History
In 1997, McColgan left Dropkick Murphys "to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter for the Boston Fire Department." In 2002, McColgan decided he could no longer stay away from music and formed Street Dogs. They first recorded a seven song-demo, which feature McColgan along with his former Dropkick Murphys bandmate Jeff Erna on drums, Rob Guidotti on guitar and Bill Close on bass.[1] They signed with CrossCheck Records in 2003,[2] with Michelle Paulhus now on bass. By the time they started recording their first album, they yet again had someone else on bass, this time Johnny Rioux. Savin Hill (which was produced by former The Mighty Mighty Bosstones member Nate Albert[3] and featured guest appearances by Al Barr and Ken Casey from Dropkick Murphys) was a success and resulted in a supporting tour with Celtic punk band Flogging Molly.
The band underwent a complete shuffle in 2004 when McColgan took a leave of absence from his firefighting career to devote time to recording and promoting their second album Back to the World.The Street Dogs at this time enlisted Marcus Hollar on lead guitar, and expanded the range of their sound with the addition of rhythm guitarist Tobe Bean III. The drummer's spot was filled by Joe Sirois, formerly of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
Their second release, Back to the World, proved to be even more of a success for the band. It was hailed critically in the United States, Europe and Japan and opened the doors to touring with Social Distortion, Tiger Army, Bad Religion, Millencolin (in Europe), The Bouncing Souls (US And Japan) and The Briefs. The band also toured on the Vans Warped Tour in the summer of 2005 and embarked on their first headlining tours in the US and Europe.
2006 saw more shows, both headlining and opening for the likes of Rancid,[4] The Adolescents[5] and The Bouncing Souls.[6] Also in 2006, released their third album, Fading American Dream. It was recorded earlier in the year with producer Ted Hutt (Flogging Molly, Madcap, The Bouncing Souls).
While on tour opening for Flogging Molly on February 27, 2007 show at the Sokol Auditorium in Omaha, NE, bass player Johnny Rioux collapsed on stage due to an apparent seizure. McColgan stopped the show and called for paramedics. At the start of the Flogging Molly set, lead singer Dave King dedicated the show to Johnny and announced that he was all right and would be well enough to play the next night in St. Louis. Following that tour, more dates came headlining as well as European shows.
In February 2008, it was announced that the Street Dogs signed on to Hellcat Records. Their fourth album, State of Grace, for Hellcat, which they started recording in early February 2008, once again with Ted Hutt[7] was released on July 8, 2008.[8]
At recent shows, Street Dogs have been promoting Oxfam America, a humanitarian organization fighting poverty and hunger. McColgan spoke to the crowd mid-set at the Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey in May 2008 about the organization while wearing an Oxfam T-shirt. In support of State of Grace, the band toured at the Vans Warped Tour 2008 as a main stage act. Following their Warped tour stint, the group set out on their successful fall State Of Grace headlining tour and then went to Europe for the European Eastpak Antidote tour.
The band released their fifth album, Street Dogs, on August 31, 2010[9] on Hellcat Records.
On February 21, 2011, the band performed at an acoustic show with Tom Morello, Tim McIlrath, Wayne Kramer, and Ike Reilly in Madison, WI in support of the ongoing protests against Gov. Scott Walker's proposed Budget Repair Bill.
In March 2011, the Street Dogs announced a five-week stint on the 2011 Vans Warped Tour, from June 24 until July 30. This would be their third time on the tour, after 2005 and 2008. After the Warped Tour, the band planned a European festival tour in August, and then Australia and Japan in October.
The band embarked on the nine date Sham Rock-N-Roll Festival in September 2011 where they were the co-headlining act for the Dropkick Murphys. Other than appearances on various Warped Tour lineups, this was the first time McColgan toured with his former band since quitting thirteen years earlier. McColgan would even join the Dropkick Murphys onstage for performances of such songs as "Barroom Hero" and "Far Away Coast" from the Do or Die album.[10]
In an interview with AMP, Johnny Rioux was asked about a new album from the street dogs. Rioux said, "We want to do a labor standard solo record with Mike, release the large number of B-sides with the records they were recorded for, mix our live in Boston DVD and record, prepare for our first trip to Australia, return to Japan, get back into some Celtic festivals, and just be happy and grateful people are still loyal after almost 10 years."
On November 26, 2012, McColgan wrote on the band's Facebook account that starting January 1, 2013, Street Dogs would be taking a break from recording and touring, but he assured fans that the band was not breaking up.[11] Later that day, Tobe Bean announced that he would no longer be a touring member of Street Dogs, but he will "always be a Street Dog".[12] In February 2013, it was announced that McColgan and Rioux would form a side project with original Dropkick Murphys member Rick Barton called FM359. In March, it was announced their break from touring would be ending in July when they tour Europe.[13] In March, McColgan mentioned that the band would exclusively work with the Pirates Press Records label in the future, and they planned to release a 7-inch single, a live album, and a DVD. He also mentioned that the band was hoping to get Lenny Lashley from Darkbuster to replace Bean on guitar, and on April 9 the Street Dogs Facebook page announced that Lashley had officially joined the group. They also announced their next single, "Crooked Drunken Sons", a song named after their annual tour, which will be released on Record Store Day 2013. Another single, "Rustbelt Nation", followed a month later.[14] Later in the year, Hollar was replaced by Matt Pruitt (Have Nots).
