Dropkick Murphys

he memory that lives on forever
The shadow that stands by our side
This is the sound that keeps us together
We are the ones who survive

CHORUS

Farewell my brother
You're off to the big rink in the sky
The good lord's between the pipes
*And you've got Bavis and Ace on the wing

We are the ones who will never be broken
We are the ones who survive

CHORUS

This is the sound that brings us together
You are the one by our side

(This song was written in memory of our dear friend Greg "Chickenman" Riley.

When Greg passed away on 5-12-04 the Riley family was kind enough to let us take part in his funeral services & the band was asked to play after the funeral. The experience helped us deal with the grief we were experiencing and helped bring the different generations of friends and family together through music. This song is about the experiences of that day and the pain of losing one of your best friends.)

THE WARRIOR’S CODE
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)

You're the fighter you've got the fire
The spirit of a warrior, the champion's heart
You fight for your life because the fighter never quits
You make the most of the hand you're dealt
Because the quitter never wins
No!

You were born to box in a city that's seen their share
Mello, Ryan, Carney, among them your photo proudly hangs there
Above the bar in the Gaelic Club
They tell the story of a throwback
With the heart of a lion
They salute your glory

It's another murderous night
Another left hook from hell
A bloody war on the boardwalk
And the kid from Lowell rises to the bell

CHORUS:
Micky
It's a warrior's code
Micky
He's got the warrior's soul

CHORUS

(This song is about Massachusetts' own Micky Ward, a boxing legend who defines the heart and soul of the sport. He also happens to be the guy on the front cover.)

CAPTAIN KELLY'S KITCHEN (COURTIN' IN THE KITCHEN)
(Traditional, arrangement by Dropkick Murphys)

Come single guy and gal unto me pay attention
Don't ever fall in love
It's the devil's own invention
For once he fell in love with a maiden so bewitching
Miss Henrietta Bell down in Captain Kelly's kitchen

CHORUS:
With me toora loora la, me toora loora laddie
Me toora loora la and me toora loora laddie

At the age of seventeen I apprenticed to a grocer
Not far from Stephen's Green
Where Miss Henri' used to go sir
Her manners were sublime she set my heart a-twitchin'
When she invited me to a party in the kitchen

CHORUS

Sunday was the day that they were to have their flare-up
He dressed himself quite gay
I frizzed and oiled my hair up
The Captain had no wife and he had gone a-fishin'
She groped me on the stairs beneath the old man's kitchen

CHORUS

Her arms around my waist she slyly hinted marriage
When to the door in haste came Captain Kelly's carriage
Her eyes were full of hate and poison she was spittin'
The Captain kicked the door in and stormed into the kitchen

CHORUS

When the Captain came downstairs he saw my situation
In spite of all his prayers he was marched off to the station
For him they'd take no bail
To get home I was itchin'
He had to tell the tale how I came into the kitchen

CHORUS

I said she did invite me
But she gave flat denial
For assault she did indict me and I was sent for trial
She swore he'd robbed her house
In spite of all her screechin'
I got six months hard
For his courtin' in the kitchen

CHORUS

THE WALKING DEAD
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)

The greats come alive, the water's on fire
Have I been to this place before
Yeah we danced through the night as the flames burned bright
And the patrons passed out on the floor

CHORUS:
What's so new about what you're saying
It's a new generation with the same sad song
What's so new about what you're saying?
Just another generation with the same sad song

The walking dead couldn't tell us any better
It's a tale you've got to live to know
Yeah the story you're telling's from the book I wrote
I've forgotten more than you'll ever know
'Cause at the end of the day when the hope fades away
It was an outlook you could never afford
You're on one last stand with the boys in the band
Before the demon strikes the final chord

CHORUS

You've got tons of fans in hell, boy that much I know
Tune me up and turn me on before I go

Just another sad song

CHORUS

SUNSHINE HIGHWAY
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)

Yeah, me and my girl we're acting up again all right
She ain't much of a looker, she can handle her Paraldehyde
You were up all night at the Captain's Table drinking Tango & gin by the old piano
Playing cards and smoking cigars 'til the sun came up
Or was it going down for the night?

