Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to space rock and shoegazer music, by the mid-1990s the band had released several EPs and two acclaimed records. They also endured name and lineup changes, breakups, health problems, drug abuse and various lawsuits. The band's commercial breakthrough was Urban Hymns and its single Bitter Sweet Symphony, which became a massive worldwide hit.
Soon after this commercial peak, the band quit amid creative struggles within, and Ashcroft went onto a successful solo career. Tong briefly joined Blur as a replacement for Graham Coxon. It is rumored that Simon Jones did a studio album with Ari Pap of the Floor Monks called 'Aint Nothing To It' and was never released because they both had bigger projects going on at the time. Close family and friends assure us its a fabulous indie/rock/alternate album and they really wish it would have been released.
The Verve were chosen to close the 2008 Glastonbury festival which they did with a set based on the classic 1997 album 'Urban Hymns'.
Discography:
A Storm in Heaven • 21 June 1993 • #27 (UK)
A Northern Soul • 3 July 1995 • #13 (UK)
Urban Hymns • 29 September 1997 • #1 (UK) #23 (US)
Forth • 25 August 2008 • #1 (UK) #23 (US)
The Rolling People
The Verve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you see it wasting away?
But I got a plan
Do you understand?
The drugstore wife
I was dealing soul and other white
I won't shake your hands
But here we are the rolling people
Can't stay for long
We gotta go
So come alive with the rolling poeple
Don't ask why
We just know
I'm on a big jet plane
With my briefcase and crime in my veins
I'll be the first to toast
To my rowdy soul
But here we are the rolling people
Don't ask why
We don't know
So come alive with the rolling people
Don't ask why
We just go now
Yeah
Don't even know which way I'm going to
The lights are on and I am feeling blue
I hope you know which way I'm going to fly
Thank you for my life
I said good night, good-bye
You see me going
But here we are the rolling people
Can't stay for long
We gotta go
So come alive with the rolling people
Don't ask why
We don't know now
Yeah
The Verve's song "The Rolling People" showcases the existential crisis of lead singer Richard Ashcroft, who considers himself as one among the many "rolling people" who are lost and directionless in life. Ashcroft questions the value of his life and his addiction to drugs and other vices that are slowly wasting him. He says that he has one more life, and it is wasting away, but he has a plan, which he doesn't elaborate on. The first verse mentions the "drugstore wife," which can be interpreted as a reference to his drug dealer, who supplied him with the drugs that he was addicted to. He opts not to shake her hand since he knows death has plans he can't control.
In the pre-chorus and chorus, the band reiterates that they are the rolling people and they can't stay for long. They entreat the listener to come alive with them and not ask any questions, for they themselves don't know where they are going. In the second verse, Ashcroft portrays himself as someone who is in control, flying in a big jet plane with a briefcase and crime in his veins. He calls himself a rowdy soul and raises a toast, being the first one to do so.
Overall, "The Rolling People" is a song that highlights the struggles of people who are lost and have no direction in life. While Ashcroft tries to find meaning in his existence, he struggles with addictions, which he knows are killing him. The repetitive chorus showcases the band inviting the listener to join their aimless journey.
Line by Line Meaning
I got one more life
I feel like I have another chance at life
Can you see it wasting away?
Do you notice that I'm not making the most of it?
But I got a plan
However, I have a strategy
Do you understand?
Do you comprehend my motives?
The drugstore wife
I was stuck in a rough phase of life and was dating someone toxic
I was dealing soul and other white
I used to sell drugs to get by
I won't shake your hands
I'm avoiding contact with you
'Cause death has no plans
Because death can come unpredictably
But here we are the rolling people
But right now, my friends and I are just wanderers
Can't stay for long
We can't stay in one place for too long
We gotta go
We have to keep moving
So come alive with the rolling people
Join us and live in the moment
Don't ask why
Stop questioning everything
We just know
We just have the feeling that this is the right way to live
I'm on a big jet plane
I'm traveling to new places in my luxurious lifestyle
With my briefcase and crime in my veins
I have some illegal substances on me
I'll be the first to toast
I'll be the one to raise a glass
To my rowdy soul
To my wild and free spirit
Don't even know which way I'm going to
I have no specific destination in mind
The lights are on and I am feeling blue
I'm feeling down despite being in the public eye
I hope you know which way I'm going to fly
I hope you understand that I'm following my own path
Thank you for my life
I'm grateful for the time I have
I said good night, good-bye
I'm saying farewell
You see me going
You witness my departure
Don't ask why
Stop questioning my actions
We don't know now
We have no idea what's next for us
Yeah
Yes, that's our way of life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: NICK MCCABE, PETER SALISBURY, RICHARD ASHCROFT, SIMON JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@UKbloke999
One of the most underrated tracks ever written - box fresh even after 20+ years!
@mickdavey8731
Four horsemen by Aphrodites Child is darker better version.
@gingernoggin3158
Sure is, absolute masterpiece of a tune !
@luigistefanizzi3753
The older this album gets, the better it sounds.
@lsadin2457
Timeless <3
@c.t.7652
Brings some really good memories to me :-)
@eastgreenketama1
Timeless. Marque of quality
@slimk3vo
Nostalgia is a beautiful feeling
@JimChap
@@c.t.7652 Yeah mate, me too. Lying on my back, very stoned, buzzing out aged 17 years in NZ.
@jbraunger
Heard this album a million times... still sounds fresh.