Volbeat was formed in 2001 after frontman Michael Poulsen split up his former band, Dominus. Volbeat plays a fusion of heavy metal and rockabilly. They are inspired by the rock n' roll legends Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. No other Danish heavy rock band Volbeat has been able to get to position 18 at the Danish Top 100 for CD sales in over 10 years. This milestone was reached after their concert at the Roskilde Festival 2006.
Critics have generally been positive towards The Strength / The Sound / The Songs. The German hard rock magazine RockHard gave it 10/10 in a review.
Volbeat is also praised for its live performances. Their concert at Roskilde Festival 2006 received a 6/6 stars review in the Danish newspaper BT.
In week 8 of 2007, the record Rock The Rebel / Metal The Devil debuted as #1 in the Danish Top 40 for CD-sales and at the same time The Strength / The Sound / The Songs re-entered the chart at #21. Recently, the album achieved gold status for sales in Denmark.
Volbeat opened the Roskilde Festival in 2007. Volbeat also supported Metallica together with Mnemic at their concert on Denmark July 13 of that year.
More recently, Volbeat was announced to do a seven-date European spring tour and to support legendary speed metal act Megadeth in Finland and in their home town, Copenhagen. They have also already announced a few festival appearances for the summer 2008.
Volbeat has a large range of influences, which can be clearly heard in their music. On their official MySpace site Volbeat lists their influences in their own recognizable way:
"Everything from Elvis Presley to Napalm Death .. hail: Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Ramones, Social Distortion, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Dio, Megadeth, Metallica, Manic Street Preachers, Iron Maiden and bla bla bla bla..."
Volbeat's lyrics usually revolve around love, failed love or the power of a twisted mind. They thereby distance themselves from stereotypical heavy metal lyrics, although many of their most popular songs have very dark or sincere themes and plots.
Their first single was the cover version of Dusty Springfield's evergreen "I Only Wanna Be With You". The song doesn't differ much from the original with regard to the lyrics, but the accompanying music video is quite typical of Volbeat. In it, the band is seen with a classic microphone on top of a city roof.
Another popular feature of the band's lyrics are the returning "series" of songs. This is best represented with the songs "Danny & Lucy (11 pm)" and "Fire Song" from The Strength/The Sound/The Songs followed by "Mr. & Mrs. Ness" on Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil. The story is about the two desperate lovers, Danny and Lucy, who are killed in a car crash after Lucy runs away from her family.
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Ness, I'm so sorry to bring you this - We believe we found your girl in an old burning car way up the hill"
In the successor, "Mr. & Mrs. Ness", Lucy's mother commits suicide and the father is suspected for the murder:
"The old man is crying and he's lying - The blood on his hands' from his wife yeah"
The story is followed further by "Mary Ann's Place" from Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood, and was concluded with "You Will Know" off 2016's Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie.
Lineup
Michael Poulsen - Vocals, guitar (ex-Dominus)
Rob Caggiano - Guitar (ex-Anthrax)
Kaspar Boye Larsen - Bass
Jon Larsen - Drums
Former members:
Teddy Vang - Guitar
Franz Gottschalk - Guitar
Thomas Bredahl - Guitar
Anders Kjølholm - Bass
Official homepage : www.volbeat.dk
Sad Man's Tongue
Volbeat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All those nasty woman gonna rip you dime for dime
But I got my pocket full of real tales, and a broken guitar mode, guitar mode
And the story keep on rollin', out from a sad man's tongue
Left my mama and papa's nest
I got the fever rambling my bones
Papa said: my boy, take my Johnny Cash vinyls and go
And the story keep on rollin', out from a sad man's tongue
Strollin' down the highway with uncle Sam roaring: rebel kid get your ass home
Your ass belongs to me
Leave your Johnny Cash songs and get home
But I got my pocket full of real tales, and a broken guitar mode, guitar mode
And the story keep on rollin', out from a sad man's tongue
Singing in the cell 1.40.9.5
No way should I wear guns, I'm sitting my time
Left 1.40.9.5 with plenty rock'n'roll songs painting the road
Education sucks, so I sing my song for you
And I got my pocket full of real tales
And a broken guitar mode, guitar mode
And the story keep on rollin' out from a sad man's tongue
In Volbeat's "Sad Man's Tongue," the singer is a young, rebellious musician who refuses to heed his mother's warning about "nasty women" who will "rip you dime for dime." He leaves his parents' home with his father's Johnny Cash vinyls and a pocket full of real tales but a broken guitar. He hits the road, feeling the fever and the calling of the wild but ends up in a cell for not wearing guns. Despite this, he comes out with a greater dedication to his craft, singing his rock'n'roll songs for anyone who will listen.
This song has a lot of themes running through it. The first is the idea of rebellion and the generational divide. The singer chafes under the expectation that he will live a conventional life and do what his parents expect of him. He wants to live freely, even if it means being poor and hungry. Another theme is the pursuit of music as a means of storytelling. The singer is a young man with a poor, rural background, but he has a rich store of stories that he is eager to share with others. He is driven to keep writing and singing, even when faced with adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Well my mama told me: son you better watch out
My mother warned me to be aware of the wicked women who will exploit me.
All those nasty woman gonna rip you dime for dime
The deceitful women will take advantage of my innocence and rob me of my wealth.
But I got my pocket full of real tales, and a broken guitar mode, guitar mode
Despite their warnings, I possess genuine tales and a broken guitar which criticizes and exposes their materialistic ways.
And the story keep on rollin', out from a sad man's tongue
My stories and melodies flow incessantly like a stream from my mournful mind.
Left my mama and papa's nest
I abandoned the security of my family home.
I got the fever rambling my bones
I was overcome by the passion of music that I could not ignore.
Papa said: my boy, take my Johnny Cash vinyls and go
My father advised me to take his Johnny Cash vinyl records and pursue my music career.
Strollin' down the highway with uncle Sam roaring: rebel kid get your ass home
While wandering the highway, a patriotic uncle scolded me to return home and act according to societal norms.
Your ass belongs to me
The authority of society has control over my life.
Singing in the cell 1.40.9.5
I was imprisoned and comforted myself by singing my songs.
No way should I wear guns, I'm sitting my time
I learned that it is incorrect even when in jail to resort to weapons and accepted my punishment by abiding by the rules.
Left 1.40.9.5 with plenty rock'n'roll songs painting the road
After my release, I had my songs, which were all about rock and roll music, and I decided to travel to pursue my passion.
Education sucks, so I sing my song for you
I think education are discouraging, so instead, I am inspired to share my music with listeners.
And I got my pocket full of real tales
I possess a collection of authentic and sincere life stories.
And a broken guitar mode, guitar mode
I own a guitar that is imperfect, which matches my personality and outlook on life.
And the story keep on rollin' out from a sad man's tongue
My songs and tales continue to flow persistently from my forlorn spirit.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: MICHAEL POULSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mattd5147
Volbeat is criminally underrated
@browiththecoolslidyface9709
How so?
@hiphopfuhrer
This song has over 16 million views... I like the band, but come on
@alum202
@@hiphopfuhrer Over 16 years, compared to other modern bands? That's not a whole lot.
@GOFAST951
I’m an old, 70s and 80s metal head! I grew up had kids and thought that real metal had faded away! Then I heard Volbeat!! Holy shit Batman! There isn’t anything they do that does rock like hell!
@rolandleisch2124
😊😊
@spirit278
My neighbors know every word to this song.
@dilligaf1009
I can't play this under 11
@markattaway6223
Cool song !!!!!!!
@toobadjr
That's really weird...so does mine!