The Rumble Strips is a ska/pop/rockabilly/soul/trumpet band originating fro… Read Full Bio ↴The Rumble Strips is a ska/pop/rockabilly/soul/trumpet band originating from South Devon town Tavistock, near Plymouth, but are now based in London, having moved to further their musical career.
The band released debut album, Girls and Weather, in September of 2007. In the past, the band have been on tour with numerous popular artists (The Zutons, Good Shoes, Dirty Pretty Things and The Young Knives), and have also played various festivals (including Glastonbury 07 and Cardiff Calling 07). The band also had a successful album tour hitting many venues around the UK and Ireland, including a trip to home-town Tavistock. The album (created with Tony Hoffer - The Kooks, and The Fratellis), was released mid-September 2007. The band gained alot of recognition when single "Alarm Clock" was played on Radio 1, when lead singer of Snow Patrol took over Zane Lowe's evening slot as a one-off.

Band members include:
Charlie Waller – Lead Vocals and Guitar
Tom Gorbutt – Sax, Vocals and Bass
Henry Clark – Trumpet, Vocals and Piano
Sam Mansbridge - Bass / Vocals / "Rumble Drum"
Matthew Wheeler - Drums

Past releases include the single "Motorcycle" (December 2005 and re-released June 07), single "Hate Me (You Do)" (June 2006) EP "Cardboard Coloured Dreams" (November 2006), single "Alarm Clock" (March 2007), which has received numerous plays off of Virgin Radio and on MTV 2 programme "Spanking New Music", and single "Motorcycle" (June 2007) which also received plays off of "Spanking New Music".
"Girls and Boys In Love" is the most recent song to have been released as a single, and also features in the Simon Pegg film "Run Fat Boy Run" and "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging"

Lead singer, Charlie Waller, was also in the band Vincent Vincent and the Villains at the same time as playing with current band The Rumble Strips. An attack from his conscience lead him to leave both bands before The Rumble Strips were offered to release a single under record label Transgressive.

Building A Boat
The Rumble Strips Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Building a boat,
Building a boat,
pieces of wood,
pieces of rope.

All of my days,
building a boat,
old shirts for sails,

bag full of nails,
hammerin' heart and soul.

Never again,
never again,
ain't worth the pain,
Never again.

Building a boat,
building a boat,
climb on my love,
we're gonna float,
any which way the wind blows

Never again
never again,

ain't worth the pain,
never again.

Overall Meaning

The Rumble Strips's "Building A Boat" is a beautiful and simplistic song that highlights the importance of self-discovery and committing to one's passions. The song revolves around the metaphor of building a boat from scratch with mere pieces of wood and rope, and how it equates to the journey of life. The singer explains that he has decided to give his all to build this boat, and in the process, he has found a sense of purpose and direction. The old shirts used for sails and the bag full of nails represent the various resources one can utilise while undertaking their journey in life.

The line "hammering heart and soul" emphasises how hard the singer is trying to build this metaphorical boat, and how it is not just a physical effort, but an emotional one too. This journey, however, comes at a price. The singer acknowledges the sacrifices he has to make when he says, "Never again, never again, ain't worth the pain." With this line, he tries to establish that he will not allow himself to go through anything that doesn't add to the greater good of building his "boat" or achieving his goals.

In the lines, "climb on my love, we're gonna float, any which way the wind blows," the singer invites his loved ones to join him on this journey, irrespective of where it takes them. The lyrics portray the idea of taking risks and trusting your instincts, and the importance of having faith in the journey.

Line by Line Meaning

Building a boat
Embarking on a journey of creation and self-discovery

Building a boat
Continuing to build and improve the vessel

Pieces of wood
Gathering the raw materials needed for the boat's construction

Pieces of rope
Finding the necessary tools and supplies for the project

All of my days
Devoting all available time and energy to the task at hand

Building a boat
Staying focused on the goal and not getting distracted

Old shirts for sails
Making do with what is available, even if it is not perfect

Bag full of nails
Having the necessary resources to make the boat strong and sturdy

Hammerin' heart and soul
Working tirelessly and with passion to complete the boat

Never again
Not wanting to repeat past mistakes or endure unnecessary pain

Never again
Being determined to avoid failure or disappointment in the future