Album: Tubthumper (1997)

Charted: 2 6

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• (The truth is, I thought it mattered)
  (I thought that music mattered)
  (But does it? Bollocks! Not compared to how people matter)
  (We'll be singing, when we're winning, we'll be singing)
  
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  
  (Pissing the night away, pissing the night away)
  He drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Vodka drink
  He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink
  He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
  He sings the songs that remind him of the better times
  (Oh Danny Boy, Danny Boy, Danny Boy)
  
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  
  (Pissing the night away, pissing the night away)
  He drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Vodka drink
  He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink
  He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
  He sings the songs that remind him of the better times
  (Don't cry for me, next door neighbor)
  
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  I get knocked down, but I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down (when we're winning)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down (ooh)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down (when we're winning)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again
  You are never gonna keep me down (ooh)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (when we're winning)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (ooh)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (when we're winning)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (ooh)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (when we're winning)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (ooh)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (when we're winning)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (ooh)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (when we're winning)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (ooh)
  
  I get knocked down (we'll be singing)
  But I get up again (pissing the night away)
  You are never gonna keep me down (when we're winning) Writer/s: Alice Nutter, Allan Whalley, Darren Hamer, Duncan Bruce, Judith Abbott, Louise Watts, Nigel Hunter, Paul Greco
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 34

• Amy From Ohio from UsaThis song is my anthem:
  "I get knocked down but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down."
  Seem to hear it when adversity is knocking at the door. Always gives me a boost hearing those words along with that strong heavy beat. Gets the blood pumping.
• Anonymous from Ohio@ stella. It has everything to do with politics. Protesting is political. Der George!
• Dave from UsaAs others have mentioned, the quote ""Truth is I thought it mattered. I thought that music mattered. But does it? Bollocks! Not compared to how people matter." is from Brassed Off, which has a few other reflections in the lyrics. The man delivering the line is named Danny, and in a dramatic part of the movie, the band plays "Danny Boy" for him outside the window of his hospital room. The movie has a strong anti-Thatcher theme.
• Josh from UsaAt the end of the song, the trumpet player plays The Prince of Denmark's March, commonly called the Trumpet Voluntary, by Jeremiah Clarke, circa 1700.
• Jeffrey W. from IndianaplisI've owned this album since it came out when I was 12 years old. I never knew that the band is "dedicated to the destruction of the government of the United Kingdom". Very interesting but I wonder if the author of this article is blowing it out of proportion. On a side note: "I thought that music mattered. But does it? Pollocks! Not compared to how people matter." Fairly certain "Pollocks" should be "Bollocks" since pollocks is not a word......that I am aware of.
• Sioraf from Macroon, Ireland"The group took some criticism for this because it was one of their least political songs, yet it was their biggest hit" You can't please people eh? Of course their least political song will be their biggest hit because it's not going to be as polarising as all of the rest.
• Stella from London, United KingdomTubthumping has got nothing to do with being a politician. Tubthumping is going out and having drinks after taking part in a protest, rally or march. This is something which the Irish did against the English and is what the band are referring to.
• Esskayess from Dallas, TxThe voice that raps 'He drinks a whiskey drink; he drinks a vodka drink...' sounds like John Cleese.
• Camille from Toronto, OhThis is a song that, when you hear it, the lyrics stay stuck in your head sometimes for days.
• Michael from Deridder, Lathis sounds so motivating above all........lol lol lol lol lollo lolloollol btw
• Mjn Seifer from Not Listed For Personal Reason, EnglandActually in UK pissed can mean either drunk or angry, it's all in context.
• Larry from Newton, NcFor somebody who's not crazy about 90s music, I LOVE this song. It definitely gets me stirred up.
• Luke from Manchester, EnglandTo piss is to urinate in the UK too
• Brian from Medway, OhI have always believed that there was a lot of political 'hinting around' in this song. Ireland telling England that they will never be kept down, and saying "don't cry for me, next door neighbor'
• Andy from Sheffield, EnglandThe song is one of their most basic songs in terms of meaning and the band themselves stated that it is just about getting drunk (he drinks a lager drink, he drinks a cider drink etc. "Going on the piss" is a UK expression that means going out specifically to get drunk.
• Andy from Sheffield, EnglandThe bands name in related to an old saying old saying that if you give an infinite number of monkeys and infinite number of type writers one will produce the combined works of shakespeare. Apparently someone tried to do this once (obvously on a smaller scale) and the only legible word produced was Chumbawumba.
• Mike from Hueytown , AlBoy this reminds me of college. This song was everywhere in the fall of 97
• Lalah from Wasilla, AkAt the end of the song a trumpet is playing the beginning of Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary. It's usually heard in processionals like weddings and royal proceedings.
• Kieran from Nyc, NyAll deep thoughts aside, this song is an excellent demonstration of counterpoint used masterfully in pop music.
• Sarah from Rowland Heights, CaTo answer Adam, Bloomington, IN, in the beggining of the song they say "The truth is, I thought it mattered - I thought that music mattered. But does it? Bollocks! Not compared to how people matter." It's from a movie called 'Brassed Off' made in 1996, it has Ewan Mcgregor and Pete Postlethwaite in it.
• Norman from Detroit, MiThis was the first non-sing along cd i bought when i was a kid. I dont remember ever listening to any other song on the cd though.
• Adam from Bloomington, InThey say something during the first 24 seconds of the song (on the version from Tubthumper) and I haven't been able to figure out what it is. Does anyone know?
• Camilo from Bogota, ChileHEEHEHEHEHEH, the idea of this song was to say never to surrender to life and the obstacles as the dude above said, remember 98's world cup? i mean they can't have as a theme song to make people beat other up, know what i mean?
• Ian from Lethbridge, CanadaSo does anybody know what "Tubthumping" means?
• Dirk from Nashville, TnThat's not what I thought they meant by "pissing the night away." To "piss" something away in American slang means to simply let something, like an opportunity or an inheritance, go to waste. So if you "pissed the night away," it means you probably sat around in a bar, drinking and doing nothing of any value that you could be proud of the next morning. As in, "I had a free night last week and I really planned to go visit some old friends. But I stopped in the bar instead and just pissed the night away." In that context, I imagined the song was about idle British youth sitting around in pubs drinking excessively instead of doing something worthwhile, like overthrowing the capitalist government.
• Chris from Charleston, ScCORRECTION:
  
