The Boston States
The Stanfields Lyrics
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I knew this little girl a pretty little thing names Josephine
Tiny little lust in our tiny little world
I was willing she was pretty long and lean
We first made love in the summer, her daddy found out that fall
He beat her with his fists upon the lips that I just kissed
And shipped her off down to the Boston States,
Oh, he shipped her off down to the Boston States
When I turned 17 I joined the King's Marine
And took my place among the world of men
Two years since I'd seen,
My pretty Josephine, I wondered if I'd see her face again
Then the news came of rebellion down New England way
We sailed in the spring in the Name of the King
And shipped me off down to the Boston States,
Oh, they shipped me off down to the Boston States
We marched to Concorde Town to unleash hell and fury
To teach the rebel scum the art of war
They beat us back they shot me down
They dragged my ass on into town with a dead
Man than I'd run through before
In a solitary act of retribution they threw me at his widows feet
I raised my eyes to see my pretty Josephine
A twist of fate down in the Boston States,
Oh, a twist of fate down in the Boston States
The well inside my heart is dry and
Reminiscing fool am I, holdin' on to memories of old
A potent brew of love and guilt
Plant a seed and love first spilt a strappin man
The surely was my own
She bid me well and begged I'd take
The boy back home to Port Shoreham with me
She gave to me the sweetest kiss and then she slit her wrists
And died for nothing down in the Boston States
Oh, died for nothing down in the Boston States.
Josephine, if you could see our boy now you be so proud you'd be happy
I did my best to raise him on my own in your memory
He asks about you from time to time I never know what to say
So on this lonesome night I told him that you died
A hero down in the Boston states oh
Died a hero down in the Boston states.
The Stanfields' "The Boston States" chronicles the story of a boy and his love interest, Josephine, in a time of rebellion during the American Revolution. The song opens with the singer reflecting on his younger self and his love affair with Josephine, reminiscing about the last time he saw her, and reflecting on the tragedy that followed. The beat throughout the opening verse of the song is slow and mellow, fitting well with the mournful lyrics.
The second verse reveals that the singer joined the King's Marine when he turned 17, fighting in the American Revolution. He goes on to recount how he ended up in Concord and the violence that ensued, leading to his injury and capture. Here, the music also becomes more intense, with a stronger beat and instrumentation.
The final verse details the tragic end of Josephine's life. The singer goes back home to Port Shoreham with their son and pays tribute to Josephine, who took her own life after he left for the war. The final chorus emphasizes the singer's immense love for Josephine and how he never forgot her throughout everything he experienced.
Overall, "The Boston States" is a powerful portrayal of love, loss, and the impact of war on innocent lives.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just a boy,
As a young boy, I had a relationship with a girl named Josephine.
I knew this little girl a pretty little thing names Josephine
I knew a beautiful girl by the name of Josephine.
Tiny little lust in our tiny little world
We had a small love affair that was just between the two of us.
I was willing she was pretty long and lean
I was attracted to her and she was tall and slender.
We first made love in the summer, her daddy found out that fall
We had sex for the first time during the summer and her father found out about it in the fall.
He beat her with his fists upon the lips that I just kissed
Her father physically abused her by punching her in the face where I had kissed her before.
And shipped her off down to the Boston States,
As punishment, her father sent her away to Boston.
Oh, he shipped her off down to the Boston States
He sent her away to Boston.
When I turned 17 I joined the King's Marine
When I reached the age of 17, I enlisted in the King's Marine.
And took my place among the world of men
I became a part of the adult world as a man.
Two years since I'd seen,
It had been two years since I had last seen Josephine.
My pretty Josephine, I wondered if I'd see her face again
I thought about whether or not I would ever see her again.
Then the news came of rebellion down New England way
We received news of a rebellion happening in New England.
We sailed in the spring in the Name of the King
We set sail in the spring under the authority of the King.
And shipped me off down to the Boston States,
They sent me to Boston.
Oh, they shipped me off down to the Boston States
I was sent away to Boston.
We marched to Concorde Town to unleash hell and fury
We went to Concorde Town to fight and win the battle with all our might.
To teach the rebel scum the art of war
The objective was to defeat the opposing side and teach them a lesson.
They beat us back they shot me down
We were overpowered and I was shot down.
They dragged my ass on into town with a dead
My body was dragged into town with a dead man.
Man than I'd run through before
The dead man was someone who I had killed before.
In a solitary act of retribution they threw me at his widows feet
As an act of revenge, I was thrown in front of the deceased man's widow.
I raised my eyes to see my pretty Josephine
In that moment, I saw Josephine again.
A twist of fate down in the Boston States,
It was a coincidence that we reunited in Boston.
Oh, a twist of fate down in the Boston States
It was a coincidence that we met in Boston.
The well inside my heart is dry and
My heart is empty and sad.
Reminiscing fool am I, holdin' on to memories of old
I foolishly cling to old memories.
A potent brew of love and guilt
The emotions I feel for Josephine are a strong mixture of love and guilt.
Plant a seed and love first spilt a strappin man
Our love created a child, who has grown up into a strong man.
The surely was my own
The child was definitely mine.
She bid me well and begged I'd take
Josephine said goodbye and begged me to take care of our son.
The boy back home to Port Shoreham with me
Bring our son home with me to Port Shoreham.
She gave to me the sweetest kiss and then she slit her wrists
Josephine gave me a loving kiss before taking her own life by cutting her wrists.
And died for nothing down in the Boston States
Sadly, Josephine died for no reason in Boston.
Oh, died for nothing down in the Boston States.
It is a tragedy that Josephine died for no reason in Boston.
Josephine, if you could see our boy now you be so proud you'd be happy
If Josephine were alive today, she would be proud and happy to see our son.
I did my best to raise him on my own in your memory
I raised our son by myself, with the memory of Josephine in my heart.
He asks about you from time to time I never know what to say
Our son asks about Josephine from time to time, but I never know how to respond.
So on this lonesome night I told him that you died
On this lonely night, I told him the truth that Josephine had passed away.
A hero down in the Boston states oh
Josephine was brave and heroic during her time in Boston.
Died a hero down in the Boston states.
Josephine died a hero in Boston.
Writer(s): Jonathan Landry, Mark Todd Murphy, Craig Eugene Harris, Jason Macisaac, William Wright
Contributed by Alice J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Garik Schwabel
Josephine took her life after seeing her previous lover had killed her husband on the battlefield, not because he left for the war.
@elicash315
When I was just a boy,
I knew this little girl a pretty little thing names Josephine
Tiny little lust in our tiny little world
I was willing she was pretty long and lean
We first made love in the summer, her daddy found out that fall
He beat her with his fists upon the lips that I just kissed
And shipped her off down to the Boston States,
Oh, he shipped her off down to the Boston States
When I turned 17 I joined the King's Marine
And took my place among the world of men
Two years since I'd seen,
My pretty Josephine, I wondered if I'd see her face again
Then the news came of rebellion down New England way
We sailed in the spring in the Name of the King
And shipped me off down to the Boston States,
Oh, they shipped me off down to the Boston States
We marched to Concorde Town to unleash hell and fury
To teach the rebel scum the art of war
They beat us back they shot me down
They dragged my ass on into town with a dead
Man than I'd run through before
In a solitary act of retribution they threw me at his widows feet
I raised my eyes to see my pretty Josephine
A twist of fate down in the Boston States,
Oh, a twist of fate down in the Boston States
The well inside my heart is dry and
Reminiscing fool am I, holdin' on to memories of old
A potent brew of love and guilt
Plant a seed and love first spilt a strappin man
The surely was my own
She bid me well and begged I'd take
The boy back home to Port Shoreham with me
She gave to me the sweetest kiss and then she slit her wrists
And died for nothing down in the Boston States
Oh, died for nothing down in the Boston States.
Josephine, if you could see our boy now you be so proud you'd be happy
I did my best to raise him on my own in your memory
He asks about you from time to time I never know what to say
So on this lonesome night I told him that you died
A hero down in the Boston states oh
Died a hero down in the Boston states.
@JFinSD2
Sitting in a San Diego Irish Pub. Heard this song...so good. Looked up and here I am.
@yotonostory7966
You guys are so underrated
@tallonconwell8255
probably one of the best written songs ive heard. this song is awesome. the rest of your shit is great as well, but this stands above others.
@joslamadrid
I met the Stanfields in 2010 in a pub in Fredericton (Noolan's perhaps). I was completely blasted by their power. That same year went back to Spain and since then and from here I still listen to their amazing music, purchase all their records, and play them to my friends.
@elicash315
When I was just a boy,
I knew this little girl a pretty little thing names Josephine
Tiny little lust in our tiny little world
I was willing she was pretty long and lean
We first made love in the summer, her daddy found out that fall
He beat her with his fists upon the lips that I just kissed
And shipped her off down to the Boston States,
Oh, he shipped her off down to the Boston States
When I turned 17 I joined the King's Marine
And took my place among the world of men
Two years since I'd seen,
My pretty Josephine, I wondered if I'd see her face again
Then the news came of rebellion down New England way
We sailed in the spring in the Name of the King
And shipped me off down to the Boston States,
Oh, they shipped me off down to the Boston States
We marched to Concorde Town to unleash hell and fury
To teach the rebel scum the art of war
They beat us back they shot me down
They dragged my ass on into town with a dead
Man than I'd run through before
In a solitary act of retribution they threw me at his widows feet
I raised my eyes to see my pretty Josephine
A twist of fate down in the Boston States,
Oh, a twist of fate down in the Boston States
The well inside my heart is dry and
Reminiscing fool am I, holdin' on to memories of old
A potent brew of love and guilt
Plant a seed and love first spilt a strappin man
The surely was my own
She bid me well and begged I'd take
The boy back home to Port Shoreham with me
She gave to me the sweetest kiss and then she slit her wrists
And died for nothing down in the Boston States
Oh, died for nothing down in the Boston States.
Josephine, if you could see our boy now you be so proud you'd be happy
I did my best to raise him on my own in your memory
He asks about you from time to time I never know what to say
So on this lonesome night I told him that you died
A hero down in the Boston states oh
Died a hero down in the Boston states.
@tps64
on MY own**
@alqamenesh7433
Tom Staunton
That is what he said I believe
@Nuisance_Bear
I just realized why I like this song so much. There’s such an economy of words, it’s not very long at all so there’s a lot left unsaid, but you can infer so much from what is given. There is no fat at all in the lyrics.
@jmboyd65
These guys are warrior poets.