Rat Trap
The Boomtown Rats
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There was a lot of rocking going on that night Cruising time for the young bright lights Just down past the gasworks, by the meat factory door The five lamp boys were coming on strong The Saturday night city beat had already started And the, the pulse of the corner boys just sprang into action And young Billy watched it all under the yellow street light And said "tonight of all nights, there's gonna be a fight" Billy don't like it living here in this town He says the traps have been sprung long before he was born He says "hope bites the dust behind all the closed doors" And pus and grime ooze from its scab crusted sores There's screaming and crying in the high-rise blocks" It's a rat trap Billy, but you're already caught And you can make it if you wanna or you need it bad enough You're young and good-looking and you're acting kind of tough Anyway it's Saturday night time to see what's going down Put on the bright suit Billy, head for the right side of town It's only 8 o'clock but you're already bored You don't know what it is but, there's got to be more You'd better find a way out, hey kick down that door It's a rat trap and you've been caught In this town Billy says "everybody's trying to tell you what to do" In this town Billy says "everybody says you gotta follow rules" You walk up to those traffic lights You switch from your left to right You push in that button and that button comes alight And hits you "Walk, don't walk Walk, don't walk Talk, don't talk Talk, don't talk" "Walk, don't walk Walk, don't walk Talk, don't talk Talk, don't talk" Hey Billy take a walk, take a walk, take a walk Billy take a walk, take a walk, take a walk Billy take a walk, take a walk, take a walk Hey Billy, take a walk with me Take a walk that leads to me Sweet high school blues Oh little Judy's trying to watch "top of the pops" But mum and dad are fighting don't they ever stop She takes off her coat and walks down into the street It's cold on that road, but it's got that home beat Deep down in her pockets she finds 50p Hey is that any way for a young girl to be? I'm gonna get out of school work in some factory Work all the hours God gave me get myself a little easy money Now, now, now na na Her mind's made up, she walks down the road Her hands in her pockets, coat buttoned 'gainst the cold She finds Billy down at the Italian cafe And when he's drunk it's hard to understand what Billy says But then he mumbles in his coffee and he suddenly roars "It's a rat trap Judy; and we've been caught" Rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught (the boys are 'round and they're lookin' for a mate) In a rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught In a rat trap, you've been caught
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11 facts about this song
Release and Reception"Rat Trap" was released in 1978 and is one of the most famous songs by the Irish rock band, The Boomtown Rats.
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Pioneer in UK Music HistoryThe song was the first by a purely Irish band to reach No.1 in UK Singles Chart. The record was achieved on November 18, 1978.
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DurationThe song has a running time of 5 minutes and 10 seconds, which is longer than most pop singles at the time.
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Album Contribution"Rat Trap" comes from their second album "A Tonic for the Troops".
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Song ThemeThe song is about teenage dreams and the frustrations of a small-town existence. The name of the song, "Rat Trap", symbolizes life in a dead-end job with no prospects.
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InspirationBob Geldof, the band's lead vocalist, was primarily inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s breakthrough album “Born to Run” while crafting this hit song.
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Live Performance DramaWhen "Rat Trap" overtook John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John's "Summer Nights" to become number one, Geldof famously went on "Top of The Pops" and ripped up a photo of Newton-John and Travolta, marking it as a significant event in pop history.
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Unconventional Music VideoThe music video, shot in black and white, shows the band performing the song at a bar, with interspersed clips of daily life and the frustration of the working class.
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Song HeroesBibbly and Billy feature as the song's principal characters and they reflect the typical youth's aspiration and frustration.
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Chart Performance"Rat Trap" also reached No.1 in the Irish charts maintaining the top position for two weeks.
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RecognitionsIn 2000 Q Magazine placed "Rat Trap" on its list of the "100 Greatest British Singles Ever".
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Citation
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"Rat Trap Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/6816544/The+Boomtown+Rats/Rat+Trap>.
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