  In the US, "pissing" means urinating. When this came out, many Americans believed that the chorus was talking about a guy "pissing the night away" because his bladder was full from drinking a lot of beer.
  
  However, "pissed" does mean angry in the US, but that's not what should have been defined in the context of this song.
• Rob from HornchurchI loved it that they threw a jug of water over John Prescott as some sort of statement (read publicity) and said they were justified doing it. Then the Daily Mirror (a British tabloid newspaper) had a whole bucket of iced water thrown over them at an airport and the band hated it and got really upset. Ha ha ha
• Sam from Elkader, Iahahaha i think this song is funny, cuz the band is actually a bunch of anarchists. w00t.
• Josh from Trenton, Njthis song isa not about fighting.. its about no matter how many obstacles life throws you, they'll get back up and do it again and again until you get it right
• Kian from Dublin, IrelandThis song is usually thought to be about football hooliganism, not politics. That said, they are a very political band, and the song was pretty much hijacked for Englands Euro 96 campaign.
  
  Oh, and the bands name was almost constantly misspelled as Chumbawumba. Its -wamba....
• Dave from Cardiff, WalesThis song, though many people's first contact with Chumbawamba, was not their debut release as popularly supposed. They were originally formed in 1982, and had released a dozen albums before "Tubthumping" came out. It was Chumbawamba's sole US Top 40 release, but in the UK, they fared rather better - after two near misses in 1994 and 1996, "Tubthumping" made No.2 in September 1997 (spending a formidable 12 weeks in the Top 10), and was the first of three big UK hits for the band - the others were "Amnesia" and "Top Of The World (Ole! Ole! Ole!)". On Christmas Day 1997, they sparked further controvesy by posting a general message on the internet saying that the Queen Mother was dead, and at 1998 Brit Awards, they were in the news again when they threw a bucket of water over the one of the UK's leading politicians, John Prescott. This period was the peak of Chumbabwamba's commercial success in Britain, but the band have continued to record with changed line-ups right until the present day.
• Darren from Middlesbrough, EnglandI seen an interview with chumbawumba on tv when the song was int he charts, when asked how they came to be called chumbawumba, one of the band members replied that they had been to an experimental lab in america where apparantly monkeys were given typewriters. "chumbawumba" was a word one of the monkeys (or chimps) wrote. "apparantly"
• Jared from Norwalk, OhThis song is a great song if you want to get yourself pumped up for a fight or something like that, BUT I am not saying for you to listen to the song and go beat the sh*t out of someone, I am just saying that it's a great song to get someone going.
• Rebekah from Prince George, VaThis song is crazy. Of course it reminds me of drinking, but also fighting. " I get knocked down, but I get up again your never gonna kep me down."

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