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The Meanest of Times CD Released: 9/18/07 Label: Born and Bred Records |
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| Tracklist: | Sounds | Tabs | Lyrics |
| 01. Famous For Nothing |  |
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| Growing up in a neighborhood trying to avoid drug pushers, the police, your parents, and other unsavoury characters, blowing up police cars, and street politics | |||
| 02. God Willing | |
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| An ode to our friends who are no longer with us and a reminder to say what you need to people because you never know when they’re going to leave this world. | |||
| 03. The State Of Massachusetts | |
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| When you have kids a whole new set of priorities presents itself to you. It’s your decision to live your life appropriately or avoid growing up and paying the consequences. | |||
| 04. Tomorrow’s Industry | |
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| The world is changing, and oft times it’s not for the better. The ways of getting by and the values of yesteryear are slowly being corroded by the “all-important” search for the almighty dollar. | |||
| 05. Echoes On “A.” Street | |
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| Being on tour all the time can be trying on you. The unconditional love from family and best friends can be a comfort and solace. | |||
| 06. Vices And Virtues | |
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| Sometimes your path is predetermined, but sometimes you dig your own grave. | |||
| 07. Surrender | |
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| Some traits and characteristics run in the family, and they’re not always good ones. | |||
| 08. (F)lannigan’s Ball | |
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| Our take on the traditional “Lannigan’s Ball”. Lots of shoutouts to friends and relations. | |||
| 09. I’ll Begin Again | |
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| You do the crime you pay with time, and everybody deserves a second chance. | |||
| 10. Fairmount Hill | |
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| Our take on the traditional Spancill Hill. | |||
| 11. Loyal To No One | |
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| I guess this is about the ugly side of pride. You hold on to the bitter end, but taking it to the grave does nobody any good. | |||
| 12. Shattered | |
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| People put up a good front, but they’re not always what they seem to be when you get to know them. Your image of them is “shattered” when you find out what they’re really like. | |||
| 13. Rude Awakenings | |
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| The morning after… Ouch! | |||
| 14. Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya | |
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| Our re-working of the classic traditional tune, the template of which has been used by many great bands before us. | |||
| 15. Never Forget | |
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| An ode to what really matters in life: Family. | |||
FAMOUS FOR NOTHING
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
The barrel fire’s fading
My pals are disappearing
Another night is passing but I won’t go
It’s 2AM at townie
and things are going my way
Three buds, a glove & a foot of snow
There’s two little shits
Selling joints on the hill
And the kids down the lot
Are burning cruisers for a thrill
See, we had each other
It was us against the world
Famous for nothing
Yeah, nothing was our world
CHORUS:
Well these lies won’t save me
Don’t you know, don’t you know
From the time that made me
Here we go, here we go
The courts are filling up
All the kids are coming down
For a head start on the troubles
Of a long night on the town
Yeah, thank God it’s Saturday
And half my problems go away
Sure the big ones on the way
But I know how to handle them
9 to 3 on weekdays
On the hour Sundays
The good lord was calling me
But I wasn’t up
From the convent to the rectory
And over in the sacristy
I’m a goddamn travesty
And that’s just my luck
[CHORUS]
Here we go!
Their gang went my way for basketball
My gang went their way for alcohol
When we met it wasn’t pretty at all
Still the bells of St. Mary’s kept ringing
GOD WILLING
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
Ricky and Gar
Well, they took it too far
They didn’t make it
They didn’t make it
Chrissy & Stage
Though they made no mistakes
They didn’t make it
They didn’t make it
Whether living with hope
or at the end of the rope
It isn’t written in the stone
When the futures unknown
And though some do atone
Through no fault of their own
They fall through the cracks
And get left by the wayside
CHORUS:
God willing, It’s the last time I’ll say goodbye
God willing, I’ll see you on the other side
It’s the last time I’ll put my arms around you
The last time I’ll look into your eyes
I’ve come here to put my arms around you
And say one final goodbye
Yeah, I’ll see you on the other side
Chicky and Fly
They were really good guys
They didn’t make it
They didn’t make it
Laura so sweet and
Kenny right in his sleep
They didn’t make it
