This was a song about what happens when a band in an area “makes it.” In 1988, the Boston band Extreme were signed to a major record deal. They were one of the best bands on the scene. And…as a result, a bunch of good bands, suddenly changed their style to mimic what Extreme did, in hopes that they too would be signed. It’s not a unique thing. It’s been happening since day one. The Beatles had a thousand copycat bands. And today, you can’t turn the radio on, without some band trying to sound like Nickelback, or whatever flavor of the month band is currently getting huge airplay. So…we wrote a song about it. The first lyrics; “Ten years gone, it’s the same old song & dance.”  obviously referencing Zeppelin & Aerosmith. The only clue we gave to the fact that we were clowning our peers was the line “and everyone around you, starts to sound extremely alike.” At that point, our guitarist Barry, would rip a lick from Extreme’s “Decadence Dance.”

The number of bands that came up to us to tell us how much they liked the song was considerable. Never once did they realize that we might’ve been clowning them. We had a good time.

Ten years gone, it’s the same old song & dance
What the hell went wrong? You’ve given it every chance
You’re out on the road but…you’re not doin’ your own thing
You’ve got a long way to go…Just a puppet…on a string

I’ve seen this kind of thing
Seen it all before
You grab the golden ring
With one foot in the door

Song for a buck
You know your style’s for sale
Don’t give it up
Just stop ridin’ the tails

Night after night, and stage after stage
It’s always the same fight, with your inner feelings of rage
You think that you’ve done it all…but something’s still not right
And everyone around you…starts to sound extremely alike

I’ve seen this kind of thing
Seen it all before
You grab the golden ring
With one foot in the door

Song for a buck
You know your style’s for sale
Don’t give it up
Just stop ridin’ the tails
Had some bad luck
Starting to feel like you failed
Don’t give it up
Just stop ridin’ the tails

Oh, get off my tail!

(Solo)

I’ve seen this kind of thing
Seen it all before
Yeah, you grab the golden ring
You’re knockin’ on that door

Song for a buck
You know your style’s for sale
Don’t give it up
Just stop ridin’ the tails
Had some bad luck
Starting to feel like you failed
Don’t give it up
Just stop ridin’ the tails

Tails? You’re ridin’ the tails

This was what we were known for. Fun songs that told stories. Some of which, ended in ironic twists. The idea here was a little riff that our guitarist Rick brought in to the studio. He said he’d heard that hookers in old Ireland & England were referred to as “Mashers.” In true-to-form fashion, nobody researched it. We just said “Hey!…That’s awesome! Let’s write a song about it!” Now, live, I’d improvise the price paid. But, other than that,

And this is it. The story of Lucy McGee. She is “The Masher.” The story is fun. And yes…another surprise ending!

Saw a little girl
Said Hey, what’s your name?
Let’s go around the world
An’ play some night-time games
She said, How do you do?
I’m Lucy McGee
How’s about a room for two
I said, sounds good to me

Found a little dive
Shady part of town
I dropped seventy five
And the little girl went down

Lucy the Masher
She makes the night go by so well
So well
Oh, you can use her an’ trash her
The kind of love that you can buy and sell

Said to Miss McGee
Oooh, you make me feel so fine
Shall we make it three?
She said, I got the time
She brought me down, down-down-down to my knees
She don’t fuck around Oh no!
Her aim is to please

Oh please…God bless The Masher
She makes the night go by so well
So well
Oh, I’d like to take her home and stash her
And if you ask me where, I’ll never tell

(Solo)

That night!

Lucy got busted
Cos’ I’m a cop from vice
She shoulda never trusted
A guy who orders twice
I’m gonna pay her a visit
Out in the women’s pen
Walk, run, jump, stand, aw shit
Who cares? We’re gonna do it again

Again…I miss The Masher
She made the night go by so well
So well
Oh, you can use her n’ trash her
The kind of love that you can buy and sell (for the right amount of cash!)
Oh, The Masher
Little girl I know so well
Yeah, I’d like to take her home and stash her
And if you ask me where, I’ll never tell

No, I’ll never tell

One of our guitarists, (Barry) brought this song with him from his previous band. I always loved the music, but thought the previous versions were sh*t. It started life as “Crutch” and then another singer tried to change it to “Livin’ On Borrowed Time.” Neither guy really captured the vibe of the thing the way Barry had intended. So, I sat with him, and asked what he wanted it to be. He said he liked the original idea involving the propensity for those who’ve ingested a considerable amount of alcohol, to act slightly bolder than they normally would.  Call it “stronger than beer muscles.” So it became this. Drunken mind, allowing for repressed thoughts and ideas to be released.

This song went over very well live…I wonder why?

Friday night an’ I’m feelin’ all right
Ready to light up the town
Me an’ the boys out to make some noise
Tear this sucker down
Hey Bartender! Set them up
I think I’m gonna need a drink
We’ll get messed up
And with a little luck
I’m gonna take a lady home with me…With the help of my good friend

A crutch called Jack!

Hey little lady, can I buy you a drink
Maybe we could spend some time
Oh, no no, it’s not what you think
I don’t wanna make you mine
All I saw at the end of the bar
Was a girl, with a pretty smile
But now you frown, and I been shot down
I still like your style

But I think I need a drink
Need some time to think
I thought I saw a wink
I need a…

Crutch called Jack

A crutch called Jack

Take another shot
She put me on the spot
So I’ll give it what I got
I need a…

Crutch called Jack

As usual, I’ll take this one, straight up!

(Solo)

Oh, One more round before I fall down
Wind up out in the street
I got places to go, things to do
Lots o’ lovely ladies to meet
Oh, you bet your ass I will be back
See you here tomorrow night
But now, I’ll go…because I know
I don’t wanna fight no mo’

But I think I need a drink
Need some time to think
I thought I saw a wink
I need a…

Crutch called Jack

A crutch called Jack

Take another shot
She put me on the spot
So I’ll give it what I got
I need a…

Crutch called Jack

Here’s what we called “The Ballad.” Yup…every band had to do a power ballad back in the 80’s. I originally wrote these lyrics when I was 14. I had met the first girl who’d ever really paid attention to me. It was a dreaded “long distance” relationship. OK…there was no real relationship. Just a lot of letter-writing, and youthful poetry. I sent her an early version of this song. Nothing ever came of the relationship. But…I hung on to the lyrics for if/when the opportunity arose where I could utilize them.  In hindsight, this song went on a bit too long. You can hear where we should’ve ended it. But, I wanted to pay tribute to one of my favorite artists named Bruce Cockburn (pro: Co-burn). So, I included a slightly rearranged lyric from my favorite song of his called “Lovers in A Dangerous Time.”

It’s late at night and I can’t get to sleep
It’s the feelings I fight and the memories I keep
I didn’t know how to say good bye
You just smiled with a tear in your eye

Time we had
Time to choose
When times went bad
It was a time for fools
Time spent with you
Was never meant to end
No time to lose
…a friend

You came in my life I wasn’t prepared-no
Was a pleasant surprise can’t believe you’re not there
Alone in the dark, all I see is your face
Without you, I’m lost without a trace-oh

Time we had
Time to choose
When times went bad
It was a time for fools
Time spent with you
Was never meant to end
No time to lose
More than a friend

Cos’ you’re a million miles away
An’ I still can’t believe you’re gone

Time…Time to lose
So much more left to do
So much more left for you

(Solo)

A far away place I’m singing this song
Just leave me a trace an’ I’ll know it’s not wrong

Time we had
Time to choose
When times went bad
It was a time for fools
Time spent with you
Was never meant to end
No time to lose
More than a friend
So much more left to do

Time…to lose

Don’t the hours grow short as the days go by
Never you stop to question why

Anyone who’s ever been in a band, knows someone who liked to party. And inevitably, the line between fun, and tragic got crossed. Actually…it’s not unique to bands. Everyone knows someone like this. The guys wrote this thing that was a little Metal Church/Queensryche-like. It was kind of Prog. And it begged for something more than the silliness we were known for.  Overall, we were from the Van Halen school. It was 1990. We were all between 19 & 23. We just wanted to write great riffs, and fun songs. Little did we know how depressing music was about to get when Grunge happened. In any event, this song called for something a bit deeper.  So, I thought about friends we lost to drugs, alcohol, and the ignorance of youth. And this was the result.

The sun goes down..
The nights are growing cold
And there’s no one else around
On the streets you call your home
You’re alone
There’s nowhere else to go
Oh no
It’s over now you know

You follow your chosen path
The snow has made you blind
And you’ve fallen through the cracks
Feel you’ve lost your mind
Your mind
The past has been so unkind
So unkind
The future is yours to find

Follow the signs…

Your face tells the tale, when the bottle’s your friend
Destined to fail, on the road to no end
It’s plain to see, it’s the message you send
Nothin’s for free
On the road to no end

(Solo)

Your face tells the tale, when the bottle’s your friend
Destined to fail, on the road to no end
It’s plain to see, it’s the message you send
Nothin’s for free
On the road to no end

The road to no end