Adam Horovitz told how the song evolved from an incident when the Beastie Boys were waiting outside a recording studio for Run-D.M.C., when Joseph Simmons ("Run") suddenly came running down the street screaming incoherently. When he reached the Beastie Boys, he said "Here's a little story I got to tell...". After much confusion, Simmons stated "THAT's the song". The band worked on it from there.
In 2007, an artist called Kia Shine released a single called "Krispy" with a similar beat, raising questions about copyright infringement.
Paul Revere
The Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About three bad brothers you know so well
It started way back in history
With Adrock, (M.C.A.) and me (Mike D.)
I had a little horse named Paul Revere
Just me and my horsy and a quart of beer
Riding across the land kicking up sand
Sheriff's posse on my tail 'cause I'm in demand
All by myself without nobody
The sun is beating down on my baseball hat
The air is gettin' hot the beer is getting flat
Lookin' for a girl I ran into a guy
His name is M.C.A., I said, "Howdy" he said, "Hi"
He told a little story that sounded well rehearsed
Four days on the run and that he's dying of thirst
The brew was in my hand and he was on my tip
His voice was hoarse, his throat was dry and he asked me for a sip
He said, "Can I get some?"
I said, you can't get none!
Had a chance to run
He pulled out his shotgun
He was quick on the draw, I thought I'd be dead
He put the gun to my head and this is what he said,
"Now my name is M.C.A., I've got a license to kill
I think you know what time it is, it's time to get ill
Now what do we have here an outlaw and his beer
I run this land, you understand, I make myself clear."
We stepped into the wind - he had a gun, I had a grin
You think this story's over but it's ready to begin
"Now I got the gun, you got the brew
You got two choices of what you can do
It's not a tough decision as you can see
I can blow you away or you can ride with me"
I said, I'll ride with you if can get me to the border
The sheriff's after me for what I did to his daughter
I did it like this, I did it like that
I did it with a whiffleball bat
So I'm on the run, the cop's got my gun
And right about now it's time to have some fun
The King Adrock that is my name
And I know the fly spot where they got the champagne."
We rode for six hours the we hit the spot
The beat was a bumping and the girlies was hot
This dude was staring like he knows who we are
We took the empty spot next to him at the bar
M.C.A. Said, (Yo, you know this kid?)
I said, I didn't, but I know he did
(The kid said) Get ready cause this ain't funny
My name's Mike D. And I'm about to get money.
Pulled out the jammy, aimed it at the sky
He yelled, (Stick 'em up!) and let two fly
Hands went up and people hit the floor
He wasted two kids that ran for the door
"I'm Mike D. And I get respect
Your cash and your jewelry is what I expect"
M.C.A. Was with it and he's my ace
So I grabbed the piano player and I punched him in the face
The piano player's out the music stopped
His boy had beef and he got dropped
Mike D. Grabbed the money (M.C.A. Snatched the gold)
I grabbed two girlies and a beer that's cold.
The Beastie Boys’ “Paul Revere” is a narrative that tells a story about the trio’s formation and their experience of going on the run. The lyrics begin with the singer mentioning the three “bad brothers” with whom he shares a history - Adrock, M.C.A., and himself, Mike D. He speaks of his horse, Paul Revere, and how he rode across the land, kicking up sand, with his sheriff’s posse on his tail.
Mike D eventually finds himself looking for a girl and runs into M.C.A. who tells him a rehearsed story of being thirsty and then pulls out a gun. M.C.A. declares himself as an outlaw with a license to kill and invites Mike D to join him. After riding for six hours, they arrive at a place where girlies are hot and the beat is bumping, and Mike D pulls out a gun and robs the place with M.C.A.’s help. The song ends with the trio’s victory and their escape from law enforcement.
This song features multiple allusions to popular culture, including the infamous Western hero, Paul Revere, who might have inspired Mike D’s horse. Additionally, the song’s plot seems to be inspired by the Western film, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” which is mentioned in the song’s opening line. The song is also known for its flowing storytelling, music that blends rock and hip hop, and witty lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Now here's a little story I've got to tell
I'm about to tell a story
About three bad brothers you know so well
About three people that listeners are familiar with
It started way back in history
The story takes place in the past
With Adrock, (M.C.A.) and me (Mike D.)
