The band's first record, Fatboy (1992), established the band as a favorite of the same 1990s scene that became popular through bands such as the Dave Matthews Band, Phish, and Widespread Panic. moe. has toured with the 1997 Furthur Festival, appeared at Woodstock '99, have played in Central Park, were the opening band for The Allman Brothers and The Who, and performed at Radio City Music Hall on New Years Eve 2006 and 2007.
They also host the annual festival moe.down at Snow Ridge Ski Area in Turin, NY. Started in 2000, the festival runs for three days and occurs every Labor Day weekend. The festival has attracted a wide variety of musical talent. Acts range from newer bands just emerging onto the scene (such as Tea Leaf Green, Nellie McKay and Raq) to big name acts and jam rock staples, such as Les Claypool, Blues Traveler, and Mike Gordon (of Phish fame); to pop rock icons, such as Leo Kottke, The Flaming Lips, The Violent Femmes; and most recently, Perry Farrell. Each year, the amount of moe.down attendees has steadily increased. moe.down I attracted around 3,000 people while moe.down VI in 2005, had attracted close to 7,000.
During an interview, guitarist Al Schnier was asked to describe moe. for those who have never heard their music: "It's an amalgamation of a wide variety of the history of rock, all regurgitated and recycled through the eyes, ears, hands, whatever of the guys in our band and all of that with a sense of adventure, a sense of humor, also a constant desire to push the envelope. All in this arena of taking chances, improvising live, and making things up on the spot."
Their official site can be found at www.moe.org
Down Boy
moe. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never was sad
I never got down
I was relieved
Cause I was so tired
It was six years‚ time
And it was six too long
Now you were gone
Hey, kid, you're a liar
You better backtrack your story
There's a faulty wire
And nobody wants to listen to you rambling on
It's been a non-stop party ever since you've been gone
Corduroy Sam, you better count your money
You got a buck three eighty
Short of being funny
Kicking on your floors
And banging on your walls
Locked up in your closet
Reading valley of the dolls
You ain't bona fide
You gotta cover up your tracks
You got miles too high
Driving down the street on your harley hog
Bend over backwards like the Spine Of A Dog
Chorus:
I never was sad
I never got down
I was relieved
Cause I was so tired
It was six years‚ time
And it was six too long
Now you were gone
Now you were gone
Now's not mourning time
Looking for a reason to get out of line
You messed my mind and you sang my song
No more time, tired and wrong
No more crazy eyes
Living and giving out a world of lies
King of dog gone monkey lines
Show time not for Lord of the Flies
Good bye pal of mine
So out of sight you were out of your mind
Did you eat the bar or did the bar eat you?
Good luck doing all the stuff that you do
(Chorus x2)
(JAM)
(Chorus x4)
The song Down Boy by moe. seems to be about a person who has recently cut ties with somebody who was not good for them, and is reflecting on how they feel now that the person is gone. The chorus repeats the phrase "I never was sad, I never got down," which can be interpreted as the singer feeling relieved and free now that they no longer have to deal with the negative impact of the other person's actions. The lyrics also make reference to the fact that this person was not entirely truthful, with lines like "Hey, kid, you're a liar, you better backtrack your story." Additionally, there is a sense of defiance in the lyrics, with lines like "Now's not mourning time, looking for a reason to get out of line," indicating that the singer is trying to move on and not dwell on the past.
The rest of the lyrics paint a picture of the other person as somebody who was not stable or trustworthy. The reference to "reading valley of the dolls" could be seen as a nod to the novel of the same name, which deals with themes of drug use and addiction. The line "did you eat the bar or did the bar eat you" may allude to drug use as well. The singer seems to be saying that they are better off without this person in their life, as evidenced by lines like "I was relieved cause I was so tired" and "goodbye pal of mine, so out of sight you were out of your mind." Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of moving forward and leaving behind a negative influence.
Line by Line Meaning
I never was sad
I never felt unhappy
I never got down
I never felt discouraged or depressed
I was relieved
I felt a sense of release or freedom
Cause I was so tired
Because I was exhausted or worn out
It was six years time
It had been six years
And it was six too long
And it had been too long
Now you were gone
Now you had left
Hey, kid, you're a liar
Addressing a person as a liar
You better backtrack your story
You should reconsider or re-examine what you said
There's a faulty wire
There is something wrong or inconsistent
And nobody wants to listen to you rambling on
No one wants to hear your aimless speech
It's been a non-stop party ever since you've been gone
There has been continuous celebration since you left
Corduroy Sam, you better count your money
Referring to someone named Corduroy Sam and advising to check their finances
You got a buck three eighty
You have one dollar and eighty cents
Short of being funny
Not humorous
Kicking on your floors
Playing around or making noise
And banging on your walls
Making loud noises by hitting the walls
Locked up in your closet
Being shut in the closet
Reading valley of the dolls
Reading the book Valley of the Dolls
You ain't bona fide
You are not genuine or authentic
You gotta cover up your tracks
You need to hide or conceal what you did
You got miles too high
You are excessively arrogant or have an exaggerated sense of self
Driving down the street on your harley hog
Riding on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle down the street
Bend over backwards like the Spine Of A Dog
Humbling oneself in a manner similar to a dog's posture
Now's not mourning time
Now is not a time for grieving or sadness
Looking for a reason to get out of line
Searching for an excuse to behave badly
You messed my mind and you sang my song
You disturbed me and copied my style
No more time, tired and wrong
No more time left, feeling exhausted and incorrect
No more crazy eyes
No more wild, erratic behavior
Living and giving out a world of lies
Living and perpetuating false information
King of dog gone monkey lines
Claiming oneself to be the best at meaningless or foolish words
Show time not for Lord of the Flies
It is not a time for unruly, savage behavior
Good bye pal of mine
Saying farewell to a friend
So out of sight you were out of your mind
You were so absent from reality that you were considered insane
Did you eat the bar or did the bar eat you?
Asking if someone lost control or indulged too much
Good luck doing all the stuff that you do
Wishing someone well despite disliking their behavior
(Chorus x2)
Repeating the chorus
(JAM)
Instrumental break
(Chorus x4)
Repeating the chorus four times
Contributed by Isaiah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.