In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
And I won't give it up to you
And I feel love, feel love
Jailhouse gets empty
Rudy gets plenty
The baton stick gets shorter
Rudy gets taller
Can't fight against the youth
'Cause we're strong and we're rude rude people
Can't fight against the youth
'Cause we're strong and we're rude rude people
When I was a youth in 1983
Was the best day of my life, had the 89 vision
We didn't fuss or no fight
When all the little daughters wanna be my wife
It was playin' on my guitar, on my guitar
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
When the rhythm playin'
I know that I'm gonna be there yeah
Bud Gaugh will be singing there
And Eric Wilson will be bangin' up there, yeah
Oh and we'll be all singin', with version, with version, reggae version, reggae version, version, oh
What has been told to the wise and up-rooted
Yeah, it's gonna be revealed unto, and Sublime
Rudy Rudy Rudy
Can't fight against the youth, right now
Them are rude, rude people
Can't fight against the resistance, oh right now
Them are rude, rude people
We gonna rule this land among children
We gonna rule this land
'Cause when that rhythm it was playin' on my guitar
On my guitar
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
When I was a youth it was the best day
It was the best day of my life
We had the 89' vision
We didn't fuss or no fight
When all the little daughters wanna be my wife
When that rhythm it was playin' on my guitar
On my guitar
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
Had to be there
Jailhouse gets empty
Rudy gets plenty
Baton stick gets shorter
Rudy gets taller, taller
And fight against the youth
'Cause we're strong, and we're rude, rude people
Can't fight against the youth
And I feel love, feel love
Jailhouse gets empty
Rudy gets plenty
The baton stick gets shorter
Rudy gets taller
Can't fight against the youth
'Cause we're strong and we're rude rude people
Can't fight against the youth
'Cause we're strong and we're rude rude people
When I was a youth in 1983
Was the best day of my life, had the 89 vision
We didn't fuss or no fight
When all the little daughters wanna be my wife
It was playin' on my guitar, on my guitar
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
When the rhythm playin'
I know that I'm gonna be there yeah
Bud Gaugh will be singing there
And Eric Wilson will be bangin' up there, yeah
Oh and we'll be all singin', with version, with version, reggae version, reggae version, version, oh
What has been told to the wise and up-rooted
Yeah, it's gonna be revealed unto, and Sublime
Rudy Rudy Rudy
Can't fight against the youth, right now
Them are rude, rude people
Can't fight against the resistance, oh right now
Them are rude, rude people
We gonna rule this land among children
We gonna rule this land
'Cause when that rhythm it was playin' on my guitar
On my guitar
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
When I was a youth it was the best day
It was the best day of my life
We had the 89' vision
We didn't fuss or no fight
When all the little daughters wanna be my wife
When that rhythm it was playin' on my guitar
On my guitar
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
I had to be there
Had to be there
Jailhouse gets empty
Rudy gets plenty
Baton stick gets shorter
Rudy gets taller, taller
And fight against the youth
'Cause we're strong, and we're rude, rude people
Can't fight against the youth
Lyrics submitted by The Big Andowski
Jailhouse Lyrics as written by John Holt Warren Williams
Lyrics © THIRD SIDE MUSIC INC.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is an old Jamaican song that Sublime covered, it's about fighting against opression and how the youth gets stronger. The later part of the song is part of an old unreleased sublime song, it's about Brad's youth and some of the good times he had.
The section talking about his youth is about Sublime itself. Notice how it mentions the other band members by name. The "'89 Vision" is a reference to Sublime becoming well known in 1989: He envisioned himself and his friends doing that in 1983.
complete song:
jailhouse gets empty rudy gets plenty baton stick gets shorter rudy gets taller cant fight against the youth cause we're strong them are rude rude people can't fight against the youth cause we're strong them are rude rude people
long baby then now when i was a youth in 1983 it was the best day of my life had the '89 vision, we didnt fuss and no fight when all the little daughters wanna be my... like a vision it was playin on my guitar on my guitar i had to be there, i had to be there, i had to be there, i had to be there when the rhythm playin i know that i'm gonna be there oh bud gaugh will be singin there and eric wilson will be bangin up there oh and well be all singin with vesion
what has been told to the wise and uprooted yea its gonna be revealed unto bass and sublime
rudy rudy rudy
can't fight against the youth right now them are rude rude people can't fight against the resistance oh right now them are rude rude people
we gonna rule this planet among children we gonna rule this planet
cuz when that rhythm it was playin on my guitar, on my guitar i had to be there i had to be there i had to be there i had to be there
when i was a youth it was the best day it was the best day of my life had the '89 vision we didnt fuss and no fight when all the little daughters wanna be my...
