Chumbawamba

The Wasted Time Songfacts reports that the strings were arranged by Jim Ed Norman, who was an old college buddy of Don Henley’s in Texas and later the keyboard player for Henley's very first band Felicity. In the late nineties, Norman rose to the position of president of Warner/Reprise Records Nashville. Read more on Last.fm.

Length: 6:08

Here comes Nicholas, fiddle in hand
[Dance, idiot, dance!]
Into a world that he can't understand
[Dance, idiot, dance!]
You can't keep pace with the master race
His feet they're going all over the place -
He can't see his moves cos there's egg on his face
Dance, idiot dance!

His body's as stiff as a cold lasagne
[Dance, idiot, dance!]
'Cos all he knows is 'Rule Brittannia'
[Dance, idiot, dance!]
His rhythm's so bad that we're supposin' -
Maybe it's cos his legs are frozen?
Shouldn't be wearing lederhosen!
Dance, idiot dance!

Messianical look in his eye
[Dance, idiot, dance!]
Arms akimbo, slapping his thigh
[Dance, idiot, dance!]
He wrinkles his snout at a likely wench
(we've censored her answer and pardoned her French) -
It's hard for your average Ubermensch
Dance idiot, dance!

Poor old Nicholas got up today
[Dance, idiot, dance!]
To Cecil Sharpe House he made his way
[Dance, idiot, dance!]
Wore his uniform just to impress
And said, "this must be the place, I guess -
For joining the EFD-SS?"
Dance, idiot, dance!

Anarcho-pop band from Leeds.

Originally formed in the early 1980s as Chimp Eats Banana, Chumbawamba first emerged in the anarchopunk scene which was dominated by bands such a pacifist punks Crass. As Chumbawamba increasingly differed from their peers in outlook and tactics, they began to adopt a new musical style which incorporated elements of folk music, indie rock and hip-hop.

After drifting between labels, their change in direction culminated in signing a record deal with major label EMI, a choice which sparked outrage amongst their former comrades, outrage that culminated in a “Fuck Chumbawamba” compilation. By chance, Chumbawamba’s new work with EMI resulted in an internationally best-selling single, “Tubthumping”, and a sudden rise to fame.

more tracks from the album

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From the album

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Chumbawamba popular songs

Dance, Idiot, DanceChumbawamba

Chumbawamba

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