The band is one of the most culturally diverse dub Ska bands with musicians of English, Scottish, Irish, Yemeni and Jamaican parentage. The band is named from the paper form issued by the UK government's Department of Health and Social Security at the time of the band's formation for claiming unemployment benefit (UB40 = Unemployment Benefit, Form 40).
UB40 were influenced by the many Blues Parties they attended as teenagers in the multiracial Balsall Heath area of Birmingham, their love of ska and reggae inspired such original tracks as King, Madam Medusa, Food for Thought, Signing Off and One in Ten.
Their early music style was unique, with a heavy influence of analogue synthesizers, psychedelic rock guitar, saxophone and dub producer techniques which were later perfected by the late Pablo Falconer.
Ali and Robin Campbell have a musical heritage, being sons of Ian Campbell, a folk musician.
The band purchased its first instruments with compensation money Ali Campbell received after a bar fight. They have had a number of hits, most commercially and to amusement of the band, "Red Red Wine", a cover version of a Neil Diamond song (in an arrangement similar to that of Tony Tribe's version). Their most successful single release is the cover of the Elvis Presley ballad Can't Help Falling In Love which was intended to be the main title to the 1992 Sharon Stone movie Sliver and was a Number One hit across Europe and in the U.S.
Many of UB40's recordings were inspired by 1960s ska and early lovers rock songs that would have otherwise been forgotten in the public eye. Their new injection of life into so many old Jamaican hits has resulted in many musicians' and producers' renewed popularity and income.
UB40's early music often tackled social issues such as racism and unemployment.
Other artists that UB40 have collaborated with include: Pato Banton, Madness, Bitty McLean, Chrissie Hynde, Robert Palmer, Hunterz, Japanese artist Mikidozan, French artist Nuttea, Lady Saw and Afrika Bambaataa.
The Prisoner
UB40 Lyrics
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Poverty has turned him to crime
Boredom gives him too much time to think
He pours another drink.
[Chorus]
A burning, bitter taste of irony
A prisoner in the land of the free.
He wonders why his landscape looks so strange
Burger bars are home on the range
An empty bottle falling from his hand
He doesn't understand.
[Chorus]
A burning, bitter taste of irony
A prisoner in the land of the free.
A cork unlocks the door to other lands
Of battles won and destinies in hand
A half-remembered state of liquid dreams
Where things aren't what they seem.
[Chorus]
A burning, bitter taste of irony
A prisoner in the land of the free.
A naked savage dressed in shirt and jeans
A burning, bitter taste of irony
A prisoner in the land of the free.
[Chorus]
A burning, bitter taste of irony
A prisoner in the land of the free.
The lyrics of UB40's song, The Prisoner, tell the story of a man who has become a misfit in society due to poverty and lack of opportunity. He has turned to a life of crime, which has led him to become old before his time. Boredom plagues him, leaving him with too much time to think and drink. He wonders why he finds himself in a landscape where burger bars are as common as homes on the range, but he cannot make sense of it all.
The chorus of the song, “A burning, bitter taste of irony, A prisoner in the land of the free,” is repeated multiple times to emphasize that the man finds himself in a country that brands itself as "the land of the free," but he feels trapped in a system that does not offer him freedom, instead pushing him into a cycle of poverty and crime. The lyrics take a turn towards the end, where the cork of a bottle unlocks the door to other lands, where he experiences battles won and destinies in hand. These half-remembered states of liquid dreams offer him an escape from the harsh reality he finds himself in, where things aren't what they seem.
Line by Line Meaning
A misfit who is old before his time
The singer of the song is someone who feels disconnected from society and does not belong to any place or group. He feels like an outsider and is tired of being so.
Poverty has turned him to crime
The person has been forced into a life of crime due to lack of money and resources. Poverty and desperation have left him with no other choice.
Boredom gives him too much time to think
The singer has too much time on his hands and is unable to find a suitable way to spend it. This leads to him thinking too much and ultimately getting frustrated.
He pours another drink
The person uses alcohol as a coping mechanism to forget his problems and temporarily escape reality.
[Chorus] A burning, bitter taste of irony / A prisoner in the land of the free.
The chorus is a repetitive phrase that highlights the ironic situation of the artist being stuck in a society that prides itself on granting freedom to its citizens, yet he feels trapped and unable to escape his circumstances.
He wonders why his landscape looks so strange
The person feels disconnected and unfamiliar with his surroundings. He cannot understand why the world looks so bizarre and unrecognizable to him.
Burger bars are home on the range
The singer feels that fast-food restaurants constantly surround him and that these establishments have become a fixture of the American way of life, similar to cows grazing on open pastures.
An empty bottle falling from his hand / He doesn't understand
The person is so drunk that he drops his empty bottle, and he cannot comprehend why he treats his body terribly or why he indulges in this ritual. He's lost his understanding and perspective on life.
[Chorus] A burning, bitter taste of irony / A prisoner in the land of the free.
The chorus, once again, emphasizes that the person feels trapped and confined, unable to take advantage of the freedom he's been granted or access opportunities that he feels are denied to him.
A cork unlocks the door to other lands / Of battles won and destinies in hand
The artist thinks that drinking unlocks an alternate universe filled with exotic places and adventures, but it merely unlocks your consciousness and alters your perception of reality. The person's view of the world is distorted and clouded by alcohol.
A half-remembered state of liquid dreams / Where things aren't what they seem.
The person's drunken state leads to a blurred memory, where experiences become muddled or are completely forgotten. His perception of reality is distorted, and it's tough to discern what is real from what is imagined.
[Chorus] A burning, bitter taste of irony / A prisoner in the land of the free.
The chorus continues to remind the listener of the ironic and bitter reality that the artist is trapped within a paradoxical society that promises its people many freedoms but none are available to him.
A naked savage dressed in shirt and jeans
The singer considers himself primitive and uncivilized, as if he doesn't belong in society in his current form. Despite attempting to assimilate with the rest of society, he recognizes that he's different and struggles to integrate.
[Chorus] A burning, bitter taste of irony / A prisoner in the land of the free.
The last chorus repeats the phrase once again, emphasizing how the singer feels. It is a sad finale to a story about a person who struggles to find his place in the world, even though he is surrounded by the same resources as everyone else.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIM BROWN, ALI CAMPBELL, ROBIN CAMPBELL, EARL FALCONER, NORMAN HASSAN, BRIAN TRAVERS, MICHAEL VIRTUE, TERRENCE OSWALD WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paul M
on reckless
Does anyone know who the singer on the mic is with the hat? Also the two that come in with Bam? Thanks
Ian Fulton
on My Way of Thinking
Best band in the stratosphere
Rosie Contreras
on Red Red Wine
Awesome song