Weeks and Jason Null formed the band in their small hometown of Corinth, Mississippi in 2004. They met when Weeks, who was in a band, was playing guitar at his best friend’s house, when Null, who was in a rival local group, walked in to rehearse with his band. Within days of that meeting, Null and Weeks were writing and honing the intimate writing style that now defines Saving Abel. In early 2005, the pair’s songs caught the ear of noted producer Skidd Mills (12 Stones, Saliva, Submersed), who took the band into his 747 Studios in Memphis. Mills notes, “It was ‘18 Days’ that hooked me. The first time I heard it I was like, ‘these guys are the real deal; they’ll be doing this for a long time.’ Jason and Jared have always understood that the most important part of the music business is having great songs.”
Saving Abel gradually came together in the final electric lineup of guitarist Scott Bartlett, bassist Eric Taylor, and drummer Blake Dixon, and the band paid its dues both onstage and off. Weeks would toss Saving Abel demos onto the stage when bigger bands played in town, and between playing gigs, working day jobs, and Weeks and Null constantly driving from Mississippi to Memphis to record their self-titled EP with Mills, it was a busy and prolific couple years. Weeks remembers; “I used to work at a hospital. I’d have to be there at 4:30 in the morning drawing blood. I’d wake people up and stick a needle in their arm. I’d be walking around the hospital, singing ‘Addicted’ in my head, writing down the lyrics on patients’ clipboards and doctor script pads.”
Null and Weeks bring in differing songwriting approaches influences, giving Saving Abel a well-rounded sound. Null comes from a musical family, and recalls Saturday nights at the local community center as a child. “We didn’t miss it, ever! It was bluegrass band after bluegrass band. We’d hoot and holler, as we used to say. My brother traded my bike for a guitar for me when I was 6, and I learned ‘Johnny B. Goode’ that night! I go back to Willie and Waylon, but as a kid of the ‘80s, I also love Metallica. Also, Angus Young is one of my main influences, as well as the guitar sound and solos of Seattle bands like Soundgarden and Alice in Chains.” For his part, a teenage Weeks played basketball and went to state twice in tennis before music consumed his life. A big fan of the blues and Southern Rock, Weeks calls himself the more “literal” songwriter of the two, explaining, “If something is really bothering me, or how I’m feeling at that moment, I’ll write about it. For me to get the most out of a song, I have to get it almost to the point I’m ready to cry if I can’t get it out, and that makes people relate to it.”
After shopping their indie EP for almost a year, a copy of ‘Addicted’ found its way to one-time Virgin A&R Consultant Scott Frazier and manager partner Rick Smith. They were so excited that they sent the song to the label’s Chairman/CEO Jason Flom. Flom was impressed upon first listen and immediately sent A&R vet Kim Stephens (Collective Soul, Matchbox 20, Edwin McCain) to see the band in Jackson, Tennessee. The band was signed the next day. Says Stephens, “I was sold on the merit of the songs and instantly recognized this was a band with huge potential.”
Saving Abel, the Virgin debut produced by Mills, features mostly brand-new tunes, plus a few favorites from the indie EP, including the poignant, perfectly crafted “18 Days,” “Running From You,” and “Drowning Face Down.” Null explains that “18 Days” was lyrically inspired by sheriff Buford Pusser of ‘Walking Tall’ fame, while laughingly admitting that the rowdy road trip in “New Tattoo” (“The blue is for the bruise you left in my heart / and the red is for the color we’re about to paint this town”) is “based on a true story.” Null furthers: “Our goals are always to concentrate on the song, not just one cool part to make a kid bop his head. Every person I talk to loves a different song of ours.” Null was also the one who gave the band its name: “I Googled the story of Cain and Abel and found a line about ‘there was no Saving Abel,’ which just jumped out at me.” Everyone agreed and the name stuck…much like Saving Abel's songs get instantly stuck in the minds and ears of everyone who hears them. With a radio-ready sound combining big riffs and memorable melodies, Saving Abel has created a polished combination of Southern and Alternative rock…. 2008 style. Get Addicted. Get Saving Abel. You can go to http://savingabel.com
New Tattoo
Saving Abel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was off on a road trip
A couple hundred bucks and a case of beer
Outside Panama City limits is where it all begins
2 a.m., I saw hazard lights
Appeared to be a dame distressed in the night
She was 5 foot 6 and damn she was built
She said, "Where you headed, to the city?"
I said, "Yeah, I'm gonna have some fun"
She tossed back her hair in confidence
And said, "Mind if I come?"
