The group gained some notoriety when a single from its first album, Blood and Roses, was included on the soundtrack for and as the theme song of the 1986 Albert Pyun movie Dangerously Close and the video got some moderately heavy rotation on MTV. The group spent some time in its initial semi-celebrity phase defending itself in Rolling Stone against thinly-veiled accusations of sounding too much like The Byrds and The Beatles, pointing out that its Marshall Amplifier-heavy live sound was closer to heavy metal than it was to The Beatles.
Along with a basic Eastern-coast roots-rock sound that owed much to the inspirations of DiNizio, including Buddy Holly, The Who, The Clash, Elvis Costello, and Nick Lowe, the Smithereens deployed a uniquely retro obsession with Mod, the late British Invasion pop of John's Children and The Move, and other artifacts of fifties and sixties culture that lent its music substance and style. The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the Billboard pop charts was in 1990, when 11 peaked at #41 on the strength of the single A Girl Like You (which hit #38). The group is still active and tours frequently, but went for seven years without releasing a new studio album, following God Save the Smithereens in 1999.
In January 2007, the band released a cover of the album Meet the Beatles titled Meet the Smithereens. Bassist Mike Mesaros does not appear on the album, replaced by Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion . An album of original material was promised for later in the year, but Christmas with The Smithereens, released in October 2007, included only three original songs along with nine covers of Christmas songs.
Cigarette
The Smithereens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought of your face, and that brought me a smile.
Wanted another one. Fell back asleep, instead.
Woke and found you sitting there on the bed.
Cigarette, cigarette,
Burning up time.
Cigarette, cigarette,
Cigarette, cigarette,
Wasting away.
Just like this cigarette, our time is running down.
Only one hour til you're leaving this town.
Went to the corner store, bought us another pack.
Held my arm around you as we headed back.
I tried to change your mind. Didn't want you to go.
I want you more, it seems, than you could ever know.
Cigarette, cigarette,
Burning up time.
Cigarette, cigarette,
Watch the smoke climb.
Cigarette, cigarette,
Wasting away.
Just like this cigarette, our time is running down.
Only one hour til you're leaving this town.
Smoked my last cigarette, sat in bed for a while.
Thought of your face, and that brought me a smile.
The Smithereens's song 'Cigarette' is a contemplative piece about the fleeting nature of time and the transience of relationships. The first verse begins with the singer smoking his last cigarette before bed, reflecting on the person he has lost and how thinking of them still manages to bring him joy. He wants to smoke another cigarette, but instead, he falls back asleep. Upon awakening, he finds the person he was thinking of sitting next to him on the bed, making him realize that time is precious and fleeting- it must be valued and appreciated while you can.
The chorus of 'Cigarette' is a repetitive refrain that emphasizes the theme of time slipping away, conveying how smoking cigarette after cigarette can seem like wasted time, just as the time spent in a doomed relationship or trying to hold onto something that is inevitably coming to an end.
The final verse is about the singer taking a chance, trying to keep the relationship together by buying another pack of cigarettes and holding his love close. Despite his efforts, he knows that time is running out, and it's only a matter of hours before she leaves town. The song ends with the poignant line, "Smoked my last cigarette, sat in bed for a while, thought of your face, and that brought me a smile," leaving the listener with a sense of wistful nostalgia and the realization that time waits for no one.
Line by Line Meaning
Smoked my last cigarette, sat in bed for a while.
I finished smoking my last cigarette, then stayed in bed for some time.
Thought of your face, and that brought me a smile.
I remembered your face and it made me happy.
Wanted another one. Fell back asleep, instead.
I wanted to smoke another cigarette, but instead I fell back asleep.
Woke and found you sitting there on the bed.
When I woke up, you were sitting on the bed next to me.
Cigarette, cigarette,
Burning up time.
Smoking cigarettes is wasting time.
Cigarette, cigarette,
Watch the smoke climb.
I'm watching the smoke rise from my cigarette.
Cigarette, cigarette,
Wasting away.
Smoking cigarettes is slowly killing me.
Just like this cigarette, our time is running down.
Our time together is running out like this cigarette is burning down.
Only one hour til you're leaving this town.
You're leaving town in just an hour.
Went to the corner store, bought us another pack.
I went to the store and bought another pack of cigarettes for us.
Held my arm around you as we headed back.
I put my arm around you as we walked back from the store.
I tried to change your mind. Didn't want you to go.
I attempted to convince you to stay and didn't want you to leave.
I want you more, it seems, than you could ever know.
I desire to be with you more deeply than you can understand.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: PAT DINIZIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@amybarrett7300
Loved this song so much. This entire album didn’t have a bad song on it.
@Trollificusv2
Another excellent song from a very, very underrated band. The guy had a real gift for lyrical hooks, a lot of them will stay with you for a very long time. I dunno why they never hit it bigger, but I loved 'em. Maybe it was the raw, heart-on-his-sleeve emotion he put into a lot of his songs, but I like that kinda stuff.
@thecoug1544
Such an underrated song
One of my favorites. Pat has such a clear and consice voice
@scotthowe3786
If I was to be sent to a desert island and could only take one album to listen to for eternity, this would be it.
@abathens
This was my jam back in '88. RIP Pat.
@streamsandgalaxies
Beautiful voice, great Band! R.I.P Pat!
@poptopia1
one of my favorite smithereens songs
@ulinegron1831
Rest in peace my friend 😒, your music help pull through those wonderful years
@Malevelous
The kind of song that stuck in my head every time I got to the end of a pack.
@snuff513
I love the smithereens this song is awesome, the qhole album aa well and I'm a punk music lover but I like this band a lot. Most of the early stuff