The Bar Stool Preachers released their first album, “Blatant Propaganda,” in 2016, sharing stages with artists like The Slackers, Jaya The Cat and Die Toten Hosen. In support of their second album “Grazie Governo” (2018), they toured all around UK, Europe and North America performing in sweaty sold-out clubs as well as stadiums supporting The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Bouncing Souls, The Bronx and The Interrupters, to name but a few. The band’s progressive message of community, charity and change has remained the same since the start, but the delivery has never been stronger! Look out for their third album "Above The Static" which is being released by Pure Noise Records in March 2023.
http://www.thebarstoolpreachers.com/
Ballad
The Bar Stool Preachers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another 1000 miles means another written tune.
Take to another stage, to play another show.
Load in, load out. Is the only life we know.
But we have.
Strolled past red lights in Hamburg.
Partied hard with punks in Blackpool,
And Skins on the streets of Berlin!
We′ve seen giants in Il'son,
And the fog on the Tyne!
Wasted days with some slackers,
Blew our tiny minds.
Going away, just to be back soon.
Another 1000 miles means another written tune.
Take to another stage, to play another show.
Load in, load out. Is the only life we know.
And it′s from a service stop,
To another service stop,
We're stuck in a rut,
Coz the M1's fucked.
And it′s from a service stop,
To another service stop,
We′re shit out of luck,
Coz the M1's fucked.
Hung out with a Gang in old Cambridge town,
The last ones around!
We found a Sanctuary in Norwich,
Where we could put our heads down!
Made the ferry by the skin of our teeth,
10 minutes to the crossing!
Half the band are still asleep,
The lucky bastards are napping,
At a service stop,
To another service stop,
We′re stuck in a rut,
Coz the M1's fucked.
And it′s from a service stop,
To another service stop,
We're shit out of luck,
Coz the M1′s fucked.
Still away, but we'll be back soon.
Another broken string and a half written tune.
No room to breathe, no space to think.
But we're nearly at the venue,
Calm down boys, we can all have a drink...
Bleary eyes and dim street lights,
Thanks god for the coffee!
Can′t keep up with the white lines,
Coz the van′s doing 90!
I can feel this journey's at it′s end,
And my bed is calling!
48 hours and we'll do it all again,
Coz we′re only just beginning...
At a service stop,
To another service stop,
We're stuck in a rut,
Coz the M1′s fucked.
And it's from a service stop,
To another service stop,
We're shit out of luck,
Coz the M1′s fucked.
The Bar Stool Preachers’ song “Ballad” is about the life of a touring musician who is always on the go, moving from city to city, playing show after show, and traveling thousands of miles. The song speaks about the routine of a musician, from loading in and out of venues to staying in service stops and experiencing the nightlife in different cities.
In the first two stanzas, the singer highlights the traveling aspect of their life and how it inspires them to write more songs. The next three stanzas talk about some of the adventures they’ve had in different cities and the people they’ve met along the way, from punks in Blackpool to slackers in some unknown place.
The overall tone of the song is one of excitement and amazement, but the constant traveling and being on the road have also taken a toll on them. They mention how they are in a rut, stuck in service stops and are frustrated with the state of the M1. But despite all the challenges, the song ends on an optimistic note, as the singer looks forward to the next show and the next adventure.
Line by Line Meaning
Going away, just to be back soon.
We're leaving for another tour, but we'll be back home shortly.
Another 1000 miles means another written tune.
The long drive gives us time to write a new song or work on an existing one.
Take to another stage, to play another show.
We're going to perform and entertain another audience in a new venue.
Load in, load out. Is the only life we know.
The daily routine of setting up and tearing down equipment is all we do as musicians.
But we have.
However, we also have had some unique experiences and adventures on the road.
Strolled past red lights in Hamburg.
We walked through the red-light district in Hamburg, Germany.
Piss drunk in the city of sin!
We got incredibly drunk in Las Vegas, the city known for its sinful activities.
Partied hard with punks in Blackpool,
We had a wild night of partying with punk rockers in Blackpool, England.
And Skins on the streets of Berlin!
We hung out with skinheads on the streets of Berlin, Germany.
We've seen giants in Il'son,
We witnessed some huge and impressive structures in Ilkeston, England.
And the fog on the Tyne!
We experienced the misty, foggy weather of the River Tyne area in England.
Wasted days with some slackers,
We spent some unproductive days with some lazy people.
Blew our tiny minds.
We were amazed and astonished by some things we saw or experienced.
And it's from a service stop,
We're currently taking a break at a rest stop.
To another service stop,
But we'll soon be on our way to the next rest stop.
We're stuck in a rut, Coz the M1's fucked.
We're frustrated and delayed due to issues with the UK's M1 motorway.
Hung out with a Gang in old Cambridge town,
We socialized with a group of people in the historic town of Cambridge, England.
The last ones around!
We were the last ones at the party or gathering.
We found a Sanctuary in Norwich,
We discovered a peaceful and relaxing place in Norwich, England.
Where we could put our heads down!
Where we could rest and get some sleep.
Made the ferry by the skin of our teeth,
We barely made it to the ferry in time before it departed.
10 minutes to the crossing!
We only had ten minutes to spare before the ferry left the dock.
Half the band are still asleep,
Some of the band members are still sleeping and haven't woken up yet.
The lucky bastards are napping,
Those who are sleeping are fortunate to be getting some rest.
Still away, but we'll be back soon.
We're still on tour, but we'll be back home shortly.
Another broken string and a half written tune.
We have encountered a string problem and have only written half of our new song so far.
No room to breathe, no space to think.
We're too busy and occupied to take a break and think creatively.
But we're nearly at the venue,
We're close to reaching our destination and performing our show.
Calm down boys, we can all have a drink...
We can all relax and unwind with a drink after the performance.
Bleary eyes and dim street lights,
Our vision is blurred and the street lights are dimmed due to exhaustion.
Thanks god for the coffee!
We're grateful for the caffeine boost from our coffee to help us stay alert on the road.
Can't keep up with the white lines,
We're struggling to keep up with the highway's white lines due to the van's speed.
Coz the van's doing 90!
The van is driving at ninety miles per hour, which is quite fast.
I can feel this journey's at it's end,
We're starting to feel like our long journey is coming to a close.
And my bed is calling!
We're looking forward to getting some rest in our own beds.
48 hours and we'll do it all again,
We have only two days to rest before going on another tour and doing the same thing all over again.
Coz we're only just beginning...
We're excited to keep touring and exploring new places while doing what we love - music!
Writer(s): Thomas Luke Gibbs, James Tetley, Karl Jeffery, Thomas Mcfaull
Contributed by Xavier C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mikeharley7376
see ya 2018 rebellion cant wait
@mithraicmage
SNAP