CHORUS:
Take another ride on the sunshine highway
Take another ride try to turn it around
Take another ride down the sunshine highway
Take another ride try to turn it around tonight

Drop me off, sign me in, clean me up and let me out
Man that nurse is a bitch, this sucks, she says my jug ain't allowed
I've had my share of Mt. Pleasant messiahs wearing slippers & robes, trying to bum my smokes
I'm gonna Thorazine shuffle straight out that door
Head to the farm and find me a cure

CHORUS

Tonight, yeah yeah yeah
I’m gonna make it right

CHORUS

Cause I’m gonna be the one
To take another ride, take another ride

WICKED SENSITIVE CREW
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)

Well it's all gone to hell now the wimps have gangs
Pop punk tough guys with neck tattoos
Well if you guys are hard then I'd rather be soft
Man I gotta find me some seriously sensitive dudes

CHORUS:
Hey! Ho! Hey!
You gotta shake hands with your feelings
In the Wicked Sensitive Crew

In Pittsburgh they called us closed-minded
But we know that's simply not true
Yeah we're touchy feely sensitive guys
*I ain't ashamed I cried when Mickey died in Rocky II
In Sydney they misunderstood us
They called us thugs and mean-spirited types
Yeah we might not be Swedish
And we sure ain't vegan
But do thugs have posters on their bedroom wall of the dude from the
Darkness in a creepy meat suit zippered so low you can practically see
his....

CHORUS

I don't know nothing about no meat suit but I'll tell you there's one town
that's ahead of the times
Man, they know what's up for sure
You see home to the godfather of love
The man who started it all
One Teddy "Huggybear" Etoll

CHORUS
Hey! Ho! Hey!
You gotta shake hands with your feelings
We've got a big hug waiting for you

(* Mickey actually died in Rocky 3 but, hey, sue us two rhymed better.)

THE BURDEN
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)

He came from nothing he tried 'em all
Ya' gotta live low before you see them fall
Always a loser he lost his shine
They had no idea what kept the beast alive

CHORUS:
But Frankie's gonna be alright
Yeah Frankie's gonna be alright
They said he was broke and never coming back
But Frankie's gonna be alright

He swore to show them outlast them all
And someday they would see him standing tall
He'd never give in no not back down
I hope they never give up on his sound

CHORUS:
'Cause Frankie's gonna be alright
Yeah Frankie's gonna be alright
They said he was old and he couldn't hold a tune
But I think he's gonna be alright

'Cause Frankie's gonna be alright
Yeah Frankie's gonna be alright
They said they'd be placing roses on his grave
But I think he's gonna be alright

Frankie don’t give up on yourself you heard the voice inside
Frankie don’t give up on yourself only you can save your life
Frankie don’t give up on yourself you heard the voice inside
Frankie don’t give up on yourself only you can save your life

Came from nothing he tried 'em all
Ya' gotta live low before you see them fall
Always a loser he lost his shine
They had no idea what kept the beast alive

CHORUS

They said they'd be placing roses on his grave
But Frankie’s gonna be alright

CITIZEN C.I.A.
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)

...Calling all Americans of above-average intelligence...
College graduates, apply today...
Come decimate dictatorships and overthrow regimes
In exotic far-off places the vacation of your dreams
You'll assemble puppet governments and play the hand of God
We're an equal-opportunity crime fighting squad

CHORUS:

Citizen C.I.A.
Citizen C.I.A.

