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)
Never Again
Dropkick Murphys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never, never, never again
Will Tommy die for you
Over the top the unknown go
Into a land where no man lives
Say goodbye to his friends
General, general on the top of the hill
Middle class man whose blood won't spill
Kept out of the action, out of harm's way
Cause he's gonna find that Tommy's dead
Never, never, never again
War is over so they say
How many Tommys died that day
Now it's over count the cost
A ring of roses for those that lost
A place in history is what they've got
For what they paid it's not a lot
Medals and statues are no compensation
For working class heros who died for you
Never, never, never again
Will Tommy die for you
Over the top the unknown go
Into a land where no man lives
Say goodbye to his friends
Cause they will never see Tommy again
General, general on the top of the hill
Middle class man whose blood won't spill
Kept out of the action, out of harm's way
Cause he's gonna find that Tommy's dead
The song Never Again by Dropkick Murphys is a cover of Angelic Upstarts' song of the same title. It addresses the issue of the working-class soldier who goes to war for the benefit of the politically and economically powerful yet gets nothing but death in return. The lyrics explicitly state that "Tommy," the singer of the song, will never again die for those who sent him to war to die. There is a sense of anger and helplessness in the way these lyrics are sung. There is a clear indication of the poet's contempt for certain societal structures that glorify wars without taking into account the human toll.
The first few verses describe the agony of warfare, using imagery of going over the top and the sensation of jumping into the abyss. There is a hint that those who are left behind will mourn Tommy, a sense of grief expressed in the mourning of his lost friends. The following verse speaks of the discrepancy between social classes, with the suggestion that wealthy people were not forced to fight and die because they never saw the horror that Tommy endured. The final verse of the song implies that Tommy's value is not only reduced to the fact that he died for his country, but also that he did so in a war he did not believe in. The lyrics of this song utilize strong language and metaphors to push the message of the song and to convey the intensity of the emotions on the part of the songwriter.
Line by Line Meaning
Never, never, never again
Tommy, or any other working class hero, will not die for the middle or upper class again
Will Tommy die for you
The sacrifice of working class heroes in war will not happen again
Over the top the unknown go
Soldiers are sent into battle without any knowledge of what lies ahead
Into a land where no man lives
Soldiers are sent to war zones where no civilians or others reside
Say goodbye to his friends
Working class soldiers have to leave behind their loved ones and family for war that they may not return from
Cause they will never see Tommy again
Working class soldiers are never re-united with their families if they die in battle
General, general on the top of the hill
Generals or higher ranking officials are often sitting safely in the rear while soldiers are on the ground facing life-threatening situations
Middle class man whose blood won't spill
People of higher social classes are often avoided being sent to battle or in harm's way
Kept out of the action, out of harm's way
People in higher classes are often kept away from the front lines to avoid risks to their safety
Cause he's gonna find that Tommy's dead
Someone of a higher class may have to break the news of a working-class soldier's death to their family
War is over so they say
This line is sarcastic conveying that people are told the war is over, but in reality, there are still casualties of war
How many Tommys died that day
Questioning the number of working-class soldiers who lost their lives for this war
Now it's over count the cost
Reflecting on the aftermath of war and the price paid with human lives and devastation
A ring of roses for those that lost
Flowers given in memoriam to people who've lost their loved one in war
A place in history is what they've got
Remembrance of the soldiers who lost their lives for their country in various war memorials or textbooks
For what they paid it's not a lot
The compensation for a soldier's human life is not sufficient; it is invaluable
Medals and statues are no compensation
Honors like medals and statues cannot replace the life of a soldier who died in battle and their impact on their families
Never, never, never again
Repeating that the sacrifice of working-class soldiers in war will not happen again
Will Tommy die for you
Reiterating that any working-class soldiers will not die for the middle or the upper class again
Contributed by Declan E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
mucky pup
What an angelic upstart. Never never again will Little die for you.