There are several artists named "the Pack", including:

1: The Pack i… Read Full Bio ↴There are several artists named "the Pack", including:

1: The Pack is Brandon "Lil B" McCartney, Damonte "Lil Uno" Johnson, Lloyd "Young L" Omadhebo, Keith "Stunnaman" Jenkins. Lil B attended El Cerrito High School, and Young L attended Albany High School. Lil Uno and Stunna attended Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California. They all recorded together for over a year at Young L's home studio where they released their first two mixtapes Pack Muzik Vol. 1 and Wolfpack Muzik Vol. 2. When Too $hort signed The Pack to Jive Records, they were all only around 17 years old.

2: The Pack emerged from the South London anarchist squat scene of 1978. The members were:
Kirk Brandon (later Theatre of Hate, Spear of Destiny, Dead Men Walking) on vocals, Rab Fae Beith (later UK Subs) on drums and the Canadian brothers Simon and Jonathan Werner (later The Straps) on guitar and bass. Their first gig was at the Camden Film Co-op.
Their music was a dark and menacing take on classic punk. Kirk Brandon’s vocals echoing those of Johnny Rotten, but with a visceral, sinister twist.
They released two singles. The first on the SS label in August 1979 had ‘Heathen’ on the A-side and ‘Brave New Soldiers’ on the B-side, both instant punk classics. SS stood for Secret Service as it was recorded in a recording van ‘borrowed’ from Stiff records with the help of Terry Razor. This was quickly followed by ‘King of Kings’ and ‘Number 12’ released on Rough Trade Records. By this time Rab Fae Beith had been replaced on drums by Jim Walker (later PIL).
The Pack’s short career acted as a bridgehead from the raw explosive energy of the early punk years to the new darker reality of depression hit 80’s Britain. They played their last sold out show at the 101 Club in Clapham.
Discography:
Heathen / Brave New Soldiers 7’’ (SS Label ‘79)
King of Kings 7’’ (Rough Trade ‘79)
Dead Ronin CD (Yeaah!)
S/T Cassette (Self Released)

3: A punk rock band from Germany who released a self-titled LP in 1978. Included ex-Amon Düül II member Jörg Evers.

4. Originally a 1960s garage band named Terry Knight and the Pack. Lead singer Terry Knight left for awhile in order to peruse a a solo career and The Pack continued to record and preform under the name "The Pack" as well as The Fabulous Pack without Knight. "The Pack" would later be reborn as Grand Funk Railroad with ex-lead singer Terry Knight managing the GFR for awhile.

King Of Kings
The Pack Lyrics

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Trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road

Third boxcar, midnight train, destination, Bangor, Maine
Old worn-out suits and shoes

I don't pay no union dues
I smoke old stogies I have found - short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road

I know every engineer on every train
All of their children, and all of their names
And every handout in every town
And every lock that ain't locked when no one's around

I sing, trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road

Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes

Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room

Overall Meaning

The Pack's song "King of Kings" is a cover of Roger Miller's classic track "King of the Road." The lyrics depict the life of a vagabond or a hobo, who wanders from place to place, living in cheap motels and snatching small jobs. The first verse starts with a sign for a trailer that is “for sale or rent,” and every line of the verse describes the unsuitability of the living situation. The chorus repeats the line “I’m a man of means by no means,” which shows the singer's pride in his independence, despite his lack of material possessions. In the second verse, the singer travels on a train to Bangor, Maine. He wears worn-out clothes and shoes and doesn't belong to any union. He smokes old cigars that he has found and is content with living a simple life.

The singer establishes himself as a veteran of the road, and his status and knowledge are apparent. He claims to know all the train engineers, their children, names, etc. The extent of his influence on the road becomes evident when he claims to know all the handouts in every town and every lock that is not locked when no one’s around. This knowledge is a result of his long association with the road; he is a wanderer and owns nothing more than eight by twelve four-bit room, which he purchases after pushing two hours of the broom. Thus, he is “king of the road” in his own unique way.

Line by Line Meaning

Trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents
The singer is advertising his situation - he has a trailer to sell or rent, and rooms that can be rented for fifty cents.

No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
The singer has a simple life - he does not have luxuries like a phone, a pool, or pets, and he is out of cigarettes.

Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Despite his lack of material possessions, the singer has a job that keeps him active.

Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
The money he earns from pushing the broom is just enough to buy a small room that measures eight feet by twelve feet and costs four bits (or 50 cents).

I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road
Although he does not have much, the singer takes pride in his independence and self-sufficiency.

Third boxcar, midnight train, destination, Bangor, Maine
The singer is a traveler who hops onto the third boxcar of a train that is heading towards Bangor, Maine, at midnight.

Old worn-out suits and shoes
The singer wears old and worn-out clothes and shoes, possibly indicating financial hardship.

I don't pay no union dues
The singer does not belong to any union or pay any associated fees.

I smoke old stogies I have found - short, but not too big around
The singer smokes cigar stubs that he has found, which are small but not too thin or unpleasant.

I know every engineer on every train
The singer is well-acquainted with the people who operate the trains he travels on.

All of their children, and all of their names
The singer also knows the names of the children of the train engineers, suggesting that he takes an interest in their lives.

And every handout in every town
The singer is aware of all the charitable offerings and free resources that are available in each town he visits.

And every lock that ain't locked when no one's around
The singer knows where he can find unlocked doors when nobody is watching, implying that he is resourceful and possibly engages in minor theft.

I sing, trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents
The singer repeats his initial advertisement, highlighting the simplicity of his lifestyle.

No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
The second repetition emphasizes the lack of modern comforts in the singer's life.

Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
The second reference to his job reiterates the idea that the singer is not lazy, but works hard to sustain himself.

Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
This line underlines the fact that the singer has to work hard to earn even the bare necessities of life.

I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road
The final line encapsulates the singer's pride in his self-reliance and ability to make a living on his own terms.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Roger Miller

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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