I feel obliged to post up what I have discerned to be King Django's lyrical contribution to this song, as misguided and inaccurate as it is:
So, whatcha' lookin' at? Got a problem witcha' eyes?
You don't? Then maybe I gi' ya' one, now don't look so surprised!
Cut you outta' ya' clothes, so you had better recognise,
I'm like a steppin' razor, I'm dangerous, so don'tcha watch my size! (... hello Peter Tosh)
I don't believe in your love, I've only ever been abused,
Accused of takin' advantage of the beaten, and broken, and bruised,
(I have no idea what he says here, something about the children at school? :P)
So don't you try to trick me, and tell me that I am the one that's confused.
As for the actual song, well. I'm not gonna' try going too pseudo-English student on everyone, but it suggests not only the robbing of the innocence of youth, but also how this "damage" to the children of the present day can be passed on from generation to generation. The child in question doesn't appear any older than nine, yet he's grown up too fast through a rough life on the streets and the perils of a harsh domestic environment, be that for whatever reason.
I personally love how the writer has adamantly taken the side of the boy in question - "bless the rough little boy, growing up too fast, now the die's been cast." He's the product of a harsh environment, the effects (a lack of) nurture has over nature. I love this suggestion, purely because I myself can relate - having to grow up too fast as a working class child on the streets of London town isn't easy by any means, and so many the world over turn to crime, drugs and gangs simply because they know no better and are demonised by society; even before doing so, forcing them to act that way - Paradise Lost's "I could've been thy Adam" springs to mind. This song provides not only a glimpse into the perspectives of a broken child, but also a chilling but strangely accurate commentary on the society that broke him in the first place.
King Django's guest vocals bring the song "full-circle," as it were, the words of the child in question, providing the listener with a "response" to both the writer's views on the child and how society has depicted him. This child has no cares for the politics and biases of society, he doesn't know how a class system or unfairness in Westminster (or any government for that matter) has forced him into this position. He doesn't know that his family who may mistreat him may have been mistreated and abused themselves. All he cares about is "cutting you outta' your clothes," where the next meal is coming from (it's no surprise that Laila - I will say Laila, 'cause she's singing, but the narrator could be anyone - is holding a takeaway, a seemingly normal thing for "us," but a treat seemingly out of reach for the child) and how he'll survive through the next week hounded by the guns and drugs and crime of the streets.
A word on the live performance of the song, because I've heard different vocals in place of Django's, and they all seem to fit (just for some perspective). Barney has written another verse, which I don't remember any of at this present time, but it's similar to the one on record. I've also heard him replace the lyrics with the Skints' "too much violence and bloodshed inna' my hometown, inna' my hometown!" refrain from "GET ME!" - a song about incredibly similar subject matter ("We stay unreported, like a jackin' on the bus, wi' de man too scared a' repercussions fi' de dish the dirt on us, and I'm a fearless lickle mug who really couldn't give a fuck..."). I have also written my own lyrics for this part, drawing from my own experiences "inside the M25" - "Ya' make a mistake, an' dem the sound a' the police, another stab, another shooting onna' these London streets..."
Other songs I'd suggest you listen to include:
Peter Tosh - Steppin' Razor
The Skints - "GET ME!"
Dirty Revolution - Where Are The Police? (EP version, the Before The Fire version cuts a verse)
Sonic Boom Six - Meanwhile, Back in the Real World
Jaya the Cat - The Carnival
Damian Marley - Stand A Chance
Rise Against - Voices Off Camera
There are probably loads more, but... I've already written too much. Anyway, that's what this song means to me, and until this day, Through the Eyes of a Child remains my favourite Sonic Boom Six song.
I feel obliged to post up what I have discerned to be King Django's lyrical contribution to this song, as misguided and inaccurate as it is:
So, whatcha' lookin' at? Got a problem witcha' eyes? You don't? Then maybe I gi' ya' one, now don't look so surprised! Cut you outta' ya' clothes, so you had better recognise, I'm like a steppin' razor, I'm dangerous, so don'tcha watch my size! (... hello Peter Tosh) I don't believe in your love, I've only ever been abused, Accused of takin' advantage of the beaten, and broken, and bruised, (I have no idea what he says here, something about the children at school? :P) So don't you try to trick me, and tell me that I am the one that's confused.
As for the actual song, well. I'm not gonna' try going too pseudo-English student on everyone, but it suggests not only the robbing of the innocence of youth, but also how this "damage" to the children of the present day can be passed on from generation to generation. The child in question doesn't appear any older than nine, yet he's grown up too fast through a rough life on the streets and the perils of a harsh domestic environment, be that for whatever reason.
I personally love how the writer has adamantly taken the side of the boy in question - "bless the rough little boy, growing up too fast, now the die's been cast." He's the product of a harsh environment, the effects (a lack of) nurture has over nature. I love this suggestion, purely because I myself can relate - having to grow up too fast as a working class child on the streets of London town isn't easy by any means, and so many the world over turn to crime, drugs and gangs simply because they know no better and are demonised by society; even before doing so, forcing them to act that way - Paradise Lost's "I could've been thy Adam" springs to mind. This song provides not only a glimpse into the perspectives of a broken child, but also a chilling but strangely accurate commentary on the society that broke him in the first place.
King Django's guest vocals bring the song "full-circle," as it were, the words of the child in question, providing the listener with a "response" to both the writer's views on the child and how society has depicted him. This child has no cares for the politics and biases of society, he doesn't know how a class system or unfairness in Westminster (or any government for that matter) has forced him into this position. He doesn't know that his family who may mistreat him may have been mistreated and abused themselves. All he cares about is "cutting you outta' your clothes," where the next meal is coming from (it's no surprise that Laila - I will say Laila, 'cause she's singing, but the narrator could be anyone - is holding a takeaway, a seemingly normal thing for "us," but a treat seemingly out of reach for the child) and how he'll survive through the next week hounded by the guns and drugs and crime of the streets.
A word on the live performance of the song, because I've heard different vocals in place of Django's, and they all seem to fit (just for some perspective). Barney has written another verse, which I don't remember any of at this present time, but it's similar to the one on record. I've also heard him replace the lyrics with the Skints' "too much violence and bloodshed inna' my hometown, inna' my hometown!" refrain from "GET ME!" - a song about incredibly similar subject matter ("We stay unreported, like a jackin' on the bus, wi' de man too scared a' repercussions fi' de dish the dirt on us, and I'm a fearless lickle mug who really couldn't give a fuck..."). I have also written my own lyrics for this part, drawing from my own experiences "inside the M25" - "Ya' make a mistake, an' dem the sound a' the police, another stab, another shooting onna' these London streets..."
Other songs I'd suggest you listen to include: Peter Tosh - Steppin' Razor The Skints - "GET ME!" Dirty Revolution - Where Are The Police? (EP version, the Before The Fire version cuts a verse) Sonic Boom Six - Meanwhile, Back in the Real World Jaya the Cat - The Carnival Damian Marley - Stand A Chance Rise Against - Voices Off Camera
There are probably loads more, but... I've already written too much. Anyway, that's what this song means to me, and until this day, Through the Eyes of a Child remains my favourite Sonic Boom Six song.