Nader met Eddy in a blues bar in Beirut a couple of years ago. Well, technically, they met outside the bar on the sidewalk in the middle of a fistfight. Luckily, they weren’t punching each other, and their friendship developed over cheap tequila. They eventually decided to form a band together.
Eddy is influenced by stuff like the Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Oasis and the Arctic Monkeys, while Nader is more of a Muddy Waters, RL Burnside and Seasick Steve kind of man. They both agree on The Black Keys and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Finding common ground between stompy swamp blues and rock riffs, between acoustic and electric sounds, between garage rock and the blues, that’s where the Wanton Bishops have found their voice, and that’s where they’re at their best. Actually, where they’re really at their best is live. But that’s not something you should be reading, that’s something you should experience for yourself.
Between Nader’s guttural voice and his wailing harmonica, and Eddy’s rhythmic riffs, between the stomping, and the strings snapping on abused guitars, you’ll understand that there’s something there in the rawness of it all.
The Wanton Bishops released their debut album “Sleep With The Lights On” in December 2012, and in the year since they handed out bootleg EPs in a dive bar in Beirut, they’ve toured in Turkey, France, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, as well as supported Guns N’ Roses and Lana Del Rey in Lebanon.
Sleep With The Lights on is available on iTunes, Spotify, and a whole bunch of other places online.
Smith and Wesson
The Wanton Bishops Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I tug my gal in a gunny sack,
She'll be true to me till I get back,
I threw that sack out in the rough,
By god she wasn't true enough,
Shake up Johnny wake up,
Shake up Johnny, wake,.
All the way.
I walk in the bar and the fellas all cheer,
Gimmie my whiskey and my beer,
Drink up drink up drink up some more,
A bully in the alley and you'll wake up sore,
Shake up Johnny wake up,
She got the red dress on,
Shake up Johnny, wake,.
The Wanton Bishops's song "Smith and Wesson" is a gritty and intense look into the psyche of a man who appears to have been betrayed by his lover. The lyrics take us through a story of a man who has taken revenge on his unfaithful girlfriend by trapping her in a gunny sack and leaving her in the rough. The man seems to be convincing himself that his girlfriend will be true to him while he's gone, but he soon discovers that she's not as loyal as he thought. This causes him to become even more ruthless, as he takes pleasure in drinking whiskey and beer and brawling with the men at the bar.
The first verse of the song sets the tone for what's to come, with the man describing how he shall keep his girlfriend safe in a gunny sack while he's gone, and he believes that she'll stay true to him. However, things don't go as planned, as she ends up being unfaithful to him. The man's determination to have revenge upon his girlfriend is evident in the second verse, as he drinks alcohol and gets into physical brawls with the other men at the bar. The chorus of the song gives the impression that the man has completely lost control of his life, as he repeatedly tells Johnny to wake up while she's wearing her red dress.
Line by Line Meaning
I tug my gal in a gunny sack,
I forcefully abducted my lover and put her in a sack to ensure her fidelity while I'm gone.
She'll be true to me till I get back,
I expect my lover to remain loyal while I'm away.
I threw that sack out in the rough,
I carelessly abandoned my lover in a rough and dangerous location.
By god she wasn't true enough,
My lover did not live up to my expectations of fidelity.
Shake up Johnny wake up,
A rallying call to get the attention of a man named Johnny and others around to get them excited and awake.
She got the red dress on,
My lover is wearing an attention-grabbing red dress.
All the way.
The singer is fully committed and enthusiastic about what's to come.
I walk in the bar and the fellas all cheer,
The artist is a popular figure among the other men in the bar.
Gimmie my whiskey and my beer,
The artist's drink preferences are simple.
Drink up drink up drink up some more,
The artist encourages excessive drinking among his peers and himself.
A bully in the alley and you'll wake up sore,
The singer warns of the dangers of encountering a bully in the alley, which could lead to violence and injury.
Shake up Johnny wake up,
The rallying call is repeated to maintain excitement and energy.
Contributed by Olivia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cosmic Macaque
Yeah ah yeah go
I tug my gal in a gunny sack
Shell be true to me till I get back
I threw that sack out in the rough
By god she wasnt true enough
Shake up Johnny wake up
She got the red dress on
Shake up Johnny, wake
Smith and Wesson
All the way.
I walk in the bar and the fellas all cheer
Gimmie my whiskey and my beer
Drink up drink up drink up some more
A bully in the alley and youll wake up sore
James West
Rock On!! TWB is one kick-ass band!!!
Fred SGL
Raw blues power !
Jason sherman
Lebanese blues! Who woulda known. :)
Vlada Romanova
Why the hells they are not famous ?
Cosmic Macaque
Yeah ah yeah go
I tug my gal in a gunny sack
Shell be true to me till I get back
I threw that sack out in the rough
By god she wasnt true enough
Shake up Johnny wake up
She got the red dress on
Shake up Johnny, wake
Smith and Wesson
All the way.
I walk in the bar and the fellas all cheer
Gimmie my whiskey and my beer
Drink up drink up drink up some more
A bully in the alley and youll wake up sore
rokcuforever
Kicking band.
milet1ch
respect!
Lebanese American
you guys remind me of the black keys
ron etheridge
sweeeeeeeet
Guillermo Peris
Damn!!!....