After the guys worked on their sound for a while, inspired by gritty rock n roll, they finally recorded and released their first album, 1978's 'Molly Hatchet'. Then, in 1979, 'Flirtin' with Disaster' came out. The group's work earned them both critical praise and commerical success, the album hitting the #19 slot on the Billboard top 200 chart. Allmusic's Rob Theakston has spoken for many in writing that the "tour de force" of a record shows that " the band means business".
Yet the group's history would prove to be a rocky one. In 1980, Brown left the group to form The Danny Joe Brown Band (with future Molly Hatchet guitarist Bobby Ingram). He was replaced by vocalist Jimmy Farrar. After the release of Beatin' the Odds in 1980 and Take No Prisoners in 1981, Farrar left as well.
Brown rejoined the band in 1982 and Banner Thomas left and was replaced by Riff West. In 1983, a new album was released titled No Guts... No Glory. Steve Holland left and was replaced by keyboardist John Galvin.
In 1984 came the release of a new album The Deed Is Done. In 1985 Dave Hlubek left and he was replaced by Bobby Ingram. Then in 1985, the double live album Double Trouble Live was released.
The band continued to tour regularly, and then in 1989 the album Lightning Strikes Twice was released.
1990s
In 1991, the greatest hits collection Greatest Hits was released. Molly Hatchet was in ways similar to fellow Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd in that it paired strong guitar work with a pounding boogie beat. When Brown left the band after Flirtin' with Disaster and was replaced by Farrar, the band's sound turned more to jamming and free form. When Brown returned in time for No Guts...No Glory, the original sound returned as well.
In 1996 due to a stroke and illness Brown had to leave the band, bringing in lead singer Phil McCormack to finish the album Devils Canyon in 1996.
At this point, the band consisted of members: vocalist Phil McCormack, guitarists Bobby Ingram and Bryan Bassett, keyboardist John Galvin, bassist Andy McKinney, and drummer Mac Crawford.
In 1998 Silent Reign Of Heroes was released. And in 1999 the band traveled coast to coast with Charlie Daniels and the Volunteer Jam.
2000s
In 2000, the album The Kingdom Of XII was released in Europe. The band went on tour to promote this album. It was released in the United States in 2001. Locked and Loaded (2003) and Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge (2005) followed. In January of 2005, Ingram invited Hlubek to rejoin Molly Hatchet and in doing so became the only current member who was a part of the original band.
On Thursday, March 10, 2005, after Brown was hospitalized for four weeks, he died less than an hour after returning to his home in Davie, Florida with his family and friends at his side, at the age of 53 from complications from pneumonia. He had previously left the group due to the suffering from a massive stroke in 1995 while driving to his brother's house. After a long battle with diabetes and the effects of the stroke, Brown was able to take the stage one last time at the Jammin' for DJB benefit concert in 1998 where with the help of his friends he ended the show with "Flirtin' with Disaster."
On Monday, June 19, 2006, founding guitarist Duane Roland died in St. Augustine, Florida at the age of 53. He had been playing with the band Gator Country, consisting of former members of Molly Hatchet, as late as May of 2006. His death was listed as being of "natural causes".
Bruce Crump (July 17, 1957 – March 16, 2015) was the original drummer from 1976 to 1983 (including their 1980 hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster" ) and 1984 to 1991. He also played as a member of Canadian band Streetheart in the early 1980s, and joined several of his former Molly Hatchet bandmates in the band Gator Country in the mid-2000s. At his death, Crump was in the Jacksonville, Florida-based band White Rhino and the newly reformed China Sky.
Bass guitarist Banner Thomas died of complications of pneumonia, at 63, on April 10, 2017.
Dave Hlubek died of a heart attack on September 3, 2017, at the age of 66.
Jimmy Farrar, who was frontman from 1980 to 1982, died of heart failure on October 29, 2018, at 67. Singer Phil McCormack died on April 26, 2019 at 58 (McCormack had been sidelined in early 2019, after suffering from health troubles that affected his voice andwas replaced by singer Jimmy Elkins, who continued on with Hatchet after McCormack's death).
Steve Holland, the last original member of Molly Hatchet, died on August 2, 2020.
Flirtin' With Disaster
Molly Hatchet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
I'm flirtin' with disaster
I've got the pedal to the floor,
My life is running faster
I'm out of money, I'm out of hope,
It looks like self destruction
Well how much more can we take,
With all of this corruption
We're flirtin' with disaster,
Ya'll know what I mean
And the way we run our lives,
It makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you want to be, yeah
When we gamble with our time,
We choose our destiny
I'm travelin' down that lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Yeah I've tried to turn my head away,
Feels about the same most every day
You know what I'm talking about, baby
Speeding down the fast lane, honey
Playin' from town to town
The boys and I have been burnin' it up, can't seem to slow it down
I've got the pedal to the floor, our lives are runnin' faster,
Got our sights set straight ahead,
But ain't sure what we're after
Flirtin' with disaster, ya'll know what I mean
You know the way we run our lives it makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you plan to be, yea
When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny
Yeah, I'm travelin' down that lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Don't tried to turn my head away,
I'm flirtin' with disaster every day
And you are too, baby, ha ha ha
Flirtin' with disaster baby,
Ya'll know what I mean
You know the way we run our lives,
It makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you plan to be
When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny
Yeah, we're traveling down this lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Don't try and turn my head away, ba ba ba yeah
Flirtin' with disaster every day
The lyrics to Molly Hatchet's song "Flirtin' With Disaster" describe the singer's reckless behavior as he speeds down the road with the pedal to the floor, feeling like he's on the verge of self-destruction. He's out of money and hope, plagued with the corruption and confusion that marks the way we live our lives. The singer recognizes that we're all guilty of taking unnecessary risks with our time and energy, gambling with our own futures.
In the chorus, Molly Hatchet states that we're all "flirtin' with disaster," living our lives in a way that makes no sense to her. She doesn't understand what we're striving for or what we hope to achieve through our fast-paced, risky lifestyles. In the closing verses, the singer reiterates her point, stating that we're all traveling down a lonesome road, dragging a heavy load, and flirting with disaster every day.
Overall, the song provides a warning about the dangers of living life too fast and foolishly, and encourages the listener to slow down and consider the consequences of their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm travelin' down the road
I'm on a journey through life
I'm flirtin' with disaster
I'm taking risks that could lead to my downfall
I've got the pedal to the floor,
My life is running faster
I'm living life to the fullest and not slowing down
I'm out of money, I'm out of hope,
It looks like self destruction
I'm in a bad situation that could lead to my ruin
Well how much more can we take,
With all of this corruption
We're enduring a lot of challenges due to dishonesty and deceit
We're flirtin' with disaster,
Ya'll know what I mean
We're taking chances that could have serious consequences
And the way we run our lives,
It makes no sense to me
Our way of life is confusing and illogical
I don't know about yourself or what you want to be, yeah
I don't know about your aspirations or goals
When we gamble with our time,
We choose our destiny
The choices we make determine our future
Speeding down the fast lane, honey,
Playin' from town to town
We're living life on the edge, traveling from place to place
The boys and I have been burnin' it up, can't seem to slow it down
We're enjoying life to the fullest and can't stop now
Got our sights set straight ahead,
But ain't sure what we're after
We have goals but aren't sure what we really want in life
Yeah, I'm travelin' down that lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
I feel burdened and alone on my journey
Don't tried to turn my head away,
I'm flirtin' with disaster every day
I can't avoid the risks I'm taking and the dangers that come with them
And you are too, baby, ha ha ha
You're in the same situation and playing the same game
Flirtin' with disaster baby,
Ya'll know what I mean
We're risking everything and could lose it all
You know the way we run our lives,
It makes no sense to me
Our way of life is confusing and illogical
I don't know about yourself or what you plan to be
I don't know about your aspirations or goals
When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny
The choices we make determine our future
Yeah, we're traveling down this lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
We feel burdened and alone on our journey
Don't try and turn my head away, ba ba ba yeah
Flirtin' with disaster every day
I can't avoid the risks I'm taking and the dangers that come with them
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: BANNER HARVEY THOMAS, DANNY JOE BROWN, DAVID HLUBEK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnny zell
I'm travelin' down the road
I'm flirtin' with disaster
I've got the pedal to the floor,
My life is running faster
I'm out of money, I'm out of hope,
It looks like self destruction
Well how much more can we take,
With all of this corruption
We're flirtin' with disaster,
Ya'll know what I mean
And the way we run our lives,
It makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you want to be, yeah
When we gamble with our time,
We choose our destiny
I'm travelin' down that lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Yeah I've tried to turn my head away,
Feels about the same most every day
You know what I'm talking about, baby
Speeding down the fast lane, honey
Playin' from town to town
The boys and I have been burnin' it up, can't seem to slow it down
I've got the pedal to the floor, our lives are runnin' faster,
Got our sights set straight ahead,
But ain't sure what we're after
Flirtin' with disaster, ya'll know what I mean
You know the way we run our lives it makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you plan to be, yea
When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny
Yeah, I'm travelin' down that lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Don't tried to turn my head away,
I'm flirtin' with disaster every day
And you are too, baby, ha ha ha
Flirtin' with disaster baby,
Ya'll know what I mean
You know the way we run our lives,
It makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you plan to be
When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny
Yeah, we're traveling down this lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Don't try and turn my head away, ba ba ba yeah
Flirtin' with disaster every day
Songwriters: BANNER HARVEY THOMAS,DANNY JOE BROWN,DAVID HLUBEK
SpongeGamer 789
Here is the lyrics for ya
I'm travelin' down the road
I'm flirtin' with disaster
I've got the pedal to the floor,
My life is running faster
I'm out of money, I'm out of hope,
It looks like self destruction
Well how much more can we take,
With all of this corruption
We're flirtin' with disaster,
Ya'll know what I mean
And the way we run our lives,
It makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you want to be, yeah
When we gamble with our time,
We choose our destiny
I'm travelin' down that lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Yeah I've tried to turn my head away,
Feels about the same most every day
You know what I'm talking about, baby
Speeding down the fast lane, honey
Playin' from town to town
The boys and I have been burnin' it up, can't seem to slow it down
I've got the pedal to the floor, our lives are runnin' faster,
Got our sights set straight ahead,
But ain't sure what we're after
Flirtin' with disaster, ya'll know what I mean
You know the way we run our lives it makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you plan to be, yea
When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny
Yeah, I'm travelin' down that lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Don't tried to turn my head away,
I'm flirtin' with disaster every day
And you are too, baby, ha ha ha
Flirtin' with disaster baby,
Ya'll know what I mean
You know the way we run our lives,
It makes no sense to me
I don't know about yourself or what you plan to be
When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny
Yeah, we're traveling down this lonesome road
Feel like I'm dragging a heavy load
Don't try and turn my head away, ba ba ba yeah
Flirtin' with disaster every day
Daniel Miller
This song is magic. It makes cars with flashing lights appear behind you.
James Baker
Oh yes.. and so perfect.. tight yet loose... Great energy, solos, the production , mix and engineering all awesome!
Stretcherbearer
Sometimes, better a UFO that the Popos.😦
Argle Bargle
This and "Hot Rod Lincoln".... hm... I think I queue up that video next.
SgtRock57
😅
Anthony Ranieri
you too?
Jeff Hill
This song! Turns my minivan into a Muscle car. At least in my head.
Captain_Dorja
@Adam I've never watched NASCAR at all. I just remember being really little and Granpa Doug liked Ernie Irvin.
Adam
@Captain_Dorja I went to high school in Kingsport, TN, which is an Eastman Kodak town, so a lot of folks cheered on the yellow #4. I was actually more of a Sterlin Marlin fan, but I really dug Ernie too.
Captain_Dorja
@Adam My grandparents used to watch NASCAR when I was a kid and he drove #8 and so my brother liked that guy and used #8 in sports for like 10 years.