Dropkick Murphys

The status of our future in both past and present time, is relegated to a member of a higher class than mine.
To determine and direct the lives of family men who bear the burden of living up to standard that doesn't exist in 1999

Chorus: Who's gonna save us from this lonely picket line,
10 years of service but I'm still not worth your time.
And I've seen men give their lives, and heard the stories
that they tell of how they labored for this company which sold it's soul to hell -

Times may be changing but I'll never leave behind the hopes and thoughts I have of better days for families
such as mine.
Because if history repeats itself and time will surely tell.
What goes around will come around and you'll know
our pain too well.

Chorus:

- Traditionally Arranged: Dropkick Murphys (Casey, Barton, Kelly) -

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to feel
'Twas grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed

Another Wake, Another Time,
A Premature Goodbye.
I've watched you go and seen you pass,
I always knew it wouldn't last.
Together now we mourn the loss, and remember all the fun. We'll Drink the beer and hang out
where death took another son.
So all for one and one for all, do we ever wonder why. Though the reasons clear, this friend so dear was taken before his time.

chorus: So may this round be on the corpse of a dead man, with a toast that tells of a love you never shared.
So as we dance on the grave of the misbehaved . .
Raise your glass! And sing the praise of a fallen soul.

Many bow their heads for this man they know so well,
with solemn thoughts they'll drink and drug for a resurrection. (Facing death we fear no danger) While Mothers shed their tears through a vail of desperation these fiends of a vicious breed raise holy hell.

chorus:

How many times can fate be changed,
the dice be rolled is there no path of least resistance,
for the bold (It's never sought and rarely taken)

chorus:

verse2:

chorus:

There's a brand new century about to begin
and the kids of the 90's are paving' the path,
for the youth of America,
free at last from the violence
and destruction that destroyed our name,
whenever there was trouble we took the blame.
But now our scene's alive
with a new generation of American kids.

chorus: We work hard now lets enjoy the fruits of
what we've done, tomorrow may never come.
The kids on the street will have their say now - Because!

We've had enough of these negative comparisons a new breed of kids. Brought together by a movement
and a sense of tradition the strong will survive.
And together our backs can never be broken
cause now our scene's alive with a new generation of American kids.

chorus:

I've seen street corner preachers spending discharge pay
Between periods of getting stiff and happy tipplers singing songs of discontentment
With each and every passing sip from the bookmaker's clerk on the rowdy racing circuit
Known as Tom Sharkey's brawling bar to the tenders at the pubs and illegal sporting clubs
In this town I call my home

You see, I come from a family who more
or less traditionally sends its boys off to serve Uncle Sam
"Obey your orders and protect your country"
said this father to his disheartened son
I've traveled over seas, seen forks in the road
from Raven to the pubs near Cunard Pier
But the things weren't the same,
as the place where I became,
A man in this town I call my home.

Schizophrenic nightmares sending shivers down my spine
I may be a little twisted, but I swear that my life is fine

Chorus: I'm living with a perfect stranger,
is there anybody home?
I'm living with a perfect stranger, but I find myself alone

Well I'm still working to make life better,
though I've fallen from God's grace
I'm standing still in a shattered mirror,
staring at somebody else's face

Chorus:

Just when things are back on track, I sabotage myself
These are all certain telltale signs of my decaying mental health
Nobody's Home!!!!!

Come all you gallant heroes,
And along with me combined
I'll sing a song, it won't take long,
Of the Fighting Sixty Ninth
They're a band of men brave, stout and bold,
From Ireland they came
And they have a leader to the fold,
And Cocoran was his name

It was in the month of April,
When the boys they sailed away
And they made a sight so glorious,
As they marched along Broadway
They marched right down Broadway, me boys,
Until they reached the shore
And from there they went to Washington,
And straight unto the war

Chorus: So we gave them a hearty cheer, me boys,
It was greeted with a smile
Singing here's to the boys who feared no noise,
We're the Fighting Sixty Ninth

And when the war is said and done,
May heaven spare our lives
For its only then we can return,
To our loved ones and our wives
We'll take them in our arms, me boys,
For a long night and a day
And we'll hope that war will come no more,
To sweet America

Chorus:

So farewell unto you dear New York,
Will I e'er see you once more
For it fills my heart with sorrow,
To leave your sylvan shore
But the country now it is calling us,
And we must hasten fore
So here's to the stars and stripes, me boys,
And to Ireland's lovely shore