Now I've trained an army for my kids to fight one day
We'll teach them all our secrets and then we'll walk away
We're knee-deep in guerillas, yeah the party never stops
United States of America undercover cop

CHORUS

Five weeks paid vacation and a 401K

GREEN FIELDS OF FRANCE (No Man's Land)
(Written by Eric Bogle)

Well how do you do young Willie McBride
Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside
And rest for a while in the warm summer sun
I've been walking all day and I'm nearly done
And I see by your gravestone you were only 19
When you joined the great fallen in 1916
Well I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean
Or Willie McBride was it slow and obscene

CHORUS:
Did they beat the drum slowly
Did they play the fife lowly
Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down
Did the band play the last post and chorus
Did the pipes play the flowers of the forest

And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind
In some loyal heart is your memory enshrined
And though you died back in 1916
To that loyal heart you're forever 19
Or are you a stranger without even a name
Forever enshrined behind some old glass pane
In an old photograph torn tattered and stained
And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame

CHORUS

The sun's shining down on these green fields of France
The warm wind blows gently and the red poppies dance
The trenches have vanished long under the plow
No gas no barbed wire no guns firing now
But here in this graveyard that's still No Man's Land
The countless white crosses in mute witness stand
To a man's blind indifference to his fellow man
And a whole generation who were butchered and damned

CHORUS

And I can't help but wonder no Willie McBride
Do all those who lie here know why they died
Did you really believe them when they told you "The Cause"
Did you really believe that this war would end wars
Well the suffering the sorrow the glory the shame
The killing and dying it was all done in vain
Oh Willie McBride it all happened again
And again and again and again and again

CHORUS

TAKE IT AND RUN
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)

Maureen's out on the street again
Didn't get the job 'cause she missed her appointment
She don't know if the kids are fed
They've got holes in their shoes and the cold's coming quick now
The power's off the bill's ain't paid gotta jump the box from the neighbor's apartment
Space heaters and welfare checks are as good as it gets in this land of hard lessons

CHORUS:
Don't talk to me if you ain't got the answers I need
Yeah I've got problems
Can't you see I'm trying to solve them?

Broke it off with the man in her life finally got the courage to pack up and leave now
She keeps saying she'll be all right but in her mind does she really believe it
Long lines on Piedmont Street but if you hang around you might get a bed there
Turn around and don't look back you've got a piece of your life so take it and run now

CHORUS

The sun is shining on you
Maureen may all your dreams come true

Broke it off with the man in her life you know she ain't got nothing better
Yeah you know she don't but she keeps on believing

The sun is shining on you
Maureen may all your dreams come true

I’M SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON
(Words by Woody Guthrie, music by Dropkick Murphys)

I'm sailor peg
And I've lost my leg
A climbing up the topsails
I've lost my leg

I'm shipping up to Boston

Shipping off to Boston

Shipping out to Boston

To find my wooden leg

THE AULD TRIANGLE
(Written by Brendan Behan)

A hungry feeling came o'er me stealing
And the mice were squealing in my prison cell
To begin the morning the water boiling
Get up out of bed boy and clean up your cell

CHORUS:
And the auld triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal

On a fine spring evening a lag lay dreaming
And the seagulls squealing high above the wall
On the day was dying and the wind was sighing
As I lay there crying in my prison cell

CHORUS

Oh the screw was peeping and the lag was sleeping
As he lay there weeping for his poor gal

CHORUS

In the female prison there are seventy women
And I wish to God it was with them that I did dwell

CHORUS

LAST LETTER HOME
(Written by Dropkick Murphys)

Hello there my dearest love
Today I write to you about our sons
The boys start school today
They're the spitting image of you in every way

Hey son it's Dad
I hope this letter finds you well out of harm's way
We saw the news today it frightened your Mom
Now all she does is pray

CHORUS:
If I lead will you follow?
Will you follow if I lead?

Hey Melissa it's me don't be afraid
I'm in good hands I'm gonna be home soon
It's time to watch the children grow up
I wanna be more than a voice on the phone

Thanks Ma I got your package today
I love "The Fields Of Athenry"
I swear I want 'em to play that song on the pipes
At my funeral when I die

CHORUS

I stand alone in the distance
And the foreground slowly moves

CHORUS

"We regret to inform you that on January 28th Sgt. Andrew Farrar died while serving his country in the Al-Anbar province of Iraq words cannot convey our sorrow"

CHORUS

When there's nothing on the horizon
You've got nothing left to prove

If I lead will you follow?

