The Soup Dragons were a Scottish alternative rock band of the late 1980s an… Read Full Bio ↴The Soup Dragons were a Scottish alternative rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s, named after a character in the 1970s children's TV show The Clangers. The band is best known in the UK for their cover of the Rolling Stones' "I'm Free" and in America for their Top 40 hit "Divine Thing".

The Soup Dragons formed in Bellshill, Scotland a town very near to Glasgow (which would later spawn another popular band, Teenage Fanclub) in 1985. The line up was Sean Dickson (vocals, lead guitar), Jim McCulloch (guitar, second voice) and Sushil K. Dade (bass). The original drummer, Ross A. Sinclair, left the group after the first proper album, This Is Our Art, to pursue a career in art, and was replaced by Paul Quinn. Most of their songs were written by Dickson, while some were co-written Dickson/McCulloch.

Originally lumped in with the C86 movement, along with fellow members of the Bellshill Sound, such as the BMX Bandits and Teenage Fanclub, they went through a number of stylistic changes in their career.

Their debut was Buzzcocks-inspired pop-punk, and over the course of six singles (collected in 1987 on a US-only compilation, Hang Ten), they gradually developed a more complex rock guitar which culminated in their first album proper This Is Our Art.

In the year following This Is Our Art their sound got heavier and heavier. Suddenly they underwent a major change from an indie rock sound, to the rock-dance crossover baggy sound, popular at the time with the release of the album Lovegod. This change mirrored that of fellow Scottish band Primal Scream, and can be attributed to the rise of the ecstasy-fueled acid house rave scene in the UK. This led to accusations that they were jumping on the "baggy" bandwagon. However, in 1990, it produced their most notable hit single in the UK, "I'm Free", a cover of a Rolling Stones song.

Subsequent albums continued the rock-dance crossover sound, as they concentrated on trying to break America, succeeding in 1992, when "Divine Thing" hit #35 on the American pop chart.

But the band split in 1995. Paul Quinn joined fellow Bellshill band Teenage Fanclub. Sushil K. Dade formed the experimental post rock band Future Pilot AKA, and singer Sean Dickson formed The High Fidelity.

Drive The Pain
The Soup Dragons Lyrics

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I take a ride and hit the city
Just like you hit my veins
You drive the pain

I take trip to where I'm going
And you hit me with the chain
You drive the pain

I'll take a motocar
And drive it to her brain
I'll take a motocar
And realize that I just like the pain

It goes straight into my heart - yeah !
And it runs drive down my veins
You drive the pain

I'll take a motocar
And drive it to her brain
I'll take a motocar
And realize that I just like the pain

It goes straight into my heart - yeah !
And it runs drive down my veins
You drive the pain

You drive the pain
You drive the pain

You drive the pain
You drive the pain

Overall Meaning

The Soup Dragons's song "Drive The Pain" is a rock ballad that speaks about a destructive relationship that has taken a toll on the artist. The entire song is an analogy in which the singer compares his lover to a drug, which he can't seem to stop using, despite the pain it causes him. In the first verse, the artist takes a ride into the city and compares it to the rush he feels when his lover hits his veins. He equates his lover's love to a drug addiction, which he can't seem to quit. He acknowledges the pain it causes him, but he can't seem to escape it.

In the chorus, the artist uses a motocar metaphorically to talk about how he wants to take control of his life and drive it to a better place. However, he realizes that he just likes the pain, and he is unable to let go of his lover. He expresses that his lover's love is like a chain that holds him down, but he is still hooked on the high it provides him. The final verse reiterates how the drug-like love goes straight into his heart and runs down his veins, and he can't escape the pain.

Overall, "Drive The Pain" portrays a toxic relationship that the artist can't seem to get out of. He compares his lover's love to a drug that has taken complete control over him. Despite the pain it causes, he can't let go of it and is continuously hooked.

Line by Line Meaning

I take a ride and hit the city
I go out and explore the city.

Just like you hit my veins
Like a drug, you have an intense effect on me.

You drive the pain
Your actions cause me emotional pain.

I take trip to where I'm going
I go on a journey to my destination.

And you hit me with the chain
You attack me and hold me back.

You drive the pain
Your actions cause me emotional pain.

I'll take a motocar
I will ride a motorcycle.

And drive it to her brain
I will go to her and confront her.

I'll take a motocar
I will ride a motorcycle.

And realize that I just like the pain
I acknowledge that, despite the pain, I keep coming back for more.

It goes straight into my heart - yeah !
The pain affects me deeply.