And here's to Murphy and Devine, Of honour and renown
Who did escort our heroes, Unto the battle ground
And said unto our colonel, We must fight hand to hand
Until we plant the stars and stripes,
Way down in Dixieland

Chorus:

How could you choose a path without knowing
where you'd end up
Where you came from was a time and place
that you had never been

- Is this the only road


Can you fake your way through conversation
or just simply turn away
Set a course for the desert sun is this the only choice
To live without a choice, this is the only choice we'll know
Cut your teeth and now it's time to show the world
that what your made of
Was a travesty that many just call luck

- Is this the only road


Now climb aboard the red line train
that's headed out of town
Or stick around and just relive your past
You're always running out of wind
and you keep saying it's the end
You're always hoping that you'll win,
but then you throw in the towel in

I once met a young girl filled with fire,
That saw through my front to this shell of a man
She knew I'd be a handful from the start,
This strong willed woman had an angels heart
The holes in these wings don't allow me to fly
So you'd better brace for a life of pain,
And if fate is the path to this better life
Somehow I feel you'll never see the faces change

Chorus:
Through thick and thin, She stood by you
She held the key to my broken heart

I look back and wonder, Sit and ponder.
How I could have ever neglected you.
For the blood soaked soil on the old ball field,
I gambled on a hand I wasn't ready to lose
But if the tables were turned and I faced the troubles,
Tough times and struggles I put you through
I'd of been there as you were through hardship and horror
My life and my love are pledged to you.

Chorus:

Remember the nights she waited and wondered,
fused to a myth that it had taken it's toll.
But this Godless man has mended his way,
Never again will she be alone.

I remember it well, Still I always knew that she was destined to be my bride
This woman had pride, She was full of life.
I could see the passion in her eyes.
She thought she found a man,
But she fell for the devil
An evil monster in disguise.
Now I'll honor and obey, Forever stay.
True to you, my Irish rose

Chorus:

Cowboys and coppers verse injuns and robbers,
take a guess for which side I was prone
Maniacal pleasures and a taste for misfortune,
the legacy for which I was known

Chorus: Down and out, I scream and I shout.
For this man from whom I need my advice
If the price is your life son,
you'd better think twice as you march
to the front like a soldier

So you'd think I'd aspire for greatness,
hell-Bent to make a name on my own
Genetically programmed for the Wheel of Misfortune,
I'm an heir to an unwanted throne

Chorus:

Now they've all got their theories, opinions
and such about this man who is down on his luck
Well the offers are plenty, my options are many,
still I opt to face my problems alone.

The once steel tough fabric of a Union man Was sold and Bartered away
Fed to money wolves in the Reagen years, Caught in a drift in greedy nintetie's days
So inside this song is our rally cry

chorus: Your dreams are in danger, and "We Must Rise"
Our time has come we are under the gun "It's Do or Die"

Its not a rebel cry of some socialist Scheme to push for human rights
Just the facts an obvious mentioned on the
Behalf of the working man, for his family and his livelihood

chorus:

The once steel tough fabric of the union man was sold and bartered away
Fed to money wolves in the Reagen years,
Caught adrift in greedy nineties days

You say its becasue we’re boisterous
You hate us cause we got our dignity
We stand together proud and strong
This is a place where we belong
We got loyal friends we keep our heads held high,
We’ll stick together you and I
Don’t need no guns or drugs on our streets
just a place to go and the boots on our feet

Chorus: Never alone. . .
The city streets are where we roam
Never alone. . .
This is Boston its our home
Never alone. . .
The city streets are where we roam
Never alone. . .
This is Boston its our home

Young skinhead they call you hooligan
Just because you don’t make any sense to them
But the blood that runs right down your wrist
Dont come from a knife, but the cuts on your fist’
Your torn up knuckles and faded blue jeans
Are the colors you wear and the life that you’ve seen
You tell the truth look people in the eye
Don’t live you life in no baggy disguise

chorus:

Dont need no gang to watch my ass
Just loyal friendship and a pint of Bass
We’ll sweat in the ring and bleed in the streets
But our will and spirit can not be beat
You can shoot and you can kick but together we’ll stick
Through thick and thin not stick or stone
Can break the bond that has here grown
Arm and Arm We Fight As One

Tonight my son, I'll heed the call
If you're to live, then I must fall
Just give me one more moment, another walk out in the sun

One more day to find some justice
with your shadow by my side
Cuff me, tie me, lock me down
'cause I'll be back to go another round

As one!

My blood runs red beneath the knife
I give my soul to you tonight

From early on I was on my own
with no light to guide my way
Then the hand of destiny called me only
now do I understand
Interwoven our lives became,
bonded by blood no need to be repaid!

As one!
My blood runs red beneath the knife
I give my soul to you tonight
....x2

Just give me one more moment
with your shadow by my side
And we will always be together... as one.

I've lost all the time that I have in this world
I've spent it unwisely, unwisely you see
And I can't get it back and I can't move forward
I'm broken and I'm empty, it's over for me
If I could undo all the wrongs that I've caused
Fall to my knees, pray for swiftness and just
For I'm just a fool, a fool driven to dust
And the world ain't gonna change for me

So give me one more chance to prove these problems
and frustrations
Aren't just manifest in memories we're destined to repeat
A second chance to prove I know right from wrong
I swear I'll do things different but can't promise to be strong

(chorus)
So come all you losers, you bastards and cheats
Vagrants and barflies down on the street
Follow this path to salvation, vindication awaits
We're marching on East Broadway tonight

If you could look into this old face
and try to see the young man
I swear I once was pretty, not the monster you now see
But I squandered all my chances,
lost my faith and took for granted
This life and precious one chance,
the whirlwind I'll wreak

If I could undo all the wrongs that I've caused
Fall to my knees, pray for swiftness and just
For I'm just a fool, a fool driven to dust
And the world ain't gonna change for me

(chorus)
So come all you losers, you bastards and cheats
Vagrants and barflies down on the street
Follow this path to salvation, vindication awaits
We're marching on East Broadway tonight

In a neat little town they call Quincy
Apprenticed in trade I was bound
And many an hour of sweet happiness
I spent in that neat little town
Then bad misfortune befell me
And caused me to stray from the land
Far away from my friends and companions
To follow the black velvet band

As I as out strolling one evening
Not intending to stay very long
I met a frolicsome damsel
As she came tripping along
A watch she pulled out her pocket
And slipped it right into my hand
On the very first night that I met her
Bad luck to the black velvet band.

(chorus)
Her eyes, they shone like the diamond
You'd think she was queen of the land
And her hair hung over her shoulder
Tied up in a black velvet band

Before judge and jury next morning
Both of us did appear
A gentleman claimed his jewelry
And the case against us was clear
Now seven long years transportation
Right down to Van Dieman's land
Far away from my friends and companions
To follow this black velvet band

(chorus)

So come all you jolly young fellows
I'll have you take warning by me
Whenever you're out on the liquor
Beware of the pretty Colleen
She'll fill you with whiskey and porter
Until you're not able to stand
And the very next thing you'd know
You've landed in Van Dieman's Land.

(chorus)

Nothing they could do just sit down there
As the black closed all around them
And the water rose so quick and cold
An unlikely place to drown

(chorus)
Nine in the mine, trapped down below
Down! Down! Down in the ground
And this would be the day I didn't kiss my wife goodbye
Take care of my family, I'm buried alive

They held their heads up high
As they strugged hard to breathe
And asked the Lord to open his arms
For the nine souls he'd receive

(chorus)

They lashed themselves together
So in Death all might be found
And prayed there for a miracle
Some twenty-four stories down

(chorus)
Down! Down! Down in the ground

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Michael they have taken you away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
So the young might see the morn
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay

(chorus)
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matters, Mary when you're free
Against the famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity

(chorus)

By a lonely harbor wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

(chorus)

Gonna Be A Blackout
Gonna nail me a black curtain
Up good an' tight
Gonna do what my air raid man says is right
Gonna pull down the shades
An' turn out my light
There's gonna be a Blackout tonight

'Cause my town is big and my town is bright
My town can work and my town can fight!
So don't strike no light and don't cause a riot
There's gonna be a blackoout tonight

Blackout tonight!

(chorus)
Gonna be a Blackout, Blackout tonight
Gonna be a Blackout, gonna be a Blackout
Gonna do what my air raid man says is right
Blackout tonight, pull down the shades and turn out the light

Lights go out all over town
and the air raid warden walks up and down
'Cause it's part of the war, I gotta do it right there's
Gonna be a blackout tonight

(chorus)
Lights go out
All over town
And the air raid warden walks up and down
'Cause it's part of the war
I'm gonna do right
There's gonna be a Blackout,
Blackout tonight.

