The Kinks

thumb|English rock group the Kinks, pictured here in 1966. Left to right: Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Mick Avory and Pete Quaife The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorized in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognized as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a wide range of genres, including rhythm and blues, British music hall, folk, and country. Song lyrics All songs by Ray Davies except as noted. Kinks (1964) Girl, you really got me goin'You got me so I don't know what I'm doin'Yeah, you really got me nowYou got me so I can't sleep at night. You Really Got Me Kinda Kinks (1965) It's your lifeAnd you can do what you wantDo what you likeBut please don't keep-a me waitingPlease don't keep-a me waiting'Cause I'm so tiredTired of waitingTired of waiting for you. Tired of Waiting for You The Kink Kontroversy (1965) Yeah, you and meWe live this lifeFrom when we get upTill we go sleep at nightYou and me we're freeWe do as we please, yeahFrom morning, till the end of the dayTill the end of the day. Till the End of the Day Well, lived my life and never stopped to worry 'bout a thingOpened up and shouted out and never tried to singWondering if I'd done wrongWill this depression last for long? Where Have All the Good Times Gone Face to Face (1966) Dandy, you know you're moving much too fast,And Dandy, you know you can't escape the past.Look around you and see the people settle down,And when you're old and grey you will remember what they said,That two girls are too many, three's a crowd and four you're dead. Dandy The tax man's taken all my dough,And left me in my stately home,Lazing on a sunny afternoon.And I can't sail my yacht,He's taken everything I've got,All I've got's this sunny afternoon. Sunny Afternoon Something Else by The Kinks (1967) I am a dull and simple ladCan not tell water from champagneAnd I have never met the queenAnd I wish I could have all that he has gotI wish I could be like David Watts. David Watts My makeup is dry and it clags on my chinI'm drowning my sorrows in whisky and ginThe lion tamer's whip doesn't crack anymoreThe lions they won't fight and the tigers won't roar. Death of a Clown, written with Dave Davies (and released first as a single by Dave Davies) You don't have to look at meYou don't have to smile at meYou just have to love me till the sun shinesYou don't have to cook for meYou don't have to laugh with meYou just have to love me till the sun shines. Love Me Till the Sun Shines, written by Dave Davies Dirty old river, must you keep rollingFlowing into the nightPeople so busy, makes me feel dizzyTaxi light shines so brightBut I don't need no friendsAs long as I gaze on Waterloo sunsetI am in paradise. Waterloo Sunset The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968) In a dark and misty house,Where no Christian man has been,Wicked Annabella mixes a brewThat no one's ever seen. Wicked Annabella Days I'll remember all my life,Days when you can't see wrong from right.You took my life,But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me,But it's all right,Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me. Days Arthur (1969) Long ago life was cleanSex was bad and obsceneAnd the rich were so meanStately homes for the LordsCroquet lawns, village greensVictoria was my queenVictoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria. Victoria Now that you've found your paradiseThis is your Kingdom to commandYou can go outside and polish your carOr sit by the fire in your Shangri-laHere is your reward for working so hardGone are the lavatories in the back yardGone are the days when you dreamed of that carYou just want to sit in your Shangri-la. Shangri-La We shall defend our islandOn the land and on the seaWe shall fight them on the beachesOn the hills and in the fieldsWe shall fight them in the streetsNever in the field of human conflict was so much owed to so few'Cos they have made our British EmpireA better place for me and you. Mr. Churchill Says Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround (1970) Where are you going I don't mindI've killed my world and I've killed my timeSo where do I go what do I seeI see many people coming after meSo where are you going to I don't mindIf I live too long I'm afraid I'll dieSo I will follow you wherever you goIf your offered hand is still open to meStrangers on this road we are onWe are not two we are one. Strangers, written by Dave Davies You go to a publisher and play him your songHe says 'I hate your music and you hair is too long.But I'll sign you up because I'd hate to be wrong.' Denmark Street Well I'm not the world's most physical guyBut when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spineOh my Lola la-la-la-la LolaWell I'm not dumb but I can't understandWhy she walked like a woman and talked like a manOh my Lola la-la-la-la Lola la-la-la-la Lola. Lola Well that's the way that I want it to stayAnd I always want it to be that way for my LolaLa-la-la-la LolaGirls will be boys and boys will be girlsIt's a mixed up muddled up shook up world except for LolaLa-la-la-la Lola. Lola I know what I am and I'm glad Im a man and so is Lola. Lola I was lost just wandering round downtownMany people pushing me aroundHate spreads just like infectionThose rats jumping on and off my back. Rats, written by Dave Davies I think I'm so educated and I'm so civilised'Cos I'm a strict vegetarianBut with the over-population and inflation and starvationAnd the crazy politiciansI don't feel safe in this world no moreI don't want to die in a nuclear warI want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an ape man.I'm an ape man, I'm an ape ape man. Apeman Got to be free to do what I wantWalk if I want, talk if I wantGot to be free to say what I wantMake what I want and play what I want. Got to Be Free Percy (1971) Man made the buildings that reach for the skyAnd man made the motorcar and learned how to flyBut he didn't make the flowers and he didn't make the treesAnd he didn't make you and he didn't make meAnd he got no right to turn us into machinesHe's got no right at all'Cause we are all God's childrenAnd he got no right to change usOh, we gotta go back the way the good lord made us all. God's Children Muswell Hillbillies (1971) This is the age of machinery,A mechanical nightmare,The wonderful world of technology,Napalm, hydrogen bombs, biological warfare.This is the twentieth century,But too much aggravationIt's the age of insanity.What has become of the green pleasant fields of Jerusalem? 20th Century Man Whatever the situation, whatever the race or creed,Tea knows no segregation, no class nor pedigreeIt knows no motivations, no sect or organisation,It knows no one religion,Nor political belief. Have a Cuppa Tea All life we work, but work's a bore,If life's for livin' what's livin' for? Oklahoma U.S.A. Everybody's in Show-Biz (1972) On my supersonic rocket shipNobody has to be hipNobody needs to be out of sight. Out of sight.Nobody's gonna travel second classThere'll be equalityAnd no suppression of minorities. Well alright.We'll take this planet, shake it roundAnd turn it upside down.My supersonic rocket ship. Supersonic Rocket Ship Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star,And everybody's in movies, it doesn't matter who you are.There are stars in every city,In every house and on every street,And if you walk down Hollywood BoulevardTheir names are written in concrete. Celluloid Heroes You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard,Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of,People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain. Celluloid Heroes Preservation Act 1 (1973) Everybody say I'm lazyThey all tell me get a job you slob,I'd rather be a hobo walking round with nothingThan a rich man scared of losing all he's got.So I'm just sitting in the midday sunJust soaking up that currant bun,Why should I have to give my reasonsFor sitting in the midday sun? Sitting in the Midday Sun Misfits (1978) Father Christmas, give us some moneyDon't mess around with those silly toys.We'll beat you up if you don't hand it overWe want your bread so don't make us annoyedGive all the toys to the little rich boys. Father Christmas Have yourself a merry merry ChristmasHave yourself a good time.But remember the kids who got nothin'While you're drinkin' down your wine. Father Christmas Give the People What They Want (1981) Here's hoping all the days aheadWon't be as bitter as the ones behind you.Be an optimist instead,And somehow happiness will find you.Forget what happened yesterday,I know that better things are on the way. Better Things State of Confusion (1983) Should feel happy, should feel glad I'm alive and it can't be bad But back on planet earth they shatter the illusion The world's going 'round in a state of confusion "State of Confusion" Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt? It gets worse, the older that you get No escape from the state of confusion I'm in State of confusion I'm in "State of Confusion" They put a parking lot on a piece of landWhere the supermarket used to stand.Before that they put up a bowling alleyOn the site that used to be the local palais.That's where the big bands used to come and play.My sister went there on a Saturday.Come dancing,All her boyfriends used to come and call.Why not come dancing, it's only natural? Come Dancing You look out of your window,Into the night.Could be rain, could be snow,But it can't feel as cold as what you're feeling inside.And all of you friends are either married, vanished,Or just left alone.But that's no reason to just stop living.That's no excuse to just give in to a sad and lonely heart.Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,Don't forget to smile.Don't forget to dance, no, no, no,Forget it for a while. Don't Forget to Dance Quotes about the Kinks The Kinks were a major rock influence in the 1960s throughout England, the U.K., and America. The band meshed the pop-rock feel of the British invasion with a bluesy tint that offered a unique sound that turned on the likes of the Ramones, The Doors, Van Halen, and Oasis. Jeff Mezydlo of Yardbarker External links Official site Category:English bands Category:Hard rock bands Category:Pop rock bands Category:Rhythm and blues Category:Folk rock bands Category:Country rock