Steve Whitehouse and Hodge joined in 1982, replacing the original drummer and bassist. This was now the classic Sharks line up that we have all grown up with.
The band's first album 'Phantom Rockers' was recorded in 1982 and released soon afterwards on Nervous Records. The band later spilt in 1983.
Steve went on to form Frenzy and has made a big success of it. Alan went on to carve a career as a record producer. Hodge could often be found playing in either Frenzy or some of Alan's studio and live projects.
The Sharks re-formed in 1993 with Alan Wilson on Guitar/vocals, Morrissey's bass player Gary Day on bass and Hodge on drums and released the album 'Recreational Killer' on Cherry Red/Anagram records and the 12" EP 'Bitch Attack' (Vinyl Japan).
In 1995 Steve returned when Gary left to re-join Morrissey. The next album was 'Colour My Flesh' in 1995 - again on Cherry Red/Anagram. Other releases included 'Ruff Stuff' - an album of demos and the vinyl EP 'Sir Psycho' (Fury).
Nowadays, Steve can still be found touring and recording with his band Frenzy. Hodge lives in Spain where he runs his own business. Alan is a producer and also owns a studio and label called Western Star.
Grave Robber
The Sharks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Second-hand rings a speciality
Street corner, he stands
Taking your money with dirty hands
He gets by the only way he can
Well what's the use in him being poor
When he can steal from the dead?
Morbid curiosity, gold teeth and jewellery
A business man and no-one's fool is he.
Grave Robber what's on your mind?
Grave Robber what do you find
Grave Robber when the lights are low
Grab that shovel and off to work you go
Workin' in the middle of the night
Gotta get done before the morning light
Twist and pull those golden crowns
Take 'em home and melt them down
Shine 'em up and sell them in the town.
The Sharks's song "Grave Robber" is a dark and gritty portrayal of a man who makes a living from robbing graves to sell the stolen goods. The vivid lyrics paint a picture of a man who sits on a street corner with a suitcase full of stolen items that he offers to passers-by. He takes their money with "dirty hands", highlighting the sleazy and immoral nature of his trade.
The song explores the idea that the grave robber's actions are driven by necessity - he is poor and needs to make a living. However, the lyrics suggest that he is also motivated by a "morbid curiosity", as he is drawn to the gold teeth and jewelry that he finds on his grave robbing expeditions. The chorus asks the question "Grave Robber what's on your mind?" and hints at the idea that the character may be haunted by the things he has seen and done.
The Sharks do not hold back in their condemnation of the grave robber, portraying him as a "business man" who is "no-one's fool". The final verse highlights the methods he uses to extract gold teeth from his subjects, his need to work quickly under cover of darkness, and the process he undertakes to melt down his stolen goods, shining them up to sell in the town.
Overall, the song is a haunting and arresting exploration of the dark underbelly of society and the desperation that can lead people to commit heinous acts for survival.
Line by Line Meaning
A market stall or suitcase on his knee
He sets up shop wherever, with whatever make-shift furniture he has
Second-hand rings a speciality
He specializes in selling used goods
Street corner, he stands
He is a street vendor, with no actual store
Taking your money with dirty hands
He does business unapologetically and sometimes unethically
He gets by the only way he can
He has to resort to grave robbing to make a living
Well what's the use in him being poor
He can't afford to remain poor and so has to resort to stealing
When he can steal from the dead?
He found grave robbing lucrative, since the dead weren't using their possessions anymore
They don't need it anymore.
The valuables he steals are of no use to their original owners anymore
Morbid curiosity, gold teeth and jewellery
His fascination for the dead's possessions mostly for morbid items like gold teeth
A business man and no-one's fool is he.
He is savvy about his grave robbing business and careful not to get caught.
Grave Robber what's on your mind?
What motivates him to go out in the night and prey on graves?
Grave Robber what do you find?
What treasures does he find among the dead in the grave?
Grave Robber when the lights are low
He waits for night time to commit his crime
Grab that shovel and off to work you go
He has his tools of the trade at the ready and goes to work without hesitation.
Workin' in the middle of the night
He does his dirty work when most people are sleeping.
Gotta get done before the morning light
He needs to hurry before sunrise so that he can remain undetected.
Twist and pull those golden crowns
He removes the gold teeth from the corpses.
Take 'em home and melt them down
He brings the stolen items back home to extract the gold from the teeth.
Shine 'em up and sell them in the town.
He cleans and polishes the gold to make it look like new and sells it in the town to make money.
Writer(s): Alan Wilson, Paul Hodges
Contributed by Hudson I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.