They didn’t make it
So as you walk out the door
Take care, and always be sure
That the ones in your life
Know that you love them tonight
Fate has one guarantee
And we all must agree
That the best laid plans
May all change by tomorrow
THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
She had excuses and she chose to use them
She was the victim of unspeakable abuses
Her husband was violent, malicious & distant
Her kids now belong to the State of Massachusetts
They’ve been taken away
CHORUS:
Billy was the bright one, Tommy’s off his head
Mother loved them both the same
at least that’s what she said
I don’t predict the future, I don’t care about the past
Send them both to DSS
Now you’ve had your chance
The poison stole your babies
The judges took your rights
You can have your children or the night
I supposed you’ve been a victim
Though I suspect you may have lied
Have you lost all ambition
Won’t you give this thing a try
If you can’t and you fail you won’t be the only loser
These kid don’t stand a chance with you in their future
They’ve been taken away
TOMORROW’S INDUSTRY
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
Young kids in Catholic schools
Elderly parents living under your roof
You pay the bills and you pay the price
You don’t back down and you won’t play nice
The disgraced values of the company man
Are why you fight and sacrifice
Don’t bend or break for their one-way rules
Or run from battles you know you’ll lose
CHORUS:
Greed is blinding you
But we can see
He’s got yesterday’s values
Living in tomorrow’s industry
They see your eyes, they see your face
But it’s your soul they wanna take
Yeah, welcome to the future it don’t seem fair
But this is your struggle, the cross you bear
They know your pain, they don’t think twice
There’s a dollar value on your life
You don’t compromise and you don’t break
Yeah, it’s your principles at stake
[CHORUS]
The daily outlook it’s so bleak
Saving every dollar of every week
Living month to month, you’ve got to get ahead
But all the while falling deeper in debt
[CHORUS]
The weight falls hard on the stand up guy
The one you can count on you can rely
This is your future it don’t seem right
But this is your battle, this is your fight
Something in this country has got to change
If we’re ever gonna see those days again
Your parents may have done it with just one job
But now we’re working for less and twice as hard
ECHOES ON “A” STREET
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
Anxious nights give way to daylight
She don’t cry and she don’t complain
To honor, cherish, protect and keep you
She took your problems and took your name
All she wants is to stroll down the island
She don’t care if there’s wind or there’s rain
Only a woman of her stature
Could shield you from the venom of this town’s disdain
And she’ll wait by your side
She’ll never let you out of her sight
And she’ll wait by your side,
You’re the one thing that matters in her life
As she waits patiently by the window
She knows you’ll be coming home soon
She’ll sit quiet there and won’t go
Her dedication can’t be moved
She hears the echoes marching down “A” street
Like footsteps on the cobblestone
A pace too heavy to be her master
They pass her by and she’s still alone
And she’ll wait by your side
She’ll never let you out of her sight
And she’ll wait by your side
You’re the one thing that matters in her life
CHORUS:
Shannon I’m coming home
VICES AND VIRTUES
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
Now hear me all you victims
Come listen, gather around
For now we’ll tell the story of four brothers in the ground
One died from a bottle though he wouldn’t harm a fly
He froze in a south end alley
Behind a gin mill left to die
And another died by the bullet at the hand’s of a sniper’s gun
In the valley of the Nha-Trang for a war we never won
Whiskey, War, Suicide & Guns
The next one took his life
They said there was never any hope
He was shocked & institutionalized
Found hanging from a rope
And another son was shot again
But this time over drugs
There’ll be no heroes welcome
For this small time city thug
One from the whiskey
One from the war
One by suicide
And another by the gun
Whiskey, War, Suicide & Guns
They took their lives, they took their sons
One died from the whiskey
And another in the war
One died by suicide
And the last one by the gun
SURRENDER
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
I was at my weakest state
And you kept pushing me on
You gave me something to believe in
And it keeps me standing strong
These lessons that I’ve learned
These things I’ll carry on
And when you’re gone I’ll honor you
Each day, however long
This glimmer of hope was never enough
To guide me through the darkness like a diamond
In the rough
I held out for and I received
A pain that never left with no reprieve
Like a toast at a table where resentments run free
There can’t be any truth where there’s no honesty
Like an apple from the tree
You were lock jawed in your ways
A reminder of myself in those long forgotten days
Thought you’d stayed off my path
But I just couldn’t see that the blood that’s in your veins
Is the same that runs through me
This glimmer of hope was never enough
To guide me through the darkness like a diamond
In the rough
I held out for and I received
