The Bruisers were pioneers of the American streetpunk/oi! movement, formed … Read Full Bio ↴The Bruisers were pioneers of the American streetpunk/oi! movement, formed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1988. The original lineup included: Al Barr (vocals, now the lead singer of the Boston Punk band Dropkick Murphys), Scotty Davies (bass), Jeff Morris (guitar) and Rodger Shosa (drums). Morris is now a guitarist and lead vocalist for Death & Taxes, and a former guitarist for Mark Lind & the Unloved. Former guitarist Rick Wimert died 1995.

The first band members were skinheads (although not white power skinheads). After a few years and lineup changes, the band and their style changed slightly. By 1996, Al Barr was the only remaining original member of The Bruisers. One notable release by the band was a 7" split with Barr's future band Dropkick Murphys in 1997. After 10 years, the band broke up in 1998. The Bruisers had a reunion concert on September 14, 2005 at The Roxy in Boston. The bill included local acts The Ducky Boys and Tommy & The Terrors, as well as The Casualties from New York City.[1] The Bruisers played a second reunion show on August 31, 2012 headlining the first night of the 2000 Tons of TNT Fest at the Webster Theater in Hartford, CT.

Mainliner
The Bruisers Lyrics

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Well he got on a train at a really young age
Ain't seen the sun since that fateful day
Got a on a train at the age of 18
You should have seen just what he seen

A long car train where there ain't no stops
Taking a ride but you can't get off
Mainliner, mainliner screaming down the tracks

Once you get on board that mainline train
There ain't no coming back
You used up your friends used up your cash
Get on the train and man your gonna crash
Mainliner, mainliner screaming down the tracks

Well you lied to your friends about all your pain
Said that you'd never get on that train
Look for a distant town and now
you're never coming down from

A long car train where there ain't no stops
Taking a ride but you can't get off
Mainliner, mainliner screaming down the tracks
Once you get on board that mainline train
There ain't no coming back
You used up your friends used up your cash
Get on the train and man your gonna crash
Mainliner, mainliner screaming down the tracks

I saw your mama just the other day
She said that you had passed away
The train derailed right off the track
And now we know you're never coming back from

A long car train where there ain't no stops
Taking a ride but you can't get off
Mainliner, mainliner screaming down the tracks
Once you get on board that mainline train
There ain't no coming back
You used up your friends used up your cash

Get on the train and man your gonna crash
Mainliner, mainliner screaming down the tracks

Overall Meaning

The Bruisers's "Mainliner" is a song about the dangers of drug addiction and the consequences of getting involved in it. The lyrics begin with a young man getting on a train at a young age and not seeing the sun since then. He got on at 18 and saw things he shouldn't have. The train is a metaphor for the addiction, and once you get on board, you can never get off. The mainliner is screaming down the tracks, signaling the inevitability of the consequences that come with addiction.

The lyrics describe how the young man lied to his friends about his pain and swore that he would never get on the "mainliner." But he did, and now he's never coming back. He used up his friends and cash and guaranteed a crash. The song's chorus drives home the urgency of this message, detailing the tragic consequences of drug addiction. The last verse reveals that the young man has died in a train derailment caused by his addiction.

The Bruisers's "Mainliner" is an important reminder of how drugs can lead to devastating consequences, and the lyrics provide cautionary tales for anyone struggling with addiction. The message of the song is clear: once you get on the mainliner, there is no coming back.

Line by Line Meaning

Well he got on a train at a really young age
He boarded a train when he was still very young

Ain't seen the sun since that fateful day
He hasn't seen daylight since he got on the train

Got on a train at the age of 18
He embarked on a train when he was 18 years old

You should have seen just what he seen
The things he saw were unbelievable

A long car train where there ain't no stops
It was an endless train that never stopped

Taking a ride but you can't get off
Once you're on board, you can't get off

Mainliner, mainliner screaming down the tracks
The train was called Mainliner and it roared down the tracks

Once you get on board that mainline train
Once you become a part of that train

There ain't no coming back
There's no turning back

You used up your friends used up your cash
He spent all of his money and lost all of his friends

Get on the train and man your gonna crash
If you get on that train, you will surely crash