The Specials (also known as The Special AKA) is an English “2 Tone” ska rev… Read Full Bio ↴The Specials (also known as The Special AKA) is an English “2 Tone” ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a danceable ska beat with punk’s energy, underpinned by an informed political and social stance.

The group was formed by songwriter/keyboardist Jerry Dammers, with Terry Hall (vocals), Lynval Golding (guitar, vocals) and a rhythm section featuring Horace Panter (bass) and John Bradbury (drums; born 16 February 1953, died 28 December 2015). The band wore mod-style 1960s period "rude boy" outfits (pork pie hats, mohair suits, and loafers). In 1980, their song "Too Much Too Young", the lead track on their The Special AKA Live! EP, reached number one in the UK. In 1981, the unemployment-themed single "Ghost Town" also hit number one in the UK Singles Chart. After seven consecutive UK Top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981, the band broke up in 1984. A version of the band reformed from 1994-2001. In 2008, the band reformed again and, in2009, embarked on a 30th anniversary tour. In 2010, they toured America and Europe. In 2011 they again touring the UK.

In 1979, their debut LP hit the shelves and quickly soared into the UK Top Five. The album was produced by Elvis Costello and was released under founding member, Jerry Dammer's record label 2 Tone Records.

Following the success of their debut album, Specials, their second and final album, More Specials was released. This expanded the group's 2 tone sound to include lounge music and other influences.

After two albums and a string of very successful singles the band called it quits in 1984. The bands members moved onto their other musical projects. In 1994 they toured with the original line-up without Terry Hall and Jerry Dammers. Roddy sang Terry's parts. The line-up changed in 1996. The band split again in 2001.

In 2008, The Specials officially announced that they would reform and embark on a 30th Anniversary Tour in 2009. The founding member, Jerry Dammers was not part of the reformed Specials and relationships between him and the rest of the band have remained sore, particularly on Dammers' side of things.

In January 2013, the Specials announced the departure of Neville Staple. In February 2014 it was revealed that another original member, Roddy Radiation, had left the reformed group. In spite of this, the Specials played an extensive tour in the autumn of 2014 with Steve Cradock as lead guitarist.

On 19th December 2022 it was announced that Terry Hall had passed away after a short illness. He was 63.

www.thespecials.com

Redemption Song
The Specials Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly

Won′t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
′Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look? Ooh
Some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fulfill the Book

Won′t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
′Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Woah! Have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them-a can-a stop- the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Yes, some say it′s just a part of it
We've got to fulfill the book

Won′t you help to to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever had
Redemption songs
All I ever had
Redemption songs

Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Overall Meaning

"Redemption Song" by The Specials is a cover of the original song by Bob Marley. The lyrics of the song points towards liberation, redemption, and freedom. The very first verse of the song tells the story of how pirates have robbed and sold the singer into slavery. However, despite the gift of freedom taken away from the person, their strong faith in a higher power reassures them of triumph for the future generation.

The chorus of the song calls on all to join in and sing songs of freedom, as it is the most significant tool to achieve liberation from mental slavery. The line, "None but ourselves can free our minds" highlights that mental slavery is the only thing that prevents the individual from achieving freedom. The second verse teaches listeners not to be afraid of atomic energy because nothing can withstand time. The verse also references the killing of prophets, with the singer urging others to take charge and look out for themselves. Additionally, they emphasize that fulfilling the book (understood as a religious text) is crucial to ensure the prophecy of redemption and liberation.

Line by Line Meaning

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
I was robbed by the old pirates.

Sold I to the merchant ships
They sold me to the merchant ships.

Minutes after they took I
I was taken away only a few minutes after they robbed me.

From the bottomless pit
I was taken from a very bad situation.

But my hand was made strong By the hand of the Almighty
My faith in God has given me the strength to overcome my situation.

We forward in this generation Triumphantly
We will move forward and overcome our struggles.

Won′t you help to sing These songs of freedom?
Can you join me in singing about freedom?

'Cause all I ever have Redemption songs Redemption songs
The only thing I have left are songs about redemption.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery None but ourselves can free our minds
We need to free ourselves from mental slavery and only we can do that.

Have no fear for atomic energy ′Cause none of them can stop the time
We should not fear atomic energy because it cannot stop time.

How long shall they kill our prophets While we stand aside and look? Ooh Some say it's just a part of it We've got to fulfill the Book
We need to stop the killing of our prophets and fulfill the promises of our faith.

Won′t you help to sing These songs of freedom? ′Cause all I ever have Redemption songs Redemption songs Redemption songs
Can you join me in singing about freedom? The only thing I have left are songs about redemption.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery None but ourselves can free our minds Woah! Have no fear for atomic energy 'Cause none of them-a can-a stop- the time
We need to free ourselves from mental slavery and not fear atomic energy because it cannot stop time.

How long shall they kill our prophets While we stand aside and look? Yes, some say it′s just a part of it We've got to fulfill the book
We need to stop the killing of our prophets and fulfill the promises of our faith.

Won′t you help to to sing These songs of freedom? 'Cause all I ever had Redemption songs All I ever had Redemption songs Redemption songs Redemption songs
Can you join me in singing about freedom? The only thing I have left are songs about redemption.

Writer(s): Bob Marley

Contributed by Chase E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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