Dropkick Murphys Album

Ready, Aim, Fire

You work all fucking week,
go out on Friday night
You're looking for some action
and you settle for a fight

Okay, steady, get ready
everybody pull in the loot
We got the equalizer
it's a 21 guitar salute

It's a 21 guitar salute, it's a 21 guitar salute
It's a...

We saw him sitting there,
a-drinking my beer
And I went in for the war
it's 7 o'clock on a Saturday night and I'm so fucking bored

Okay, steady, get ready
everybody gets to shoot
We got a 21 gun salution
it's a 21 guitar salute

It's a 21 guitar salute, it's a 21 guitar salute
It's a...

[solo]

Okay, steady, get ready
everybody pull in the loot
We got the equalizer
it's a 21 guitar salute

It's a 21 guitar salute, it's a 21 guitar salute
It's a...

I hear the sounds of marching feet in the distance
and there's a bloody revolution in the air
And I know what this looks like, but it isn't

Some folks are born to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no,
Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one.
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,

The scene often changes, the kids come and go
But history's for sure and this much I know.
The root of tough music for America's youth was old school hardcore
You know it's the truth!
This is my world, wolfpack, last rights.
The kids will have their say another wasted night.
There's many forms of music, and they all play a part
As long as the meaning comes straight from the heart.
So open you eyes and please use your brain, 'cause punk, oi!
And hardcore, are one in the same because today we carry on
And the numbers have grown, a social movement that we call our own.
So let's stick together with our friends at our backs

[Originally by Iron Cross]

Backed up against the wall
The animal makes his final stand
He spits and growls and shows his teeth
He’s a foreigner in his own land

When there’s nowhere else to run
You’re a rebel
No more battles to be one
You’re a rebel
Stands out there with his pride
Fights with no one on his side
You’re a rebel

Without mercy the pack descends
Hear the cries of justice are in his defense
With a smug satisfaction they strip him bare
They kill the soul that should have flourished there

When there’s nowhere else to run
You’re a rebel
No more battles to be one
You’re a rebel
Stands out there with his pride
Fights with no one on his side
You’re a rebel

You’re a rebel and not a winner
You’re a fighter and now you’re bloodied
You’re a rebel and not a winner
You’re a fighter and now you’re bloodied
You’re a rebel and not a winner
You’re a fighter and now you’re bleeding

Without mercy the pack descends
Hear the cries of justice are in his defense
With a smug satisfaction they strip him bare
They kill the soul that should have flourished there

Everybody's talking about revolution
Everybody's talking about smash the state.
Sounds to me like the final solution.
Left wing, right wing, full of hate.

chorus:
We don't wanna fight, because you tell us to.
So watch your back when you attack
Coz we might just turn on you.

Things get worse with every hour, the future fades into the past.
All they want is total power, climbing on the backs of the working class.
We don't wanna be part of no new religion, we don't wanna be part of a political
dream.
We just wanna get on living our lives.

[Originally by The Nips]

Well I remember the times you put me down on the floor
Spreading it around like a cheap little whore
But now you've finished with your fancy man
A skinny little runt from Birmingham

I want vengeance and I want it now
I want vengeance, gonna get it somehow
I'm gonna hit him, I'm gonna kill him
I'm gonna really make him pay for what he's done
I'm gonna hit him, I'm gonna kill him
Nobody spoils my fun

Well I was crying
But now I've stopped
And you were lying
The penny's dropped

So shut your mouth and lay on the bed
And when I'm finished with you, I'm gonna break his head
I'm gonna hit him, I'm gonna kill him
I'm gonna really make him pay for what he's done
I'm gonna hit him, I'm gonna kill him
Nobody spoils my fun

Well I had my very last night with you
You pushed me too far and now we're through
You're running to the car and you think you're cute
But you're the kind of bitch that they ought to shoot

I want vengeance and I want it now
I want vengeance, gonna get it somehow
I'm gonna hit him, I'm gonna kill him
I'm gonna really make him pay for what he's done
I'm gonna hit him, I'm gonna kill him
Nobody spoils my fun

Well I was crying
Yeah, But now I've stopped
And you were lying
The penny's dropped

So shut your mouth and lay on the bed
And when I'm finished with you, I'm gonna break his head
I'm gonna hit him, I'm gonna kill him
I'm gonna really make him pay for what he's done
I'm gonna hit him, I'm gonna kill him
Nobody spoils my fun
Nobody spoils my fun

I want vengeance and I want it now
I want vengeance, gonna get it somehow
I want vengeance and I want it now
I want vengeance, gonna get it somehow
I want vengeance and I want it now
I want vengeance and I want it now
I want vengeance and I want it now
I want vengeance and I want it

Ridin' down the highway
Goin' to a show
Stop in all the by-ways
Playin' rock 'n' roll
Gettin' robbed
Gettin' stoned
Gettin' beat up
Broken boned
Gettin' had
Gettin' took
I tell you folks
It's harder than it looks

It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you think it's easy doin' one night stands
Try playin' in a rock roll band
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll

Hotel, motel
Make you wanna cry
Lady do the hard sell
Know the reason why
Gettin' old
Gettin' grey
Gettin' ripped off
Under-paid
Gettin' sold
Second hand
That's how it goes
Playin' in a band

It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you wanna be a star of stage and screen
Look out it's rough and mean
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll

Well, it's a long way
It's a long way, (they tell me)

[Originally by F.U.]

