Ironic (and unfortunate) timing of the release of Lippy Kids when "hooded youths" are rioting across London and even in some parts across the UK.

If only a few more of those lippy kids had listened to our boys we might not be seeing these horrific scenes on the news.

Hope everyone is staying safe! x

I think the song may even point to some of the roots of this problem...

"Nobody knew me at home anymore..."

Good spot MT.

I wish more of them had built a rocket instead of causing so much physical and emotional damage.

Hah, and as I write that a Desperado quote comes to mind too: "It's easier to pull the trigger than play guitar. Easier to destroy than to create."

EDIT: So much integrity in Guy's comments on twitter, I had to smile. "Can't pretend to know what kind of desperation drives our young men to behave this badly.swear I'm going to find out how to help though. X"

One thing to bear in mind is, don't fall into the trap of condemning an entire generation and a whole social class for this abomination.

Yes, it's clear there IS something sick within society, but the vast majority of those from whose numbers the rioters are supposed to have emerged would have been as horrified as the rest of us. It's not as if the entire populations of deprived areas rose up as one to tear down their city centres. It was a few hundred out of a few hundred thousand: the minority spoiling it for the majority.

And here we are again, vilifying "the hoodie" and "the chav", when 99% of them would have taken no part in the rioting.

Which brings us back to 'Lippy Kids' - surely part of the message of the song is, we shouldn't judge kids harshly or fear them just because of their appearance? And we should certainly refrain from tarring them all with the same brush as being uncontrollable monsters. I guess the trouble is, you can't tell the bad ones from the harmless ones if they all dress and act the same. But, it's probably best, for your own sanity, to believe in the fundamental decency of people, however they dress or act.

"Do they know those days are golden?". Probably not. The sad undercurrent of the song is that many teenagers don't realise they are at an important crossroads in their lives; they're at the very edge of either starting to fulfil their potential or, on the other hand, completely blowing it.

Some of them will go on to lead fulfilling lives, some will go on to live ordinary lives, but it 's still only the minority who turn into feral rats.

I wrote some thoughts here
http://elbow.heavenforum.org/t1475-the-riots