If they can make a law then I can break a law
If I can break the law will the law break me?
It comes tumbling down again,
I can't comprehend, is it destiny
Your nomadic state, are you a refugee,
no place to call your home
Forever walk alone as the world goes on
Forgotten by the ones you've known

(chorus)
And all the words you gave me
I lost on bended knee
But you can't stop these cravings
Just by praying they would cease

If I can make a life then I can take a life
If I can save a life will this life save me
Time after time I still seem to find you're looking out for me
So wrap your arms around me, hold me close
and don't let go
Let me lean on you as I think things through,
if I don't we'll never know

(chorus)

Will your faith save me
Will I find this place where I belong
Can you protect me from my troubles,
keep me safe from harm
Will you help me carry on.

(chorus)

If they can make a law then I can break a law
If I can break the law will the law break me?
It comes tumbling down again,
I can't comprehend, is it destiny
Your nomadic state, are you a refugee,
no place to call your home
Forever walk alone as the world goes on
Forgotten by the ones you've known

It's another November evening
As you remember your way home
You mete out your aggressions
On what's left of your blackened soul
You've come to this conclusion
As you're dragged from another bloody fight
You've reached the age where you've decided
That you've lived out your whole life
Another busted knuckle, taken down by a kick to the balls
You've wasting time wasting time
as life's shadow grows so tall
It's another busted knuckle, it's a fight you'll never win
And now you bow your head in shame,
for a sin no one forgives.

(chorus)
Fight, fight, you'll never win
Tonight I'll start again
Fight, fight you'll never win
How will I make amends
This is our life, this is our time
This is my life don't waste my time

Your wife can't understand you
And you've alienated your oldest friends
Breaking back and fingers to the bone
Burning candles at both ends

Tired of this petty life you lead
A series of dull events
A two-bit, half-assed effigy of someone else's dread

Another busted knuckle, taken down by a kick to the balls
You've wasting time wasting time
as life's shadow grows so tall
It's another busted knuckle, it's a fight you'll never win
And now you bow your head in shame,
for a sin no one forgives.

(chorus)
Fight, fight, you'll never win
Tonight I'll start again
Fight, fight you'll never win
How will I make amends
This is our life, this is our time
This is my life don't waste my time

This is our life, this is our time
This is my life don't waste my time
...x2

(chorus)
Go! Go! Black and Gold!
Old-time hockey, bar the door
Clear the track it's all-out war
Light the lamp, throw a hit.
Black and Gold never quit
The barn is full, our team's in town
So put 'em up boys, knock 'em down.
Drop the puck, it's time to go!

Bust outta work, it's quarter-past five
Time to round up the gang
and take the Red to the Orange Line
Head for the street and the Causeway crowd
You can feel it in the air, when the team's in town

(chorus)

Rancourt's ready, it's time to take to the ice
So tie down the jersey 'cause it could get ugly tonight
Top corner, five hole, off the post and in
On a quest for the cup, and we're ready to win

(chorus)

So you say you fell in love and you're gonna get married
Raise yourself a family, how simple life can be
Somewhere it all went wrong and your plans just fell apart
And you ain't got the heart to finish what you started
...x2

(chorus)
The ones that you loved
The ones that you left behind
The ones you said you'd try to find
Are they trying to find you
....x2

Somewhere it all went wrong and your plans just fell apart
And you ain't got the heart to finish what you started

You walked out that door to find out where you belong
To fulfill your own selfish dreams,
I think you might have forgotten

(chorus)

A feeling I get inside in the back of my head
Like a song you still know from so long ago
And I wouldn't change a thing
Like a car driving by triggers something in my mind
Am I retrieving my direction or just charging forward blind
Am I everything that you wanted me to be
Have I lost that condition, a connection I couldn't see
Til the end like a friend stands by you again
And I wouldn't change a thing
Toe to toe, friend or foe, it's all that I know
And I wouldn't change a thing
As the years pass us by, will I still make the grade
Can I really offer anything, and will my soul be saved
Can you cleanse me off... drive out the swine
Am I only falling farther, can you keep me safe from harm
The memories you build in the house on the hill
Would you really change a thing
Corrected mistakes in a world full of hate
Never changes anything

Til the end like a friend stands by you again
And I wouldn't change a thing
Toe to toe, friend or foe, it's all that I know
Til the end like a friend stands by you again
And I wouldn't change a thing