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In The Days Before Rock 'n' Roll Lyrics
Justin, gentler than a man
I am down on my knees
At the wireless knobs
I am down on my knees
At those wireless knobs
Telefunken, Telefunken
And I'm searching for
Luxembourg, Luxembourg,
Athlone, Budapest, AFN,
Hilversum, Helvetia
In the days before rock 'n' roll
In the days before rock 'n' roll
In the days before rock 'n' roll
When we let, then we bet
On Lester Piggott when we met
We let the goldfish go
In the days before rock 'n' roll
Fats did not come in
Without those wireless knobs
Fats did not come in
Without those wireless knobs
Elvis did not come in
Without those wireless knobs
Nor Fats, nor Elvis
Nor Sonny, nor Lightning
Nor Muddy, nor John Lee
In the days before rock 'n' roll
In the days before rock 'n' roll
When we let and we bet
On Lester Piggott 10/1
And we let the goldfish go
Down the stream
Before rock 'n' roll
We went over the wavebands
We'd get Luxembourg,
Luxembourg and Athlone
AFM stars of Jazz
Come in, come in, come in, Ray Charles
Come in, the high priest
In the days before rock 'n' roll
In the days before rock 'n' roll
When we let and we bet
On Lester Piggott 10 to 1
And we let the goldfish go
And then the killer came along
The killer, Jerry Lee Lewis
A whole lotta shakin' goin' on,
Great balls of fire
Little Richard
Justin, gentler than a man
Justin, Justin, where is Justin now?
What's Justin doing now?
Just, where is Justin now?
Come aboard
the song refers to lester piggot as he was a huge feature in irish culture at the time. betting on horses is a big irish past time and something you do with your friends, for the craic! i think this song is a nostalgic look back on a friendship van once had. it was obviouly a gentle and social relationship. the days before rock & roll when van would have tuned in radio luxemburg etc to hear his blues heroes. justin may have just been a friend, where is he now? letting the gold fish go could be just that, something that was done whilst socialising. it could also symbolise the freedom he associates with that time. the goldfish swimming down a stream, free from the captivity of the goldfish bowl.
@visionsoflouise I was always curious about his reference to Helvetia,the Latin word for Switzerland. I am from Helvetia W.V, a tiny Swiss hamlet in mountains. I was introduced to this album in 1994. It got me Real Real Gone while struggling to survive a bone marrow transplant.My nurse shared this album with with me all those years ago,she was the Avalon of the Heart.
@visionsoflouise I was always curious about his reference to Helvetia,the Latin word for Switzerland. I am from Helvetia W.V, a tiny Swiss hamlet in mountains. I was introduced to this album in 1994. It got me Real Real Gone while struggling to survive a bone marrow transplant.My nurse shared this album with with me all those years ago,she was the Avalon of the Heart.
In the background, there's a fast monotone guitar strum. It's a good approximation for the sound of high speed Morse code or radio-teletype. Something that would be ubiquitous on shortwave at the time.
AFN would have been Armed Forces Network. Probably run by the American Army.
I'm fairly certain this song is about how Europeans found American roots to rock and roll on the dials of European radios. But who is Justin referred to in this song?
Yes that's my question too, who is Justin. Maybe he's just the 'gentle' spirit of the age that they miss in today's more competitive world.
Yes that's my question too, who is Justin. Maybe he's just the 'gentle' spirit of the age that they miss in today's more competitive world.
or maybe he was a dj!
or maybe he was a dj!
I think it's Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues. (Tuesday Afternoon, ... Nights in White Satin).
I think it's Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues. (Tuesday Afternoon, ... Nights in White Satin).
Justin Hayward has a gentle voice, he's a contemporary of Van Morrison, and has a similar musical pedigree and abilities. Well, okay, no one has the abilities of Van ...
Justin Hayward has a gentle voice, he's a contemporary of Van Morrison, and has a similar musical pedigree and abilities. Well, okay, no one has the abilities of Van ...
You may be correct about the reference to access to rock & roll via the radio, but I don't know get the connection to Lester Piggott, the most(?) successful English horse racing jockey. (Without the written lyrics, many think he's singing "Wilson Picket"). So who can explain the mix of Piggott and early rock & rollers? And who's Justin?
The goldfish refers to the dial of the Telefunken radio. Spinning the knob made the illuminated golden line move across the dial from horse racing to rock and roll.
@elvisload Excellent!
@elvisload Excellent!