Five years ago you were safe with your TV
Never even though what your future might be
Now you're just a packrat picking through the rubble
Scared of your own shadow trying to hide from the trouble
Where is that comfort to which you were devoted?
Weren't you surprised when your world exploded?
Your hiding days are over now that we've found you
Resist or surrender doesn't matter we'll destroy you

Warlords join us or we'll blow you away

Maybe you got brains maybe you're ruthless
Maybe you're lucky and we might let you join us
Maybe you just got something that we need
Your house or your food or your guns or your body
Don't ask us for mercy we don't know what it means
The closest friend I got is my m-16
We like to have fun we love to go berserk
Murder rape and pillage hey it's all in a days work

Warlords join us or we'll blow you away

A trail of victims a legacy of blood
We left the competition bleeding in the mud
We got the numbers we got the guns
And if you got more than us we know enough to run

[Originally by Gang Green]

Got the time when the sun goes up
We'll drink until we drop
My love for hundred brews
That soothes, the foot's been dropped
Not enough for the men on the walk
I drive and drink till I drop

No doubt about it
Can't live without it
No doubt about it
I can't live without it, alcohol
Alcohol

Why it's my destiny?
You get the beer
We get the time
You get the coke, gimme a line

No doubt about it
Can't live without it
No doubt about it
I can't live without it, alcohol

Got the time when the sun goes up
We'll drink until we drop
I drive and drink till I drop

You get the beer
We get the time
You get the coke, gimme a line

No doubt about it
Can't live without it
No doubt about it
I can't live without it

It's Friday night and the street's filled with freaks, come watch as the useless
flock to the beat
Of the techno noise that enhances their high, a bombs gonna blow and I think you
know why!

[Chorus:] Everybody's running out, bodies hit the ground, you'd better take
cover
It's a pipebomb on lansdowne street

There's no room for dancing on your precious floors, cause you've got to save
space for the jocks and whores
You say that our shows are for violent thugs, but we're not the ones on designer
drugs

[Chorus]

It's not a bunch of little kids we're out to harm and maim, so maim
So make sure the night you hurl the pipe there's no baseball game
Look for flyers, check the phoenix, are there any decent shows, if Keith Bennett
isn't working
Then the bomb is good to go.

I knew he was different in his sexuality
I went to his parties as a straight minority
It never seemed a threat to my masculinity
He only introduced me to a wider reality
As the years went by, we drifted apart
When I heard that he was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart

But he's nobody's hero
Saves a drowning child
Cures a wasting disease
Hero...lands the crippled airplane
Solves great mysteries
Hero...not the handsome actor
Who plays a hero's role
Hero...not the glamour girl
Who'd love to sell her soul
If anybody's buying
Nobody's hero

I didn't know the girl, but I knew her family
All their lives were shattered in a nightmare of brutality
They try to carry on, try to bear the agony
Try to hold some faith in the goodness of humanity
As the years went by, we drifted apart
When I heard that she was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart

But she's nobody's hero
Is the voice of reason against the howling mob
Hero...is the pride of purpose
In the unrewarding job
Hero...not the champion player
Who plays the perfect game
Hero...not the glamour boy
Who loves to sell his name
Everybody's buying
Nobody's hero

As the years went by, we drifted apart
When I heard that you were gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart

But he's nobody's hero
Saves a drowning child
Cures a wasting disease
Hero...lands the crippled airplane
Solves great mysteries
Hero...not the handsome actor
Who plays a hero's role
Hero...not the glamour girl
Who'd love to sell her soul
If anybody's buying
Nobody's hero

Styles and opinions change faster than the world
For plastic punks seeking teenage pleasure
You don't know what it is to earn your pay
What do you know about the scene today

I see you're living in a mob mentality

Wanna be a working class old school
You're A deadhead around the block
Thinking you're one of the mob
You've only been around since ‘92
Nirvana Offspring Green Day too

I see you're living in a mob mentality
What do you fucking know
You best get ready for a forced reality
Can you stand on your own

Skinheads on the web page punks on the net
You know what it's about well I think you forget
Chocking on your greed is the price you pay
What do you know about the scene today

I see you're living in a mob mentality
I see you're living in a mob mentality
What do you fucking know
You best get ready for a forced reality
Can you stand on your own

[Originally by The Business]

Why'd you give him 18 years
Leave a family drowning in tears
Baby boy baby girl
Now their lives a living hell

Some say it shouldn't be done
But life on the dole ain't no fun
Shouldn't have been done
You're an informer

You didn't have to name him to the law
Just trying to stop from being poor
Hopes the kids will pull through
Without a dad coz of you

Some say it shouldn't be done
But life on the dole ain't no fun
Shouldn't have been done
You're an informer

[No lyrics]

Well here, babe, look at you in love with someone else,
Turned out like all the others leave me by myself,
That's how it works I guess and you're like all the rest
Guess I can handle it if that's the way it is

