The Brandos are probaly the best live rockband of the USA. They're music is… Read Full Bio ↴The Brandos are probaly the best live rockband of the USA. They're music is a mixture of roots-rock, american-civil-war-folk, irish folk and with their new album - Over The Border (2006) - also mexican folk. It has been nearly eighteen years since this New York quartet - featuring original members Dave Kincaid on vocals and guitars and Ernie Mendillo on bass, along with later additions Frank Giordano (guitar, vocals), and former Del Lords' drummer Frank Funaro - unleashed their trademark guitar-rock sound to the world. The band's 1987-released debut Honor Among Thieves was received with enormous critical and public acclaim. That same year, The Gavin Report dubbed them "Best New American Band", Rolling Stone ran a full-page story praising their talents, and Time Magazine clinched it with their quote "THE BRANDOS roots run deep and offer great nourishment."--

Trial By Fire
The Brandos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Funk-Kincaid

All night long
Papa would pray
Give me strength
For one more day
Workin' like a dog
In the dry sun

Oh, nothin' to show,
Another day done

The hellfire and misery
Of a godforsaken man
Is all Papa left to me
All the legacy I have

Trial by fire
Papa would say
The good Lord gives
And takes away
The devil's own son
He called me
All he said I was
I set out to be

The hellfire and misery
Of a godforsaken man
Is all Papa left to me
All the legacy I have

Mama broke down
The day he died
I carried him home
And closed his eyes
I showed no tears
His only son

Oh, nothin' to show
Another day done

Overall Meaning

The song "Trial by Fire" by The Brandos tells a poignant story of a man who is the only heir to his father's life of hardship and suffering. The song opens with Papa's prayer for strength, for the determination to see another day through in spite of the drudgery and pain of his work. The lyrics allude to the dryness of the sun, a metaphor that captures the arid and oppressive condition of their living. The father's legacy to his son, sadly, is nothing but the hellfire and misery of a godforsaken man.

In the chorus, the father teaches his son the harsh lesson that life is a trial by fire. He exhorts him to brace himself for the eternal struggle, for the good Lord giveth and taketh away. The son, however, seems resigned to his fate as the devil's own son, a label given to him by the father, and sets out to prove his worth. The second verse continues the theme of inherited misery, with Mama breaking down at the father's death, and his son carrying him home with no tears but a sense of duty.

The song's lyrics speak powerfully about the unrelenting cycle of hardship and deprivation, full of symbols and emotions that evoke the hard life of many American families. It is a story of resilience and hope in the face of difficulties, with a touch of melancholy that lingers long after the song ends. "Trial by Fire" is a testament to the idea that we are all a product of our environment, but that should not stop us from striving to make life better.

Line by Line Meaning

All night long
Through the entire night

Papa would pray
Papa would pray to God

Give me strength
Papa would ask for more strength

For one more day
To get through another day

Workin' like a dog
Working really hard

In the dry sun
Under the sun with no shade

Oh, nothin' to show,
With nothing to show for his efforts

Another day done
After another day of work

The hellfire and misery
Terrible suffering and anguish

Of a godforsaken man
From a man abandoned by God

Is all Papa left to me
That's what Papa left behind