In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Nineteen seventy-one
We all heard the starters gun
New York was such a pity
But at Max's Kansas City we won
We all shot the shit at the bar
With Johnny O'Toole and his scar
And then old Clive Davis said
I'm surely gonna make us a star
I'm gonna make you a star
Just the way you are
But with all his style
I could see in his eyes
That we is goin' to trial
It was no surprise
The boys kept kickin' ass
As usual time would tell
But some bitch in the choir
Threw water on the fires of Hell
She loved to show and tell
Lord, she loved to tell
But with all our style
You could see in our eyes
That we are still on trial
And it was no surprise
No surprise
No surprise
No surprise
Midnight lady
Situation fetal
Vaccinate your ass
With a phonograph needle
I say
Look it here, friend of mine
You scratch like you need calamine
Flamingo boots, sole's a creakin'
Still in love and Puerto Rican too
Ridin' on the wheels of hell
Smokin' up our axle grease
Oh the backstage is rockin'
And we're coppin' from the local police
That's right, the local police
Or the justice of peace
But with all our style
You could see in our eyes
That we are still on trial
Baby, it's no surprise
No Surprise
No Surprise
No Surprise
Rock and roll junkie whore
Got my foot inside the door
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock
Nobody's keepin' score
Bad times go away
Come again some other day
Topaz and sazzafrazz
Will keep the blues away
Candy store and rock and roll
Corporation jellyroll
Play the singles, it ain't me
It's programmed insanity
You ASCAP
If BMI
Could ever make a mountain fly
If Japanese can boil teas
Then where the fuck's my royalties?
Ow-Ow-Ow-Ow!
We all heard the starters gun
New York was such a pity
But at Max's Kansas City we won
We all shot the shit at the bar
With Johnny O'Toole and his scar
And then old Clive Davis said
I'm surely gonna make us a star
I'm gonna make you a star
Just the way you are
But with all his style
I could see in his eyes
That we is goin' to trial
It was no surprise
The boys kept kickin' ass
As usual time would tell
But some bitch in the choir
Threw water on the fires of Hell
She loved to show and tell
Lord, she loved to tell
But with all our style
You could see in our eyes
That we are still on trial
And it was no surprise
No surprise
No surprise
No surprise
Midnight lady
Situation fetal
Vaccinate your ass
With a phonograph needle
I say
Look it here, friend of mine
You scratch like you need calamine
Flamingo boots, sole's a creakin'
Still in love and Puerto Rican too
Ridin' on the wheels of hell
Smokin' up our axle grease
Oh the backstage is rockin'
And we're coppin' from the local police
That's right, the local police
Or the justice of peace
But with all our style
You could see in our eyes
That we are still on trial
Baby, it's no surprise
No Surprise
No Surprise
No Surprise
Rock and roll junkie whore
Got my foot inside the door
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock
Nobody's keepin' score
Bad times go away
Come again some other day
Topaz and sazzafrazz
Will keep the blues away
Candy store and rock and roll
Corporation jellyroll
Play the singles, it ain't me
It's programmed insanity
You ASCAP
If BMI
Could ever make a mountain fly
If Japanese can boil teas
Then where the fuck's my royalties?
Ow-Ow-Ow-Ow!
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Great song. One of the best of Ruts, and also of Aerosmith.