In 1979 Robert Hazard recorded a demo of the song "Girls Just Want To Have … Read Full Bio ↴In 1979 Robert Hazard recorded a demo of the song "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". Which was later re-recorded by Cyndi Lauper, who made the song a hit in 1984. This was followed in 1981 by demos of the songs "Escalator of Life" and "Change Reaction". These two songs received extensive radio airplay in Philadelphia. Around this time, Kurt Loder from Rolling Stone magazine chanced upon a performance by Robert Hazard and the Heroes at a Philadelphia club. Loder was so impressed by the band's show that he wrote a full page article about them in the November 1981 issue of Rolling Stone. In the article, he predicted that the "limousine life" could not be far away for this band from Philadelphia.

In 1982, Robert Hazard and the Heroes released their highly anticipated debut record. The self-produced and self-titled five song EP quickly sold over 300,000 copies in the Philadelphia area. Soon thereafter, the record caught the attention of the recording industry and the band was signed to an eight album deal by RCA. RCA released a remixed version of the EP nationally and Rolling Stone magazine gave the record four stars.

In late 1982, Robert Hazard removed The Heroes from the marquee and replaced two of The Heroes, John Lilley and Rob Miller with new band members. The band's new line-up performed "Change Reaction" and "Escalator of Life" on Dick Clark's American Bandstand TV show. Around this time, Cyndi Lauper recorded the '80's anthem "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". (See VH1 VJ talk about the song.) Her version was a huge hit, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard charts in 1984.

In 1984, Robert Hazard released his highly anticipated first full length album - "Wing of Fire." This album was intended to expand musically upon the song material that he had been playing live for the past few years. However, the production of the record suffered due to too much involvement from RCA management. Regardless, the record received an impressive advance order of 89,000 copies. Unfortunately, the record promotion was hampered by management changes at RCA, and sales stalled.

In 1986, Robert Hazard released another self-produced record titled "Darling." He named his revamped band the New Heroes.

[1991 Reunion]

In 1991, Robert Hazard and the Heroes reunited for a 10 year reunion concert at the now defunct Chestnut Cabaret on 38th Street in Philadelphia.

In 1998, Robert Hazard released the "Howl" CD, and began performing in the Philadelphia area with his new band, The Hombres.

In July 2002, Robert Hazard released a limited edition compilation CD, titled "Out of the Blue", that featured classic Hazard songs from the eighties. In the summer of 2003, after a five year hiatus, he returned to the studio and recorded "The Seventh Lake" CD which was produced by the T-Bone Wolk. In 2004, Robert Hazard recorded and released the "Blue Mountain" CD.

Robert Hazard died unexpectedly August 5, 2008 at age 59 after surgery for pancreatic cancer at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Blue Mountain
Robert Hazard Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There′s children in the water, down by the sea plane dock
Old man whittling a black bear out of a cedar block
Hippies carrying back packs, they got the wings to fly

Lookin' for a patch of blue in the iron Adirondack sky
Look around all you see is a stack of stone
That old Blue Mountain, that′s my home

Back there in the city, you're some kind of wheel
You come up to the country, try to make some shady deal
You can build your mansion on the sacred burial ground

Them spirits gonna rise up some night burn that baby down
We got ancient blood and we take care of our own
That old Blue Mountain, that's my home

You must have made a wrong turn, you best be movin′ on
Don′t put your feet up boy, where they don't belong
You might get into trouble, we′ll take it into town

The judge he won't be gentle when he brings his hammer down
You got a call but the storm just took out the phone
That old Blue Mountain that′s my home

You can ride that wild river, hear the thrushes' song
But you got no business here to tell us right from wrong
I got a pile of old cars and busted oil tanks

A trail of trash a mile long down to the river bank
We only kill what we eat and we leave nothing but bone
That old Blue Mountain that′s my home

I've seen you at the diner, I've seen you at the bar
You always talk too loud, you always push too far
You ought to learn some manners and show a little more respect

Some of these boys might get upset and take your ass out back
You got a million friends, how come you′re here all alone?
That old Blue Mountain, that′s my home

It's mighty pretty country and it all belongs to God
You cut the trees and drain the swamp and fill it up with sod
Can′t live without your fast food and you're picture-in cell phone

What the hell did you come here for? You should have just stayed home
We can live off of spit and a pitch pine cone
That old Blue Mountain, that′s my home

I know you think you're clever, been to school and read a book
How come you always look like a dead fish on a hook
You′ve been to college, but you're short on common sense

You're hung up like a scarecrow on a rusty barb-wire fence
On the other side of the twilight zone
That old Blue Mountain, that′s my home

That′s my home, that's my home
That′s my home, that's my home, hmm, hmm, hmm

Overall Meaning

Robert Hazard's "Blue Mountain" is a song that speaks to the defensiveness and protectiveness of a community's way of life when outsiders try to encroach on their territory. The song takes place in a remote area, where the way of life has stayed the same for generations. The lyrics capture the sense of community in this place, where people take care of their own and have a deep connection to the land.

