I remember a lot of people pissed themselves over Four Skinny Indie Kids when it came out, and they had a point – it’s a very funny observation. But actually, come to think of it, they were probably the sort of people who the song’s having a go at. This is also another “list song” with a load of baffling nonsense recited in unique HMHB style. A couple of these lines I’m not quite certain of, so please feel free to add your comments and corrections below.
See lyrics of Four Skinny Indie Kids
Gordon Burns
Love it – keep up the good work!
11 March 2008
Nick Henney
Fantastic as ever. Two suggestions: maybe “Chick bait apricot” and “We’ve got grey in brown and black”.
NIck
12 March 2008
chris
I’ll stick with Chic Bates – it’s a typically obscure HMHB footy reference – but I like the other one: “Brian” never sounded right to me. Anyone else got any thoughts?
12 March 2008
Scott
It’s “christ like mince”, I think – ala Brett Anderson of Suede’s posing on stage..
12 March 2008
chris
Ah, very good. Changes duly made. (In the absence of a Wikipedia-like change log, readers will now wonder what I had before. Probably.)
12 March 2008
Dave
Could the Christ like line not be, Christ-like mints, as in holy mints or polos as we commonly know them.
Is the song a list of ridiculous band and song names that could be getting suggested by 4 worthless, pissed wannabe oiks?
2 May 2008
chris
@Dave: it could be. I suspect we’ll never know the answer though.
2 May 2008
Dave
Check this link I found.
23 May 2008
Dave
Regarding the last comment; they know nothing of saltergate!!!
23 May 2008
Informant
Chic Bates is a footballing legend (in Shrewsbury at least). He scored more than 100 goals during his league career and managed the club to its highest ever league position (8th in the old div 2). His real name is Phil and Chic is a nickname which stuck. Delighted HMHB have immortalised him.
12 November 2008
malcolm x
I reckon ‘sly fag Dunstable’
28 November 2008
Chris The Siteowner
I rather like that suggestion, although it’s hard to believe after 839 views of this page (thank you Google Analytics) that we’d still have something almost as wrong as darts in soap operas. I checked the Peel session version too, and it’s quite possible, y’know. Anyone agree?
29 November 2008
Dave F.
The “One, Two, Three…” countdown is missing.
29 November 2008
Joe Hutch
Surely it’s ‘website Notts’ rather than ‘website nonce’? The original HMHB website being based at Nottingham University and that.
2 June 2009
steve nicholls
Another one for the HMHB curse here….
Chesterfield are moving to a new ground, possibly next season, meaning Saltergate will be demolished.
Probably to make way for ‘apartments’. Or a supermarket.
6 April 2010
Tonto’s Expanding Waist Band
Hmmm… “Chickbait”… if Lynx ever did aftershave, they wouldn’t need to overhaul their ads too much…
7 April 2010
Chris Warr
Always thought it was “Christ liked mints” meself?
28 May 2011
One Skinny Indie Kid
At the Aberdeen Lemon Tree gig back in May 2009 my mate shouted out for this to be played. Nigel looked over to where we were stood and said ‘Nah. There’s only two of you.’
Highlight of the night for us pair of Saddos.
21 October 2011
Dave Cooper
I’m very belatedly putting a claim in for “website Notts” as well.
26 October 2011
Charles Exford
‘Nonce’ was officially confirmed last March (Chris may wish to underline & link to the “an audience with” thread).
It’s here – Ed
26 October 2011
SPENCER THE HALFWIT
The page is often referred to and linked, but the list of corrections itself doesn’t appear to be accessible and never has been.
26 October 2011
Charles Exford
I also think that would be helpful, Spencer.
If Chris doesn’t already have a list of the two-score-or-more of lyrics officially confirmed during my visits to Prenton Park, I can easily knock one up.
Not necessary, I think, but if you find anywhere which should have a link to that page, then email me and I’ll ensure it’s added. – Chris
26 October 2011
John Burscough
The rhyme scheme of FSIK is interesting, quite close to a form called double dactyl which often contains nonsense phrases (higgledy-piggledy…)
CSI Ambleside,
Cammell Laird Social Club,
Editor’s Recommend-
ation EP.
