The Trinity Session is perhaps their best known record, recorded live in a single day on a single microphone in a church in Toronto. This album also included a unique cover version of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane". Reed reportedly liked the Junkies' version of the song better than his own, and began performing their version in concert.
None of the band's subsequent albums have been hits outside of Canada, although the band has maintained a dedicated following and have continued to have chart hits in their native country. Following their 1998 album Miles from Our Home, Cowboy Junkies were dropped from their major label contract. They have continued to release albums on their own independent label, Latent Records.
Bad Boy
Cowboy Junkies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A bad little boy moved into the neighborhood
He won't do nothin' right just a-sittin' got to look so good
He don't wanna go to school and learn to read and write
Just sits around the house and plays that rock n' roll music all night
Well, he put thumbtacks on teacher's chair
Now junior, behave yourself!
Buys every rock n' roll book on the magazine stand
Every dime that he gets, oh is off to the juke box man
Well, he worries his teacher till she's a-ready to poop
From rockin' and a rollin' spinnin' in a hula-hoop
Well, his rock n' roll has gotta stop
Junior's head is hard as rock
Now junior, behave yourself!
Gonna tell your mama you'd better do what she said
Get to the barber shop and get that hair cut off your head
You shoot the canary and you fed it to the neighboor's cat
You gave the cocker spaniel a bath in mother's laundromat
Well, your mama said it's gotta stop
Junior's head is hard as rock
Now junior, behave yourself!
The Cowboy Junkies' cover of "Bad Boy" by Larry Williams tells the story of a young troublemaker who manages to infuriate his teacher, his classmates, and his family. The lyrics describe this "bad little boy" as someone who doesn't care to attend school, study or behave properly. Instead, he prefers to play rock n' roll music all night long, which causes distress to others.
As we listen to the song, we hear that the boy's bad behavior escalates as he puts thumbtacks on the teacher's chair, and even bothers the poor woman to the point of exhaustion. Additionally, he buys every rock n' roll book available, spends all his pocket money on the jukebox, and drives his mother to demand that he cut his long hair. All these acts of disobedience, from harming animals to causing discomfort to those around him, show an underlying anger that the boy can't quite express in a positive way.
Ultimately, the chorus of "Now Junior, behave yourself!" highlights the exasperation that everyone feels toward this boy who seems to thrive on causing trouble. It seems like the only hope for him is to get his act together and start following the rules before he reaches a point of no return.
Line by Line Meaning
A bad little boy moved into the neighborhood
A mischievous boy came to the neighborhood
He won't do nothin' right just a-sittin' got to look so good
He does nothing helpful but wants to looks good
He don't wanna go to school and learn to read and write
He has no intention to attend school and gain knowledge
Just sits around the house and plays that rock n' roll music all night
He spends his night playing loud rock music at home
Well, he put thumbtacks on teacher's chair
He mischievously placed thumbtacks on the teacher's chair as a prank
Put chewing gum in li'l girl's hair
He also put chewing gum in a little girl's hair to play another prank
Now junior, behave yourself!
He is warned by junior to behave appropriately
Buys every rock n' roll book on the magazine stand
He spends all his pocket money on rock and roll magazines
Every dime that he gets, oh is off to the juke box man
He spends all of the money he earns on the jukebox
Well, he worries his teacher till she's a-ready to poop
He troubles his teacher to the extent that she is unable to handle it
From rockin' and a'rollin' spinnin' in a hula-hoop
His behavior is the result of excessive rock and roll music and hula-hooping
Well, his rock n' roll has gotta stop
The music that he listens to must be stopped
Junior's head is hard as rock
He is too stubborn to learn or improve
Now junior, behave yourself!
He is admonished once again to behave
Gonna tell your mama you'd better do what she said
He is warned to obey his mother's instructions
Get to the barber shop and get that hair cut off your head
He is asked to get a haircut at the local barbershop
You shoot the canary and you fed it to the neighboor's cat
He killed a canary and fed it to the neighbor's cat
You gave the cocker spaniel a bath in mother's laundromat
He also gave a bath to a dog in his mother's laundromat
Well, your mama said it's gotta stop
His mother demands that he cease his mischievous ways
Junior's head is hard as rock
He remains stubborn and unresponsive to change
Now junior, behave yourself!
He is warned again to improve his behavior
Contributed by Thomas O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ellesee Georgiadis
on Mining For Gold
How beautiful! Thank you for your voice. Thank you for your heart.