Celebrate the Bullet
The Selecter Lyrics
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Put your finger on the trigger,
But you don't have to pull it,
'Cos you know it won't bring them,
Back to you, back to you.
Celebrate the bullet,
But you have to snigger,
'Cos you know it won't bring them,
Back to you, back to you.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Celebrate the bullet,
Put your finger on the trigger,
But you don't have to pull it,
'Cos you know it won't bring them
Back to you, back to you.
Celebrate the bullet,
It all seems to get much bigger,
Do you really have to prove it,
'Cos you know it won't bring them,
Back to you, back to you.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
The Selecter's "Celebrate the Bullet" is a politically charged song that makes use of ironic lyrics to critique the glorification of violence. The song's title, "Celebrate the Bullet", is an oxymoron that highlights the paradoxical nature of celebrating something that is so deadly. The first verse encourages the listener to put their finger on the trigger, but not necessarily pull it. The lyrics suggest that the act of holding a gun is enough to make the listener feel empowered, regardless of whether or not they actually use it. The second verse adds a layer of irony to the lyrics by stating that the listener has told others to "shove it" and has proven their strength by holding a gun; however, these actions will not bring back those who have been lost to violence. The repeated chorus further emphasizes the futility of violence as a means of solving problems.
Overall, "Celebrate the Bullet" is a song that challenges the glorification of violence in society by highlighting the futility and paradox of violent acts. By using irony and paradox, The Selecter is able to make a strong statement about the damaging effects of violence on society.
Line by Line Meaning
Celebrate the bullet,
Encourage and exalt the power and impact of firearms.
Put your finger on the trigger,
Prepare to take action with the weapon.
But you don't have to pull it,
You have the power to choose not to use the weapon.
'Cos you know it won't bring them,
Using a gun won't bring back the people you've lost.
Back to you, back to you.
They are gone and can't be returned.
But you have to snigger,
You find amusement in the idea of using a weapon.
You told 'em all to shove it,
You've rejected the advice of those who tell you not to use guns.
It all seems to get much bigger,
The idea of using a gun gains more importance in your mind.
Do you really have to prove it,
You feel the need to demonstrate your power.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Emphasize the importance and impact of firearms, repeatedly.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Emphasize the importance and impact of firearms, repeatedly.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Emphasize the importance and impact of firearms, repeatedly.
Celebrate the bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet, bullet.
Emphasize the importance and impact of firearms, repeatedly.
Contributed by Elena A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MadFranko008
@ Blue Czar: The way I see it is, I honestly can't separate The Specials and The Selecter as being my favourite bands of all time and when it come to both their first 2 albums but for me both their 2nd albums were their very best... :-)
Both first albums were pure late 70's Ska with that raw punk feeling they incorporated into the sound to separate it from the original 60's Ska sound and that was the reason my most of us got into the entire 2 Tone thing to begin with...
I guess most (including myself) thought at the time when their 2nd albums where going to come out it was going to be more of the same and I think that's what we where all expecting... but of course as you know that's not what happened and both bands threw us all with a complete bodyswerve with the sound/ style of their second albums, some liked this completely new & different sound some didn't and it's taken some years to finally come round to appreciating both second albums...
Myself, while I was thrown a bit by this drastic change in sound I got into it straight away though and musically to me both 2nd albums are works of sheer musical genius and have become my favourite albums of all time by both bands...
Don't get me wrong both 1st albums and that pure modern-day Ska sound they brought us are just a good and if it hadn't been for that sound then I'd probably have never got into the whole Ska/ 2 Tone thing at all without them but the huge change in musical style on the 2nd albums which surprised us all was a stroke of genius by both bands and for me and many others it worked and brought us a quite unique and different sound/ style of music that we'd probably never have got into at all had it not been for the first 2 albums getting us into the whole thing to begin with... :-)
It's all good in the end and all of it has given me 40 years of non stop musical pleasure and am I just glad it all came along at the time I was a young teenager and I was getting into music, can't image what growing up and life without all it would have been like it but I reckon that without it things wouldn't have been as good as they where...:-)
@MadFranko008
@ katoness: Yeah somone once suggested that to me but if it was the case then surely one of first things you learn in school is how to abbreviate/ shorten words and they'd never have taught anyone in school to say "should of" or "could of" which when abbreviated in their proper forms from "Should have" and "Could have" would be "should've" and "could've"...
It makes no sense why people say it even if they are taking it from what they hear being said as you can't "of" something so surely they should realise when they type that it makes no sense or logic and doesn't even look right !!!
For example: Take the following sentences...
"I should have taken that free ticket I was offered" or "I could have taken that free ticket I was offered"...
Which abbreviated would be...
"I should've taken that free ticket I was offered" or "I could've taken that free ticket I was offered"...
But when people say instead...
"I should of taken that free ticket I was offered" or "I could of taken that free ticket I was offered"
Then how on earth do you "of" a ticket (or anything for that matter) !!!
Guess I'll never quite understand why people actaully say that and fail to realise that what they are typing doesn't make the slightest bit of sense or logic even if they are mistakenly hearing it when spoken as sounding like "of"... :-/
Tis a strange modern day phenomena of the internet generation and apparently a poor reflection on what youngsters are being taught in schools in the UK these days (or rather not being taught it would appear)... :-(
@MadFranko008
Like any song then it really is what the listener makes of it and what the lyrics might mean to them personally...
That's the great thing about song lyrics is that they can hold different meaning to the listener than what the songwriter meant them to be...
That said then a literal interpretation of the lyrics is...
It's about trying point out the folly/ pointless act of seeking vengeance on someone who has done the ultimate and killed someone and that seeking vengeance on the murderer isn't going to bring back to life the person who they killed...
At the end of the day all that killing the person who killed (perhaps a loved one) isn't going to "bring them back to you" and will most likely ruin your own life as you too would then have become nothing more than a killer...
@litwriter5128
Fucking brilliant. The bass, the guitars...the haunting vocals. The Selecter was the most underrated band of its era.
@numbnutone
Did you play bass on this tune ?
@Jer0867
I absolutely love this piece. Born in 1967, my first music loves, as a teenager, were 2 Tone/Ska/Reggae. This track has a sound that pulls all those genres together, in an extremely cool way. It is easily one of my favourite pieces of music, ever....and I have a very diverse taste. Definitely a modern classic.
@TheHypnogog
1981 was a great time to be 14 years old. I was there too. Just a hypnotic time of pure change with music. So much experimentation.
@lukewilliams2573
This n Bristol & Miami (the out chant us like nothing I've heard since) were my faves, and yes, so wonderfully progressive.
@pstandley1able
Agreed, I was also born in '67 so I was just at the right influential led age when this and 2Tone hit me like a ton of bricks. Still love it as much in 2023 , as I did in 1979 +
@one-o-four889
That fantastic guitar riff, that bass (WTF?!), the tuning of the snare drum, love it all.
@MkeKen67
That bass sounds otherworldly, like a creature from the first Star Wars movie.
@louistracy6964
Norman Watt-Roy on bass is the absolute nuts.
@crystalidentity
The guy from Ian Dury & the Blockheads?? I knew he stood in for Paul Simonon during the Clash's Sandinista sessions, as Paul was doing a spot of acting in a movie (along with Steve Jones and Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols, they portrayed a fictional punk band led by Ray Winstone). I had no idea Norman also played with the Selecter. He was absolutely phenomenal in the studio recordings of the Clash's 'Magnificent Seven' and 'Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)'.