The brothers began playing together on Sunday afternoons at their father's barbecues but the band started when they moved to a little apartment in Brooklyn and began to play at the Subway stations near 42nd. Street and Union Square in Greenwich Village.
They released their debut album Through These Reins and Gone in 2006 and in 2007 they got a deal with Loose Music in Europe. Through These Reins and Gone made it onto Radio Woodstock WDST's top 25 albums of 2006. The Felice Brothers have played at Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY, toured with Bright Eyes played at the 2008 Clearwater Festival, and Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN.
Ambulance Man
The Felice Brothers Lyrics
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Making my skies cloudy again
There goes the tide
There goes my heart, burning alive
This was an old rodeo
In the long ago
Now it's a burning ring of fire
Here comes the rain
Hounding old coney island again
Here come the sharks
Tearing my good neighbours apart
Where is that old movie screen
That my eyes have seen
Where are your warm summer winds
Where's my lover been
Ambulance man
Please let me ride
I'm at the end
Ambulance man
I'm at the end
Here comes the rain
Making my bones quiver again
Here come the freaks
Tearing the children from their seats
That's where the turnstile had been
Where we'd all file in
Now it's a burning ring of fire
Turning my real desires
Ambulance man
Please let me ride
I'm at the end
Ambulance man
I'm at the end tonight
The Felice Brothers's song Ambulance Man appears to be a commentary on the loss of innocence and the destruction of a once idyllic place. The lyrics begin with a simple statement about the rain, which quickly becomes a metaphor for the difficulty, pain and suffering that is constantly present in the world. The use of "my skies" and "my heart" in the first verse suggests a personal connection to the pain and suffering, as if it is raining only on the singer's life.
The second verse seems to be a nostalgic look back on a time when things were better, when the world was full of promise and hope. The reference to an old rodeo adds a sense of history and timelessness to the song, as if the world has been changing and losing its innocence for a long time. The line "Turning my bad desires" suggests that the singer has been complicit in this destruction, that he is part of the problem.
The third verse introduces the idea of an ambulance man, which adds a sense of urgency to the song. The repeated plea "Please let me ride" suggests that the singer is desperate to escape and that the ambulance man is his only hope. The final verse brings back the rain metaphor and adds a sense of chaos and violence with the "freaks" and "tearing the children from their seats". The repetition of "I'm at the end" suggests that the singer has given up hope and is resigned to his fate.
Line by Line Meaning
Here comes the rain
The depressed character's life is going through another dark phase.
Making my skies cloudy again
The events in life are making everything seem gloomy and hazy.
There goes the tide
Everything seems to be slipping away like the tide recedes from the shore.
There goes my heart, burning alive
The character's heart is filled with pain, desire, and guilt.
This was an old rodeo
Life seemed simpler back in the day just like a rodeo.
In the long ago
The old days seem like a fleeting memory.
Now it's a burning ring of fire
Life has become a series of painful, fiery moments.
Turning my bad desires
The character's dark desires are consuming them.
Here comes the rain
The character's life is still filled with gloom and doom.
Hounding old coney island again
The once-famous amusement park has become a sad reminder of better days.
Here come the sharks
Bad people are preying on their innocent neighbours.
Tearing my good neighbours apart
The innocent community is being destroyed by outsiders.
Where is that old movie screen
The character is reminiscing about good times spent watching movies.
That my eyes have seen
These memories are as clear as yesterday to the character.
Where are your warm summer winds
The character remembers how nature used to comfort them during summer.
Where's my lover been
The character is longing for their former love, who is not present in their life anymore.
Ambulance man
The character has reached their limit and needs help to survive.
Please let me ride
The character is begging for salvation from their pain and suffering.
I'm at the end
The character has almost given up.
Here comes the rain
The dark and depressing mood persists in the character's life.
Making my bones quiver again
Even the character's body is affected by the constant stress and anxiety.
Here come the freaks
The character is seeing the world as a sinister place, filled with dangerous people.
Tearing the children from their seats
Even the children are not safe in this cruel world.
That's where the turnstile had been
The character remembers an object that represents their past life, which no longer exists.
Where we'd all file in
This object was once a meeting place for friends and family.
Now it's a burning ring of fire
Everything in the character's life seems to be burning, with no escape.
Turning my real desires
The character's true desires are being corrupted by the pain and suffering of their life.
Ambulance man
The character is once again pleading for help from emergency services.
I'm at the end tonight
The character may not survive the night without help.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gregory Farley, Ian Felice, James Felice, Josh Rawson, Simone Felice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind