Zounds were a UK anarchist band formed in 1977 from loose jamming sessions … Read Full Bio ↴Zounds were a UK anarchist band formed in 1977 from loose jamming sessions around the Reading area. Originally they were part of the cassette culture movement, releasing material on the Fuck Off Records tape label, and were also involved in the squatting and free festival scene.

The band met up with fellow anarchists Crass when, legend has it, their van broke down on the road. They made their way to nearby Dial House, where Crass were based, who helped them with repairs. The two bands became friends, and although musically very divergent, they shared many common political views. Zounds shortly afterwards released their first EP, "Can't Cheat Karma", on the Crass Records label.

In November 1980, they were on tour on the European continent. The first concert of that tour was in Rotterdam, with local band Bunker OESO. The other dates of that tour were with Dutch band Cheap'n'Nasty (who had played with Crass and Poison Girls as well), playing in the Netherlands, Belgium and West Berlin.

In 1981, they came again, to play in Leiden and elsewhere in the Netherlands.

The band released their first album The Curse of Zounds on Rough Trade Records in 1981. The cover art, by anarchist artist Clifford Harper, featured a painting of firefighters apparently trying to put out a blaze at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. However, the picture continued onto the back cover, which showed that in fact, they are spraying the fire with petrol, thus feeding it!

The band split up in late 1982. Bass player and vocalist Steve Lake and guitarist Laurence Wood continued to work together for a while as The World Service, whilst drummer Josef Porta (AKA Joseph Porter) went on the join The Mob and later formed Blyth Power. Lake continues to work as a solo artist, and Zounds occasionally reform for benefit gigs with a line-up augmented by Protag (formerly of Instant Automatons, Alternative TV and Blyth Power) and drummer Stick (previously of DIRT, Doom and Extreme Noise Terror). A remixed version of the bands song "This Land" was released in 2001 as a CD single benefit for the McLibel support campaign.

The name of the band is derived from the old English curse-word "zounds", which is a contraction of "Gods wounds", referring to Christ's crucifixion wounds.

Not Me
Zounds Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Who is gonna be one of the crowd
Who is gonna be there shouting out loud
Who is gonna be hanging around
Cheering at a plan, someone's walking all around

Not me - Not me - Not me - Not me
Not me - Not me - Not me - Not me

Who is gonna be one of the heard
Sitting and standing at somebody's word
??? Who is gonna be down in the squat ???
Just cause someone else says you better be there

Not me - Not me - Not me - Not me
Not me - Not me - Not me - Not me

Who is gonna be one of the crowd
Sitting and standing and shouting out loud
Who is gonna be lead round on a string
Thinking what someone else told them to think

Not me - Not me - Not me - Not me
Not me - Not me - Not me - Not me

??? Who is gonna be down in the squat ???
Just cause someone else says you better be there
Who is gonna be hanging around
Cheering at a plan, someone's walking all around

Not me - Not me - Not me - Not me
Not me - Not me - Not me - Not me...

Overall Meaning

The song "Not Me" by Zounds is a powerful and rebellious anthem that questions the conformity and herd mentality of society. The lyrics challenge the listener to think for themselves and not blindly follow the crowd or be a puppet to someone else's ideas. The song poses a series of questions, asking who will be part of the crowd, shouting and cheering, hanging around and following orders, and repeatedly responds with "Not me".

The phrase "Not me" is a bold and empowering declaration of individuality and independence. The song encourages the listener to resist peer pressure and outside influence and to forge their own path. It questions the notion that we must always conform to societal norms, and instead suggests that our own thoughts and opinions should be respected and valued.

The lyrics also evoke a sense of frustration with the herd mentality of society and the pressure to conform. It highlights the idea that often people will follow others blindly, without questioning their beliefs or motives. The repetition of the phrase "Not me" is a rallying cry for those who seek to think for themselves and resist the influence of others.

Line by Line Meaning

Who is gonna be one of the crowd
Who is willing to be just like everyone else?

Who is gonna be there shouting out loud
Who is willing to make noise just to fit in?

Who is gonna be hanging around
Who is willing to idle their time away?

Cheering at a plan, someone's walking all around
Who is willing to blindly follow someone else's idea?

Not me - Not me - Not me - Not me
I refuse to be a part of this conformity

Who is gonna be one of the heard
Who is willing to be on the receiving end of information?

Sitting and standing at somebody's word
Who is willing to let others do the thinking for them?

??? Who is gonna be down in the squat ???
Unknown line, cannot provide meaning

Just cause someone else says you better be there
Who is willing to do something just because someone else said so?

Who is gonna be lead round on a string
Who is willing to be puppeteered by others?

Thinking what someone else told them to think
Who is willing to adopt another's opinions and perspective?