Members Mike McColgan, Johnny Rioux and Pete Sosa started a side project called FM359 with former Dropkick Murphys guitarist Rick Barton, Street Dogs collaborator Hugh Morrison and Halston Luna. The group, which has an Americana sound, released their debut album Truth, Love and Liberty in January 2014. In April, on Record Store Day 2014, they released a split EP with Noi!se.
On June 22, 2018, the band released their sixth album, the first in eight years, Stand For Something Or Die For Nothing. McColgan said of the album, " "The dumbing down of America is a reason to write songs in 2018. The theme is wake the fuck up and the working class needs to unite across all colors, creeds, nationalities, genders and realize that we are being pitted against each other by snake oil salesmen and autocrats."[15]
On February 13, 2020, via the band's Facebook page, McColgan and Rioux announced the group was disbanding after 17 years. The final round of shows was expected to include a small St. Patrick's Day tour with Flogging Molly and Mad Caddies as well as two headlining shows, one in Long Beach, CA on March 16, and their final show to be announced in their hometown of Boston, MA. However on March 12, the band announced the cancellation of the Long Beach show alongside Flogging Molly's cancellation of their tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][17]
Former members
Mike McColgan – lead vocals (2002–2020)
Johnny Rioux – bass (2003–2020)
Pete Sosa – drums (2012–2020)
Matt Pruitt – lead guitar (2013–2020)
Lenny Lashley – rhythm guitar (2013–2020)
Jeff Erna – drums (2002–2004)
Rob Guidotti – guitars (2002–2004)
Bill Close – bass (2002)
Michelle Paulhus – bass (2002–2003)
Marcus Hollar – lead guitar (2004–2013)
Joe Sirois – drums (2004–2007)
Tobe Bean III – guitars (2005–2012)
Paul Rucker – drums (2007–2012)
The Shape Of Other Men
Street Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
he stayed home just leaning on his gun
I think by now you know this song ain't funny,
its just the way some people get it done
She when into town to earn some money
he stayed home just leaning on his gun
I think by now you know this song ain't funny,
its just the way some people get it done
and made the rounds to everyone he loved
he spread a little wealth and a kind blessing
then went home to lean upon his gun
Nobody knows the shape of other men
he could be looking well
but his life is a living hell [x2]
The sunlight comes streaming through our windows
we wake up and we try to live
to some other men that doesn't matter
they never let the sun shine in
we knew a man who had so many demons
in a sick way they became his friends
he had a wife and three beautiful children
but it did not matter in the end
Nobody knows the shape of other men
he could be looking well
but his life is a living hell [x2]
he could be looking well
but his life is a living hell
he could be looking well
but his life is hell
One day not so long ago
made up my mind to let shit go
some days it works and some days it don't
but at least now I know...
can't change the world now I know [x4]
but I can change... mine
The lyrics of Street Dogs's "The Shape of Other Men" describe the different ways in which people cope with the difficulties they face in life. The song tells the story of a couple, where the woman goes into town to earn money, while the man stays at home leaning on his gun. Despite the situation being problematic, it is presented without irony, just as a matter of fact in the way some people get by.
The song progresses to describe how the man attempted to help his loved ones by cashing in his lifetime earnings and spreading a little wealth and kindness. The song concludes by referencing how others can never truly know the inner struggles of someone's life, even if they may appear well from the outside. The lyrics also reference a man who had many demons that became his friends, indicating how coping mechanisms can sometimes be unhealthy and self-destructive.
The overall mood of the song is contemplative, with the repeating line "Nobody knows the shape of other men" driving home the message that appearances can often be deceiving. The lyrics implore us to have empathy for others, to not judge a book by its cover, and to recognize the fragility of life.
Line by Line Meaning
She when into town to earn some money
A woman left her home to earn some money.
he stayed home just leaning on his gun
A man stayed home doing nothing.
I think by now you know this song ain't funny,
The song may not be amusing.
its just the way some people get it done
It is how some individuals choose to lead their lives.
he cashed in all his lifetime earnings
The man collected all his earnings.
and made the rounds to everyone he loved
He visited everyone he loved.
he spread a little wealth and a kind blessing
He shared his wealth and showed kindness.
then went home to lean upon his gun
He went back home and resumed being idle.
Nobody knows the shape of other men
It is difficult to know how someone else's life is.
he could be looking well
Someone could appear to be doing fine.
but his life is a living hell [x2]
However, their life may be terrible.
The sunlight comes streaming through our windows
Sunlight enters our homes in the morning.
we wake up and we try to live
We wake up and go about our lives.
to some other men that doesn't matter
For some people, life does not seem to matter.
they never let the sun shine in
They never let joy or happiness into their lives.
we knew a man who had so many demons
There was a man who had many personal problems.
in a sick way they became his friends
He became attached to his troubles in a harmful way.
he had a wife and three beautiful children
Despite having a family, his problems still persisted.
but it did not matter in the end
Sadly, it did not help change his situation.
One day not so long ago
Sometime in the recent past.
made up my mind to let shit go
I decided to let go of negativity.
some days it works and some days it don't
Sometimes it is successful, and other times, it is not.
but at least now I know...
Regardless, I learned valuable lessons.
can't change the world now I know [x4]
I know that I cannot change the world.
but I can change... mine
However, I can change my own life.
Contributed by Hailey N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.