Best known for his wry humor, Snider has been a fixture on the Americana, alt-country, and folk scene since his debut on MCA, entitled Songs for the Daily Planet, named for the bar where Snider used to play regularly in Memphis. On that album were the minor hits "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues", a folk song about the early '90's grunge scene, featuring a band that "refused to play", and "Alright Guy", which later became the title cut of Gary Allan's 2001 album.
He released two more albums for MCA, Step Right Up and Viva Satellite, the latter often sparking colorful debate amongst fans for its comparisons to Tom Petty. He moved to John Prine's Oh Boy Records where he made Happy to Be Here, New Connection, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms, and East Nashville Skyline. That Was Me: The Best of Todd Snider 1994–1998 was released on the Hip-O label in August 2005.
Todd Snider's next studio album, The Devil You Know, was released in August 2006. It marked Snider's return to a major label, as he is now recording for New Door Records, a subsidiary of Universal Records.
The Devil You Know was named to several critics' year-end "best" lists, including a No. 33 ranking in Rolling Stone magazine's top 50 albums of the year, a No. 25 ranking by No Depression magazine, and No. 14 by Blender magazine.
Snider's songs "Late Last Night" and "I Believe You" have been recorded by the Oklahoma country-rock band Cross Canadian Ragweed. He co-wrote the song "Barbie Doll" with country star Jack Ingram.
Snider's new album, Peace Queer, is set to be released on October 14th, 2008, and will be available as a free download from Oct. 11 to Oct. 31 at http://www.toddsnider.net/store/product/1/Peace-Queer .
You Got Away With It
Todd Snider Lyrics
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Remember that kid we beat up back in college
Me, you, and Thompson out in front of the frat
And that hippie went home crying to his parents
I can't believe you got us out of that
How sweet was that
God we were drunk
Drove around all night after it with that keg in the trunk
You talked us out of that, too
You got away with it
You got away
You get away with
The things that you say
I had to quit partying about a year and a half after you did
I don't regret it though, I think it was fun
Besides, it was the 70's
We were a couple of rich kids
And aside from that one hippie
We never really hurt anyone
Well, there's that other thing that I won't even say
As God as my witness I'll take that to my grave
Cause that was an accident
And you did what you had to do
You got away with it
You got away
You get away with
The things that you say
I worry forever
Never for you
You'll get away with it
You always do
You never did tell me what happened with you and your brother down there in Florida
I heard they gave you a hell of a time
Everybody around here was afraid you might lose
I told them not to worry cause I knew you'd be fine
Had me out here to Camp David a few times over the years
I think the first time we were teenagers sneakin' beers
Look at you now you old son of a bitch
You got the run of this place
Unbelievable
You got away with it
You got away
You got away with
The things that you say
I worry forever
Never for you
You'll get away with it
You always do
You'll get away with
This new thing too
The song “You Got Away With It” by Todd Snider is a narrative about two brothers, who grew up as rich kids, and their lives with various exploits they got away with, with the recent one being the misdeeds of one of them in Florida. The singer and his brother think back to their college days when they beat up a hippie and got away with it. The singer evaluates their lives and talks about the different paths their lives took. He went clean and sober after they parted ways, while his brother continued to party on. The narrative could be seen as a conversation between two old friends.
The brother who always manages to talk his way out of trouble is the central figure in the song. The singer looks up to his brother, who continuously impresses him with his confidence, intelligence, and charm. The song revolves around this brother's larger-than-life personality, which exudes an undeniable allure, and the fact that he has always been able to get away with everything that he does or says. Even though the singer seems to view his brother's character with a degree of awe and astonishment, he also harbors a fear that his brother's charmed life could eventually catch up with him.
The song tells a story about people who seem to get through life without much pain, hurting others, or being held responsible for their actions. The singer reflects on the fact that despite their wealth, they never really hurt anyone, except for the one time when they beat up a hippie. The song highlights that getting away with it is not a good thing, and no matter how smart you are, karma may eventually catch up with you.
Line by Line Meaning
The tale of two brothers...a memoir
This is a story about the singer's experiences with their brother
Remember that kid we beat up back in college
The singer remembers an incident in which they attacked someone while in college
Me, you, and Thompson out in front of the frat
The singer, the person they're addressing, and someone named Thompson were involved in the aforementioned beating near their college fraternity house
And that hippie went home crying to his parents
The person they attacked was a 'hippie' who went home upset after the incident
I can't believe you got us out of that
The artist expresses disbelief that the person they're addressing was able to get them out of the trouble they caused
How sweet was that
The singer marvels at their good fortune in escaping punishment
God we were drunk
The singer acknowledges that they were intoxicated during the incident
Drove around all night after it with that keg in the trunk
After the incident, they went for an all-night drive with a keg of beer in their car's trunk
And when the cop pulled us over, You talked us out of that, too
The person they're addressing was able to talk the police officer out of giving them a ticket
You got away with it, You got away, You get away with The things that you say
The artist accuses the person they're addressing of consistently escaping punishment for their actions through their words
I had to quit partying about a year and a half after you did, I don't regret it though, I think it was fun
The singer quit partying after the person they're addressing did, but still remembers it as a fun time
Besides, it was the 70's
The artist excuses their behavior as a product of the time period they lived in
We were a couple of rich kids, And aside from that one hippie, We never really hurt anyone
The singer identifies themselves and the person they're addressing as privileged individuals who didn't harm anyone except the person they attacked earlier
Well, there's that other thing that I won't even say, As God as my witness I'll take that to my grave, Cause that was an accident, And you did what you had to do
The singer alludes to another incident they don't want to discuss in which the person they're addressing had to take action and considers it an accident
I worry forever, Never for you, You'll get away with it, You always do
The singer worries about the consequences of their own actions but not the person they're addressing because they seem to continually avoid punishment
You never did tell me what happened with you and your brother down there in Florida, I heard they gave you a hell of a time, Everybody around here was afraid you might lose, I told them not to worry cause I knew you'd be fine
The artist questions the person they're addressing about something that happened with their brother in Florida, and shares that people were worried they might lose but the artist reassured them that everything would be okay because the person they're addressing always seems to win
Had me out here to Camp David a few times over the years, I think the first time we were teenagers sneakin' beers, Look at you now you old son of a bitch, You got the run of this place, Unbelievable
The artist shares that they've been to Camp David with the person they're addressing a few times throughout the years, reminisces about their teenage years sneaking beers, and marvels at how successful the person they're addressing has become
You'll get away with it, You always do, You'll get away with This new thing too
The singer acknowledges that the person they're addressing is likely to evade consequences for their actions once again, even in a new situation
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Melita Osheowitz, Todd Daniel Snider
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind