Roger Clyne's lyrics frequently showcase his Southwestern roots, and frequently imply images of cowboys, Federales, and references to Mexico and places in Arizona, amongst other Southwestern references.
After the demise of The Refreshments, a semi-successful rock band of the 1990s whose top radio hit was "Banditos," former frontman Roger Clyne and drummer P.H. Naffah formed a new band that would be called Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers.
The two were joined by former Gin Blossom, Scott Johnson; Steve Larson, former guitarist for another Tempe band, Dead Hot Workshop; and bass player Danny White. They released their first album, Honky Tonk Union in 1999.Honky Tonk Union was released in limited quantities with a bonus live CD, Real to Reel. The next year, they released an extended version of Real to Reel as a stand-alone album.
The musical feel of Honky Tonk Union was a noticeable change from Clyne's previous works with The Refreshments. Whereas The Refreshments had a prominent lead guitar and edgy southwestern rock feel, Honky Tonk Union displayed a heavier country influence along with focusing more on the singer-songwriter aspect of the band.
The Peacemakers' next studio effort, 2002's Sonoran Hope and Madness, explored the deeper themes of returning to the basics of life, of loss and of resurgence. Sonoran Hope and Madness was a tale of the demise of a much-loved way of life.
In 2002, Scott Johnson left the band to rejoin with the Gin Blossoms, leaving the part of lead guitar to Steve Larson.
2004 saw the release of Americano, the band's third, and most streamlined, studio effort. ¡Americano! is a story set not in the dusty Mexican borderlands, like the previous albums, but on a Mexican beach, miles away from the daily grind. This album was conceived and written in a third-world cantina, and canvasses the spectrum of human emotion.
In early 2004, shortly after the release of ¡Americano!, Danny White left the Peacemakers to start his own recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee. He was replaced by Nick Scropos, who was the bassist for another Tempe band, Gloritone. Scropos was slated to join the band when it formed in 1998, but was unable to do so due to his obligation to Gloritone. His playing can be heard on track nine of Honky Tonk Union, Green & Dumb.
In March of 2005, the Peacemakers were asked to play at Billy Bob's Texas, a famous honky-tonk joint that has hosted the likes of Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Pat Green. They quickly turned around and sold a live CD featuring songs from that performance entitled Live at Billy Bob's Texas, which sold well enough to make them the only independent band to have five consecutive top-10 albums on the Billboard Internet Sales Chart.
In April of 2006, the Peacemakers released a four song EP, Four Unlike Before, which is currently available only through iTunes.
The band's fourth studio album, No More Beautiful World, was released on March 20, 2007.
The Peacemakers tour heavily, both as a headlining band and opening for national acts such as Sammy Hagar and John Fogerty.
Twice a year, an ever-increasing following of fans from around the globe descend on the Mexican beach town of Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco) for their "Circus Mexicus" bash. Circus Mexicus features a four-hour long concert at the Sunset Cantina. The weekend culminates with a "hangover bash" at JJ's Cantina in nearby Cholla Bay on Sunday at which band members mingle with the fans and sign autographs.
The warm waters and ever increasing recreational opportunities motivate many participants to make "Circus Mexicus" a semi-annual pilgrimage of several days.
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Plenty
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're sayin' "doom, doom, doom!"
They got another apocalypse comin' our way!
Sayin' "gloom, gloom, gloom!"
Yeah, there're plenty on the dock sayin' "my ship comin' in now
Soon soon soon"
There's plenty throwin' elbows and steppin' on toes
They yellin' "room room room"
And nothing drive people crazy like people drive people crazy…
We got
Plenty to get over
Plenty to get around
Plenty to get through
Private property or community?
What do you choose?
Scarcity or infinity?
Choose, choose, choose
We got the tools, the toys, the medicine, and poison
What do you brew?
Got to brew that potion carefully
Brew, brew, brew
And nothing drive people crazy like people drive people crazy…
Modulation or stagnation, is ours to choose
Choose, choose, choose
Play along with the drama-rama-tragi-comic cosmic tune
Do be do
Rhythm be I, melody be you
You, you, you
One we cry
One we croon
Croon
And nothing drive people crazy like people drive…
(and we're already crazy.)
We got plenty to go over…plenty to go around, plenty to go through
The lyrics of Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers's song "Plenty" describe a world filled with competition, chaos, and confusion. The first verse starts with the idea that there is a lot of competition amongst the prophets of today. They all seem to be predicting the end of the world or some kind of apocalypse that is about to occur. Everyone is trying to be the one with the most accurate prediction. The second verse talks about the choices we have to make in life, such as whether to choose private property or community and whether to choose scarcity or infinity. We have access to plenty of tools, toys, medicine, and poison, but we need to be careful how we use them.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea that we have "plenty to get over, plenty to get around, plenty to get through." This implies that life is not always easy, and we have many obstacles to overcome. The bridge of the song talks about the choices we have to make in life, such as whether to embrace modulation or stagnation. We are also encouraged to "play along with the drama-rama-tragi-comic cosmic tune." The final verse tries to bring some balance to the song, suggesting that even though life can be crazy, there is also beauty and harmony in the world, as symbolized by the rhythm and melody of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Well there's plenty competition amongst the prophets today
There's a lot of people claiming to be able to foresee the future, predicting doom and gloom.
They're sayin' "doom, doom, doom!"
They're predicting destruction and despair.
They got another apocalypse comin' our way!
They're warning of another catastrophic event that will destroy us.
Sayin' "gloom, gloom, gloom!"
They're emphasizing the negative aspects of the situation.
Yeah, there're plenty on the dock sayin' "my ship comin' in now Soon soon soon"
There are many people who believe they'll soon become successful.
There's plenty throwin' elbows and steppin' on toes They yellin' "room room room"
There's a lot of competition and conflict, with people trying to get ahead.
And nothing drive people crazy like people drive people crazy…
People are driven insane by other people's actions and words.
We got Plenty to get over Plenty to get around Plenty to get through
We have many obstacles and challenges to overcome.
Private property or community? What do you choose?
Should we prioritize individual ownership or communal ownership?
Scarcity or infinity? Choose, choose, choose
Do we prefer limited resources or abundant resources?
We got the tools, the toys, the medicine, and poison What do you brew?
We have access to various resources to create something either wholesome or harmful.
Got to brew that potion carefully Brew, brew, brew
We need to be careful about how we use those resources.
Modulation or stagnation, is ours to choose Choose, choose, choose
We have the choice between change and stasis.
Play along with the drama-rama-tragi-comic cosmic tune Do be do
We should follow the absurdity of life and make the most out of it.
Rhythm be I, melody be you You, you, you
We each have something different to contribute to life, and we should embrace that diversity.
One we cry One we croon Croon
We have both happy and sad moments, and we should express ourselves accordingly.
And nothing drive people crazy like people drive… (and we're already crazy.)
People already have their own issues, but the actions of others can exacerbate the situation.
We got plenty to go over…plenty to go around, plenty to go through
There are many challenges and obstacles that we need to overcome.
Contributed by Alyssa N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.