when that rhythm it was playin on my guitar i had to be there
jailhouse gets empty rudy gets plenty baton stick gets shorter rudy gets taller
cant fight against the youth cause were strong them are rude rude people can't fight against the youth
OMG, no way you guys screwed up the best line in the song!! And posters keep repeating it, aaahhhh! "...it's gonna be revealed unto BABES (not bass??) and sublime" From the bible, means young people...what could "revealed unto bass" possibly mean? Come on.
K guys. 89 vision means being stoned. One of the dudes here was close MJ93, yea KRS-Ones album was a reasonable explination, but unfortunately it just means being high, which makes more sense ne ways but its chilll. rudy is a kid like brad, or myself. likes ska music, reggae, punk rock, weed, etc. Steve-o555 was right here that a Baton stick is a joint. While the joint gets shorter, because he smoked it, he gets taller, cuz he feels good and is high. come one people.
come on ppl, ur not smoking enuff if you dont get it
@KaliforniaKoastKid<br /> <br /> Baton Stick MEAN Baton Stick - to say the baton stick is getting shorter is saying that the police/government forces are using smaller batons, as they are, if you are on the opposite side, the resistance, then you notice that we don't get beat as much for opposing the government as maybe 50 years ago????<br /> <br /> I swear, everyone hears a sublime song or a NIN song and they can only come up with "its about getting high" or "its about opiate addiction"<br /> <br /> I got news for you - when you are high and writing songs you generally aren't writing about the shit, your thoughts are not that dwelled upon it.<br /> <br /> These guys who wrote this music, tho he didnt really write this song, they deserve more credit then just assuming they only could think about opiates.<br /> <br /> Think outside the box you are putting him in.
I dont know why, but this has always been one of my favorite sublime songs. i used to just think nothing of it(or as little as possible for a sublime song... i still loved it), but the more you listen to it, the better it gets. i think its because he puts more and more emotion into the singing as the song goes on.
@ EyeOfFatima Haha the exact same thing that happened to me with this song. This song just reminds me of growing up<br />
"cant fight against the youth, because were strong" its amazing how he comes up with remarkable lyrics
One of my favorite songs, because it combines so many of Sublime's great qualities.
They cover the reggae lines and they just sound right in this song. Sure they're different from the rest, but it really gives the song some amazing contrast, and combined with the beat it makes a sweet sound.
Brad throws in some amazing lyrics of his own. I love his talk about playing his guitar like a vision. When I'm baked and playing either my guitar or bass and it starts sounding good then I can tell you he hit the nail on the head--because it really is like watching yourself play or having a vision.
"Can't fight against the youth" is a sweet line in itself, and needs no explanation or interpretation. just sweet
seriously, if you're not a big fan of this song, then give it a few listens. it's one of my most favorite Sublime songs
'89 vision is NOT a sexual position.
in this song, the 1989 vision refers to one of the first rap albums (i can't think of the artist... you could search it online) who heavily influenced Brad, and so the 1989 comes from that rap artist, it's about anti-violence in inner-city black communities.
i juss got a root canal and this was the only song i would listen to while i was all fucked up on laughing gas!
as for 89 vision, the bands first real gig as Sublime was in 89, so @ that very moment they were living the dream they envisioned back in 83. (hence "when i was a youth in 1983 it was the best day of my life had the '89 vision, we didnt fuss and no fight") hes juss lookin back @ life.
songs too amazing for words. one of my sublimefaves.
This song is awesome on so many levels. The reggae-dub bassline, ska beats, a little guitar solo thrown in, Brad's vocals, a social message....this song takes me to a happy place every time I listen to it. Sometimes I think that I'll never be as happy or at peace as I was back in the day chillin with my homies, smokin weed and feeling good about life. Life just seems to take more and more of a toll on you as you get older. Thank god for Sublime.