The band's most famous songs have been renditions of the folk music classics "The Log Driver's Waltz" and "Drunken Sailor", as well as a cover of the Arrogant Worms' "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate". This song has become so popular that many fans believe, wrongly, that is of their own creation.
Big American Headliner
Captain Tractor Lyrics
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Never had a dream any finer.
Had me a taste, in the land of waste,
And that dream we chased as we became
The big american headliner.
Foamin' at the mouth, as we up and headed south
South of the paralell fourty-niner.
And all the girls they'd scream as we became
The big american headliner.
Vision of sold out shows, candy for your nose
In america anything goes, as we soon would find.
It doesn't matter what the place is, you can act like Oasis, '
Till yer blue in the faces and you become,
The big american headliner.
Leno said he loved our sound, we're the talk of tinseltown
Everyone and their dog came around, to the scene, to be seen
We did our guest spot on Friends, played our songs on Letterman,
Looked towards the mighty yen, 'cuz the japanese, the japanese...
Love,
The big american headliner.
Woke up in a hotel room, downtown Saskatoon,
Gotta leave this afternoon for Regina.
Betty has got us an opening slot, these warm-up gigs never pay a lot
My patience nerves and credit shot, tonight we open for
(hey keep the door!),
The big american headliner.
Oh yeah!
And we gotta be on at niner!
Oh yeah!
And we can't use their drum riser!
Oh yeah!
So we steal their fuckin' rider!
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!
The big american... headliner....
Ooooooooo-ooooooooh!
In the lyrics of the song "Big American Headliner" by Captain Tractor, the singer describes a dream that he had, which was almost obscene, and never had a dream any finer. He further talks about how he and his band members had a taste of success in the land of waste, as they chased their dream and became The Big American Headliner. The song talks about their journey of becoming a successful band in America, with sold-out shows, candy for their nose, and all the girls screaming for them. The band members act like Oasis, till they become the big American headliner. The song further talks about how they did a guest spot on Friends and played their songs on Letterman. They looked towards the mighty yen, 'cause the Japanese love the big American headliner. However, the song concludes with the reality of their situation, waking up in a hotel room, having to leave for Regina and open for a big American headliner.
The song "Big American Headliner" by Captain Tractor talks about the fantasy and reality of becoming successful in America. The lyrics reflect on the dream of becoming a big American headliner, where anything goes, the place doesn't matter, and success seems like an easy path. The song reflects on the journey of many aspiring musicians who dream of making it big in America. However, in the end, the song also reflects on the challenges and struggles that come with the reality of the situation, such as having to open for a big American headliner in a small town in Canada. The song is an anthem for every aspiring musician who dreams of making it big in America.
Line by Line Meaning
Had me a dream, almost obscene
I had an intense dream that was almost too much for my imagination to handle.
Never had a dream any finer.
It was the greatest dream that I've ever had.
Had me a taste, in the land of waste,
I experienced something exciting in a place many see as undesirable.
And that dream we chased as we became
The big american headliner.
We pursued that dream so vigorously that we actually became well-known American performers.
Foamin' at the mouth, as we up and headed south
South of the paralell fourty-niner.
Our excitement was intense as we journeyed to the southern United States, past the 49th parallel of latitude.
Had us a dream, of Rolling Stone magazine,
And all the girls they'd scream as we became
The big american headliner.
We dreamed of being well-known enough to be featured in Rolling Stone magazine and cause young women to scream for us as we performed across American stages.
Vision of sold out shows, candy for your nose
In america anything goes, as we soon would find.
Our vision was of enthusiastic crowds and the temptation of drugs at shows, as we learned that in America, almost anything is possible.
It doesn't matter what the place is, you can act like Oasis,
Till yer blue in the faces and you become,
The big american headliner.
No matter where you are in America, you can pretend to be like Oasis until you are well-known performers that people consider to be a big American headliner.
Leno said he loved our sound, we're the talk of tinseltown
Everyone and their dog came around, to the scene, to be seen
We did our guest spot on Friends, played our songs on Letterman,
Looked towards the mighty yen, 'cuz the japanese, the japanese...
Love,
The big american headliner.
We were the talk of Hollywood, having been recognized for our music by Jay Leno and playing on popular shows like Friends and The Late Show with David Letterman. The Japanese love us too, making us truly a Big American headliner.
Woke up in a hotel room, downtown Saskatoon,
Gotta leave this afternoon for Regina.
We ended up in a random hotel in Saskatoon and had to leave without delay to go to Regina.
Betty has got us an opening slot, these warm-up gigs never pay a lot
My patience nerves and credit shot, tonight we open for
(hey keep the door!),
The big american headliner.
Betty managed to get us a low-paying but critical opening slot, which left me feeling frustrated and financially drained. We were scheduled to open for the Big American headliner despite my complaints.
And we gotta be on at niner!
And we can't use their drum riser!
So we steal their fuckin' rider!
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!
We're scheduled to perform at 9pm but can't use the Big American headliner's drum riser. In response, we decide to steal their rider provisions anyway.
The big american... headliner....
Ooooooooo-ooooooooh!
We're part of the big American headliner group and we're very proud of it.
Contributed by Anthony N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.