Formed in 1985, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones started playing in Boston clubs in the mid-1980s. After a brief period of inactivity due to the schooling commitments of its members, they reformed and released their album Devil's Night Out on Taang! Records. The Bosstones toured relentlessly throughout the 1990s, playing hundreds of shows a year, releasing albums and spinning off the popular rock radio hit "Someday I Suppose". They were eventually signed to Mercury Records. The band appeared in the movie Clueless. In 1997, the success of their single "The Impression That I Get" and its follow up, "The Rascal King" earned them mainstream recognition. In 2000 they put out their critically acclaimed disk Pay Attention. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones released their last album on Side One Dummy Records. They officially went on hiatus in 2003, citing too much time on the road and desire to branch out and do different things. In 2007, the Bosstones announced that they were reforming. They played their 10th Hometown Throwdown in Boston and released a new album, Medium Rare, which consists of rare B-sides, and 3 new songs, including the single, "Don't Worry Desmond Dekker".
The band announced their split in early 2022.
GRAFFITI WORTH READING
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So if that is true, then believe me now you worth reading graffiti is gone
While we're on it, get off it, The days of the prophet writing his words on the wall
have gone now behind us, but somehow, we find ourselves desperately reading it all
Repent! Obey! The End Is Near!
I tagged and marked and bragged and barked and, I was here!
We wrote on the surface with no real purpose or reason or rhyme what to write
Out of place and outdated and poorly illustrated, and that would be being polite.
And not for One loss, but who's counting the cost and then figuring out what we're losing?
I would guess we are losing what's less than we figured unless that's confusing.
Repent! Obey! The End Is Near!
I tagged and marked and bragged and barked and, I was here!
(Hey!)
When it's all done and stated and look at what was created, and don't take it out on us all
We try taking it lighter and don't blame the writer, just do what I do: blame the wall!
Repent! Obey! The End Is Near!
I tagged and marked and bragged and barked and, I was here!
Graffiti worth reading rarely is written on walls that are worth writing on
So if that is true, then believe me now you worth reading graffiti is gone
Graffiti worth reading rarely is written on walls that are worth writing on
So if that is true, then believe me now you worth reading graffiti is gone
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones's "Graffiti Worth Reading" is a commentary on the state of graffiti as an art form. The lyrics suggest that the best graffiti is often found in unexpected places, rather than on pristine walls that would-be artists typically target. The song is also critical of the content of much graffiti, which often lacks purpose, reason, or rhyme.
The song speaks to the loss of the graffiti art of the past when the days of the prophet writing his words on the wall were common. The mention of ‘Repent! Obey! The End is Near!’ suggests that the Bosstones are commenting on how graffiti used to be a form of social commentary, a way to address important issues and spark conversation. Today, much graffiti is only about self-promotion and seeking attention. The lyrics ‘I tagged and marked and bragged and barked and, I was here!’ are a nod to this self-promotional aspect of graffiti.
The lyrics ‘When it's all done and stated and look at what was created, and don't take it out on us all.' and 'We try taking it lighter and don't blame the writer, just do what I do: blame the wall!’ suggest a sense of resignation about the state of graffiti as an art form. The song encourages listeners to look for the truly insightful and meaningful graffiti that is out there, even if it's not in the most obvious places.
Line by Line Meaning
Graffiti worth reading rarely is written on walls that are worth writing on
Meaningful and insightful graffiti is not usually found on walls that are worthy of being written on.
So if that is true, then believe me now you worth reading graffiti is gone
Therefore, if this statement holds true, then the graffiti that is worth reading has been eradicated.
While we're on it, get off it, The days of the prophet writing his words on the wall
We should stop dwelling on this topic. The time when prophets wrote on walls with their messages has passed.
have gone now behind us, but somehow, we find ourselves desperately reading it all
Despite this, we still find ourselves eagerly reading whatever is left of these prophetic messages on walls.
Repent! Obey! The End Is Near!
This is a common theme of graffiti messages, urging people to repent and obey before the impending end.
I tagged and marked and bragged and barked and, I was here!
Graffiti writers often leave their own mark as a way of asserting their presence.
We wrote on the surface with no real purpose or reason or rhyme what to write
Graffiti is often created without any clear intention, reason, or intention to produce anything coherent.
Out of place and outdated and poorly illustrated, and that would be being polite.
Most graffiti has poor aesthetics and is not in line with the surroundings, and is therefore seen as unpleasant.
And not for One loss, but who's counting the cost and then figuring out what we're losing?
The cost of creating graffiti cannot be quantified, and it is not possible to fully measure what is lost as a result.
I would guess we are losing what's less than we figured unless that's confusing.
The loss suffered due to graffiti is perhaps not as significant as we may think, unless there is a deeper meaning that we are missing.
When it's all done and stated and look at what was created, and don't take it out on us all
When everything is said and done, and we reflect on what has been created, we should not blame all of the graffiti writers.
We try taking it lighter and don't blame the writer, just do what I do: blame the wall!
Instead, we should try not to take it too seriously and not blame the writers, and instead place the blame on the wall itself for being a suitable canvas for graffiti.
Contributed by Camden V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.