Recording mostly live, the band released its debut, Almost Killed Me, on French Kiss Records in March 2004 and Separation Sunday a year later. In April 2006 the band signed to Vagrant Records and entered the studio on the 1st of May to begin work on their third record, Boys and Girls in America. Released in October, it was one of the most critically acclaimed records of 2006 and reached a much larger audience than its predecessors.
The band released their fourth album, Stay Positive, recorded again with Boys and Girls in America producer John Agnello. Nicolay left the group and on May 4, 2010 the band released their fifth studio album, Heaven Is Whenever, recorded with producer Dean Baltulonis.
On July 15, 2008, Stay Positive was released. It debuted at #30 on the Billboard 200. It debuted on the UK Album Chart at #15 on July 20, the third-highest new entry. It ranked #1 on the UK Indie Chart. The album was named the best of 2008 by Entertainment Weekly. The song "Constructive Summer" was number 56 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.
Their seventh album, Thrashing Thru the Passion, was released in 2019. Among its songs, "Entitlement Crew" and "Confusion in the Marketplace," were considered standouts.
The Ambassador
The Hold Steady Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was pretty much living in
A 3.2 bars a stretch to call a club.
It was called The Ambassador
She was pretty much crashing there.
The space between the skin and all her blood.
The days spent climbing walls like a vine.
A Bay City tire shop.
It's just a temporary stop.
A touchdown on a trip that was mostly undefined.
While you were still staying there.
All the halls smelled like burning hair.
In the end it made you sick but at first you didn't mind.
The nights were hot and hissing like an iron.
The day were cold and crushed you like a can.
Years spent faking pain and making plans.
I'm pretty sure you'd recognize these guys.
That were asking around for you just the other night.
There was blood on the bed
And the lights in their eyes.
If you came around the back
We could take them by surprise.
Your friend from the tire shop.
He keeps talking about some rock
Like he wants something hard to hit his head on.
You said he's a mystic.
Well I know he's not Catholic.
He's got a cross all upside down carved in his arm.
The nights were hot and hissing like an iron.
The days were cold and crushed you like a can.
Years spent faking pain and making plans.
I'm pretty sure you'd recognize these guys.
That were asking around for you just the other night.
There was blood on the bed
And the lights in their eyes.
When you came back to us
In South Minneapolis
You said revenge exists outside of space and time.
Back behind The Ambassador.
Man it feels kind of magical.
I guess your friend can really move things with his mind.
It was called The Ambassador
There wasn't much diplomatic there.
The space between the skin and all the blood.
The Hold Steady's song "The Ambassador" paints a vivid picture of a gritty, run-down bar called The Ambassador, where the singer's girlfriend is living at. The bar is far from glamorous, being a "3.2 bars a stretch to call a club," which indicates that it is a very low-end place, with cheap drinks and perhaps a seedy clientele. The singer describes the girl's living situation as "pretty much crashing there," and talks about the "space between the skin and all her blood," suggesting that she is in a vulnerable and dangerous situation.
The lyrics also reference the tire shop in Bay City, where it seems the singer is temporarily staying. The shop is described as a "touchdown on a trip that was mostly undefined," which suggests a sort of limbo existence. The singer notes that "the nights were hot and hissing like an iron" and "the days spent climbing walls like a vine," indicating a sense of entrapment and desperation.
The song's lyrics also allude to violence, with the ominous description of the men who were "asking around" for someone and the mention of "blood on the bed." The singer suggests that revenge is possible in this world outside of "space and time," perhaps indicating that it is a lawless and dangerous environment.
Overall, "The Ambassador" is a bleak picture of a seedy bar and the dangerous world that surrounds it, where violence and desperation seem to be the norm.
Line by Line Meaning
While you were in Michigan
During the time you were away in Michigan
She was pretty much living in
She was essentially residing in
A 3.2 bars a stretch to call a club.
A place barely qualifying as a club
It was called The Ambassador
The place was named The Ambassador
She was pretty much crashing there.
She was mostly sleeping there without paying for it
The space between the skin and all her blood.
The essence of her being, her soul
The nights were hot and hissing like an iron.
The nights were intense, filled with tension
The days spent climbing walls like a vine.
The days were spent in struggle, trying to survive
A Bay City tire shop.
A temporary workplace at a tire shop in Bay City
It's just a temporary stop.
It was just a brief pause in life
A touchdown on a trip that was mostly undefined.
A brief and undefined travel experience
While you were still staying there.
While you were still residing there
All the halls smelled like burning hair.
The place had an unpleasant odor
In the end it made you sick but at first you didn't mind.
In retrospect, it was unpleasant but at first it didn't bother you
The nights were hot and hissing like an iron.
The nights were filled with tension and danger
The day were cold and crushed you like a can.
The days were harsh and oppressive, draining you
Years spent faking pain and making plans.
Many years spent pretending to be okay while making plans
I'm pretty sure you'd recognize these guys.
I'm certain you would identify these particular men
That were asking around for you just the other night.
Who were trying to find information about you recently
There was blood on the bed
There were signs of violence in the room
And the lights in their eyes.
They had an intimidating, frightening presence
If you came around the back
If you approach from behind the location
We could take them by surprise.
We would be able to catch them off guard
Your friend from the tire shop.
Your acquaintance from the Bay City tire shop
He keeps talking about some rock
He frequently mentions a specific type of music
Like he wants something hard to hit his head on.
As if he desires to encounter something to help him cope
You said he's a mystic.
You claimed he is a mystic or spiritual in nature
Well I know he's not Catholic.
But I know for sure he doesn't follow Catholicism
He's got a cross all upside down carved in his arm.
He has an inverted cross carved into his arm
When you came back to us
Upon returning to us
In South Minneapolis
In a specific location in South Minneapolis
You said revenge exists outside of space and time.
You claimed vengeance transcends physical limitations
Back behind The Ambassador.
Behind the place called The Ambassador
Man it feels kind of magical.
It almost seems unexplainably special
I guess your friend can really move things with his mind.
I suppose your acquaintance has psychic abilities
There wasn't much diplomatic there.
The place wasn't known for being tactful or diplomatic
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
frankc32
great stuff.
I know it has been said a million times, the Springsteen comparisons, vocally, lyrically. Such poetic and stick-in-your-head low-key perfection.
Cheers!
Rory O'Keeffe
This and On With Business are the stand-outs from this album, and in different ways they're both brilliant...
Remy Zero
The Hold Steady are BRILLIANT!
MrSloika
Beautiful.
imperialjg
that Craig name-checks my city(Bay City) in this song always makes me smile.
therealfrankrizzo
listen to Lucero's 'it gets worst at night'........... then listen to this