Dead Or Alive
The Busters Lyrics


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here is the band this is our song
we'll have a party all night long
smoking drinking all night through
we act as people expect us to

here today we rock this town
dancing acting like a clown
and what you see is what you get
girls we want your T-shirts drenched in sweat

pretty girls are everywhere
about their guys we don't care
so you all came to see the show
there is one thing that we want to know

Are you dead or alive? - Busters rock this town tonight
Are you dead or alive? - take a chance take a dance
Are you dead or alive? - Busters rock this town tonight
Are you dead or are you alive?

we do our job by day and night
we have seen all bars and Kentucky-Fried
a thousand miles in a row
just to play tonight's show

speed tickets cause drunken nights
police controls we don't like girls




if you like us give us a kiss
tell your boys to take a piss

Overall Meaning

The Busters’ song Dead Or Alive is an upbeat party anthem that celebrates their love for music and performance. The opening lines suggest that the band themselves are the subject of the song- “here is the band this is our song”- and the rest of the lyrics detail their experiences of being in a band- the smoking and drinking, the long hours of work, and the constant touring.


The lyrics also express their disregard for societal norms and conventions as they declare that they “act as people expect us to.” The second verse reveals their habit of playing shows in different towns and experiencing the highs and lows of life on the road. The chorus, though seemingly nonsensical, is a perfectly-chosen slogan for a song that is all about living fully in the moment and enjoying life to the fullest- “Are you dead or alive? Busters rock this town tonight. Take a chance, take a dance.”


Overall, the lyrics to Dead or Alive are not particularly deep or meaningful, but they perfectly capture the spirit of a band that is all about having fun, making music, and putting on a great show for their fans.


Line by Line Meaning

here is the band this is our song
We are introducing ourselves and our music


we'll have a party all night long
We will be celebrating and enjoying ourselves throughout the night


smoking drinking all night through
We will be smoking and drinking throughout the entire night


we act as people expect us to
We put on a show and behave in a way that is expected of us as performers


here today we rock this town
We are here to play music and entertain the audience in this particular town


dancing acting like a clown
We will be dancing and performing in a playful, entertaining manner


and what you see is what you get
We are genuine performers, there is nothing to hide


girls we want your T-shirts drenched in sweat
We want to impress the girls in the audience and have them enjoy themselves during the performance


pretty girls are everywhere
There are many attractive girls in the audience


about their guys we don't care
We don't pay attention to the girl's male partners, we're only interested in entertaining the audience


so you all came to see the show
The audience is here to see us perform


there is one thing that we want to know
We have a question for the audience


Are you dead or alive? - Busters rock this town tonight
We are asking if the audience is ready and excited for our performance, indicating that we will make the town come alive


Are you dead or alive? - take a chance take a dance
We are encouraging the audience to let go of their inhibitions and dance along with us


Are you dead or alive? - Busters rock this town tonight
We are emphasizing that our performance will make the town come alive


Are you dead or are you alive?
We are repeating our question to emphasize its importance


we do our job by day and night
We work hard and perform day and night as musicians


we have seen all bars and Kentucky-Fried
We have experienced many bars and fast food restaurants throughout our performing career


a thousand miles in a row
We have traveled a great distance to perform


just to play tonight's show
We are focused on putting on a great performance for tonight's audience


speed tickets cause drunken nights
We have received speeding tickets while traveling and have experienced drunken nights due to performing and partying


police controls we don't like girls
We don't appreciate the interruption of police controls, especially if it interferes with our ability to interact with girls in the audience


if you like us give us a kiss
We hope to receive affection from the audience


tell your boys to take a piss
We are suggesting that the female audience members should encourage their male partners to take a break and stay out of the way so they can enjoy the show




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: HANS JOERG FISCHER, JENS GUENTHER, JOCHEN SEITERLE, KLAUS HUBI HUBER, MARKUS GRITTNER, MARKUS SCHRAMHAUSER, PETER QUINTERN, REINHARD APPRICH, ROBERT GOEHRING, STEFAN BREUER, STEPHAN KELLER

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