1) We recorded a 7” single (Piles backed with Gimmie What I Want/Buk’s Son… Read Full Bio ↴1) We recorded a 7” single (Piles backed with Gimmie What I Want/Buk’s Song) that got us a profile in the first issue of Spin magazine (thanks Regina Joskow) and some label interest. We figured we would need a producer to help us with the “Big Breakthrough”. We met Handsome Dick Manitoba from interviewing him for Mark’s fanzine “The Poisoned Pen”, and Manitoba steered us to Andy Shernoff. Andy worked with us to try and meld the “punk thing” with a sheen of professionalism (the jury’s still out on that). He took us to Springfield, Missouri to work with the legendary engineer Lou Whitney. We recorded through endless stacks of amps and high-end gear. We came back to NYC, and mastered the tapes at RCA studios. The best of the best! Unfortunately, Soul Desire was released straight to the cut-out bins and became our only release at that time. We toured out to Atlanta and back while re-assessing the “commercial breakthrough” approach. We went back into small studios in NYC to use what we learned, and record what we felt was “The Alter Boys’ Sound”. The band played bigger clubs like Maxwell’s in Hoboken opening for Soul Asylum, and kept recording to try and capture that elusive “sound”. We played our last gig at The Continental Divide for a live recording of all the bands (curated by the legendary Senders) that played there regularly.
We felt we had finally captured our sound, but the band was no more. JZ, Mark, and I had already been playing as The GasHounds, so our attention went there and a whole new batch of songs and recordings.
When JZ and I went through all our studio tapes from start to finish (1985-89), we revisited the thought we had long ago- can we capture our essential sound? We feel these recordings present the band as we always felt we should have been on record.
So, ladies and gentlemen, This Is The Alter Boys!

2) The Alter Boys are an American band including members of the bands Dog Fashion Disco, Mushroomhead, and Unified Culture, as well as MTV's Jackass. They play in various musical styles, and released their debut album in 2005. They are currently on Jason Popson's label "Fractured Transmitter" .

Vocals - Todd Smith, Jason Popson
Additional vocals - Craig Martini, Mike Martini, Ryan Dunn
Guitar - Todd Smith, Mike Martini
Bass - Craig Martini
Keyboards - Matt Rippetoe
Woodwind - Matt Rippetoe
Accordion - Mike Martini

A Little Pain Goes A Long Way
The Alter Boys Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bear your fangs -- To show you're in the mood
I've got your innocence -- Hanging from a noose
Now's the time to set things clear
Oh my love -- Come over here

It hurts you if it likes hold on tight and bite your pillow
These late nights and these fireflies ignite and light your silhouette

Look me in the eyes -- Kiss me with your sugar tongue
Red lipped nurse -- Brought me back to life
Now's the time to set things clear
Oh my love -- Come over here

It hurts you if it likes hold on tight and bite your pillow
These late nights and these fireflies ignite and light your silhouette

A little pain goes a long way -- A little lust makes you go insane

Overall Meaning

The Alter Boys's song A Little Pain Goes A Long Way is a love song that explores themes of passion, desire, and pain. The opening lines, "Bear your fangs, To show you're in the mood, I've got your innocence, Hanging from a noose" evoke images of dark and dangerous seduction. The singer is luring their lover into a trap of passion, with the promise of pleasure mixed with pain.

The lines "Look me in the eyes, Kiss me with your sugar tongue, Red lipped nurse, Brought me back to life" depict the power and intensity of the love between the two individuals. The imagery of the "red lipped nurse" suggests that the love interest is not only a sexual partner, but also a healer who brings the singer back to life.

Throughout the song, the idea that "A little pain goes a long way" is repeated. This line suggests that there is a certain allure to pain and that sometimes, it can even be pleasurable. It is paired with the line "A little lust makes you go insane," further emphasizing the themes of passion and desire that run throughout the song.

Overall, the lyrics to The Alter Boys's song A Little Pain Goes A Long Way delve into the complex and often taboo world of passion, pain, and pleasure.

Line by Line Meaning

Bear your fangs -- To show you're in the mood
Show me your teeth to indicate that you are ready for something more

I've got your innocence -- Hanging from a noose
Your pure and naive demeanor has vanished, and you are now exposed to the dangers of life

Now's the time to set things clear
This is the moment where we must be honest with each other and face the truth

Oh my love -- Come over here
I desire your presence by my side and long for your embrace

It hurts you if it likes hold on tight and bite your pillow
It can be painful, but at the same time, it brings pleasure, so bear with it and brace yourself

These late nights and these fireflies ignite and light your silhouette
These moments are magical and surreal and only happen during a specific time of the day or night

Look me in the eyes -- Kiss me with your sugar tongue
Gaze deeply into my soul while you use your lips to caress mine and reciprocate my affection

Red lipped nurse -- Brought me back to life
Someone has resuscitated me, and I feel revitalized and re-energized

A little pain goes a long way -- A little lust makes you go insane
The challenge and discomfort of a situation makes the rewards all the more pleasurable and gratifying, causing an almost uncontrollable passion to arise

Contributed by Levi M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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