McIntyre, Treadmore &
Davitt, This Leaden Pall,
Back in the DHS
S, ACD.
27 October 2011
MIKE IN COV
There was an Oi! band called The 4-Skins, most active in the early 80s. The leader came from Shoreditch, just a mile and a half from Whitechapel. I’ve always thought the pun a bit off, though.
Apricot = suedehead, perhaps? The bloke just mentioned was one.
I support Dave’s suggestion of “Christ-like mints”; for his reason, and possibly also as a reference to the recurring stories of people finding vegetables which look Prince Charles etc.
The tune to the “We’ve got lo-fi” verse is There Is Nothing Like A Dame from South Pacific, another one of those films which used to clog up holiday TV schedules.
12 July 2012
Guest Informant
Four years too late I know, but concerning Dave F’s post (#13), ‘One, Two, Three’ isn’t a countdown. But does such a word as countup exist?
28 January 2013
Alanis maisonnette
The closest I think would be “count in”.
In case anyone cares, my most imaginative personal take on that has been “3 point 1 4”, as in pi.
6 September 2013
Dr Desperate
I think the gap (and ellipsis…) between ‘One, two, three’ and ‘Four’ is unnecessary: it’s more of a count-up of the kids than a count-down to the chorus.
6 September 2013
Alanis maisonnette
A good argument there, I think you’re probably right.
6 September 2013
Jeff Dreadnought
Surely it should be “short-term sweat” rather than “short term sweat” (according to the hyphenate-a-composite-adjective rule)?
13 May 2014
Dr Desperate
The composite-adjective rule is more of a guideline, to ensure that the reader isn’t confused (in this case between a rule about composite adjectives and an adjective rule that’s composite). Since any division between composites in FSIK is pretty much 5 to 6 and pick ’em, I don’t think hyphens can be added in any meaningful way.
(One could even say the same about Christ-like mince.)
13 May 2014
Chris The Siteowner
Never quite sure about the line “We’ve got Sebadoh’s and Docs”. Assume Docs are the footwear, and Sebadoh must presumably be the band, but why the plural (or as I seem to have randomly written it, the possessive) for Sebadoh?
9 August 2014
Dr Desperate
I think the redundant pluralism is a reflection of the structure of Hammerstein’s original lyric to ‘There Is Nothing Like A Dame’ (“We get packages from home, we get movies, we get shows…”)
I mean, how many lead singers can there be in a four-man band?
10 August 2014
dirk hofman
There are three Sebadohs,though one might be a bit too chubby to qualify-Lou Barlow..
11 August 2014
chris the siteowner
So I think there’s an unnecessary apostrophe which has been sitting there in “Sebadoh’s” all this time. I feel like fetching the head waiter. Heads must roll.
11 August 2014
Darwin
Despite the title, can’t help hearing it as ‘force feed the indie kids’ ?
23 July 2018
Darwin
When I first heard this track I thought it was ‘force feed the Indy kids’ what a twat
12 August 2018
surprised of anglia
Our band is headlining at the famous Camden boozer, The Dublin Castle on Friday. Sadly, we are five, well-fed,punky middle-agers. We will however, be sampling the weak lager.
19 September 2018
EXXO
By deduction, based on number of band members, you are The Ba, which is in no way an abbreviation of Blue Aerpolanes (another first time typo that I’m loving and so leaving), but is very difficult to google. Have a good ‘un!
19 September 2018
EXXO
Your band doesn’t seem to be one of them, but “things that are disambiguated under BA on Wikipedia” would IMHO be a dead good round on Pointless.
19 September 2018
surprised of anglia
Cheers Exxo, we are indeed the Ba and it was a cracking night,despite not bringing a coachload down with us. Take a look at The Ba group page on FB to hear some tunes from 1977 to 2018 – if you can be half arsed.
24 September 2018
Dr desperate
No ‘Letters Sent’ discussion page for the album, so I’ll just put this here: TRFC tee-shirts on which the faces of the FLWSTW have been replaced by those of James Norwood, Ian Goodison, Frank Worthington and John Achterberg.
https://www.tranmereroverstrust.co.uk/products/four-lads-t-shirt
3 February 2022