The Skids continue to enjoy popularity with two top 20 singles, "Masquerade" and "Working for the Yankee Dollar", from the album "Days in Europa", produced by Bill Nelson. The Cover of the album, showing an "aryan", was seen by some as Nazi, and was soon replaced with a less controversial sleeve. This sleeve, although conventional, still bore the image of the first release seen through the viewers eyes by a picture on the wall, alongside a picture of 'Scared to Dance', the sleeve portrayed a woman , bare breast showing, in the hands of a man.
The Absolute Game was The Skids' 1980 third album (not counting the two different mix versions released of their second album 1979's Days in Europa) and was produced by Mick Glossop. It featured two new band members, Russell Webb (bass guitar, vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion) and Mike Baillie (drums, vocals, percussion).
The album continued the Skids' progression from a punky sound into a more mellow one - paralleled by many bands of the period. The album has a great deal in common with Days in Europa, but not much with its successor, Joy. Around this time the band were driven by internal rifts and disagreements, leading to various members coming and going. Soon after the release and live concert tour of The Absolute Game, Adamson and Baillie left the band. (Although Adamson did temporarily return to play on one more song from the album Joy, called Iona.) Adamson went on to launch the career of his new band, Big Country, and Baillie moved back to Scotland to live. A great deal of Big Country's future sound and style can be heard in this album. In particularly on Hurry On Boys, which features bagpipe simulations and real didgeridoo. Joy has a completely different sound to other Skids albums, and some fans consider The Absolute Game to be the last canonical Skids album.
Soon after the release and live concert tour of The Absolute Game, Adamson and Baillie left the band. (Although Adamson did temporarily return to play on one more song from the album Joy, called Iona.) Adamson went on to launch the career of his new band, Big Country, and Baillie moved back to Scotland to live. It left Jobson and Webb, in 1981, to write and record the band's fourth and final album Joy, which Russell Webb also produced. The pair played multiple instruments on the album, and also invited a collection of seventeen musical friends to perform on various tracks with them. The Skids dissolved in 1982, with the album Fanfare posthumously issued by Virgin. It was a mixture of greatest hits and unreleased tracks.
Jobson and Webb then went onto form a new band called The Armoury Show. The group only recorded one album called Waiting for the Floods in 1985 before splitting up. Jobson went onto pursue a solo career as a poet, songwriter, television presenter and most recently a film director. He released albums on the Belgian record label Les Disques du Crepuscule, and the UK's own Parlophone Records.
Sadly, on December 16 2001, Stuart was found dead in Best Western Plaza Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, having committed suicide.
In the year 2007, U2 and Greenday covered "The Saints Are Coming" recorded originaly by the skids for the "Scared to Dance" album. Most fans seen this as a juncture to include new fans to the old punk scene.
In 2007 Richard Jobson, William Simpson and Mike Baillie, along with Bruce Watson (guitar/vocals) of Big Country, Jamie Watson (guitar), Brian Jobson (vocals) and Jane Button (vocals), got together to play three gigs. They were to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the group's formation, and as a final tribute to Stuart Adamson, who died in 2001. The shows on 4 July and 5 July were at Dunfermline's Glen Pavilion, where they were supported by Rosyth band The Draymin - outside of which The Skids had previously played only their second gig according to Jobson - and on 7 July, at the T in the Park festival.
Skids returned to the stage on 28 November 2009 as one of the headlining acts in Homecoming Live, a series of gigs held around the SECC complex in Glasgow to celebrate the end of the Year of Homecoming in Scotland. The line-up mirrored the 2007 gigs, with members of The Gospel Truth Choir joining Button on backing vocals for "A Woman in Winter" and "Working for the Yankee Dollar".
The same lineup performed a concert on 5 March 2010 at the ABC in Glasgow, with support from The Law and Bruce & Jamie Watson, and lastly a concert on 6 March 2010 at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, with support from Beatnic Prestige and Bruce & Jamie Watson. This final concert was to conclude a week of events celebrating the works, past and present, of Richard Jobson as part of The Fifer Festival 2010 on 6 March 2010.
In 2016 the band reformed and announced a 40th anniversary tour of the UK with their original singer Richard Jobson. In 2018, Skids released their fifth album, Burning Cities.
Both Dunfermline Athletic FC and Charlton Athletic FC use "Into the Valley" as a theme song.
Hurry On Boys
The Skids Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
boys)
Hurry on boys, so we can see (hurry on boys, hurry on boys)
Hurry on boys, while daddy's gone (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
Hurry on boys, 'cause boys are strong (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
boys)
The clown is here, come in to play (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
The clown is here, to make nights long (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
The clown is here, while daddy's gone (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
The boys are fed
The child has ran
Daddy's dead
Can't understand
Oh, lucky man
Oh, lucky man
Your child has ran
Your child has ran
Oh, oh, oh
Mum asked you, boys ask me (hurry on boys, hurry on boys)
Mum asked you, is the show for free (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
Mum asked you, is something wrong (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
Mum asked you, your boys are strong (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
The boys are fed
The child has ran
Daddy's dead
Can't understand
Oh, lucky man
Oh, lucky man
Your child has ran
Your child has ran
Oh, oh, oh
Hurry on boys, the show's for free (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
Hurry on boys, so we can see (hurry on boys, hurry on boys)
Hurry on boys, while daddy's gone (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
Hurry on boys, 'cause boys are strong (hurry on boys, hurry on
boys)
The boys are fed
The child has ran
Daddy's dead
Can't understand
Oh, lucky man
Oh, lucky man
Your child has ran
Your child has ran
Oh, oh, oh
The Skids' song "Hurry On Boys" is a complex and intriguing piece that seems to be commenting on the vulnerability of childhood and the power of the entertainment industry. The repeated refrain of "hurry on boys" creates a sense of urgency and excitement, as if the boys are rushing to see something amazing. However, as the lyrics continue, it becomes clear that all is not well in this world.
The line "hurry on boys, while daddy's gone" suggests that the boys are perhaps seeking refuge or fun while their father is absent, but there is a sense of danger lurking in the background. The clown mentioned in the song seems to represent the showbiz world, with his promise to "make nights long" and his presence even when "daddy's gone." The repetition of the line "the boys are fed" is also suggestive, perhaps implying that the world is feeding off these boys in some way.
The final verse, with its repeated lines of "your child has ran" creates a haunting and unsettling tone. It's unclear who the "lucky man" is, or what has happened to the father, but there is a sense of loss and dislocation that permeates the whole song. Overall, "Hurry On Boys" is a thought-provoking and complex piece that offers a dark commentary on childhood, entertainment, and the complexities of growing up.
Line by Line Meaning
Hurry on boys, the show's for free
Quickly, come watch the performance without paying
Hurry on boys, so we can see
Quickly, come and make it visible
Hurry on boys, while daddy's gone
Quickly, come while the father is away
Hurry on boys, 'cause boys are strong
Quickly, come because boys are capable of handling it
The clown is here, please make way
The clown has arrived, move aside
The clown is here, come in to play
The clown is ready to entertain
The clown is here, to make nights long
The clown will make the nights fun and memorable
The clown is here, while daddy's gone
The clown came when the father is away
The boys are fed
The boys have eaten
The child has ran
The child has escaped
Daddy's dead
The father is deceased
Can't understand
Unable to comprehend
Oh, lucky man
The man is fortunate
Your child has ran
Your child has fled
Mum asked you, boys ask me
Mom inquired with you, and the boys asked me
Mum asked you, is the show for free
Mom asked if the show is without charge
Mum asked you, is something wrong
Mom asked if there is a problem
Mum asked you, your boys are strong
Mom asked you about the strength of your boys
Contributed by Jayden M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.