One of New York's most notable ska bands, the Slackers formed in Brooklyn i… Read Full Bio ↴One of New York's most notable ska bands, the Slackers formed in Brooklyn in 1991 and have played the world over many times since. Their first release was an eponymous self-released album, distributed by Moon Records in 1993 on cassette. Their first real debut is "Better Late Than Never" on Moon Ska Records. Coming out in 1996, this album saw a movement to more traditional ska music, as opposed to their earlier two-tone and garage influences. It was produced by Victor Rice, a noted ska/reggae producer, who also played bass for them at one point.

Band members are as follows:
Vic Ruggiero - Keyboards, Vocals
Jay "Agent Jay" Nugent - Guitar
Dave Hillyard - Saxophone
Glen Pine - Trombone, Vocals
Marcus Geard - Bass
Ara Babajian - Drums

Former members and contributors:
Marq "Q-Maxx 4:20" Lyn - Vocals
TJ Scanlon - Guitar
Luis "Zulu" Zuluaga - Drums
Jeremy "Mush One" Mushlin - Trumpet, Vocals
Allen Teboul - Drums
Dunia Best- Vocals, Flute
Jeff "King Django" Baker - Trombone
Tobias Fields - Congas
Eric "E-ROC" Singer - Alto Saxophone
Victor Rice - Bass
Dave Hahn - lead guitar
Justin Redekop- Trumpet

The next album released was Redlight, on HellCat Records in 1997. This album solidified their sound and further fixed the line-up.
The band released its latest album, entitled Self Medication, in May of 2008.

You Must Be Good
The Slackers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Chorus]
You must be good, so that you can sleep at night
You must be good, so that your mama can hold you tight
And you must be good, or the devil come lick you
You must be good, don't let him trick you

Oh every day, tempted by temptation
And every night by another situation

But you must be wise, be wise and recognize
Or the devil come pull you down in a girlish disguise

[Chorus]

Avarice and envy, lord these sins are deadly
Greed and vanity, they hurt a good man plenty
But you must beware, and take care in your youthful insobriety
Your cup may be full now but in the end it will be empty.

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The Slackers's song "You Must Be Good" is a warning about the consequences of giving in to temptation and succumbing to the devil's tricks. The chorus emphasizes the importance of being good in order to maintain a clear conscience, have a sense of security, and avoid falling into the devil's trap. The lyrics suggest that we are constantly tempted in our daily lives, and that it takes being wise and recognizing the dangers of our own vulnerability in order to resist and stay on the right path. The devil is depicted as a sly figure who will go to great lengths to ensnare us, using disguises and luring us with our own desires. The song encourages listeners to be vigilant and avoid giving in to avarice, envy, greed, and vanity, which are all sins that can lead us astray and cause us harm.

Overall, the song sends a clear message about the importance of being responsible, ethical, and self-aware in our actions, in order to prevent negative consequences and maintain a sense of moral duty. It is a timeless message that rings just as true today as it did when the song was first written.

Line by Line Meaning

You must be good, so that you can sleep at night
Being a morally upright person is important for a peaceful sleep at night

You must be good, so that your mama can hold you tight
Your actions should be good enough to make your mother feel proud and securely embrace you

And you must be good, or the devil come lick you
There is a dark force lurking that preys on those who are not good, so it's important to be virtuous

You must be good, don't let him trick you
The devil is a master of deception, so it's important to be wise and not fall for his tricks

Oh every day, tempted by temptation
Every day presents numerous opportunities to be tempted into doing something immoral

And every night by another situation
Even at night, there are circumstances that test a person's morality

But you must be wise, be wise and recognize
Being able to recognize moral quandaries is a part of being wise

Or the devil come pull you down in a girlish disguise
The devil is known to appear as something innocent or harmless to deceive people, so be careful

Avarice and envy, lord these sins are deadly
The sins of greed and jealousy can be lethal to a person's character

Greed and vanity, they hurt a good man plenty
Even a person with a good heart can be hurt by succumbing to greed or vanity

But you must beware, and take care in your youthful insobriety
Young people are particularly susceptible to moral slip-ups, so it's important to be cautious

Your cup may be full now but in the end it will be empty.
Material possessions may seem satisfying in the moment, but they won't bring lasting fulfillment

You must be good, so that you can sleep at night
Reiterating the idea that being a morally upright person is important for a peaceful sleep at night

You must be good, so that your mama can hold you tight
Reiterating the idea that your actions should be good enough to make your mother feel proud and securely embrace you

And you must be good, or the devil come lick you
Reiterating the importance of being virtuous and not falling prey to the devil's deception

You must be good, don't let him trick you
Reiterating the idea that the devil is a master of deception, so it's important to be wise and not fall for his tricks

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

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