Pints of Guinness Make You Strong
Against Me! Lyrics
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It's been thirty seven years since James dies on St. Patrick's Day in 1964
But she could not hold it against him
There were times when there was nothing she could do
But lie in bed all day beside a picture of them together
A picture of better days
And just like James, I'll be drinking Irish tonight
And the memory of his last work week will be gone forever
Evelyn I'm not coming home tonight!
If we're never together
If I'm never back again
Well I swear to God that I'll love you forever
Evelyn I'm not coming home tonight!
In all the years that went by she said
She'd always love him
And from the day that he died
She never loved again
In his wallet she kept in her nightstand
An A.A. card and a lock of red hair
She kept secrets of pride locked so tight in her heart
It killed a part of her before the rest was gone.
She said, "If I would have known just how things would have ended up, I just would have let myself die."
And just like James, I'll be drinking Irish tonight
And the memory of his last work week will be gone forever
Evelyn I'm not coming home tonight!
If we're never together
If I'm never back again
Well I swear to God that I'll love you forever
Evelyn I'm not coming home tonight!
The song "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" by Against Me! tells the story of a woman named Evelyn who lost her love, James, on St. Patrick's Day in 1964. The lyrics describe Evelyn's pain and longing for James, as well as her unwillingness to let go of the past. She keeps a picture of them together and even after all these years, she still loves him as if it was just yesterday. The singer sympathizes with Evelyn, saying that he too is drinking Irish tonight and trying to forget the past.
The lyrics also reveal that James struggled with alcoholism and attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Evelyn kept an A.A. card and a lock of red hair in her nightstand, perhaps as a reminder of James's efforts to get sober. However, despite James's struggles, Evelyn loved him deeply and never loved anyone else after he died.
The line "If we're never together, if I'm never back again, well I swear to God that I'll love you forever" is particularly poignant. It suggests that the singer may be in a dangerous situation or may be heading down a dangerous path, and he may not be able to return to his love, just as James was unable to return to Evelyn.
Overall, the song is a powerful exploration of love, loss, and the destructive power of alcoholism.
Line by Line Meaning
Evelyn sits by the elevator doors
Evelyn spends her days sitting by the elevator doors.
It's been thirty seven years since James dies on St. Patrick's Day in 1964
James died on St. Patrick's Day in 1964, and it has been 37 years since then.
But she could not hold it against him
Evelyn does not bear any grudge against James.
There were times when there was nothing she could do
There were moments when Evelyn could not help James.
But lie in bed all day beside a picture of them together
On those times, all Evelyn could do was stay in bed with a picture of them together.
A picture of better days
The picture Evelyn kept was of happier times.
And just like James, I'll be drinking Irish tonight
The singer is drinking in honor of James.
And the memory of his last work week will be gone forever
The singer is drinking to forget about James' last days.
Evelyn I'm not coming home tonight!
The singer tells Evelyn he won't be coming home tonight.
If we're never together
If the singer and Evelyn never meet again.
If I'm never back again
If the singer never returns.
Well I swear to God that I'll love you forever
The singer promises that he will always love Evelyn.
In all the years that went by she said
Evelyn says that she loved James throughout the years.
She'd always love him
Evelyn's love for James never faded.
And from the day that he died
Since the day James died.
She never loved again
Evelyn never loved anyone else.
In his wallet she kept in her nightstand
Evelyn kept James' possessions by her bedside.
An A.A. card and a lock of red hair
Among James' possessions was an A.A. card and a lock of red hair.
She kept secrets of pride locked so tight in her heart
Evelyn held secrets close to her heart that she was proud of.
It killed a part of her before the rest was gone.
Keeping those secrets hurt Evelyn deeply.
She said, "If I would have known just how things would have ended up, I just would have let myself die."
Evelyn regrets the way things turned out and wishes she had died instead.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
supermastergod
I've heard this song a thousand times and I still get goose bumps at "if I would have know just how things would have ended up... I just sort of let myself die"
cats_r_better
The emotion in this song just punches me in the gut every damn time i hear it.
RobloxGaming-AIS
Same
Jimmy Russell
I remember seeing these guys play in a room of about 40 ppl. I'm happy for their successes but I still do love the old tunes. I hope they continue to play old stuff at their concerts so we can all sing along
Michael Shields
My first Against Me! show was the basement of the First Unitarian Church in Philly. If anybody was lucky enough to experience any of their early basement shows you know the amazing treat I speak of…those days are long gone so anybody else that can say that they were there for those basement days know how lucky we were to have been there!! We really DID dance like no one was watching with one fist in the air! And in those moments time seemed to have had stopped and there was no place in the world that anyone in attendance would’ve rather been. I’m really not being cliche when I say this but that first Against Me! show was transcendent of space and time and nothing short of magic. I honestly cannot say that about many bands but I can definitely say it about AM! I’ve seen MANY a punk rock show involving MANY legends of the scene and Against Me! put on a show that was absolutely unforgettable and I feel blessed for being in the absolute right place in the absolute right time…I’ve enjoyed and RAGED at MANY a punx show but I still say that the first Against Me! show that I participated in (it’s definitely more than a show but an experience) was one of my more unforgettable events in life!!
Cheers 🍻
UP THE PUNX!!
Hister333
I can't tell you what an honor it is for this to show up in my related videos. I've seen this band 20-30 times, and love them, and this is in my top five of their favorite songs.
Etienne Bureau-Brousseau
In a basement party, right after high school. I'm making out with my first girlfriend ever. My friend interrupts, sets a ghetto blaster down with this cd in and says "Hey, I know you'll like this". Been listening to them ever since.
WashingtonMonster86
Etienne Bureau-Brousseau hell yeah dude, good times breh
jayn dough
Fuck that's wonderful.
gavin sam
very similar story. I almost don't want to listen to this album. conjure to many memories.