The band put out a series of EPs and was signed by Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong's label Hellcat Records. In 1998, the Dropkick Murphys released their first full-length album, Do Or Die. Lead singer Mike McColgan, who left the band later that year, was replaced by The Bruisers lead singer Al Barr. In 1999, they released their followup album, The Gang's All Here. In 2001, they released their third album, Sing Loud, Sing Proud. The album showcased the group’s developing sound and included collaborations with The Pogues' frontman Shane MacGowan and Cock Sparrer's Colin McFaull. It also marked a significant lineup change for the band. Original guitarist Rick Barton was replaced by former The Ducky Boys' guitarists James Lynch and Marc Orrell; instruments were added and played by new members Ryan Foltz and Spicy McHaggis.
The Dropkick Murphys' next album, Blackout, was released in 2003. The new album included the radio hit "Walk Away," as well as the songs "Fields of Athenry" and "The Dirty Glass." The latter features female vocals by Stephanie Dougherty (Deadly Sins). Around the same time, the band released a re-working of the Boston Red Sox anthem "Tessie," which then became the official song of the team's 2004 World Series run. "Tessie" was also used throughout the major motion picture Fever Pitch and was included on the EA Sports MVP Baseball 2005 soundtrack. In 2005, the Dropkick Murphys released Singles Collection Volume 2, featuring covers, B-sides, and other material that didn't make it onto previous albums, and the band contributed a recording of "We Got the Power" to Rock Against Bush, Volume 2.
The Dropkick Murphys' fifth studio album, The Warrior's Code, was released on June 21, 2005. It features the singles "Sunshine Highway," "The Walking Dead," "The Warrior's Code," as well as the bonus track "Tessie." It also includes a song that was inspired by a Woody Guthrie poem, which the group named "I'm Shipping Up to Boston." The song was featured in Martin Scorsese's 2006 film The Departed. Scorsese mentioned the band in an interview after winning his first Oscar.
The Dropkick Murphys released their sixth studio album, The Meanest of Times, on September 18, 2007. It was their first release not on the Hellcat Records label but instead on the label Born & Bred.
In early 2008, Marc Orrell left the band. Thereupon Tim Brennan, who had been playing mandolin, accordion, banjo, tin whistle, and guitar for the band since 2004, replaced Orrell on lead guitar. Tim's previous musical duties were taken over by Jeff DaRosa, former member of The Vigilante and Pinkerton Thugs.
In September of 2022, This Machine Still Kills Fascists was released. It's an acoustic album with unused words and lyrics written by Woody Guthrie, selected and given to the band to use by Guthrie's daughter Nora. It did not feature Al Barr, who was on hiatus for family matters.
The band will release their twelfth album, Okemah Rising, on May 12, 2023. The album was recorded during the same sessions for This Machine Still Kills Facists and like that album will feature songs using the unused lyrics by Woody Guthrie. The album was preceded by the singles "I Know How it Feels" on March 1, 2023, and "Gotta Get to Peekskill" (featuring Violent Femmes) on March 30, 2023.
Studio albums
Do or Die (1998)
The Gang's All Here (1999)
Sing Loud, Sing Proud! (2001)
Blackout (2003)
The Warrior's Code (2005)
The Meanest of Times (2007)
Going Out in Style (2011)
Signed and Sealed in Blood (2013)
11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory (2017)
Turn Up That Dial (2021)
This Machine Still Kills Fascists (2022)
Okemah Rising (2023)
Fairmount Hill
Dropkick Murphys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My mind was bent on rambling to Boston I did fly
I stepped on board a vision and I followed with the wind
When next I came to anchor at the rocks on Fairmount Hill
It was on the 23rd of June the day before the fair
When Boston's sons and daughters and friends assembled there
The young, the old, the brave, and the bold
At the parish church on Thatcher, a mile from Fairmount Hill
I went to see old friends there, to see what they might say
The old ones were all dead and gone, the young ones turning gray
I met the broker Hughes, he's as odd as ever still
See I used to crash at his mother's house, when I hung on Fairmount Hill
I paid a flying visit to my first and only love
She's as white as any lily, and as gentle as a dove
She threw her arm around me saying, "Andy I love you still"
Oh, she's one miss Bazo Bailey, the pride of Fairmount Hill
I dreamt I'd fought a violent war for the hand of this darling gal
Against an angry jealous foe by the name of Danny Gill
The clock it rang in the morning, it rang both loud and shrill
When I awoke in California, many miles from Fairmount Hill
The lyrics to Dropkick Murphys's song Fairmount Hill are poetic and evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for a simpler time. The singer speaks of a dream he had where he travels to Boston and visits Fairmount Hill, a place where he had many fond memories. The dream takes him to a parish church on Thatcher, a mile from Fairmount Hill, where he sees old friends, including the odd broker Hughes, and revisits his first love, Miss Bazo Bailey, who is still as white as any lily and as gentle as a dove.
The dream takes a dramatic turn as the singer imagines himself fighting a violent war for Miss Bazo Bailey's hand against an angry, jealous foe named Danny Gill. The dream is abruptly interrupted by the ringing of a clock, signaling the end of the dream and the singer's awakening in California, many miles from Fairmount Hill.
The song is a tribute to the Irish-American community in Boston and the struggles they faced as immigrants. It speaks of the importance of community, love, and nostalgia for the past. The song's lyrics are accompanied by energetic Irish rock music, which further highlights the song's themes.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night as I lay dreaming of pleasant days gone by
The singer is reminiscing on past happy memories while asleep
My mind was bent on rambling to Boston I did fly
The singer dreamt about going to Boston and followed that dream
I stepped on board a vision and I followed with the wind
The singer followed a dream/blind ambition without a fixed path
When next I came to anchor at the rocks on Fairmount Hill
The artist landed in Fairmount Hill after following their blind ambition
It was on the 23rd of June the day before the fair
Referring to a specific date and event in Boston
When Boston's sons and daughters and friends assembled there
People from Boston gathered for the event
The young, the old, the brave, and the bold
All types of people attended the event
Came their duty to fulfill
They had an obligation/purpose to be there
At the parish church on Thatcher, a mile from Fairmount Hill
The event was at a specific church near Fairmount Hill
I went to see old friends there, to see what they might say
The artist went to the event to see old friends
The old ones were all dead and gone, the young ones turning gray
The singer's old friends were either dead or aging
I met the broker Hughes, he's as odd as ever still
The artist ran into a strange friend who is still the way they always were
See I used to crash at his mother's house, when I hung on Fairmount Hill
The singer used to stay at this friend's parent's house in Fairmount Hill
I paid a flying visit to my first and only love
The singer briefly visited their first and only love
She's as white as any lily, and as gentle as a dove
The singer's first love is pure and kind
She threw her arm around me saying, 'Andy I love you still'
The artist's first love still loves and cares for them
Oh, she's one miss Bazo Bailey, the pride of Fairmount Hill
The artist's first love is a woman named Bazo Bailey who is well regarded in Fairmount Hill
I dreamt I'd fought a violent war for the hand of this darling gal
The singer dreamt they fought for Bazo Bailey's affection
Against an angry jealous foe by the name of Danny Gill
The singer dreamt they fought against someone named Danny Gill who was jealous and hostile
The clock it rang in the morning, it rang both loud and shrill
The artist wakes up to a loud alarm or ringing clock
When I awoke in California, many miles from Fairmount Hill
The artist wakes up in California far away from Fairmount Hill
Lyrics © SPIRIT TWO SMA
Written by: Alexander Barr, James P. Lynch, Kenneth W. Casey, Marc John Orrell, Mathew E. Kelly, Timothy John Brennan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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