UB40

Songwriter: The Slickers Derrick Crooks Delroy Wilson Winston Bailey Roy Beckford

Producer: Ray “Pablo” Falconer UB40

[Verse 1]
Walking down the road with a pistol in your waist
Johnny, you're too bad
Woah oh!
Walking down the road with a ratchet in your waist
Johhny, you're too bad
Woah oh!
You're just robbin' and stabbin', lootin' and shooting
Boy, you're too bad
Too bad
You're just robbin' and stabbin', lootin' and shooting
Boy, you're too bad
Too bad

[Verse 2]
One of these days when you hear a voice say, "Come"
Where you gonna run to?
Woah oh!
One of these days when you hear a voice say, "Come"
Where you gonna run to?
Woah oh!
You're gonna run to the Rock for rescue and there'll be no rock
No Rock
You're gonna run to the Rock for rescue and there'll be no rock
No Rock

[Musical Interlude]

[Verse 1]
Walking down the road with a pistol in your waist
Johnny, you're too bad
Woah oh!
Walking down the road with a ratchet in your waist
Johhny, you're too bad
Woah oh!
You're just robbin' and stabbin', lootin' and shooting
Boy, you're too bad
Too bad
You're just robbin' and stabbin', lootin' and shooting
Boy, you're too bad
Too bad

[Verse 2]
One of these days when you hear a voice say, "Come"
Where you gonna run to?
Woah oh!
One of these days when you hear a voice say, "Come"
Where you gonna run to?
Woah oh!
You're gonna run to the Rock for rescue and there'll be no rock
No Rock
You're gonna run to the Rock for rescue and there'll be no rock
No Rock
You're gonna run to the Rock for rescue and there'll be no rock
No Rock

[Verse 3]
You say that you're bad, you gwan like you're mad
You terrorize the people and you make dem sad
Woii woii, you are the Babylon
You think that you're tough, you gwan like you're rough
Intimidate a man just to call him bluff
Woii woii, you are the Babylon

[Verse 1]
You're just robbin' and stabbin', lootin' and shooting
Boy, you're too bad
Too bad
You're just robbin' and stabbin', lootin' and shooting
Boy, you're too bad
Too bad

[Verse 4]
You stop and you search, and you bruk inna mi house
You turn it upside down like a damn crabble house
You set up a man anyway you can
You double cross the man according to plan
Woii woii, you are the Babylon
Woii woii, you are the Babylon

[Musical Interlude]

[Verse 5]
You thief a man weed, put it pon the street
You get a 3 years stretch curtesy of the Queen
Woii woii, why you so wicked?
You come a man dance, you a take chance
You better watch your step or you will get lost
Woii woii, because you're so wicked

[Verse 1]
You're just robbin' and stabbin', lootin' and shooting
Boy, you're too bad
Too bad
You're just robbin' and stabbin', lootin' and shooting
Boy, you're too bad
Too bad

[Verse 6]
In the daytime you smile
In the night time you snarl
You get equipment fi get inna brawl
You let loose your dogs to set upon the wogs
You come in disguise, but everyone get wise
Woii woii, you are the Babylon

[Outro]
You gonna run, you gonna run, but you cannot hide, no no
Oh no, but you cannot hide...
But you cannot hide, no no
You gonna run, you gonna run, but you cannot hide, no no...

UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart. They have been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album four times, and in 1984 were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group. UB40 have sold over 70 million records. The ethnic make-up of the band’s original line-up was diverse, with musicians of English, Irish, Jamaican, Scottish and Yemeni parentage.

Their hit singles include their debut “Food for Thought”, “Red Red Wine” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. Both of these also topped the UK Singles Chart, as did the band’s version of “I Got You Babe”. Their two most successful albums, Labour of Love (1983) and Promises and Lies (1993), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.

On January 24, 2008, it was announced that Ali Campbell would be leaving the group after 30 years. It was reported by some Birmingham newspapers on 13 March 2008, that Maxi Priest would be the new lead singer of UB40 and had recorded a cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” with the band.

more tracks from the album

Labour of Love

From the album

Labour of Love (1983)

UB40 popular songs

Johnny Too BadUB40

UB40

Labour of Love