The Skoidats formed in the summer of 1995 in Helena, Montana. Soon after their inception, they relocated to Missoula, Montana, losing two members in the move. After arriving in Missoula, the three original Skoidats placed an ad in the paper to find a new horn section. It was soon answered by two members of the University of Montana marching band. They were the first and only horn players to be auditioned. Since robbing the University of Montana marching band of two members, this five piece toured the country four times and played with many well-known ska- and oi-bands. The Skoidats broke up in 2001, the band lives spread all over the world this day.
Unlike many Ska bands, The Skoidats sound varied greatly from song to song, pleasing Oi! fans as well as traditional Ska fans. It was rare to see someone standing still at a Skoidats show as their energy was impossible to ignore. The skoidats played loud and hard and often sang about traditional punk and skins topics such as fighting, having sex, and drinking.
The Ballad of Breckenridge
The Skoidats Lyrics
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Seagrams 7, four bottles in hand.
We tried to find the local bar,
But got wasted in the van.
We went back to the hotel.
We showered, shaved, and drank some more.
Then we went back into town,
Then we met some locals,
They took us home.
They were unaware, they gave us that stare,
They didn't know.
We found a party going on.
We were told that we were welcome to stay.
Until we took over their stereo,
And blasted Skinhead reggae.
Soon the mood of the locals changed.
They started giving us the evil eye.
Most of the kids that were on the porch,
Got scared and went inside.
What we didn't know was
The best was yet to come
It would soon be clear
The booze and the beer
Would lead to rough fun!
Three dollars change, all you can drink
Dirk's bar on a Wednesday night
The scene was serene, pretty nice and clean
Until the Skoidats got in sight
Flapjack's causing trouble
And he needed a helping hand
He had to get help from an empty bottle
Because the Skinheads could barely stand
Next thing we know he was ejected
But then we snuck him in the back of the room
He said “You boys better back me up, because
There's going to be trouble soon!”
And the boots went in hard.
It was the police…
That gave us that old stiff arm.
What we didn't know
Was the cops were just starting their fun.
We were unaware there was hate in the air
And we were the targeted ones
Two billy clubs and a broken nose
A tumble down a flight of stairs
A faux gang war and a blue squad car
Toilet paper and broken mirrors.
The media victims on a rampage
The cops were the ones who were right
They said “None of you drunken Skinheads
Will leave Breckenridge tonight!”
We will never learn
And we will never return to Breckenridge!
The Skoidats’s song “The Ballad of Breckenridge” is a humorous yet somewhat chaotic depiction of a wild night out in Breckenridge, Colorado. The song starts with an innocent intention to find a local bar, but the four-bottle Seagrams 7 quickly gets the best out of the group, leading them into a drunken stupor in their hotel room. The irony that sets the mood of the song is that despite their failing attempts to find the local bar, they eventually stumble into an unknown party, only to overtake the locals’ stereo with Skinhead Reggae and receive an unwelcome reception from the crowd. The second verse follows the same path but in a different setting, with the singer, Flapjack, causing trouble in a local bar called Dirk’s. When they were kicked out by the Police, the group tried to sneak Flapjack back in and found themselves facing a worse situation. They became victims of police brutality, leading to injuries and damage in the small town of Breckenridge, leaving them vowing never to return.
The lyrics are witty, sarcastic, and allude to the trouble they had with police, locals, and their own drunken behavior. The song’s tone is upbeat and fast-paced, with a touch of ska, punk, and reggae, reflecting the band’s style. Ultimately, the song is about a memorable night that went sideways and led to regrettable consequences that scarred the singers in one way or another.
Line by Line Meaning
It started out so innocent.
The night started off normal.
Seagrams 7, four bottles in hand.
We had four bottles of Seagrams 7.
We tried to find the local bar,
We couldn't find the bar.
But got wasted in the van.
So, we got drunk in the van.
We went back to the hotel.
We returned to our hotel.
We showered, shaved, and drank some more.
We drank more alcohol after showering and shaving.
Then we went back into town,
We returned to town.
Still looking for the bar.
We were still trying to find the bar.
Then we met some locals,
We encountered some local people.
They took us home.
They invited us to their place.
They were unaware, they gave us that stare,
They were surprised to see our presence.
They didn't know.
They didn't have any idea of our intentions.
We found a party going on.
We saw a big party.
We were told that we were welcome to stay.
They offered us to stay at the party.
Until we took over their stereo,
Until we had control of their music system.
And blasted skinhead reggae.
And we played some hardcore skinhead reggae music.
Soon the mood of the locals changed.
The mood of the party guests changed.
They started giving us the evil eye.
They started to look at us with suspicion.
Most of the kids that were on the porch,
The kids who were outside the house
Got scared and went inside.
Got frightened and were compelled to go inside.
What we didn't know was
We had no idea that
The best was yet to come
The most intense part was yet to happen.
It would soon be clear
We were about to realize that
The booze and the beer
The drunken state of ours
Would lead to rough fun!
Will give rise to a chaotic situation!
Three dollars change, all you can drink
Pay three dollars and drink as much as you like
Dirk's bar on a Wednesday night
At Dirk's bar on a Wednesday night
The scene was serene, pretty nice and clean
The place was calm and clean.
Until the Skoidats got in sight
Until the Skoidats (our band) showed up.
Flapjack's causing trouble
Flapjack (a person) caused a scene
And he needed a helping hand
He was in trouble and needed help.
He had to get help from an empty bottle
He found solace in the alcohol.
Because the Skinheads could barely stand
Because everyone was too drunk to even stand properly.
Next thing we know he was ejected
Soon after, he was kicked out of the bar by the authorities.
But then we snuck him in the back of the room
But we managed to sneak him back inside through the backdoor.
He said “You boys better back me up, because
He said, 'You all must support me, otherwise'
There's going to be trouble soon!'
Things are going to get really bad soon!'
And the boots went in hard.
Police raided in with force.
It was the police…
It was the police who did it.
That gave us that old stiff arm.
They used the old technique to monitor the crowd.
What we didn't know
We were unaware that
Was the cops were just starting their fun.
The authorities had plans to have more fun.
We were unaware there was hate in the air
We didn't know there was hate in the air.
And we were the targeted ones
The authorities targeted us.
Two billy clubs and a broken nose
We were beaten up by the police, and one of us ended up with a broken nose.
A tumble down a flight of stairs
One of us fell down the stairs.
A faux gang war and a blue squad car
They pretended to have had a gang war and arrived in a police blue squad car.
Toilet paper and broken mirrors.
They destroyed the place, breaking the mirrors and throwing toilet papers everywhere.
The media victims on a rampage
Media spread chaos even more.
The cops were the ones who were right
The police thought they were right in their actions.
They said “None of you drunken Skinheads
They announced that no Skinheads and drunk people
Will leave Breckenridge tonight!'
Can leave Breckenridge tonight!
We will never learn
We will never realize
And we will never return to Breckenridge!
And we might never come back to Breckenridge.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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