Treat Her Right was a blues rock group formed in Boston, MA, USA in 1984. T… Read Full Bio ↴Treat Her Right was a blues rock group formed in Boston, MA, USA in 1984. The band featured Morphine founder Mark Sandman on guitar, Billy Conway on drums, Dave Champagne on guitar, and Jim Fitting on harmonica. Singing and songwriting duties were shared by all but Conway.

Treat Her Right's self-financed debut, Treat Her Right, was released on the small Boston label Soul Selects Records in 1986. It was a modest success; Champagne's "I Got a Gun" and Sandman's cover of James Blood Ulmer's "Where Did All the Girls Come From?" received some play on college radio. "I Think She Likes Me" describes Sandman's experience in a Fairplay, Colorado bar where a woman came on to him. The group signed to RCA Records, who reissued the debut in 1988.

Tied to the Tracks was issued in 1989. Sales did not meet RCA's expectations. In the notes for their third record, the group writes, "RCA decided that if our little basement tape could do so well, why not spend fifty times more money and it will be fifty times better! (They think everything works like that.)" Treat Her Right were dropped from their RCA contract.

What's Good for You was issued on Rounder Records in 1991. The ragged, live-in-the-studio sound was partly modeled on the model established by Chess Records, which had released many classic blues and early rock and roll records.

Shortly after this third release, Treat Her Right disbanded, but reformed in 1995 under the direction of Rolling Stones backup guitar player Bob Anderson, and disbanded a second time in 1998.

Rhythm And Booze
Treat Her Right Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well it was rock 'n roll rhythm and a bottle of booze
And a wild eyed woman, then she brought home the news
And then she warned me once, she warned me twice
Woman found out that I don't take advice

[Chorus]
It was rhythm rhythm rhythm rhythm rhythm and blues
Rhythm rhythm rhythm rhythm rhythm and blues

Rhythm rhythm rhythm rhythm rhythm and blues
I tell you the truth, it was rhythm and booze
Just rhythm!

If I'd listened to my mother, if I'd listened to my dad
I'd be lying in a big feather bed
But she warned me once, she warned me twice
Woman found out that I don't take advice

[Chorus]

I got pissed off, I blew my stack
And I didn't mind so much until she took my Cadillac
But then she warned me once, she warned me twice
Woman found out that I don't take advice

[Chorus]

Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm and booze

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Treat Her Right's song "Rhythm And Booze" describe the singer's love for the rock 'n roll lifestyle and the consequences of his actions. The song begins with the singer enjoying a wild night of partying with a "wild eyed woman," fueled by the combination of rock 'n roll and alcohol. However, the fun is cut short when the woman delivers some bad news, and she warns the singer that he should listen to advice. Despite the warnings, the singer is stubborn and believes he knows better.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "rhythm and blues," emphasizing the connection between the singer's love of music and his love of alcohol. The lyrics continue with the singer reflecting on his life choices and how things might have been different if he had listened to his parents. However, he ultimately decides that he prefers to live life on his own terms, even if this means facing the consequences of his actions.

Line by Line Meaning

Well it was rock 'n roll rhythm and a bottle of booze
I was enjoying the lively beats of rock 'n roll music with a bottle of alcohol.

And a wild eyed woman, then she brought home the news
A woman with a passionate gaze came and told me something.

And then she warned me once, she warned me twice
The woman cautioned me twice about something.

Woman found out that I don't take advice
The woman realized that I have a tendency to ignore other people's advice.

It was rhythm rhythm rhythm rhythm rhythm and blues
The music I was listening to had a consistent pattern of rhythm and blues.

I tell you the truth, it was rhythm and booze
I'm telling you honestly that the combination of music and alcohol was what I was enjoying.

If I'd listened to my mother, if I'd listened to my dad
I regret not heeding the advice of my parents.

I'd be lying in a big feather bed
If I had listened to them, I could have been living a comfortable life.

I got pissed off, I blew my stack
I got really angry and lost my temper.

And I didn't mind so much until she took my Cadillac
I wasn't too bothered until she took my car away from me.

Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm and booze
All I really cared about at the time was the music and alcohol.