2 days later we ain't left the room
Did all in there that we could think to do
I could see she was restless, so we hit the town
Ended up at a place where the windows read
Tattoos, piercings, belly rings here
Tattoos, piercings, belly rings here
Into the back she went and disappeared
Reappeared an hour later cheesing ear to ear
I thought, hell, I need to try and get back there
When she unzipped her pants and said, "Lookee here"
I gotta brand new tattoo
All the colors in it remind me of you
I gotta brand new tattoo
All the colors in it remind me of you
The blue is for the bruise that you left in my heart
And the red is for the color we're about to paint this town
Ooh, I gotta new tattoo
One week passed, woke up a day late for work
I found my good time gone and she took my shirt
Drove by all the places that we had been
There was one where the windows read
Tattoos, piercings, belly rings here
Tattoos, piercings, belly rings here
Into the back I went and disappeared
Reappeared an hour later cheesing ear to ear
I gotta brand new tattoo
All the colors in it remind me of you
I gotta brand new tattoo
All the colors in it remind me of you
The blue is for the bruise that you left in my heart
And the red is for the color we're 'bout to paint this town
Ooh, I gotta new tattoo
New tattoo
And I cannot forget
That smile when she said
I gotta brand new tattoo
All the colors in it remind me of you
I gotta brand new tattoo
All the colors in it remind me of you
The blue is for the bruise that you left in my heart
And the red is for the color we're about to paint this town
Ooh, I gotta new tattoo
New tattoo
I gotta brand new tattoo
All the colors in it remind me of you
New tattoo
Tattoos, piercings, belly rings here
A new tattoo
Tattoos, piercings, belly rings here
The song "New Tattoo" by Saving Abel is a story about a guy who meets a girl on a road trip in 1996. They end up spending two days in a hotel room before hitting the town and finding a tattoo parlor. The girl, excited about her new tattoo, shows it off to the guy, marvelling at the colors that remind her of him. The blue is for the bruise left in her heart, and the red is for the color they are going to paint the town. However, one week later, the guy wakes up to find that the girl has left him, taking his shirt with her. He drives to all the places they had been together, and ends up back at the tattoo parlor, getting a new tattoo himself that reminds him of her.
The song tells a familiar tale of young love, fleeting passion, and the memories that are left behind. It's a classic rock song, with a catchy melody and memorable lyrics. The guitar riffs are impressive, and the vocals are strong and emotive. You can feel the pain and longing in the guy's voice as he sings about the girl who got away. The tattoo serves as a symbol of their love and the emotions that they experienced together. It's a powerful reminder of a time when they were happy, and it brings back bittersweet memories of what could have been.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometime in the summer of '96
The story begins in the summer of 1996.
I was off on a road trip
The singer was on a road trip.
A couple hundred bucks and a case of beer
The singer had a couple of hundred dollars and a case of beer with him.
Outside Panama City limits is where it all begins
The story starts outside the city limits of Panama City.
2 a.m., I saw hazard lights
The artist saw hazard lights at 2 a.m.
Appeared to be a dame distressed in the night
The singer saw a woman who looked distressed.
She was 5 foot 6 and damn she was built
The distressed woman was physically attractive to the singer.
I slammed on the brakes and got sideways and told her to get in
The artist stopped his car and offered the woman a ride.
She said, "Where you headed, to the city?"
The woman asked the artist if he was going to the city.
I said, "Yeah, I'm gonna have some fun"
The artist replied with an affirmative answer and said he was going to have some fun.
She tossed back her hair in confidence
The woman displayed confidence by tossing her hair back.
And said, "Mind if I come?"
The woman asked if she could come along with the artist.
2 days later we ain't left the room
The singer and the woman spent two days in a hotel room.
Did all in there that we could think to do
The two of them engaged in various sexual activities in the room.
I could see she was restless, so we hit the town
The woman was restless, so they decided to go out into the town.
Ended up at a place where the windows read
They ended up at a place with windows that read.
Tattoos, piercings, belly rings here
The place was a tattoo and piercing parlor.
Into the back she went and disappeared
The woman went into the back of the parlor and disappeared.
Reappeared an hour later cheesing ear to ear
She reappeared an hour later with a big smile on her face.
I thought, hell, I need to try and get back there
The artist felt like he had to go back there as well.
When she unzipped her pants and said, "Lookee here"
She showed the artist her new tattoo by unzipping her pants.
I gotta brand new tattoo
She showed the artist her new tattoo.
All the colors in it remind me of you
The colors in the tattoo reminded her of the singer.
The blue is for the bruise that you left in my heart
The blue in the tattoo represents the emotional pain the artist caused her.
And the red is for the color we're about to paint this town
The red in the tattoo represents the color of the town that they were about to have fun in.
One week passed, woke up a day late for work
A week passed, and the singer woke up late for work one day.
I found my good time gone and she took my shirt
The woman had left, taking the singer's shirt with her.
Drove by all the places that we had been
The artist drove by all the places he and the woman had visited together.
There was one where the windows read
There was one place with windows that read.
Tattoos, piercings, belly rings here
The place was another tattoo and piercing parlor.
Into the back I went and disappeared
The singer went into the back of the parlor and disappeared.
Reappeared an hour later cheesing ear to ear
He reappeared an hour later with a big smile on his face.
And I cannot forget
The artist cannot forget.
That smile when she said
He remembers the woman's smile when she showed him the tattoo.
A new tattoo
The singer got a new tattoo.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JASON NULL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind