Dexys Midnight Runners

Released: July 11, 1980

Songwriter: Kevin Rowland

Producer: Pete Wingfield

For God's sake, burn it down

I'll only ask you once more
You only want to believe
This man is looking for someone to hold him down
He doesn't quite ever understand the meaning

I never heard about Oscar Wilde
I don't talk about Brendan Behan
I don't think about Sean O'Casey
I don't care about George Bernard Shaw
He doesn't care about Samuel Beckett
He won't talk about Eugene O'Neill
Edna O'Brien and Lawrence Stern

Shut it! You don't understand it
Shut it! That's not the way I planned it
Shut it! Shut your mouth 'til you know the truth

I'll only ask you once more
It must be so hard to see
This man is waiting for someone to hold him down
He doesn't quite fully understand the meaning

Shut it You don't understand it
Shut it That's not the way I planned it
Shut your fucking mouth 'til you know the truth

Oscar Wilde and Brendan Behan
Sean O'Casey, George Bernard Shaw
Samuel Beckett, Eugene O'Neill
Edna O'Brien and Lawrence Stern
Sean Kavanaugh and Sean McCann
Benedict Keilly, Jimmy Hiney
Frank O'Connor and Catherine Rhine

Dexys Midnight Runners (currently officially Dexys, their common nickname; sometimes styled with and sometimes without an apostrophe) are an English pop band with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid-1980s. They are best known in the UK for their songs “Come On Eileen” and “Geno”, both of which peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as six other top-20 singles.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dexys went through numerous personnel changes over the course of three albums and thirteen singles, with only singer/songwriter/co-founder Kevin Rowland remaining in the band through all of the transitions and only Rowland and “Big” Jim Paterson (trombone) appearing on all of the albums. By 1985, the band consisted only of Rowland and long-standing members Helen O'Hara (violin) and Billy Adams (guitar). The band broke up in 1987, with Rowland becoming a solo artist. After two failed restart attempts, Dexys was reformed by Rowland in 2003 with new members, as well as a few returning members from the band’s original lineup (known as Dexys Mark I). Dexys released their fourth album in 2012 and a fifth followed in 2016.

more tracks from the album

Searching for the Young Soul Rebels

From the album

Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (1980)

Dexys Midnight Runners popular songs

Burn It DownDexys Midnight Runners

Dexys Midnight Runners

Searching for the Young Soul Rebels