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.
Pictures To Prove It
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Lyrics
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That we shared nothing, but I've got something
I'd still like to say
You're not here to listen, and we were never good at that
Let's set the record straight, we shared something great
Even though now nothing's where we're at
Pictures to prove it, I've got the proof
I hit the bottle, put the pictures on the bar
I'll always have these pictures, but I don't know where you are
And I've got pictures to prove it
If you saw them, I'm sure
You'd be forced to remember
What we don't have anymore
I've got a pile of pictures
I've got a whole stack of proof
I've got pictures to prove it, I've got, I've got
Pictures to prove it, smudged with fingerprints and tears
Cigarette ashes
And our first few happy years
They're old now, they're faded and the edges all are frayed
I'll always have these pictures
But I wish that you had stayed
I've got pictures to prove it
If you saw them, I'm sure
You'd be forced to remember
What we don't have anymore
I've got a pile of pictures
I've got a whole stack of proof
I've got pictures to prove it and all I ever do is
Stare at the pictures for hours on end
They tell the truth to me
While I'm sure you just pretend
And you deny we ever happened and swear it never was that way
Even you'll admit when I submit to you exhibit A right?
I've got pictures to prove it
I'm not just blowing smoke
If you don't believe me, believe them
No this ain't no joke
I've got a pile of pictures
I've got a whole stack of proof
Someone look at the pictures
I've got, I've got
The lyrics of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones's song "Pictures To Prove It" depict a failed relationship and the frustration of one partner trying to prove to the other that they did share something special. The song opens with the singer addressing their past partner, asserting that they did have something between them, despite the latter's insistence that they did not. The singer, though alone, acknowledges that they would like to speak their mind, but their partner is not around to listen, and even if they were, communication was never their forte. Nevertheless, the singer continues to express that they had something significant between them, that they shared a great deal.
The song builds up to the chorus, highlighting the singer's proof of the relationship's existence; they have pictures to prove it. However, this only serves to sharpen the singer's pain further, as they are forced to confront the fact that their partner is no longer with them. The photographs offer a glimpse into what the partnership used to be, but it's now a sad reminder of what they have lost. The chorus repeats twice, emphasizing that the pictures hold proof of the bond that was once the cornerstone of the relationship.
The song's lyrics point towards the sadness and loneliness that follow a failed relationship. The pictures give life to the memories of the past, but they're also the last thread of hope the singer has about their former relationship. They're proof of something that was and could have been, but ultimately wasn't.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you insisted the day you walked away
You claimed that we never had anything on the day you left
That we shared nothing, but I've got something I'd still like to say
Despite what you said, we did share something and I have something to say about it
You're not here to listen, and we were never good at that
You're not here to hear me out, and we never were good at communicating with each other
Let's set the record straight, we shared something great
Let's be honest, we did have something special
Even though now nothing's where we're at
Even though we're not together anymore
Pictures to prove it, I've got the proof
I have pictures to prove that we had something
When you hit the bricks, I hit the roof
When you left, I was really upset
I hit the bottle, put the pictures on the bar
I turned to drinking and placed the pictures on the bar
I'll always have these pictures, but I don't know where you are
I will always have these pictures, but I don't know where you are now
If you saw them, I'm sure you'd be forced to remember
If you saw these pictures, you would be reminded of what we had
What we don't have anymore
What we don't have anymore
They're old now, they're faded and the edges all are frayed
These pictures are old and worn out with time
But I wish that you had stayed
But I wish that you had stayed with me
And you deny we ever happened and swear it never was that way
You deny that we ever had anything and claim that it never happened
Even you'll admit when I submit to you exhibit A right?
Even you would have to admit when I show you these pictures as evidence, right?
I'm not just blowing smoke
I'm not just making this up
If you don't believe me, believe them
If you don't believe me, believe the pictures
No this ain't no joke
This is not a joke or a lie
Someone look at the pictures
Please, someone look at the pictures
I've got, I've got
I've got, I've got pictures to prove it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DENNIS BROCKENBOROUGH, DICKY BARRETT, JOE GITTLEMAN, JOSEPH SIROIS, KEVIN LENEAR, NATE ALBERT, TIM BURTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind