The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Margareth Thatcher on TV
Shocked by the deaths that took place in Beijing
It seems strange that she should be offended
The same orders are given by her
I've said this before now
You said I was childish and you'll say it now
Remember what I told you
If they hated me they will hate you
England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses
It's the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds
And I love my boy and that's why I'm leaving
I don't want him to be aware that there's
Any such thing as grieving
Young mother down at Smithfield
5 AM, looking for food for her kids
In her arms she holds three cold babies
And the first word that they learned was "please"
These are dangerous days
To say what you feel is to dig your own grave
Remember what I told you
If you were of the world they would love you
England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses
It's the home of police who kill blacks boys on mopeds
And I love my boy and that's why I'm leaving
I don't want him to be aware that there's
Any such thing as grieving
Shocked by the deaths that took place in Beijing
It seems strange that she should be offended
The same orders are given by her
I've said this before now
You said I was childish and you'll say it now
Remember what I told you
If they hated me they will hate you
England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses
It's the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds
And I love my boy and that's why I'm leaving
I don't want him to be aware that there's
Any such thing as grieving
Young mother down at Smithfield
5 AM, looking for food for her kids
In her arms she holds three cold babies
And the first word that they learned was "please"
These are dangerous days
To say what you feel is to dig your own grave
Remember what I told you
If you were of the world they would love you
England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses
It's the home of police who kill blacks boys on mopeds
And I love my boy and that's why I'm leaving
I don't want him to be aware that there's
Any such thing as grieving
Lyrics submitted by xdarkentries, edited by GuanoLoco
Black Boys on Mopeds Lyrics as written by Sinead O'connor
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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My favourite Sinead O'Connor song, maybe even my favourite song ever. Pretty obvious in it's meaning, good to get a dig in at Maggie.
I grabbed this bit of a web page ..
the lyrics refer to an incident in England on 17 May 1989 where the police were pursuing a youth called Nicholas Bramble, who was riding a moped, in the mistaken belief that he had stolen the moped. Bramble lost control of the moped (which it turns out was his) in the chase, and crashed it, killing himself. His death was ruled accidental, but O’Connor felt that the police, a “representative of state authority”, caused his death, and the incident (re)sparked accusations of racism in the police force, on the grounds that the police would not have assumed that the youth had stolen the bike, or pursued him so aggressively, had he been white.
Just want to add a few additional details for those who seek them:
Smithfield is a meat market in London. "Madame George" is a wonderful, legendary song by Van Morrison. Roses are closely associated with England via Henry VII and the War of the Roses, among other sources. The "boy" in question is her son Jake, who was born in 1987 and was her first child.
I love the title.
One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
I absolutely adore both this song by Sinéad O'Connor, and also the Van Morrison song Madame George, to which Ms. O'Connor alludes to in the lyric "England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses". However, what I don't understand is why Sinéad associates Madame George with England or englishness (roses). The location of the rather impressionistic events in Van Morrison's Madame George is firmly around Belfast, Morrisons's birthplace, with its mentions of Cyprus Avenue, Ford and Fitzroy (Avenue?) and Sandy Row, although Dublin is also mentioned "On that train from Dublin up to Sandy Row". There's nothing in the rest of Van's lyrics to indicate that the character Madame George may be English, either. Would love to get an explanation for this.
@satchicenine I registered all these years later to reply to your question, so I have no idea whether you're still around or will ever see this. Yes, Van Morrison was from Northern Ireland, and areas in Belfast are heavily referenced on Astral Weeks, but there's also a significant London presence, as heard in "Slim Slow Slider," significantly the album closer: <br /> <br /> "Saw you walking<br /> Down by the Ladbroke Grove this morning."<br />
@GuanoLoco Thanks for replying. I appreciate that some songs on Astral Weeks allude to places outside of NI & Ireland, like Ladbroke Grove in London, but I don't think Madame George does. For me, Madame George seems to be about Van being at a party in Belfast and feeling out of place and having the need to walk away and move on from the people and places he that shaped him. I love the line on the song Astral Weeks: "Ain't nothing but a stranger in this world", that also reflects this feeling. Admittedly, the album is famously a stream-of-consciousness, so time and place and memories get mixed up.<br /> I've often though that if I was ever fortunate enough to have met Sinéad O'Connor, the first thing I'd have asked her is about her Madam George reference in Black Boys on Mopeds. I'd also have told her that I agree with her that Van's album, 'Veedon Fleece', is equally as good, if not better, than Astral Weeks. (I've read that Veedon Fleece was Sinéad's favourite album). Sadly, recent events mean that my fantasy will never happen.<br /> Rest In Peace, Sinéad.
@satchicenine Yes, I think it revolves more around a word you used yourself: impressionistic. While there are genuine locations scattered throughout Astral Weeks, ultimately it's more a mood than something concrete and tangible. I suspect Sinéad took that aspect and ran with it, conflating the character of Madame George and English roses, even though that might not have been Van Morrison's overt intention. The very sound of the character's name feels English. But sadly, you're right, and we'll never know for certain.
GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN
I’ve loved this song my whole life but after reading this page, I’m struck by how outsized Sinead’s reaction and framing is. I had always assumed this song referred to a true incident where English police killed multiple black boys on mopeds, probably by shooting them to death. There was an incident and while it’s true he was black, he wasn’t a boy and there was only one of him! Sinead literally makes it sound like Margaret Thatcher gave official orders from 10 Downing Street to English police to kill black children on mopeds! Let Sinead swirl that ‘stache, Mags!
And now I also learn that Madame George isn’t even English??? It refers to a Van Morrison song?! I’d assumed it had something to do with bucolic depictions of England!
Any sane individual should think it beyond bonkers that Sinead compared the Nicholas Bramble accident to the earth-shattering events in Beijing. Absolute lunacy. I’m sure there was genuine racism in England in the 1980s. Would the cops really have not also chased an (optically) “white trash” young man on a moped?
The 1980s saw a lot of non-whites being integrated into a white country. Obviously it’s messy at first whenever you mix populations on such a large scale. And I bet some of the issues in the black community then stemmed from the old “few bad apples” circumstances that have plagued black people for a long time literally all over the world.
I still love Sinead but facts are facts. I guess this song goes to show how outsized her heart was in relation to her brain. Not a bad thing. We need poets and scientists. My heart broke when she passed and I can’t even bring myself to learn what happened yet. Losing Dolores was hard enough. Sinead’s the best singer, she is The Voice. Tragic that the rest of her life wasn’t her siting on a cloud being fed bonbons and grapes by Fabio types. Sad, sad, sad. My heart goes out to her kids.
I’m sure I’m not winning any friends here so I may as well go for broke. The line about three cold babies cracks me up. What’s so wrong about their first word being please? Their mother seems to have made a few bad choices in life if she’s bringing THREE babies out to find food at 5am in the freaking morning. Like, lady, get it together. Please put your kids up for adoption and take care of yourself. Their second and third words should be CALL DSS.
PS - May as well add “If they hated me they will hate you” is such a pessimistic line. I know people don’t like to admit that anything has changed in the history of the universe as far as race relations and such go, but this nasty sentiment would do nobody any favors. If I were a black Sinead fan in 1990 what would I make of that line? If they hate this bald white chick, they definitely hate me!
(This is what finally got me to register after so many years. This is by far one of the best websites ever and I’m constantly shocked it hasn’t been taken down or ruined. Remember when Weezer’s lyrics weren’t posted because they were under copyright??)
@berry2teddy You seem a little dim, so I won’t bother to correct your subjective interpretations. But you are factually incorrect about the title referring to one person and incident. It refers to both Nicholas Bramble and Colin Roach.