The story involves these three people
I had a little horse named Paul Revere
I had a horse named Paul Revere
Just me and my horsy and a quart of beer
I was with my horse and had some beer
Riding across the land kicking up sand
I was riding my horse across the land
Sheriff's posse on my tail 'cause I'm in demand
The Sheriff's posse was chasing me because I was wanted
One lonely Beastie I be
I was alone
All by myself without nobody
I was by myself
The sun is beating down on my baseball hat
The sun was hot
The air is gettin' hot the beer is getting flat
It was getting hotter and the beer was getting warm
Lookin' for a girl I ran into a guy
I bumped into a guy while searching for a girl
His name is M.C.A., I said, "Howdy" he said, "Hi"
I met a guy named M.C.A.
He told a little story that sounded well rehearsed
He told a story that sounded practiced
Four days on the run and that he's dying of thirst
He has been running and is thirsty
The brew was in my hand and he was on my tip
I had a beer and he wanted some
His voice was hoarse, his throat was dry and he asked me for a sip
He asked me for a sip of my beer because he was thirsty
He said, "Can I get some?"
He asked if he could have some of my beer
I said, you can't get none!
I said he couldn't have any of my beer
Had a chance to run
I could have run away
He pulled out his shotgun
He took out his gun
He was quick on the draw, I thought I'd be dead
He was fast with his gun and I thought he would kill me
He put the gun to my head and this is what he said,
He pointed his gun at me and said
"Now my name is M.C.A., I've got a license to kill
His name is M.C.A. and he has permission to kill
I think you know what time it is, it's time to get ill
It's time to do something dangerous
Now what do we have here an outlaw and his beer
He recognizes me as an outlaw with a beer
I run this land, you understand, I make myself clear."
He's in charge and he wants me to know that
We stepped into the wind - he had a gun, I had a grin
We ran into the wind - he had a gun and I was smiling
You think this story's over but it's ready to begin
The story isn't finished yet
"Now I got the gun, you got the brew
He has the gun and I have the beer
You got two choices of what you can do
I have two options
It's not a tough decision as you can see
The decision is simple
I can blow you away or you can ride with me"
He can kill me or I can join him
I said, I'll ride with you if can get me to the border
I will join him if he takes me to the border
The sheriff's after me for what I did to his daughter
The sheriff is after me because of something I did to his daughter
I did it like this, I did it like that
I did something some way and then another way
I did it with a whiffleball bat
I did it with a type of ball bat called a whiffleball bat
So I'm on the run, the cop's got my gun
I'm running away and the cop has my gun
And right about now it's time to have some fun
It's time to enjoy myself
The King Adrock that is my name
My name is The King Adrock
And I know the fly spot where they got the champagne."
I know of a great place to get champagne
We rode for six hours the we hit the spot
We rode for six hours and then arrived at our destination
The beat was a bumping and the girlies was hot
The music was great and there were attractive women around
This dude was staring like he knows who we are
A guy was looking at us intently
We took the empty spot next to him at the bar
We sat next to him at the bar
M.C.A. Said, (Yo, you know this kid?)
M.C.A. asked if we knew the guy
I said, I didn't, but I know he did
I said that I didn't know him, but M.C.A. did
(The kid said) Get ready cause this ain't funny
The guy said this isn't a joke
My name's Mike D. And I'm about to get money.
My name is Mike D. and I'm going to make money
Pulled out the jammy, aimed it at the sky
He took out the gun and pointed it to the sky
He yelled, (Stick 'em up!) and let two fly
He yelled and shot twice
Hands went up and people hit the floor
People put their hands up and fell to the ground
He wasted two kids that ran for the door
He shot and killed two kids who tried to run away
"I'm Mike D. And I get respect
I'm Mike D. and I'm respected
Your cash and your jewelry is what I expect"
I expect people to give me their money and valuables
M.C.A. Was with it and he's my ace
M.C.A. was okay with it and is my close friend
So I grabbed the piano player and I punched him in the face
I punched the piano player in the face
The piano player's out the music stopped
The piano player was out cold, and the music stopped
His boy had beef and he got dropped
His friend had a problem and was beaten
Mike D. Grabbed the money (M.C.A. Snatched the gold)
I took the money and M.C.A. took the gold
I grabbed two girlies and a beer that's cold.
I took two girls and a cold beer
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICK RUBIN, JOSEPH WARD SIMMONS, DARRYL MATTHEWS MCDANIELS, ADAM KEEFE HOROVITZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind