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)
Memories Remain
Dropkick Murphys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now we're sipping Black and Tans
From the park to the pub
Was the course we ran.
The times have changed, but friends remain
My heart and soul's with you
Cause one thing's for sure, i always swore,
I'd never turn my back on you-
Never turned our backs,
Stuck together through and through,
The times have changed,
But my heart and soul's with you
Wouldn't turn your backs
And you didn't walk away
We'd never run,
We'd stand as one,
And this is what we'd say:
[Chorus]
Times were tough,
But the memories remain
Situations rough,
But we overcame.
Side by side, one for all,
Together we grew
Cause when it's said and done,
I'll look back on friends like you
When I was down and I was out
And no one liked my games,
One too many fights and bloody night
For which i was to blame
But you wouldn't turn your backs
And you didn't walk away
Cause we'd never run We'd stand as one
Until this very day
Never turn our backs
Together through and through
The times have changed,
But my heart and soul's with you
Wouldn't turn your backs
And you didn't walk away
We'd never run, we'd stand as one
Until this very day
[Chorus: x2]
The song "Memories Remain" by Dropkick Murphys is a nostalgic reflection on enduring friendships. The lyrics describe the band's journey from playing basketball in the park to drinking Black and Tans at the pub, all while growing and changing but never turning their backs on each other. The chorus hammers home the idea that while tough times may have come and gone, the memories of their bond remain.
The first verse sets the scene of the band's early years, shooting hoops and hanging out in the park. They then progressed to drinking Black and Tans, a drink made from Guinness and pale ale that is popular in Ireland. Despite their growth and change, the band members remained committed to each other, never turning their backs. The second verse speaks to a time when one member was struggling and causing problems, but the group stood by him and never abandoned him. The chorus reinforces the importance of these memories and the enduring bond between friends.
Overall, "Memories Remain" is a tribute to the power of true friendship and the importance of not letting go of those connections, no matter how much time may pass or how much life may change.
Line by Line Meaning
Well we started shooting hoops,
We began by playing basketball,
Now we're sipping Black and Tans
Now we are drinking Black and Tans,
From the park to the pub
We went from playing outside to drinking at a pub,
Was the course we ran.
That was the journey we took.
The times have changed, but friends remain
Even though times have changed, our friendship stands,
My heart and soul's with you
My love and loyalty are with my friends,
Cause one thing's for sure, i always swore,
I was always sure that,
I'd never turn my back on you-
I would always stand by your side.
Never turned our backs,
We never abandoned each other,
Stuck together through and through,
We always stayed strong and supported one another,
Wouldn't turn your backs
We never left each other's side,
And you didn't walk away
We didn't abandon each other,
We'd never run,
We would never leave each other behind,
We'd stand as one,
We stayed together and supported each other,
And this is what we'd say:
Our message was clear:
[Chorus]
Refrain:
Times were tough,
We faced difficult times,
But the memories remain
But the memories of our friendship live on,
Situations rough,
Challenging situations arise,
But we overcame.
But we overcame them together.
Side by side, one for all,
We stood by each other's side, supporting one another,
Together we grew
Together we became better people,
Cause when it's said and done,
In the end,
I'll look back on friends like you
I will cherish friends like you and remember our time together.
When I was down and I was out
When I was struggling and feeling defeated,
And no one liked my games,
And when nobody was on my side,
One too many fights and bloody night
When a fight became physical,
For which i was to blame
When I was the one at fault,
But you wouldn't turn your backs
But my friends never abandoned me,
And you didn't walk away
And they didn't leave my side,
Cause we'd never run
Because we would never abandon each other,
We'd stand as one
We would always support each other,
Until this very day
And we still stand together today.
Never turn our backs
We would never leave each other behind,
Together through and through
We were always united and supported each other,
The times have changed,
The times have passed,
But my heart and soul's with you
But my love and loyalty is still with my friends,
[Chorus: x2]
Refrain x 2
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KEN CASEY, MATTHEW EDWARD KELLY, RICK BARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LittleFishChan
I live abroad and I love to listen to this song as I walk through the airport and come back to my hometown, makes me feel fuzzy and happy
Carlos
The fucking principle of the Dropkick Murphys, I still have the CD! I wear it listening to it, well the singer left, and that's it, but I love it !!
Johnny Appleseed
Am I the only one that feels the boom of Mike's voice?
Kitsune Sage
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING!
Jermyn78
Wouldn’t have thought anyone with Irish ancestry would have used the term ‘black and tan’ when describing a half-and-half given the shit they caused...