Early success was found with singles such as "Warhead", "I Live in a Car", and "Tomorrow's Girls", with several of their songs managing to enter the United Kingdom's Top Forty. Their biggest selling album came with 1980's Crash Course.
With the arrival of new bassist Alvin Gibbs and drummer Steve Roberts in the early 1980s, the songs took on a heavier sound, faster, better quality. But always the punk views. The band has continued to perform, being one of the last surviving bands of Britain's punk era. They have toured constantly over the years.
Now in 2015, with the addiition of Jet on guitar and Jamie Oliver on drums, UK Subs have just released their 25th studio album 'Yellow Leader' to a crescendo of critical acclaim, bringing the band to the final step in their 40 year old mission - to record and release every official album in alphabetical order from A to Z.
Gangster
UK Subs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You wanna be Mr Big?
You wanna run this city
You wanna own the streets
Gangster, gangster
In your white Cadillac
With a telephone and TV
Gangster, gangster
Now you’re the boss
You’ve paid off the police
How much did it cost?
Gangster, gangster
You’re living by the gun
Found dead in the gutter
With your dark shades on
Gangster, gangster
In a black Cadillac
A bunch of flowers
And a box in the back
Gangster, gangster
Just a hunk of meat
One hungry gun
Why do you die so cheap?
The lyrics of the UK Subs song "Gangster" tell the story of a criminal who aspires to become a gang leader and control the city and its streets. The song's title refers to the person who is portrayed as a symbol of violence and lawlessness. The song starts with a question, which is equivalent to an accusation. The initial lines of "Gangster, gangster, you wanna be Mr Big?" are a sarcastic condemnation of the singer's ambitions. He imagines himself as the boss driving around the city in a white Cadillac with a telephone, TV, and bar. However, the harsh reality of violence catches up with him, and his fate is sealed. He meets a violent end on the streets, just as he lived by the gun.
Throughout the song, the lyrics convey a sense of distaste for the gangster. The use of dark imagery and dark humor drives home the song's message that crime does not pay. The singer's aspirations of becoming a kingpin are thwarted, and his short life is depicted as nothing more than a hunk of meat. The final lines of the song ask a poignant question - "why do you die so cheap?" - reflecting on the senselessness and brutality of gang violence.
Line by Line Meaning
Gangster, gangster
Addressing the person being called a gangster
You wanna be Mr Big?
Do you aspire to be the most powerful person in the business?
You wanna run this city
Do you want to control the entire city?
You wanna own the streets
Do you want to have complete control over the streets?
In your white Cadillac
Referring to the color of the gangster's car
With a telephone and TV
The car is equipped with a phone and TV
And a bar in the back
There is a bar installed in the back of the car
Now you’re the boss
The gangster has achieved the status of being the boss
You’ve paid off the police
The gangster has bribed the police
How much did it cost?
What was the cost of bribing the police?
You’re living by the gun
You are using a gun to assert your authority
Found dead in the gutter
The gangster was found dead on the street
With your dark shades on
The gangster was wearing sunglasses at the time of death
In a black Cadillac
Referring to the color of the gangster's car
A bunch of flowers
Flowers placed at the site of the gangster's death
And a box in the back
There is a box installed in the back of the car
Just a hunk of meat
The gangster is reduced to just a piece of flesh
One hungry gun
The gun used to kill the gangster only needed one shot
Why do you die so cheap?
Why did the gangster's life end so easily?
Writer(s): Alvin Brian Gibbs, Charles Harper Copyright: Embassy Music Corporation
Contributed by Alexis D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.