19 Mar 2008
But besides being boss…
On The ‘Roids was one of two new songs previewed on a session broadcast by BBC Radio Merseyside in September 2007. The gig was to celebrate 30 years of the station’s PMS programme, and was introduced by long-time presenter Roger Hill. There’s a bit about the event here. Thanks to the BBC’s “Listen Again”, lots of people got a decent recording of the whole hour-long gig, apparently. On The ‘Roids isn’t too deep and meaningful, more a bit of a terrace singalong.
See lyrics of On The ‘Roids
8 Letters Sent:
Gordon Burns
At the end, during the repeated “He’s on the ‘roids”
Leave it be, let it go
Don’t be daft, don’t you know
May 22nd, 2008
Neil
Can someone overcome my ignorance and tell me what ‘he used to lark with the dreads, now he’s a nark on the steds’ means?
Aug 9th, 2008
Ben
Neil, my interpretation is of a man who previously was comfortable knocking around with people with dreadlocks (dreads) and possibly imbibing certain substances associated with that lifestyle, until he became consumed by body building, and taking anabolic steroids, a side effect of which is being a moody bastard.
Aug 10th, 2008
Paul F
Beautifully put Ben.
Aug 11th, 2008
chesneywold
Sorry to be a bit fruity but i just wanted to say that i think the ‘come on’ at the end of the refrain is the most beautiful iamb in all of literature. It really demonstrates the way that rhythm combines with words to create an effect that is unique. ‘Just walk away John’, is a fair enough line but the repeated heartbeat ‘come on’ evokes a desperate and insistent tug that would be lost if it were not so perfectly placed. I’d like to write more drivel but men have come to clean our carpet for fleas so i have to go home.
Jun 12th, 2009
Jam
Just being a pedant but shouldn’t it be Narc as in narcotics?
Jun 19th, 2011
aiwacat
Nope, it’d be nark, meaning an annoyance or irritant. See also, “The car that parked on the pavement narked pedestrians and children with chalk.”
Jun 19th, 2011
Jim Wickham
Thank goodness for this excellent site. As a primitive creature of the heath (and a Western Australian one, at that!) I had initially assumed that ‘roids was a contraction of haemorrhoids. I thought all the attitudes described were down to a pain in the arse rather than body building.
Anyway, thank goodness, as I recently introduced a real Scouser down here in Oz to this album, so was therefore prepared when she first scanned the song titles on my iPod and commented “oh yeah – LOADS of boys in Liverpool are on them”.
Looking forward (like a teenager!) to 90 Bisodol (Crimond) – the last album I pre-ordered was probably a Bowie one back in the 70s…..
Sep 15th, 2011
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