In 1997, former Blanks member Pat Lillard ("Spider") (Bass), formed The Riverboat Gamblers with Fadi el-Assad ("Freddy Castro") (Lead Guitar), and Mike Wiebe ("Teko Buller" or "Rookie Sensation") (Vocals). Lillard's original intention was to emulate Virginia punk-rockers The Candy Snatchers. In direct contrast to the popular emo music at the time, The Riverboat Gamblers' premiere show featured over-the-top songs relating to drinking and of course, gambling. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, The Riverboat Gamblers continued to play house parties and shows throughout Denton and the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The Gamblers burst out of the Denton college scene in September of 2001 on the back of their self-released 7" single "Jenna Is A No Show." Both 2001's self-titled release and 2003's "Something to Crow About" were produced by Texas punk rocker Tim Kerr (Big Boys, Lord High Fixers).
After the warm reception of "Something to Crow About", the band soon relocated from Denton, Texas to Austin, Texas. The band first received attention from major record labels after their energetic and rowdy showcase at the 2003 South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas, but the band ultimately signed with indie label Gearhead Records. In 2005 they were signed to Volcom Entertainment and performed a stint on the 2005 Warped Tour, where the band was often noticed for its deranged live shows. The silliness of some of the earlier material has given way to a more complex breadth of material about America's maligned.
The band released their most recent album, "To the Confusion of Our Enemies", in April 2006.
They have also appeared on the soundtracks to the videogames "Tony Hawk's American Wasteland", "Madden NFL 07" and "FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage," and "Sega GT Online 2".
Victory Lap
The Riverboat Gamblers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's change in the cracks from my pocket in the cushion in then benches of the van
Hey Ian, who's this band
You keep playing on the ipod, I nod in out of sleep to the rhythm of the beat
Awaken to laughter and war stories, turn down the radio
I wanna talk about adventure and where we been
New York and sf with dtm
Home? Remind me why I'm coming back
Swing Ding in Tuscan, I sing along, I don't speak Spanish but I know the song
I need a Red Bull and the Arrivals on
Hey Eric is generic okay? Like the Pine Hill Hantis say we're living on a dollar a day
Talking about Alex's in lbc. Rob got a new name it's not pc
How long will it take? We're on the way
We spent half the night at Flying J
Navajo blankets and novelty hats
Nobody notices nobody pumped gas
So
We got, we got, we gotta get back
We want, we want a victory lap
Too long, too long, too long in these clothes
Spagett please go check if the trailers closed
I sleep, I sleep, I sleep in the back
Tj, Tj, where my money at?
I lose my meds, Fadi lose his phone
Can't stop to piss 'cause we're almost home
Where my cat is
1 3 and 5
5-1-2
The end of all trips
T to the E to the X A S
Please don't let me let myself forget
That we had it good in that moment
That we're G. F. F. G.
[Chorus:]
The lyrics to The Riverboat Gamblers's song Victory Lap describe a group of friends on a road trip, reminiscing and sharing stories about their adventures while traveling together. The song begins with the singer talking about their all-night drive from Cafalonia with the sun at their backs. They talk about finding change in the cracks from their pockets in the van's cushioned benches and nodding in and out of sleep to the sound of the iPod playing music. They end up discussing their adventure, the places they have been to, and where they are headed to next. They talk about spending nights at Flying J and getting Navajo blankets and novelty hats. The song ends with the singer asking to be reminded that they had it good at the moment and that they are G.F.F.G.
The song is a nostalgic reflection on a particular moment in time that is now gone, with the singer asking not to forget the good times they had together. The lyrics are rich in imagery and symbolism, and they connect with the audience in a personal and emotional way. The lines "please don't let me let myself forget" and "We want a victory lap" express the desire to hold on to the memories and to celebrate what they have experienced together.
Line by Line Meaning
All night drive from Cafalonia, the sun at our backs
We drove all night from Cafalonia with the sun behind us
There's change in the cracks from my pocket in the cushion in then benches of the van
There's coins in the cracks of the bench cushions in the van
Hey Ian, who's this band
I ask Ian the name of the band he's playing on the iPod
You keep playing on the ipod, I nod in out of sleep to the rhythm of the beat
I drift in and out of sleep, nodding to the beat of the music on the iPod
Awaken to laughter and war stories, turn down the radio
I wake up to laughter and war stories and turn down the radio.
I wanna talk about adventure and where we been
I want to discuss and reminisce about our adventures
New York and sf with dtm
We visited New York and San Francisco with DTM
Triple Rock, getting lost, google maps
We got lost while trying to find Triple Rock, so we resorted to Google Maps
Home? Remind me why I'm coming back
I question why I am going back home
Swing Ding in Tuscan, I sing along, I don't speak Spanish but I know the song
At Swing Ding in Tuscan, I sing along to a song in Spanish despite not knowing the language
I need a Red Bull and the Arrivals on
I need a Red Bull and to listen to The Arrivals
Hey Eric is generic okay? Like the Pine Hill Hantis say we're living on a dollar a day
I ask if being generic is acceptable and reference the Pine Hill Hantis who sing about living on a dollar a day
Talking about Alex's in lbc. Rob got a new name it's not pc
We discuss Alex's in LBC and how Rob has acquired a new, politically incorrect name
How long will it take? We're on the way
We wonder how long it will take as we are on our way
We spent half the night at Flying J
We spent a significant amount of time at Flying J
Navajo blankets and novelty hats
At Flying J, we saw Navajo blankets and novelty hats
Nobody notices nobody pumped gas
No one realizes that no one pumped gas
We got, we got, we gotta get back
We need to get back to where we came from
We want, we want a victory lap
We want to celebrate our adventure with a victory lap
Too long, too long, too long in these clothes
We've been wearing these clothes for too long
Spagett please go check if the trailers closed
I ask Spagett to check if the trailer is closed
I sleep, I sleep, I sleep in the back
I sleep in the back of the van
Tj, Tj, where my money at?
I ask Tj where my money is
I lose my meds, Fadi lose his phone
I lost my medication and Fadi lost his phone
Can't stop to piss 'cause we're almost home
We can't stop to urinate because we are nearly home
Where my cat is
I wonder where my cat is
1 3 and 5
I recite numbers, likely for an unknown reason
5-1-2
Another series of numbers, not necessarily related to the previous set
The end of all trips
This is the end of all our trips
T to the E to the X A S
We are in Texas
Please don't let me let myself forget
I don't want to forget this moment
That we had it good in that moment
We were fortunate in that moment
That we're G. F. F. G.
We're Good Friends For Good.
Chorus
The main refrain of the song, which repeats the desire to complete a victory lap
Contributed by Alexander W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Guttermatt
The fact that this song is not more popular is a travesty. Thank you for my childhood! And Austin pride!
Aisa Stagirite
"Victory Lap"
All night drive from Cafalonia, the sun at our backs
There's change in the cracks from my pocket in the cushion in then benches of the van
Hey Ian, who's this band
You keep playing on the iPod, I nod in out of sleep to the rhythm of the beat
Awaken to laughter and war stories, turn down the radio
I wanna talk about adventure and where we been
New York and SF with DTM
Triple Rock, getting lost, google maps
Home? Remind me why I'm coming back
Swing Ding in Tuscan, I sing along, I don't speak Spanish but I know the song
I need a Red Bull and the Arrivals on
Hey Eric is generic okay? Like the Pine Hill Haints say we're living on a dollar a day
Talking about Alex's in LBC. Rob got a new name its not PC
How long will it take? We're on the way
We spent half the night at Flying J
Navajo blankets and novelty hats
Nobody notices nobody pumped gas
So
We got, we got, we gotta get back
We want, we want a victory lap
Too long, too long, too long in these clothes
Spagett please go check if the trailers closed
I sleep, I sleep, I sleep in the back
Tj, Tj, where my money at?
I lose my meds, Fadi lose his phone
Can't stop to piss 'cause we're almost home
Where my cat is
1 3 and 5
5-1-2
The end of all trips
T to the E to the X A S
Please don't let me let myself forget
That we had it good in that moment
That we're G.F.F.G.
Kaya Shea
My father met Riverboat Gamblers and was in the band Swing Ding Amigos(: Im so proud of my dad(:
Jp182
freaking awesome
Step Lab
Punkrock perfection.
Jon Smith
thank you nfs mw for introducing me to these guys 😊
Adrian Niechciał
They were also in Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland!
Rusty Bollocks
I had socks on before I hit play. I no longer have the aforementioned socks, they were blown off my feet.
Christian Holloway
The Arrivals!