1) U.K. were a short-lived British progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 through 1980.
In September 1976, singer/bassist John Wetton formerly of the British Psychedelic band Family (with Roger Chapman and Rick Grech) and drummer Bill Bruford, both alumni of King Crimson, worked on forming a band with Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The project was stopped by Wakeman's label. According to Bruford, "A&M Records were unwilling to let their 'star,' Wakeman, walk off with a used, slightly soiled King Crimson rhythm section, and the idea failed."
Determined to work together, Bruford and Wetton next asked guitarist Robert Fripp to reform King Crimson which Fripp had disbanded in 1974. When Fripp declined, Bruford and Wetton decided that each would bring in a musician of his choice to formulate a band. Wetton brought in keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson, whom Wetton knew from his work with Roxy Music in 1976 – "stealing" him from Frank Zappa. Bruford recruited guitarist Allan Holdsworth (formerly of Soft Machine and Gong) who had played guitar on Bruford's 1977 debut solo album, Feels Good to Me.
U.K. released their self-titled début album in 1978 and followed it with a supporting tour.
Following two lengthy American tours (June-October 1978), first Holdsworth and then Bruford departed U.K. over musical differences, going on to form the jazz rock fusion group Bruford. After the departure of Bruford and Holdsworth, U.K. didn't bring in another guitarist. Drummer Terry Bozzio (another one-time Frank Zappa band member) joined Wetton and Jobson, and as a result U.K. became a trio with a progressive rock lineup of keyboards/bass/drums (albeit supplemented by Jobson's violin). The trio recorded the album Danger Money, released in March 1979, and spent much of that year touring North America as opening act for Jethro Tull. A live album, Night After Night, was recorded in Japan that Spring and released in September. Following a final European tour in December 1979, and in spite of plans to record a new studio album in America in March 1980, U.K. disbanded. The reason for this was Jobson's and Wetton's different ideas on how the band should have gone on. Jobson wanted UK to go on with more long instrumental pieces, while Wetton thought that performing shorter songs was a better idea. Jobson stated that one song in particular was the reason of the band to disband: When Will You Realise?, a non-LP B-side (to date still unavailable on CD) featured on the Night After Night single, which Wetton would re-record (with slightly different lyrics) in 1980 on his solo album Caught In The Crossfire.
Throughout their brief existence, U.K.'s music was characterised by skilled musicianship, jazzy harmonies, close harmony vocals, use of odd time signatures (like 7/4 on the song In the Dead of Night), electric violin solos, and unusually varied synthesiser (Yamaha CS-80) sonorities.
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2) A folk rock side-project of members of Latvian band The Hobos. After the release of Radio Jah Jah, The Hobos decided to take some time to do other projects. Vilnis Krieviņš went back to play with the legendary Latvian hard rock band Līvi. Rolands Ūdris and Egons Kronbergs formed a side-project called U.K. and released the album KU. Finally, in year 2006 The Hobos went back to studio and a new album was expected sometime in 2009.
Time To Kill
UK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wolf at the door
Can I stand
A dog's life here for one day more
Close my eyes, imagine somewhere
So far away
Silver sand
Sick of solitary holidays
'Cause I never get away from here
I listen to the water drip down
Into the cell
Run amok
If I survive this living hell
Holed up in this cold calaboose
Captivity
Even takes
My lucid thoughts away from me
Time to kill – going nowhere
Killing time – staying where there's
Time to kill – going nowhere
Killing time – staying where there's...
Time to kill – going nowhere
Killing time – staying where there's
Time to kill – going nowhere
Killing time – staying where there's...
The lyrics of UK's song Time To Kill depict the feeling of being trapped and helpless in a situation, with no means to escape or move forward. The use of imagery and metaphors like "Rip the sheets off, ice cold again", "Wolf at the door", "A dog's life here for one day more", and "listen to the water drip down into the cell" convey a sense of isolation, confinement, and hopelessness. The singer longs for a better life, as indicated by the lines "Close my eyes, imagine somewhere so far away, Silver sand and azure Caribbean Sea". However, this desire for a better life is juxtaposed against a harsh reality where the singer is stuck in a miserable existence, feeling like there is no way out.
The chorus of the song, "Time to kill – going nowhere, Killing time – staying where there's, Time to kill – going nowhere, Killing time – staying where there's", further emphasizes the theme of being stuck and not being able to move forward. It is almost as if the singer is trapped in a cycle of monotonous routine, with nothing new or exciting happening in their life.
Overall, the lyrics of Time To Kill paint a bleak picture of a life stuck in a rut, with no escape in sight. The use of vivid and descriptive language creates a sense of empathy with the singer, making the song all the more poignant.
Line by Line Meaning
Rip the sheets off, ice cold again
I forcefully remove the blankets as the air is frigid and unwelcoming
Wolf at the door
I feel under threat and in danger, as if a predator is waiting outside
Can I stand
I question whether or not I can bear the harsh conditions I am facing
A dog's life here for one day more
I liken my existence to that of a poorly treated animal, fearing the prospect of another day in this misery
Close my eyes, imagine somewhere
I attempt to escape reality by visualizing a different, more pleasant environment
So far away
This imagined place is distant and removed from my current surroundings
Silver sand
The ground is illuminated with a shimmering glow of pale yellow
And azure Carribean Sea
The oceanic waters stretch out before me in shades of rich blues and greens
Sick of solitary holidays
I am weary of being alone during my time off
'Cause I never get away from here
I am always stuck in this place, unable to escape its grasp
I listen to the water drip down
The only sound I can hear is the dripping of water, providing me with little comfort
Into the cell
The water drips into my tiny space of confinement
Run amok
My thoughts become frantic and disordered
If I survive this living hell
I question whether or not I will be able to live through this torturous realm
Holed up in this cold calaboose
I am trapped in a chilly, bleak prison
Captivity
I am being held against my will
Even takes
The situation is so dire that it robs me of my coherent thinking
My lucid thoughts away from me
I am unable to think rationally and clearly in this environment
Time to kill – going nowhere
I have idle time, but there is nothing productive for me to do
Killing time – staying where there's
I am simply waiting for time to pass, without any true purpose or goal
Time to kill – going nowhere
My time is unoccupied and I have nothing constructive to do
Killing time – staying where there's...
I am simply waiting, living aimlessly in this unfulfilling space
Contributed by Reagan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.