Tommy Womack said it best.
Quote:
The Replacements played rock and roll, they were the last of a dying breed
Damn the torpedoes! types, they could really let it bleed
They weren't afraid of anything or anybody, like skinny little dogs in a cage
They'd get drunker than you've gotten in your entire life
Have another drink on top of that one and walk right out onto the stage
I first went to see 'em 'cause Jeff Sweeney said I should
It was Cantrell's in January and they weren't any good
The lead guitarist was naked, they'd all had too much beer
They had Marshalls turned up to 10 which ordinarily wouldn't be such a bad thing
But they were trying to tune up by ear
So I gave 'em another chance, at the shed opening for Petty, what could go wrong
Well this time they were wearing dresses drinking whiskey and never finished a song
So now I'm angry 'cause money don't grow on trees, standing out there in the parking lot
With tickets for the next night already in my hands thinking to myself, Jeez
What am I gonna do with these?
So I went, largely to say I was there
Drove home white-knuckle, straitjacket, dumbass blind
They were the greatest rock and roll band I ever did hear!
Had to look twice to make sure it was the same guys! An astonishing transformation
From pupa to butterfly, Saul to Paul, Cougar to Mellencamp
Like crawling inside of Exile on Main St. and pulling Never Mind the Bullocks
Up to your chin like a sonic quilt
They were nice guys and they were dicks, you wouldn't know what they'd do
One show might run 31 songs and alter your perspective
And the next might fall apart before it got to #2
But folks came out to see 'em, if only to say they saw 'em before they were dead
And others to see if they could be anywhere near as good or as bad as everybody else said
They snorted lines and lost their minds and notched their guns all over the sphere
Got to where they couldn't tell you what day it was, what month it was
They couldn't even zone in on a year
They puked in their hands and tossed it on the ceilings of dressing rooms on tour
And rock and roll journalists wrote it all down, truth? lies? they weren't sure
They burned every bridge they didn't blow sky high, then started pissing off each other too
It was brother against brother then, and not enough drugs to do
It all came crashing down 'cause it couldn't do much else
That way of life is a flaming star that grows real big and red and giant
Then falls in on top of itself
Chris, he's a painter now, solo artist, he's cool
Slim Dunlop is proof of the evidence of God, a guitar genius, a role-model
A credit to the gene pool!
Tommy moved to California to work for Axl Rose
I think he should team up with Slash and form Slash and Pop, they'd rock the house
They'd sell tickets, it'd be the most
Paul is in the basement, writing ballads, drinking O-Doul's
Bob is up in Heaven shooting speed and smoking Kools
The Replacements played rock and roll they were the last of a dying breed
Pernicious damn the torpedoes types, they could make you sweat, make you holler
They knew Only Women Bleed!
They were Charles Bukowski with watts and vomit, you paid and you took your chance
'Cause when they were good, God got up to dance!
You ever seen God dance? He'll show you a step or two, Michael Flatley!