(*We had already finished a song that was based on general correspondences to & from the soldiers serving in Iraq, when we were contacted by the family of Sgt. Andrew Farrar who had recently died while serving there. The family wanted to tell us he was a big supporter of the Dropkick Murphys. They also passed on a letter that he had written to his mother shortly before his death in which he thanks her for sending him a Dropkick Murphys CD & said that if anything should happen to him while in Iraq, he would like one of our songs played at his funeral. He also left behind a wife, Melissa and two young boys Tyler & Liam. His tour of duty in Iraq was coming to an end & he was due to come home & renew his wedding vows with Melissa to another song of ours, "Forever". Sgt. Farrar died on January 28th, on his 31st birthday. We were present at his funeral to grant his wish and played "Fields of Athenry" as his casket entered the church. This song was re-written to include excerpts from that letter.)

TESSIE
(Written by Dropkick Murphys & Jeff Horrigan)

We recorded this song in June 2004 and after giving it to the Red Sox told anyone that would listen that we guaranteed them a World Series victory with the help of this song to break the curse. Obviously no one listened to us or took us seriously. We were three outs away from elimination in game 4 at the hands of the Yankees and receiving everything but death threats from friends, family & strangers telling us to stay away from the Red Sox and any other Boston sports teams and get out of town. Luckily for us things turned around for the Red Sox and the rest is history. We would like to thank the Boston Red Sox for allowing us to be involved in such an historical occasion.

Tessie is the Royal Rooters rally cry
Tessie is the tune they always sung
Tessie echoed April through October nights
After serenading Stahl, Dinneen and Young
Tessie is a maiden with a sparkling eye
Tessie is a maiden with a love
She doesn’t know the meaning of her sight
She’s got a comment full of love

And sometimes when the game is on the line
Tessie always carried them away
Up the road from third base to Huntington
The boys would always sing and sway

CHORUS:
Tessie, Nuff Said McGreevey shouted
We’re not here to mess around
Boston you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don’t blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn’t live without you
Tessie, you are the only only only

The Rooters showed up at the grounds one day
They found their seats had all been sold
McGreevey led the charge into the park
Stormed the gates and put the game on hold
The Rooters gave the other team a dreadful fright
Boston’s tenth man could not be wrong
Up from third base to Huntington
They’d sing another victory song

CHORUS

The Rooters gave the other team a dreadful fright
Boston’s tenth man could not be wrong
Up from third base to Huntington
They’d sing another victory song

CHORUS

Don’t blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn’t live without you
Boston you are the only only only

Don’t blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn’t live without you
Red Sox you are the only only only

Tessie

Tessie is the Royal Rooters rally cry
Tessie is the song they always sung
Tessie echoed April through October nights
After serenading Stahl, Dineen and Young
Tessie is a maiden with the sparkling eyes
Tessie is a maiden with the love
She doesn't know the meaning of her sight
She's got a comment full of love
And sometimes when the game is on the line
Tessie always carried them away
Up the road from Third Base to Huntington
The boys will always sing and sway

Two! Three! Four!

Tessie, Nuff Ced McGreevy shouted
We're not here to mess around
Boston, you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Tessie, you are the only, only, only

The Rooters showed up at the Grounds one day
They found their seats had all been sold
McGreevy led the charge into the park
Stormed the gates and put the game on hold
The Rooters gave the other team a dreadful fright
Boston's tenth man could not be wrong
Up from Third Base to Huntington
They sang another victory song

Two! Three! Four!

Tessie, Nuff Ced McGreevy shouted
We're not here to mess around
Boston, you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Tessie, you are the only, only, only

The Rooters gave the other team a dreadful fright
Boston's tenth man could not be wrong
Up from Third Base to Huntington
They sang another victory song

Two! Three! Four!

Tessie, Nuff Ced McGreevy shouted
We're not here to mess around
Boston, you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Boston, you are the only, only, only
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Red Sox, you are the only, only, only