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)
I'll Begin Again
Dropkick Murphys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eight years on a chain
For a crime that wasn't mind, I did the time
As the door swung shut behind me
I was left so lonely
No one remembered, no one was there
To hear my please to hear my prayers
I was headed here from the start
I'll begin again
I paid my price for my part
Not a dollar to my name
I suppose I can't complain
My life again was mine
And that's just fine
As I knocked on my mother's door
She didn't live there anymore
A second mortgage to fund appeals that got no deal
I'll begin again
I was headed here from the start
I'll begin again
I paid my price for my part
I'll begin again from the start!
I'll begin again
I was headed here from the start
I'll begin again
I paid my price for my part
I'll begin again (I'll begin again)
The Dropkick Murphys’s song, "I’ll Begin Again" recounts the story of an individual who has recently been released from eight years of imprisonment for a crime they didn’t commit. The song reflects the thoughts, emotions, and struggles of someone who is starting life anew. From the very beginning, it’s apparent that the person is not optimistic about his future. The raining on his first day out is symbolic of the struggles that the person has to face despite his newfound freedom. While he was away, nobody remembered him, and no one was there to hear his prayers. The person is essentially alone and has to start from scratch.
As the song progresses, we see the struggles the person faces as they start putting their life back together. Knocking on his mother's door, only to find her gone, he realizes how much he has missed while he was away. His mother had to fund appeals for his case, which turned out futile, as he was still imprisoned. The song reiterates that the person is not sure of how much time he has left, but he is determined to start anew. It’s a sentiment that's was evident from the start, having "been headed here from the start." The person has paid the price for his part in the events leading up to his imprisonment and is merely looking for a new beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
My first day out it rained
It was raining on the first day the writer was released from prison after serving an eight-year sentence for a crime they did not commit.
Eight years on a chain
The writer was in jail for eight years.
For a crime that wasn't mind, I did the time
The writer was imprisoned for a crime they did not commit.
As the door swung shut behind me
After being released, the writer walked out of the prison.
I was left so lonely
There was no one waiting outside to meet or support the writer.
No one remembered, no one was there
The writer was forgotten by everyone they knew before their imprisonment.
To hear my please to hear my prayers
The writer's appeals and prayers for help during their time in jail went unheard.
I'll begin again
The writer is determined to start afresh and make a new beginning.
I was headed here from the start
The writer always knew they would get out of jail and begin again.
I paid my price for my part
The writer paid the penalty for the wrongful charges leveled against them.
Not a dollar to my name
The writer didn't have any money with them after their release.
I suppose I can't complain
Despite the lack of money, the writer is comfortable with their new life.
My life again was mine
The writer is happy to have regained their life and freedom.
And that's just fine
The writer is okay with their present situation.
As I knocked on my mother's door
The writer went to their mother's house after being released from prison.
She didn't live there anymore
The writer's mother had moved out of her house.
A second mortgage to fund appeals that got no deal
The writer's mother had to take out a second mortgage to pay for appeals that did not help reduce the writer's sentence.
I'll begin again from the start!
The writer is determined to start afresh with their life and forget the past.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 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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