Help with lyrics - The Jam - The Great Depression

RandallFlagg · November 2018

Here are the lyrics from t'internet, some lines are wrong and my corrections are noted in bold but there are a couple of lines I just can't get and those below are clearly not right either. Can anyone help decipher these lines?

The Jam - The Great Depression:

I think we must have all gone mad
Maybe We're being right turned over
They promised us the earth
Instead we got the great depression
Now you're free and easy with the base ???
You blame your brothers and sisters
And neurotics say "sod the rest" I'm alright Jack so sod the rest
Is the new dissention

Into the abyss
By pushing forwards
It's always down
It's a desperate war
You're trying to blow yourselves up ???
You don't care who you stand... with the help about ???
Hey hey - well that's not the way

Anyone able to have a better go at these 2 lines?

Now you're free and easy with the base
You don't care who you stand... with the help about

ICBM · November 2018

Pretty sure the first one is 'free and easy with the bait'. (It's an angling expression I think!)

I think the second one is "you don't care who you stamp on, to help them out'. It's clearer in this...

RandallFlagg · November 2018

Hmmm....maybe but I'm sure Weller was ever much of an angler back in the day

Bygone_Tones · November 2018

"free and easy with the bass"? but that would still be about fishing, hmmm.

Bygone_Tones · November 2018

Think it might be "free and easy with the flames"

ICBM · November 2018

RandallFlagg said:

Hmmm....maybe but I'm sure Weller was ever much of an angler back in the day

No, it will be because it's a working-class phrase. I'm fairly certain that's what he says - you can clearly hear the 't' at the end.

Bygone_Tones · November 2018

Sounds more like 'flames', 'flakes' or 'place' to me in this video:

RandallFlagg · November 2018

No, I'm not convinced. I'm hearing "now your free and easy with the...face/race/bass/...or ..something ending in "..ames"
Also, this line is "By pushing Backwards and forwards it's always down"

and "You don't care who you stand stamp on "stoop to" help about them out"...maybe?

RandallFlagg · November 2018

or "now your fear is..."

Bygone_Tones · November 2018

"now your free and easy with their fates" ... you blame your brothers and sisters???

Paul_C · November 2018

I'm mostly going with:

I think we must have all gone mad
We're being right turned over
They promised us the earth
Instead we got the great depression
Now you're free and easy with a phrase
You blame your brothers and sisters
I'm alright Jack so sod the rest
Is the new dissension

Into the abyss
Backwards and forwards
It's always downwards
A desperate war
You try to climb (or find) yourself out
You don't care who you stab, or stoop to help them out . . . hey hey hey etc.

Iamnobody · November 2018

Paul_C said:

I'm mostly going with:

I think we must have all gone mad
We're being right turned over
They promised us the earth
Instead we got the great depression
Now you're free and easy with a phrase
You blame your brothers and sisters
I'm alright Jack so sod the rest
Is the new dissension

Into the abyss
Backwards and forwards
It's always downwards
A desperate war
You try to climb (or find) yourself out
You don't care who you stab, or stoop to help them out . . . hey hey hey etc.

Agree with phrase - maybe the phrase rather than a phrase.

The next passage sounds different each time but Second time round I’m hearing:

Into the abyss
Backwards and forwards
It's always downwards
A desperate crawl
You try to climb yourself out
You don't care who you stab, or screw to help them out . . . hey hey hey etc.

Whatever the lyrics - it’s a great tune that I’ve been singing wrong for years!

RandallFlagg · November 2018

Iamnobody said:

Whatever the lyrics - it’s a great tune that I’ve been singing wrong for years!

It is, it really is. The Jam were a terrific B-Sides band.

guitartango · November 2018

RandallFlagg said:

Iamnobody said:

Whatever the lyrics - it’s a great tune that I’ve been singing wrong for years!

It is, it really is. The Jam were a terrific B-Sides band.

Just terrific @RandallFlagg ;

Deadman · December 2018

I can't help but thanks for this revelation into one of my favourite songs of all time.

RandallFlagg · December 2018

I dunno if it's a age thing but try singing along, I find it hard to keep up, Paul Weller crammed a lot of words into those Jam songs and they can be quite pacy, like Going Underground.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Help with lyrics - The Jam - The Great Depression

Comments