Initially formed in 1983, the members came from all around the U.S. Most notably, Kentucky native Sid Griffin who shared most the vocals and guitars with Virginian Stephen McCarthy. The band scored a UK hit with Looking for Lewis & Clark in 1985. The group disbanded in 1987, but reunited to perform at the 2004 Glastonbury Festival and several other major events.
The Long Ryders played their first live dates in the U.S. in more than 20 years when they headlined in 2009 at The Earl in Atlanta, Georgia, and in 2014 at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.
On February 15, 2019, The Long Ryders released Psychedelic Country Soul, the band's first album of new material in 33 years.
Mental Revenge
The Long Ryders Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gets drunk and loses her job
And every road that you travel on
Is dusty rocky and hard
I couldn't make you love me
You only made me blue
So all in all if the curtain should fall
And I will have sweet
Sweet sweet mental revenge
I will have sweet
Sweet sweet mental revenge
Well I hope that the train from Caribou, Maine
Runs over your new love affair
You'll walk the floor from dawn to dawn
And you'll tear out your peroxide hair
I never was your woman
Cause you were never true
So all in all if the curtain should fall
Then I hope that it falls on you
And I will have sweet
Sweet sweet mental revenge
I will have sweet
Sweet sweet mental revenge
I will have sweet
Sweet sweet mental revenge
I will have sweet
Sweet sweet mental revenge
The Long Ryders's song "Mental Revenge" is a revenge song driven by bitter sentiments, where the singer anticipates payback for the mistreatment they have received from their ex-lover. The song is about a failed relationship where one partner was unfaithful and repeatedly hurt the other, who now wants revenge. The singer's anger and bitterness is evident in the lyrics, as they hope bad things happen to their ex-lover and their new partner, like their friend losing their job and the train from Caribou, Maine running over their new love affair.
However, even though they admit to feeling hurt, the singer ultimately claims to have found a way to move on and get revenge in their mind, without physically doing anything. The use of the phrase "sweet sweet mental revenge" implies that the singer has found solace in their thoughts of revenge and that their ex-lover's downfall is a foregone conclusion. The song reveals the power of the mind to provide comfort in situations where we feel like we have no power over a situation and how revenge, even if not acted on, can bring inner peace and closure.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I hope that the friend that you've thrown yourself on
I hope the person you've relied on will let you down.
Gets drunk and loses her job
I hope she experiences negative consequences that will affect her livelihood.
And every road that you travel on
Wherever you go...
Is dusty, rocky and hard
...may it be unpleasant and difficult.
I couldn't make you love me
I wasn't able to earn your love.
You only made me blue
In fact, you made me very unhappy.
So all in all if the curtain should fall
If everything were to end...
Then I hope that it falls on you
...I hope you're the one to experience the negative consequences.
And I will have sweet sweet sweet mental revenge
And I will feel satisfaction in my mind knowing that you're suffering.
Well I hope that the train from Caribou, Maine
I hope that even something as insignificant as a train from this small town will cause you harm.
Runs over your new love affair
I hope your new relationship gets destroyed in a painful way.
You'll walk the floor from dawn to dawn
You will be so anxious that you won't be able to sleep, and you will pace around.
And you'll tear out your peroxide hair
You'll be so distressed that you'll start to lose your hair.
I never was your woman
I was never truly yours.
Cause you were never true
Because you were never honest with me.
And I will have sweet sweet sweet mental revenge
I will continue to feel satisfaction in knowing that you're suffering in your own way.
I will have sweet sweet sweet mental revenge
This feeling of satisfaction will continue to linger in my mind.
I will have sweet sweet sweet mental revenge
And I will continue to feel this way as long as I live.
I will have sweet sweet sweet mental revenge
The satisfaction of knowing you're experiencing negative consequences will never grow old.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MEL TILLIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Talbott
Wow..wow. Had the pleasure of seeing them on one of their final tours in Atlanta about 2004
adycowley
RIP Tom Stevens
Matthew Call
Sweet!
Tommy Joe 90
Great cover
Mark Talbott
I prefer it to the original
John Campbell
Those days
Eli Sage
@Francisco Braylen happy to help =)
Francisco Braylen
@Eli Sage Thank you, signed up and it seems to work :) I appreciate it!
Christian Luka
@Eli Sage Yup, been watching on flixzone for since april myself :)
Eli Sage
@Francisco Braylen I use flixzone. You can find it on google :)