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In The City Lyrics
In the city there's a thousand things I want to say to you
But whenever I approach you, you make me look a fool
I wanna say, I wanna tell you
About the young ideas
But you turn them into fears
In the city there's a thousand faces all shining bright
And those golden faces are under 25
They wanna say, they gonna tell ya
About the young idea
You better listen now you've said your bit-a
And I know what you're thinking
You still think I am crap
But you'd better listen man
Because the kids know where it's at
In the city there's a thousand men in uniforms
And I've heard they now have the right to kill a man
We wanna say, we gonna tell ya
About the young idea
And if it don't work, at least we said we've tried
In the city, in the city
In the city there's a thousand things I want to say to you
But whenever I approach you, you make me look a fool
I wanna say, I wanna tell you
About the young ideas
But you turn them into fears
In the city there's a thousand faces all shining bright
And those golden faces are under 25
They wanna say, they gonna tell ya
About the young idea
You better listen now you've said your bit-a
You still think I am crap
But you'd better listen man
Because the kids know where it's at
And I've heard they now have the right to kill a man
We wanna say, we gonna tell ya
About the young idea
And if it don't work, at least we said we've tried
In the city there's a thousand things I want to say to you
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This songs a plea for people to listen to the younger generation and the ideas that they have. It seems to me that Weller feels the youth and their views are being ignored. They are becoming disillusioned with society and the way they are treated from people in authority: "you make me look a fool". They are also against the policies taking place: "thousand men in uniforms". I think this refers to the police and their new powers to kill people. My favourite song by The Jam, and one of the best baselines I've heard.
I heard back many eaons ago that this was about the Southall riots in the early 80s..Any ideas?
@fortunate_boy Na it was written 1976/1977
@fortunate_boy Na it was written 1976/1977
This song was released in '77 so I doubt it. Paul Weller loved London and this song is a look at London in the 70's from the viewpoint of an idealistic young hothead. Alot of Paul Weller's early lyrics sound a bit naive at times but he was only about 18 or 19 at the time. Ask the Sex Pistols if they thought this was a good riff!
The song's main hook, a simple descending figure, bears a resemblance to the bassline of The Jam's "In the City", which was released a few months previously in April 1977. The two groups did play at least one show together (at Queensway Hall in Dunstable on October 21, 1976), at which point The Jam had already been in the studio to record demos of "In the City". Bruce Foxton, bass player for The Jam and later the Stiff Little Fingers alleged in a 1994 book that the riff had indeed been stolen from this song.[1] By one account, Sid Vicious...
The song's main hook, a simple descending figure, bears a resemblance to the bassline of The Jam's "In the City", which was released a few months previously in April 1977. The two groups did play at least one show together (at Queensway Hall in Dunstable on October 21, 1976), at which point The Jam had already been in the studio to record demos of "In the City". Bruce Foxton, bass player for The Jam and later the Stiff Little Fingers alleged in a 1994 book that the riff had indeed been stolen from this song.[1] By one account, Sid Vicious and Foxton got in a fight over this, with Foxton the clear victor.
Ask Weller if he liked The Pistols' basslines. ;) That said I think it's strange Sid Vicious begins fights about basslines he didn't even wrote himself (that must have been original Pistols bassplayer Glen Matlock).
@Boss Man as far as Weller’s Lyrics being “naive” when he was young... Not saying you were implying anything at all, good or bad, but I just wanted to say that, rock n roll Is Supposed to be “about the young idea”.
@Boss Man as far as Weller’s Lyrics being “naive” when he was young... Not saying you were implying anything at all, good or bad, but I just wanted to say that, rock n roll Is Supposed to be “about the young idea”.
Well listen to this and ask Paul Weller if he ever listened to The Who.