Skid Row guitarist Dave "Snake" … Read Full Bio ↴Album: Skid Row Released: 1989
Skid Row guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo wrote this song after reading in a local newspaper about an 18-year-old boy who shot his friend by accident. He thought the gun wasn't loaded, and eventually ended up in prison for life.
This song achieved a great success and was MTV's most played video in 1989.
18 and Life
Skid Row Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He had a heart of stone
Lived nine to five and worked his fingers to the bone
Just barely out of school
Came from the edge of town
Fought like a switchblade so no one could take him down
No good at home
He walked the streets a soldier
And he fought the world alone and now it's
Eighteen and life you got it
Eighteen and life you know
Your crime is time and it's
Eighteen and life to go
Eighteen and life you got it
Eighteen and life you know
Your crime is time and it's
Eighteen and life to go
Tequila in his heartbeat
His veins burned gasoline
It kept his motor runnin'
But he never kept it clean
They say he loved adventure
Ricky's the wild one
He married trouble
Had a courtship with a gun
Bang, bang, shoot 'em up
The party never ends
You can't think of dying when the bottle's your best friend
And now it's
Eighteen and life you got it
Eighteen and life you know
Your crime is time and it's
Eighteen and life to go
Eighteen and life you got it
Eighteen and life you know
Your crime is time and it's
Eighteen and life to go
Accidents will happen
They all heard Ricky say
He fired his six-shot to the wind
That child blew a child away
Eighteen and life you got it
Eighteen and life you know
Your crime is time and it's
Eighteen and life to go
Eighteen and life you got it
Eighteen and life you know
Your crime is time and it's
Eighteen and life to go, yeah
Oh, oh
The lyrics of Skid Row's "18 and Life" tell the story of a young man named Ricky who had a hard life growing up. Despite his tough exterior, he had a heart of stone and had to work hard just to make a living. As he grew older, he became more reckless, often fueled by drugs and alcohol, and became known for his wild behavior. Ricky was involved with a dangerous crowd and even married trouble. He loved adventure and lived for the moment, never thinking about the consequences of his actions.
One day while playing with his gun, Ricky fired a shot to the wind, accidentally killing a child. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison, hence the title of the song. The lyrics explain that Ricky was young and naive, but he paid a high price for his actions. Overall, the song is a cautionary tale about the consequences of poor decision-making and the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Ricky was a young boy
The singer of the song is introducing the singer named Ricky as a young boy.
He had a heart of stone
Ricky was cold-hearted and insensitive to others' feelings.
Lived nine to five and worked his fingers to the bone
Ricky lived a routine life of working hard, day in and day out.
Just barely out of school
Ricky had recently graduated from high school.
Came from the edge of town
Ricky was from the outskirts of the city.
Fought like a switchblade so no one could take him down
Ricky was tough, and he fought back fiercely when someone tried to overpower him.
He had no money, oh
Ricky was financially broke.
No good at home
Ricky had a miserable life at home.
He walked the streets a soldier
Ricky walked the streets like a warrior, facing the world alone.
And he fought the world alone and now it's
Ricky was fighting for himself, without any support from anyone else.
Eighteen and life you got it
Ricky was eighteen years old and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Eighteen and life you know
Ricky knew he had to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Your crime is time and it's
The punishment for his crime is imprisonment for the rest of his life.
Eighteen and life to go
Despite being only eighteen years old, Ricky had a whole life ahead of him, but it was now all gone.
Tequila in his heartbeat
Ricky liked drinking tequila.
His veins burned gasoline
Ricky had a strong addiction to alcohol, which fueled his life.
It kept his motor runnin'
Alcohol kept Ricky's life moving, and he couldn't imagine living without it.
But he never kept it clean
Ricky indulged in alcohol abuse, and he never tried to quit it.
They say he loved adventure
Ricky was known to be a thrill-seeker and enjoyed adventurous activities.
Ricky's the wild one
Ricky was known for his eccentric and unpredictable behavior.
He married trouble
Ricky had a habit of getting himself into trouble.
Had a courtship with a gun
Ricky had a love affair with guns and was often involved in violent activities.
Bang, bang, shoot 'em up
Ricky was involved in gunfights regularly.
The party never ends
Ricky had a carefree attitude towards life and never thought about the consequences of his actions.
You can't think of dying when the bottle's your best friend
Ricky couldn't think of life without alcohol, and it was his only solace in a troublesome life.
Accidents will happen
Ricky knew that things could go wrong easily.
They all heard Ricky say
The people around Ricky had heard him speak about his intentions.
He fired his six-shot to the wind
Ricky was recklessly shooting his gun around.
That child blew a child away
Ricky killed a child in a meaningless and reckless act of violence.
Eighteen and life to go, yeah
Ricky was just eighteen years old when he committed this heinous act, and now he has to live with its consequences forever.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Sabo, Rachel Southworth, Robert Affuso, Scott Mulvehill, Sebastian Bierk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@haikalaby
2024 anyone?
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Right here bro
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🙋
@kineskines8461
Rock never die
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Yes sir
@ZKAttack
Who is still rocking out to Skid Row in 2023??? Bach's voice is timeless. Still blows us away at how awesome this band was on those first three albums.
@Willow_clawson
Yo bro!!!!!!!
@lea-anne9133
🤘🏻still relevant now
@mrmike115
Still rocking these 80s bands best music ever!