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.
Katie
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The times you'd pretend.
Katie more times then not you're
You're not my friend.
So stop pretending while it's ending
And it's time I start defending
And protect myself from any more abuse
How could you be malicious?
You haven't got a good excuse.
You're just a waste of time to me Katie.
And you're a waste of time and errant space.
And I've been wasting time on you Katie.
There isn't any time left I can waste.
Oh your masquerade.
It's pretty plain.
Katie it's quitting time now
Now I'm afraid.
Now I've never been a quitter
Now it's something to consider
Just consider me somebody from your past.
The only thing that's satisfying
Is not the time I wasted trying
But when I stopped that's when time ran out so fast.
You're just a waste of time to me Katie.
And you're a waste of time and errant space.
And I've been wasting time on you Katie.
There isn't any time left I can waste.
No way!
You're just a waste of time to me Katie.
And you're a waste of time and errant space.
And I've been wasting time on you Katie.
There isn't any time left I can waste.
You're just a waste of time to me Katie. [x4]
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones's song Katie is a scathing rebuke to a supposed friend who has been pretending to be someone she's not. The lyrics express the singer's frustration and disappointment with Katie, who has been a manipulative and possibly even malicious presence in his life. The line "9 times out of 10, the times you'd pretend" sets up the theme of Katie's false persona and insincerity that runs throughout the song. The singer declares that Katie is "not my friend" and is no longer worth his time and attention.
The chorus of the song hammers home this sentiment, with the repetition of the line "You're just a waste of time to me Katie." The singer feels that he has been wasting too much energy and effort on Katie, and that it's time for him to move on and protect himself from further emotional abuse. The lyrics also suggest that the singer has been struggling with this decision, but ultimately decides that it's necessary for his own mental health and well-being.
Overall, the lyrics of Katie are a powerful condemnation of toxic friendships and the damage they can cause. The song encourages listeners to prioritize their own needs and boundaries, and to let go of people who don't truly value and respect them.
Line by Line Meaning
9 times out of 10.
Most of the time, you pretended to be my friend, but you weren't
The times you'd pretend.
You pretended to be my friend sometimes
Katie more times then not you're
Most of the time, you are not my friend, Katie
You're not my friend.
You are not my friend
So stop pretending while it's ending
The friendship is ending, so stop pretending
And it's time I start defending
I need to protect myself
And protect myself from any more abuse
I need to protect myself from any further mistreatment or harm
The friendship was fictitious
Our friendship was fake
How could you be malicious?
Why were you hurtful and cruel?
You haven't got a good excuse.
Your reasons for your actions are not justified
You're just a waste of time to me Katie.
You are not worth my time, Katie
And you're a waste of time and errant space.
You are a waste of time and take up unnecessary space in my life
And I've been wasting time on you Katie.
I have been spending too much time on you, Katie
There isn't any time left I can waste.
I cannot afford to waste any more time on you
Oh your masquerade.
Your disguise or act
It's pretty plain.
It's obvious
Katie it's quitting time now.
It's time to end our relationship, Katie
Now I'm afraid.
I have fear or anxiety about ending things
Now I've never been a quitter
I have never given up before
Now it's something to consider
But now it is something to consider
Just consider me somebody from your past.
From now on, think of me as someone from your past
The only thing that's satisfying
The only thing that is good or pleasing
Is not the time I wasted trying
Is not the time I spent trying to be your friend
But when I stopped that's when time ran out so fast.
But when I ended the friendship, time seemed to fly by
No way!
No, I will not continue this friendship any longer
You're just a waste of time to me Katie. [x4]
You are not worth my time, Katie (Repeated four times for emphasis)
Contributed by Alex Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.