles won't change my mind
I'm worried and I'm not the worrying kind
Why's that man rubbing his hands
Looking at me writing down his plans?
Today I have been molding plasticine
and I made a little man who looked just like me
His limbs were so weak and he couldn't move his mouth to speak
And I could bend him into any shape I wanted him to be
Evil smiles won't change my mind
I'm worried and I'm not the worrying kind
Why's that man rubbing his hands
Looking at me writing down his plans?
Those kids with the blazers on
They went in with names on their elbows
Came home with medals on
Spit it out that's the way the story goes
A flying start for the briefcase crew
Oh, you didn't have to teach me like you did
But you did
And you didn't have to beat me like you did
But you did
But you did
You did
You did
@pablomamani2790
Por fin la encontré... TEMAZO, la escuchaba cuando era adolescente, siempre la tenía en mi mente....
@leonardocarmona1898
Yo tambien
@olinika71
Ya lo tenes!!! Es momento de desfrutar !!!
@diegorodriguez-pm6wz
Yo también!!! Recién la encontré después de muchos años
@Kratos02737
Por fin la encontre, estuve 3 años deseando volver a escucharlo
@renzito649
No soy el unico por lo que veo 😅
@toronaga50
As soon as I pressed play, tears came to my eyes ! Brilliant !
@dearte424
⁰
@gutierrez.sietesiete
la acabo de encontrar hoy 24 de dic 21 la tenia excondida en la memoria
@stecarter5988
Not surprised to see so many Spanish voices on here -went to Denia in 1989 for a month and the local radio station blasted them out constantly -couldn't believe how popular they were out there - great taste