1) The Rebels were a surf rock band from Buffalo, NY. They were also known… Read Full Bio ↴1) The Rebels were a surf rock band from Buffalo, NY. They were also known as The Rockin' Rebels. The Rebels formed in 1958. They recorded their most known well known song Wild Weekend in 1962. The original band consisted of Jim and Mick Kipler, Tom Gorman and Paul Balon.

2) The Rebels were a 60's garage rock band from Iran.
Before Prince formed The Time, he considered using his backing band as a side-project called The Rebels. The 1979 project was a group effort, with songs being written and sung by the various members. Andre Cymone and Dez Dickerson each contributed material and a few numbers were sung by Gayle Chapman. The project was eventually shelved but two of the songs composed by Prince were re-recorded and released much later: "If I Love U 2 Night" by Mica Paris (and later by Prince's wife-to-be Mayte Garcia) and "U" by Paula Abdul. The original Prince guide vocal for "If I Love U 2 Nite" appeared by mistake on the rare Mica Paris 'Stand For Love' EP, of which only a handful exist.

3) The Rebels were the Prague (Czech republic) group, founded in July 1967 Korn (vocals, guitar) and Svatopluk Cech, brother Frantisek Ringo Cech (vocals, bass guitar). The Rebels played in the "west-coast style" with elements of "Britain's Mersey sound".
Cast:
Jiří Korn - vocals, guitar
Svatopluk Čech - vocals, bass guitar
Josef Plíva - vocals, lead guitar
Borek Kadlec - organ
Jiří Schilder George - drums

In the 1. čs. beatový festival 1967, Best New Artist award away. With new drummer Anatolij Kohout recorded the first songs for Supraphon.
In 1968 he issued the album Šípková Růženka with great acclaim.
Cast (after 1968):Jiří Korn, A. Kohout, Borek Kadlec, Miroslav Helcl - organ, Zdeněk Juračka - vocals, lead guitar. Under the leadership of F. Janeček had a new repertoire, (where there was no trace of the old melody and singing style), and went on long tours - West Germany, Austria and PLR. At the end of 1968 left the band Kadlec and Kohout and coming new drummer Káša Jahn. Since the band spent most of his time abroad was not as popular as other groups of the time (Blue Effect, Flamengo and Framus Five).
The band broke up early 1970.

The Limits of Control
The Rebels Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Please son get closer to me
You gotta learn a few things
I'm dying
You're taking over for me
Assume that I'm gonna leave
Bye Bye!

From the moment I could talk

I never said a lie
From the instant of my birth
My death was right behind
I could say I didn't miss
any frame of mind

I'm gonna fight the rest of my life
Living as if I'm gonna die
Dying at the second I'm opening the doors of a place where all the energy expands

I have to tend to the herd
To give relief from my pain
I'm crying
My mother needs me to help
My sister's under the rain
Of Sadness

Did you ever try to reach the limits of control?

If you think of suicide, are you scared of black holes
Now I know that nothingness is bigger than the whole

Overall Meaning

The song "The Limits of Control" by The RebelS contains powerful lyrics that express a sense of urgency and existentialism. The opening lines, "Please son get closer to me, you gotta learn a few things, I'm dying, you're taking over for me", signify a passing of the torch from one generation to the next. The singer is imparting knowledge and wisdom to their progeny, as if preparing them for the inevitability of their own mortality. The sense of urgency is palpable, as the singer bids farewell with a simple "bye bye".

The following lines discuss the seemingly omniscient nature of death, "From the instant of my birth, my death was right behind". The singer believes that they have not missed any moments in life, and are living as if every second could be their last. This is underlined in the line "I'm gonna fight the rest of my life, living as if I'm gonna die", suggesting that they will not go quietly into that good night.

The second half of the song is more personal, discussing the singer's familial ties and duties. The lines "I have to tend to the herd, to give relief from my pain, I'm crying" suggest that the singer is shouldering a great emotional burden, possibly related to their role as a caretaker. The last stanza, "Did you ever try to reach the limits of control? If you think of suicide, are you scared of black holes? Now I know that nothingness is bigger than the whole" leaves the listener with a sense of unease and contemplation on the nature of life, death, and the void beyond.

Line by Line Meaning

Please son get closer to me
I want to teach you important life lessons and guide you on your path.

You gotta learn a few things
You need to be educated about the world and prepared for its challenges.

I'm dying
I am facing my own mortality and acknowledging the inevitability of death.

You're taking over for me
You will have to carry on after I am gone, and take on my responsibilities.

Assume that I'm gonna leave
Prepare yourself mentally for the possibility of my passing.

Bye Bye!
Goodbye, I may never see you again.

From the moment I could talk
Since my earliest memories and communication skills developed.

I never said a lie
I have always been truthful and honest.

From the instant of my birth
Since I was born into this world.

My death was right behind
I was born with the knowledge that death is an eventual fate for all living beings.

I could say I didn't miss
I never neglected or overlooked any aspect of my existence.

any frame of mind
I was always fully conscious and aware.

I'm gonna fight the rest of my life
I will continue to struggle and persevere for as long as I live.

Living as if I'm gonna die
I will live my life with urgency and appreciation for every moment, as if it may be my last.

Dying at the second I'm opening the doors of a place where all the energy expands
I will embrace death with possibility and an openness for transcendence.

I have to tend to the herd
I have responsibilities and obligations to others in my community.

To give relief from my pain
I seek to alleviate the suffering of others, even while I am experiencing my own pain.

I'm crying
I am emotional, empathetic, and moved by circumstances or feelings of others and myself.

My mother needs me to help
I have a familial duty to support and care for my mother.

My sister's under the rain
My sister is going through a difficult time and feeling weighed down by sadness.

Of Sadness
This emotion is impacting my sister and causing her to suffer deeply.

Did you ever try to reach the limits of control?
Have you ever pushed yourself to the point of seeing how much you are capable of controlling or managing?

If you think of suicide, are you scared of black holes
If you have contemplated ending your life, do you fear being consumed by a void or emptiness?

Now I know that nothingness is bigger than the whole
I have come to realize that emptiness or nothingness holds more significance than what we consider to be the 'whole' or everything that we perceive.

Contributed by Sophie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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