The Hormonauts were formed in 1999 and thanks to the support of an independent swiss label - Voodoo Rhythm rec. released their first record “Hormone Hop” by throughout Europe.
It features twelve tracks, among them “Get off the wagon”, “Sweet young thing”, “Turkey Jive” and a great version of “Black Slacks”. The three artists promoted this record with many concerts in Europe: Germany, France, Holland, Spain, Switzerland are just a few of the countries that the fearless rockers stir up with their live act. So in three years they get a record deal with Ammonia Records – one of the most important italian independent labels and publish “Mini skirt”. Here the sound is even more blended, and the trio’s original tracks are truly epic. “Mini skirt”, “I see two”, “Mojito Joe” are three authentic jewels, with their excellent mix of rockabilly flavour with surf, ska and punk. The amazing versions of “Tainted love” and “Lonesome train” make this album appealing to a more varied audience. Their third album, “Hormone airlines”, is licensed by V2 records. Among its 14 tracks quite a few stand out: “Just why your blue” (with a rock/garage sound), “Cassius” and then “Solid gone”, “Little red Vanette” (going at a full speed with a captivating swing) up to the amazing ‘electro-western’ version of “Staying alive”, a pure essence of madness which will become a new video and a radio single. The “Hormonauts” believe their third album holds their real musical essence, their style and their artistic inspiration which the group has named “Hormonebilly”.
Now, introduced by the hit cover “My Sharona” The Hormonauts released “Hormonized”, their fourth album. It’s time now for the band to shift into a pure rock and roll sound: “Lucky Toy”, and “My Sharona”, but also the soft “Top of the world” or the “western” atmosphere of “Greasy Black hands. “Hormonized” and “Hormonette” are already true hymns, but the real blow are “Just Drive” and “Shit faced”!
The Hormonauts have taken part in the more important national rock festivals alongside groups such as Rancid, The Cramps, Nofx, Manu Chao, Millencollin, Ska-P, The Mars Volta and The Hives. Right now the Hormonauts are touring all over Italy and part of Europe with a new member, the Fourth Hormonaut, Reverend Cosmic, Andy's prodigal cousin from Somewhere, Texas! He's a Lap-Steel and Baritone guitar-slinger who'll be bringing a deep country twang and fuzz to the musical hurricane we already know and love! They'll be playing at Festivals, Clubs and wherever the fun is, riding their Big Blue Burnin’ Bus, two-litre diesel pleasure mobile!
Discography:
“Hormone Hop” (Voodoo Rhytm, 2002),
“Mini-Skirt” (Ammonia/V2, 2003),
“Hormone Airlines” (V2, 2004),
“Homonized” (V2, 2006).
Get Off the Wagon
The Hormonauts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I gave up all the drinkin',
And threw my cigarettes in the trash,
Thought I'd live a little longer prob'ly get a little stronger,
Even save myself a little cash,
Now my friends they started snorin',
I guess I'm getting' borin',
My girl-friends keep walkin' out on me,
Get back how you used to be!
[chorus] Get off the wagon!
You're young boy, you ain't getting' old,
Get off the wagon and stop doin' what you're told.
If the truth be told, I was a lively little soul,
Even socialisin' without the aid of booze,
But when it carne to meetin' women,
My head would start a-spinnin',
And l' d wind up starin' at my shoes,
So let the angels kiss my ass,
L' m gonna lift up my glass,
And welcome my good ol' self back,
If you give me enough rope,
Im gonna wind up smokin' dope,
Droppin' acid, snortin' coke and smokin' crack!
[chorus]
As I lift up my flask I can hear y' all ash,
Ain't ya worried 'bout the damage boozin' does?
When my liver starts complainin'
And my heart it starts a-strainin',
I'll find myself some gas that I can buzz!
Guess I'll turn over a page when I reach my old age,
Provided I actually get there,
I'll get on the wagon when my chest starts a-saggin',
And I lose all my teeth and my hair!
[chorus x2]
The Hormonauts’ song “Get Off the Wagon” is about a man who has decided to give up drinking and smoking in an effort to live a healthier life. However, his friends and loved ones are not happy with his new lifestyle and find him less interesting. The man feels pressure to go back to his old ways, but also acknowledges the potential damage it may cause. He ultimately decides to not abandon his newfound sobriety just to please others.
The first verse establishes the singer’s decision to change his habits, and he believes it will benefit his life in multiple ways. However, he quickly realizes that his friends are not as interested in spending time with him now that he’s not drinking or smoking. The chorus is a call to action, telling the singer to “Get off the wagon” and stop conforming to societal norms just because “you ain't getting' old.”
In the second verse, the singer reflects on his past experiences and admits that drinking has hindered his social interactions with women. However, he also declares his intention to return to his old ways, despite potential consequences. The bridge offers a rebuttal to the warnings he receives, stating that he will only go back to drinking when he’s older and less concerned with the damage it may cause.
Overall, “Get Off the Wagon” can be interpreted as a rebellion against societal expectations to drink and party excessively. The singer’s decision to change his lifestyle for the sake of his health is met with criticism rather than encouragement, highlighting the pressure to conform to certain behaviors. The song encourages listeners to prioritize their own well-being over pleasing others.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I did myself some thinkin'
I took some time to reflect on my life
And I gave up all the drinkin'
I quit drinking alcohol
And threw my cigarettes in the trash
I got rid of my cigarettes
Thought I'd live a little longer prob'ly get a little stronger,
I believed that quitting would make me healthier and stronger
Even save myself a little cash,
I would also save some money by not buying cigarettes and alcohol
Now my friends they started snorin',
My friends became bored with me because I stopped drinking
I guess I'm getting' borin',
I realized that my sobriety made me less interesting to my friends
My girl-friends keep walkin' out on me,
My girlfriends leave me because they miss the old me who drank and smoked
There's this voice keeps on naggin' -get off the wagon,
My inner voice keeps telling me to start drinking again
Get back how you used to be!
It wants me to be the way I was before I quit drinking
Get off the wagon!
Stop being sober
You're young boy, you ain't getting' old,
You're still young and shouldn't worry about getting old
Get off the wagon and stop doin' what you're told.
Stop following society's expectations to stay sober
If the truth be told, I was a lively little soul,
To be honest, I used to be a fun-loving person
Even socialisin' without the aid of booze,
I was able to socialize without drinking alcohol
But when it carne to meetin' women,
However, when it came to meeting women
My head would start a-spinnin',
I would get nervous and dizzy
And l' d wind up starin' at my shoes,
I would become shy and look down at my shoes
So let the angels kiss my ass,
I don't care about the consequences
L' m gonna lift up my glass,
I will start drinking again
And welcome my good ol' self back,
I'll embrace the old version of myself who drank and smoked
If you give me enough rope,
If you give me enough freedom
Im gonna wind up smokin' dope,
I'll start using drugs
Droppin' acid, snortin' coke and smokin' crack!
I'll use various drugs that are harmful to my health
As I lift up my flask I can hear y' all ash,
As I drink from my flask, I can hear people's criticism
Ain't ya worried 'bout the damage boozin' does?
Don't you care about the harmful effects of alcohol?
When my liver starts complainin',
When my liver starts having problems
And my heart it starts a-strainin',
When my heart starts having problems
I'll find myself some gas that I can buzz!
I'll find some other drug to use instead of alcohol
Guess I'll turn over a page when I reach my old age,
I'll change my habits when I'm older
Provided I actually get there,
If I even live that long
I'll get on the wagon when my chest starts a-saggin',
I'll stop drinking when I start having health problems
And I lose all my teeth and my hair!
When I have lost all physical vitality and attractiveness
Contributed by Joseph L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.