A pain that never left with no reprieve
Like a toast at a table where resentments run free
There can’t be any truth where there’s no honesty
I had it all but lost my faith
And then you lead me to it
Today I’ll carry on
I had it all but lost faith
And now I’ve renewed it
These things I’ll carry on
(F)LANNIGAN’S BALL
(Traditional, arrangement and new lyrics by Dropkick Murphys)
In the town of Milton one Brian Flannigan
Battered away till his money was spent
Then he hit a big one and felt like a man again,
Bought a three decker with two floors for rent
He threw a big party for friends and relations
At a grand old place called Florian Hall
And if you’ll just listen I’ll make your eyes glisten
To the rows and the ructions of Flannigan’s ball
CHORUS:
Six long months I spent in Quincy
Six long months doing nothing at all
Six long months I spent in Quincy
Learning to dance for Flannigan’s ball
I stepped out and I stepped in again
I stepped out and I stepped in again
I stepped out and I stepped in again
Learning to dance for Flannigan’s ball
Free beer on tap and wine for the ladies
Ziti and sauce for Mark Porzio
There were Faheys and Bradys, Mcauliffes and Daleys
Courtin the girls and dancing away
Brian Tully sang out in his finest form
The patron’s responded and I lead ‘em all
I’d spent 6 months at Forbes Academy
Learning to dance for Flannigan’s ball
[CHORUS]
The boys were hammered the girls were hearty
Dancing around in couples and groups
An accident happened you Dennis Flemming
Put his right leg through Miss Finneran’s hoops
This gal she fainted and cried bloody murder
Called for her sons and gathered them all
Christopher swore he’d go no further
Till he had revenge at Flannigan’s ball
[Chorus]
In the midst of the melee Miss Collins fainted
Her cheeks by now were as red as a rose
Some of the boys declared she was plastered
Had a small drop to much I suppose
Young Scotty Jenkins so big and able
Saw his fair Colleen stretched by the wall
Tore the left leg from under the table
And smashed all the dishes at Flannigan’s ball
Boy oh boy now this was a rumble
Myself took a lick from mean Ricky Green
But I soon replied to that fine introduction
And gave him a terrible kick in the spleen
Talent the piper nearly got strangled
They squeezed on his bellows, chanters and all
The girls in the middle nearly got trampled
And that put an end to Flannigan’s ball
I’LL BEGIN AGAIN
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
My first day out it rained
Eight years on a chain
For a crime that wasn’t mind, I did the time
As the door swung shut behind me
I was left so lonely
No one remembered, no one was there
To hear my please to hear my prayers
I’ll begin again
I was headed here from the start
I’ll begin again
I paid my price for my part
Not a dollar to my name
I suppose I can’t complain
My life again was mine
And that’s just fine
As I knocked on my mother’s door
She didn’t live there anymore
A second mortgage to fund appeals that got no deal
FAIRMOUNT HILL
(traditional, arrangement and new lyrics by Dropkick Murphys)
Last night as I lay dreaming of pleasant days gone by
My mind was spent on rambling to Boston I did fly
I stepped on board a vision and I followed with the wind
When next I came to anchor at the rocks on Fairmount Hill
It was on the 23rd of June the day before the fair
When Boston’s sons and daughters and friends assembled there
The young, the old, the brave, and the bold
Came their duty to fulfil at the parish church on Thatcher Street
A mile from Fairmount Hill
I went to see old friends there to see what they might say
The old ones were all dead and gone
The young ones turning gray
I met the broker Hughes
He’s as odd as ever still
See I used to crash at his mother’s house when I hung on Fairmount Hill
I paid a flying visit to my first and only love
She’s as white as any lily, and as gentle as a dove
She threw her arm around me saying “Andy I love you still”
Oh, she’s one Miss Bazo Bailey, the pride of Fairmount Hill
I dreamt I fought a violent war for the hand of this darling gal
Against an angry jealous foe by the name of Danny Gill
The clock it rang in the morning
It rang both loud and shrill
When I awoke in California many miles from Fairmount Hill
LOYAL TO NO ONE
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
I first meet this man at the Capen Street Tracks
In no shape for success
Headed nowhere too fast
He may have been someone once
By the sound of his call
Now he answers to no one
No one at all
We all die alone
He shouted as he passed
With no sense of regret
See he never looked back
For his pride was wounded
His ego was strong
Yeah, that was his trouble a
And this is his Song
CHORUS:
You said “we die alone”
In this case you were right
No friends by your side
Or family in sight
There’ll be no talking your way out this time
So don’t count the cash
Cause you leave it behind
His friends come & go
Like the seasons & tide
He can’t keep a woman
They all realize
He loves them leaves them
Takes what he needs
He’s loyal to no one
No one at all
You were brought up well
Still in spite of it all
You’re touched by nothing
Watch a man fall
Put a foot on his back
To get a better view
Cause you’re loyal to no one
No one but you
[CHORUS]
He was broken & tired
Wouldn’t take a hand
Their kindness was simple
But he couldn’t understand
See it’s hard to have faith
In something so new
When you’re loyal to no one
No one but you
[CHORUS]
SHATTERED
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
Something’s gone wrong with the world today
What’s the matter with the human race
Everybody’s fighting for more power and money
Braveheart’s a racist
The paperboy’s a junkie
And whats with the role models for all our boys and girls
Anorexic skinny monsters who seem to rule the world
The ball players you loved as a kid are gone
They’ve been replaced by steroid fed Neanderthals
Shattered, shattered, when people aren’t always what they seem
It turns out the lyrics that you live by are a fraud
When your favorite band’s singer got arrested
With a tranny on the job
Meanwhile little Danny down the blocks all alone
He’s been abused by the Parish priest
He’d embarrassed and ashamed
Thinks he disgraced the family name
He’s gonna buy a gun and settle the score
Then who you gonna call the local cop stalking girls down the mall
Or the world’s greatest crooks from the FBI
Shattered, shattered, when people aren’t always what they seem
Shattered, shattered, when the ones that we rely on break their word
Dad’s never home, he says he’s working over time
Meanwhile Mommy’s head’s in the sand she thinks everything is fine
She says “Now Dad’s important kids so stay out of his way”
But little did she know that the governor was gay
RUDE AWAKENINGS
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
The bed was still warm where I slept
From these hours I wish to forget
With the night still fresh on my breath
I awoke to the grim face of death
I thought it was all just a nightmare
I guess it was true
As I crawled across the floor for the door
From one room I don’t know to the next
There was nothing familiar around
And it just ain’t my style to leave the seat down
I thought it was all just a nightmare
I guess it was true
I pulled on my clothes still half in a dream
As I struggled with my conscience & a multidirectional stream
(What ya take her for)
I buried my loneliness with her for the night
Then I left with new symptoms no antidepressant could cure
(What ya take her for)
She took me for all I was worth
May I remind you that ain’t much at all
A meaningless gesture in the meanest of times
As it turns out you weren’t worth the call
I though it was all just a nightmare
I guess it was true
But now I’m left with a daily reminder of you
With equal surprise she opened her eyes
Sat up & shouted “for Christ sakes who the hell are you!”
(What she take ya for)
She cooked me my breakfast then called me a cab
Shoved me out the door & threw the five dollar fare in my face
(What she take ya for)
She took me for all I was worth
May I remind you that ain’t much at all
A meaningless gesture in the meanest of times
As it turns out you weren’t worth the call
I though it was all just a nightmare
I guess it was true
But now I’m left with a daily reminder of you
JOHNNY, I HARDLY KNEW YA
(traditional, arrangement by Dropkick Murphys)
When on the road to sweet Athy,
Hurroo Hurroo
When on the road to sweet Athy,
Hurroo Hurroo
When on the road to sweet Athy
A stick in the hand, A drop in the eye
A doleful damsel I heard cry
Johnny I hardly knew ya
Where are the eyes that looked so mild,
Hurroo Hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild,
Hurroo Hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild
When my poor heart you first beguiled
Why did ya run from me and the child
Johnny I hardly knew ya
CHORUS:
We had guns and drums and drums and guns, Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns, Hurroo Hurroo
We had guns and drums and drums and guns
The enemy never slew ya
Johnny I hardly knew ya
Where are the legs with which you run,
Hurroo Hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run,
Hurroo Hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run,
When first you went to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Johnny I hardly knew ya
[CHORUS]
You hadn’t an arm, you hadn’t a leg,
Hurroo Hurroo
You hadn’t an arm, you hadn’t a leg,
Hurroo Hurroo
You hadn’t an arm, you hadn’t a leg
You’re a spineless, boneless, chickenless egg
You’ll Have to be put with the bowl to beg
Johnny I hardly knew ya
[CHORUS]
I’m happy for to see ya home, Hurroo Hurroo
I’m happy for to see ya home, Hurroo Hurroo
I’m happy for to see ya home
From the Isle of Ceylon
Johnny I hardly knew ya
[CHORUS]
NEVER FORGET
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)
In a child’s eye there’s something I hope someday you’ll know
A friend’s dedication, it’s something to behold
A mother’s smile, it makes everything all right
To a women’s caring hand I’ll be holding on tonight
CHORUS:
When you got love and we got family
Keep ‘em close and don’t forget
To hold them right there in your heart
When you got love and family
To my father’s stern direction
And the lessons that he taught
My grandmother’s affection
And the faith I always fought
To the kids at the shows
The way you sing it back at us
And the boys down the park
When we were young and live was nuts
To all the single parents
Who keep holding down the fort
To all you sons & daughters
Be thankful for what you’ve got
To everyone with no one
May good fortune turn your way
To everyone whose had someone
Remember them today
[CHORUS]