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.
Flag Day
The Housemartins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not enough Robin Hoods
Too many halos not enough heroes
Coming up with the goods
So you though you'd like to change the world
Decided to stage a jumble sale
For the poor, for the poor
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Try shaking a box in front of the Queen
'Cause her purse is fat and bursting at the seams
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Too many hands in too many pockets
Not enough hands on hearts
Too many ready to call it a day
Before the day starts
So you thought you'd like to see them healed
Got Blue Peter to stage an appeal
For the poor, for the poor
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Try shaking a box in front of the Queen
'Cause her purse is fat and bursting at the seams
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Flag Day, Flag Day, Flag Day
The Housemartins’ song "Flag Day" addresses the issue of social inequality, specifically the discrepancy between the wealthy and the poor. The opening lines criticize the surplus of people who aspire to be a Florence Nightingale, a famous British nurse and social reformer, rather than a Robin Hood, the legendary character who helped the poor and oppressed. The song highlights the scarcity of individuals who act as heroes by standing up for the underprivileged community instead of taking archetypal roles that depict altruism but lack the substance to instigate any change.
The lyrics then criticize the charity events and collections as they do not capture the roots of the problem, which require more comprehensive solutions. The lines "it's a waste of time if you know what they mean, try shaking a box in front of the Queen, 'cause her purse is fat and bursting at the seams" suggest that charity alone can not bridge the gap and enforce notable modification. The song stresses the need for society to unite and strengthen the cause to counteract the oppressive system, emphasizing that too many people leave the problems to others, and as a result, nothing gets accomplished, and the problems heighten.
Overall, the song could be viewed as a call for individuals to take more proactive roles in affecting change instead of relying on surface-level solutions that do not solve systemic injustice.
Line by Line Meaning
Too many Florence Nightingales
There are too many people who seek to help others with basic needs without addressing larger issues of inequality.
Not enough Robin Hoods
There are not enough individuals who act as activists to fight larger systemic problems of inequality.
Too many halos not enough heroes
There are too many people who think themselves as good and religious but not enough people who take real actions to help others.
Coming up with the goods
People need to take part in action rather than just talking about issues.
So you thought you'd like to change the world
The song is talking about people who want to make a change, but are not necessarily doing it in the right way.
Decided to stage a jumble sale
This is referring to people who think they can change society with small-scale charitable events, but they are not enough to create real change.
For the poor, for the poor
The charity events are usually targeted towards the poor, but they are not enough to help them out of poverty.
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Charitable events, if done without a larger systematic change, are not enough to bring about true equality.
Try shaking a box in front of the Queen
This is criticizing people who think that the wealthy and powerful will help to fix these problems if asked in the right way. The Queen here is a symbol for any powerful figurehead.
'Cause her purse is fat and bursting at the seams
The implication here is that the Queen has a lot of money, but is unwilling to spend it on social causes.
Too many hands in too many pockets
This is criticizing people who act selfishly and not in the interest of the greater good.
Not enough hands on hearts
People are not doing enough to help others with true compassion.
Too many ready to call it a day
There are too many people who are unwilling to put in the effort to create real changes.
Before the day starts
This is a metaphor for not even starting the process of making a change.
So you thought you'd like to see them healed
This is a continuation of the criticism of people who think they can make a change with small charitable events without tackling larger systemic problems.
Got Blue Peter to stage an appeal
This is a reference to a UK TV programme that often airs charitable appeals, but this won't address long-term inequalities.
Flag Day, Flag Day, Flag Day
The repetition here is to emphasize the title of this song, which refers to the day the rescue boats began to look for migrants in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thurtletoncrackwinnet1779
Too many florence nightingales
Not enough robin hoods
Too many halos not enough heroes
Coming up with the goods
So you though you'd like to change the world
Decided to stage a jumble sale
For the poor, for the poor
So you thought you'd like to see them healed
Got Blue Peter to stage an appeal for the poor, for the poor
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Try shaking a box in front of the queen
'Cause her purse is fat and bursting at the seams
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Too many hands in too many pockets
Not enough hands on hearts
Too many ready to call it a day
Before the day starts
So you thought you'd like to see them healed
Decided to save a jumble sale
For the poor, for the poor
So you though you'd like to change the world
Decided to stage a jumble sale
For the poor, for the poor
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Try shaking a box in front of the queen
'Cause her purse is fat and bursting at the seams
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Flag day, flag day, flag day
Flag day, flag day, flag day
@MutualAidWorks
Too many Florence Nightingales
Not enough Robin Hoods
Too many halos not enough heroes
Coming up with the goods
So you thought you'd like to change the world
Decided to stage a jumble sale
For the poor, for the poor
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Try shaking a box in front of the Queen
'Cause her purse is fat and bursting at the seams
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Too many hands in too many pockets
Not enough hands on hearts
Too many ready to call it a day
Before the day starts
So you thought you'd like to see them healed
Got blue Peter to stage an appeal
For the poor, for the poor
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Try shaking a box in front of the Queen
'Cause her purse is fat and bursting at the seams
It's a waste of time if you know what they mean
Flag Day, Flag Day, Flag Day
@bikkies
One of the finest songs by any artist, ever. Still completely relevant, perhaps even more so. I agree with every word in this, from the first to the last.
@garymcmanus9946
...and what did we do about it....
@bikkies
@@garymcmanus9946 Nowhere near as much as we should. Little has changed.
@lindaduffy5063
I completely concur from the best lyrics and the absolute relevance being more so this day than when it was first written. The man is a lyrical poetic genius 👏 🙌
I'm off to see him in Dublin and hopeful this will be on the play list 🙌
@jamieburrows6486
So relevant mate
@shane-irish
Steady
@MrGrungefuttock
Back in the day …I’m 54 now…living in student land (I wasn’t a student) in Hull we used to see and drink and have the odd kick about with Paul Heaton and the gang on a regular basis . I remember him as a very natural, very human human being. We are immensely proud of the Housemartins. One of the least recognised and most under acknowledged song writers this country has ever produced. So much passion in his voice and lyrics. A flawed being, as we all are, and a top top bloke
@andyhampshire1366
A minor early hit for Norman and the team but what an awesome classic
@noraadrianadigiorno3463
Te envidio, son mis idolos. Saludos desde Argentina❤
@MrGrungefuttock
@@andyhampshire1366 it was indeed