The song touches on several themes, including heritage, the environment, and distrust of outsiders. The line "We got ancient blood and we take care of our own" speaks to the idea that this community has a strong connection to their ancestors and their way of life. They have a deep respect for nature and what it provides, with lines like "We only kill what we eat and we leave nothing but bone," emphasizing their commitment to being good stewards of the environment.

The song's lyrics also paint outsiders as arrogant and disrespectful, with lines like "You always talk too loud, you always push too far" and "You come up to the country, try to make some shady deal." The chorus, "That old Blue Mountain, that's my home," is a declaration of pride and protectiveness towards the community and way of life that the singer is a part of.

Line by Line Meaning

There's children in the water, down by the sea plane dock
The children are playing in the water by the sea plane dock.

Old man whittling a black bear out of a cedar block
An old man is carving a black bear out of a cedar block.

Hippies carrying back packs, they got the wings to fly
Hippies with backpacks have the ability to travel and explore freely.

Lookin' for a patch of blue in the iron Adirondack sky
Looking for a small hope or light in a dark and gloomy situation.

Look around all you see is a stack of stone
The scenery is dull with nothing but a pile of rocks.

That old Blue Mountain, that's my home
Blue Mountain is where I belong and it is my home.

Back there in the city, you're some kind of wheel
In the city, you have power and influence.

You come up to the country, try to make some shady deal
You try to make a dishonest transaction in the countryside.

You can build your mansion on the sacred burial ground
You can construct your grand house on a holy burial spot.

Them spirits gonna rise up some night burn that baby down
The spirits might get mad and set the mansion on fire one day.

We got ancient blood and we take care of our own
We have old traditions and we look after our community.

You must have made a wrong turn, you best be movin' on
You took a wrong turn and you should leave this place.

Don't put your feet up boy, where they don't belong
Don't get comfortable where you are unwelcome.

You might get into trouble, we'll take it into town
You might cause problems, and we will report it to the authorities.

The judge he won't be gentle when he brings his hammer down
The judge will not be lenient when he passes the sentence.

You got a call but the storm just took out the phone
You received a call, but the storm has affected communication.

That old Blue Mountain that's my home
Blue Mountain is where I belong and it is my home.

You can ride that wild river, hear the thrushes' song
You can enjoy the natural experience of riding a wild river and hearing the birds singing.

But you got no business here to tell us right from wrong
You don't have the authority to guide or advise us in our lifestyle.

I got a pile of old cars and busted oil tanks
There are old cars and damaged oil tanks lying around.

A trail of trash a mile long down to the river bank
There is a long path of garbage reaching the river bank.

We only kill what we eat and we leave nothing but bone
We hunt only for our food and use everything we can from the animal.

That old Blue Mountain that's my home
Blue Mountain is where I belong and it is my home.

I've seen you at the diner, I've seen you at the bar
I have seen you around town at different places.

You always talk too loud, you always push too far
You are too aggressive in the way you communicate.

You ought to learn some manners and show a little more respect
You need to improve your etiquette and treat others with more respect.

Some of these boys might get upset and take your ass out back
Some people might become angered and take aggressive action against you.

You got a million friends, how come you're here all alone?
You have many friends yet you are alone in this place with no one to support you.

That old Blue Mountain, that's my home
Blue Mountain is where I belong and it is my home.

It's mighty pretty country and it all belongs to God
The area is beautiful, and it is all part of God's creation.

You cut the trees and drain the swamp and fill it up with sod
You destroyed the trees and removed the water from the swamp to plant the grass.

Can't live without your fast food and your picture-in-cell phone
You can't survive without fast food and using your camera on your phone for photos.

What the hell did you come here for? You should have just stayed home
Why did you choose to come here? You'd be better off staying at home.

We can live off of spit and a pitch pine cone
We can survive with very little, such as living off of spit and eating pitch pine cones.

That old Blue Mountain that's my home
Blue Mountain is where I belong and it is my home.

I know you think you're clever, been to school and read a book
You are intelligent and educated after studying in school.

How come you always look like a dead fish on a hook
Despite being smart, you always look dull and uninterested.

You've been to college, but you're short on common sense
Although you've attended college, you are lacking practical knowledge and good judgment.

You're hung up like a scarecrow on a rusty barb-wire fence
Your are stuck and unable to make progress in your life like a scarecrow caught on a rusty fence.

On the other side of the twilight zone
Referring to being in a strange or obscure part of the world.

That old Blue Mountain, that's my home
Blue Mountain is where I belong and it is my home.

That's my home, that's my home
Blue Mountain is my only true home.

That's my home, that's my home, hmm, hmm, hmm
Reiteration of the previous line, emphasizing the importance of Blue Mountain being his only home.

Writer(s): Robert Lee Shearer

Contributed by Dylan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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