I'm in love with rock 'n' roll, It satisfies my soul
If that's how it ought to be, I won't get mad
I got rock 'n' roll, to save me from the gold
And if that's all there is, it ain't so bad
Rock 'n' roll

I never been a one to have no steady girl,
I love the way I live of runnin' round the world
I like to fool around, love to tear 'em down
And if I leave, you love to miss me when I'm gone

[Chorus]

I can't imagine growin' old with anyone
Marching to a different drum, I hear a different song
I swear I love 'em all, I don't care if they're small
I don't care if they're tall, I love 'em anyway

[Chorus x3]

Rock 'n' roll
(I've got rock 'n' roll) [x8]

Rock 'n' roll [x8]

Hey little rich boy
Take a good look at me
Hey little rich boy
Take a good look at me
I don't need a flash car to take me around
I can get the bus to the other side of town

Hey little rich boy
Take a good look at me
Hey little rich boy
Take a good look at me
I didn't get no GCE
It makes you think you can't talk to me

Hey little rich boy
Take a good look at me
Hey little rich boy
Take a good look at me
Why should I let it worry me

Never, never, never again
Will Tommy die for you

Over the top the unknown go
Into a land where no man lives
Say goodbye to his friends
Cause they will never see Tommy again
General, general on the top of the hill
Middle class man whose blood won’t spill
Kept out of the action, out of harm’s way
Cause he’s gonna find that Tommy’s dead

Never, never, never again

War is over so they say
How many Tommys died that day
Now it’s over count the cost
A ring of roses for those that lost
A place in history is what they’ve got
For what they paid it’s not a lot
Medals and statues are no compensation
For working class heros who died for you

Never, never, never again
Will Tommy die for you

Over the top the unknown go
Into a land where no man lives
Say goodbye to his friends
Cause they will never see Tommy again
General, general on the top of the hill
Middle class man whose blood won’t spill
Kept out of the action, out of harm’s way
Cause he’s gonna find that Tommy’s dead

Bonfires burning bright
Pumpkin faces in the night
I remember Halloween

Dead cats hanging from poles
Little dead are out in droves
I remember Halloween

Brown leafed vertigo
Where skeletal life is known
I remember Halloween

This day anything goes
Burning bodies hanging from poles
I remember Halloween

Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween

Candy apples and razor blades
Little dead are soon in graves
I remember Halloween

This day anything goes
Burning bodies hanging from poles
I remember

Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween

I know that you ain’t too pretty
God knows how much you suck
It’s a tragedy that you were born
I rue the day you wrote this

Soundtrack to a killing spree
Screwing kids for an easy buck
Soundtrack to a killing spree
You’re a disgrace may you burn in hell

You’re the darling of the media
A new commodity
But you left behind a trail of tears
A string of suicides

I know that you ain’t too pretty
God knows how much you suck
It’s a tragedy that you were born
I rue the day you wrote this

Soundtrack to a killing spree
Screwing kids for an easy buck
Soundtrack to a killing spree
You’re a disgrace may you burn in hell

I've been a wild rover for many's the year and I've spent all me money on
whiskey and beer
and now I'm returning with gold in great store and I never will play the wild
rover no more

[Chorus:]
And it's no, nay, never no, nay, never!
No more will I play the wild rover no, never, no more

I went into an alehouse I used to frequent
and I told the landlady me money was spent I asked her for credit,
she answered me nay such a custom as yours I could have any day

I took from me pocket ten sovereigns bright and the landlady's eyes opened up
with delight
she said she had whiskeys and wines of the best and the words that she told me
were only in jest

I went home to my parents, confessed what I'd done
and I asked them to pardon their prodigal son
and when they'd caressed me as oft times before I never will play the wild rover

I been working all day for me mate on the site
running around like a blue arsed fly
(chorus) I been working, working all day for me mate
every bleeding minute I been on the go
up and down the ladder like a fiddler's elbow
I been working, I been working all day for me mate
wait for tomorrow at half past ten when I sign on,
but until then i'll be working, working all day for me mate.
aint' got no cards, don't pay no tax
for a score in me hand i'll be breaking me back
call me a crook, call me bent,
but I need more than food and rent
they try to follow me every day
I give 'em the slip and i'm on my way
none of the other blokes thinks it's wrong
'coz every one of 'em's signing on
the benefit boys are out of touch
what they don't know won't hurt 'em much
if i'm caught i'll go down for a month or three
but they'll still be paying out looking after me

[No lyrics]

Yeah, we got the power, let's do it tonight! (The power, tonight)
We got a cause and we know that it's right. (A cause to fight)
Yeah, we got the numbers, let's do it tonight! (The numbers, alright!)
Yeah, we got the power, got the power tonight!
We got the power tonight!

19 men were tried and fired, August 26th through 29th
For violation of rule 35
The forbidden right to organize
They suffered the loss of their livelihood that night.
That night!

A city in terror on the thin blue line.
A thousand-plus walked off the job to support their brothers' cause,
The anti-union prohibition clause.
Demanded loyalty at any price