National Post Hip Week: Kings Of This Town

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Kings Of This Town
Source: Jesse Kinos-Goodin, National Post

Is there any other band today that screams Canadiana so much as The Tragically Hip? The Kingston-brewed rockers kick off their summer touring season June 28, and to mark the occasion we’re spending this week in Arts & Life looking at all things Hip. Today: Jesse Kinos-Goodin on how Kingston, Ont., embraces its hometown heroes.

When Gord Downie sings “12 men broke loose in ‘73, from Millhaven maximum security,” during a Kingston, Ont., performance, the hometown crowd loses its collective mind. After the initial yells, glowing cellphones and lighters normally fill the air as The Tragically 
Hip frontman continues to tell the fictional story of a jailbreak from a prison in Bath, the small town just outside Kingston where The Hip also have a recording studio.

Despite lyrics saying that “one of the dozen was a hometown shame,” 38 Years Old, from the 1989 album Up to Here, is still a local favourite, says Doug Elliot, who worked with the band countless times over the years when he was music director at Kingston’s K-Rock radio station. Elliot, who is now program director of Oshawa’s The Rock 94.9, calls the five-piece band, consisting of Downie, guitarists Paul Langlois and Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay, “part of the fabric” of Kingston, and while he means that figuratively, it could also be taken quite literally.

Continue to full article HERE.

38 Years Old - Digital Lyric Art

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Opiated - Lyrics

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Last played: 2009/05/19 Toronto, ON
Debut: 1988/09/30 Ottawa, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)

Notes: A live rarity that remains in play meaning that there's still a chance, though slim, that you can catch an Opiated.

He bought two fifths of lead-free gasoline
Said, the bottle is dusty, but my engine is clean
He bought a nice blue suit with the money he could find
If his bride didn't like it, St. Peter wouldn't mind

Now I lie here so out-of-breath
And over-opiated
Maybe I couldn't catch up, no but
Maybe he could of wanted

Well the medicine man started seeing red
You think the snake just dreams up the poison in his head
Addicted to approval, addicted to the air
It was see if you like it or see you up there


Previous song: Another Midnight





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Another Midnight - Lyrics

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Last played: 1991/11/15 Amstredam, NL
Debut: 1989/08/27 Toronto, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)
Notes: Another UTH b-side no given much live-love for whatever reason.


He was a coal miner in the spring
Blinded with its dusty resolutions
Broke his back for higher contributions
Now he'd take anything
Well she was 1970
Burning like a cigarette long season
Heir to all her family's old treasons
She makes love hard like an enemy
Oh Ma he's dying

And the river don't sleep
When the water runs cold
And the calendar burns
As the story unfolds
And the valley spans miles
When the mountain stands high
Can't they let us run wild
For another midnight

Perhaps we're an election day
Pumping hands and kissing all the babies
Ain't no time for shadowed doubts or maybes
Is there another way?
Or we're a stolen Cadillac
Racing for a roadblock in the distance
Flashing by a lifetime in an instance
Can we take it back?
Oh Ma he's dying
Oh Ma he's dying

And the river don't sleep
When the water runs cold
And the calendar burns
As the story unfolds
And they valley spans miles
When the mountain stands high
Can't they let us run wild
For another midnight

Can we take it back?

And the valley spans miles
When the mountain stands high
Can't they let us run wild
For another midnight


Next song: Opiated
Previous song: Trickle Down




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Trickle Down - Lyrics

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Trickle Down

Last played: 2002/11/14 Berlin, GER
Debut: 1990/04/06 Halifax, NS
Album: Up To Here (1989)

Notes: Its only time played since 1991 was a random 2002 show in Berlin??? Hmmm. I don't know... Solid tune that gets plenty of radio play, just no live love...

Old lion's dying, got left behind
Cut your teeth, lose your meat
And man it's just a matter of time
Key's to the cuffs, you might be king
That's it, that's all, that's everything

Skeletons come here to dance
Where barrooms beat their brothers
Into a bloody trance
What's the deal? What did I do?
Who cops all the cops is all I asked of you

Lining up, waiting on the trickle down
Something's up, taking time to get around
Belly up, all the drinks are on the crown
It's just a matter of trickle down

Twenty miles before the crash
That's the style for a while
And man I think it's gonna last
"Hit the breaks" is all you can say
Conductor says we'll save them
For another rainy day


Next song: Another Midnight
Previous song: When The Weight Comes Down




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When the Weight Comes Down - Lyrics

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Clunk

Last played: 1989/11/30 Toronto, ON
Debut: 1988/03/02 Ottawa, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)
Notes: TheHip.com lists this song as being played only 5 times in concert. With all the incomplete setlists I gotta believe that number is a little light.


Afternoon, see a guy with rubies on his head
and he's shifting like shifting like he was dead
and he's hearing something, she never said
on his way back home, under his bed

When the weight comes down
When the weight comes down

In the night there's a girl who doesn't mind her
ragged sleeves
Knowing someone soon is gonna grieve
And a man he tells her a story, she just won't believe
Called "Adam never could do right by Eve"

And the weight comes down
And the weight comes down
And the weight comes down
Down on you, down on me
And a girl walks by the burning bush
She asks "What's going on here man?"
And he smiles, says, "Open wide, wide. Wide"

In my dreams, a candy coated train comes to my door
With a little girl, I can't have anymore
You know a letter washes up to the shore
That I cannot read and I probably should ignore

When the weight comes down
When the weight comes down
When the weight comes down


Next song: Trickle Down
Previous song: Everytime You Go




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Everytime You Go - Lyrics

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Everytime You Go

Last played: 2004/06/25 Vancouver, BC
Debut: 1988/07/15 Toronto, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)
Notes: Had a nice live resurgence during 1996 & 1997 after a 5 year break. From then it only made more appearances... 2 in 2000 & 1 in 2004.


Like anyone I knew a Dave
Drove a Plymouth Shallow Grave
Said, "My girl don't just walk, she unfurls"
With motorcycle language
He stumbled through his slang pledge
Then he dragged the mud for wedding pearls

He closed both his eyes and sort of gave her a kiss
Said, "Don't worry baby about what you're gonna miss
There will always be a much much more than this
Everytime you go, you are all I see
Holding out for you and me

Pulled down his birthday suitcase
Brown with dust from no place
Said, "I think it's time we made a start"
They danced the waltz of charity
No car garage, two kids for free
They were pissing bliss and playing parts

She closed both her eyes, sorta gave him a kiss
Said, "Don't worry baby what you're gonna miss
There always be much much more than this"
Everytime you go, you are all I see
Holding out for you and me

And the big snake pit
And we danced to the edge of it
And we laugh and we laugh
Cause we ain't seen the half of it

Everytime you go, you are all I see
Holding out for you and me
Everytime you go, you are all I see
Holding out for you and me
Everytime you go, you are all I see
Holding out for you and me
You and me you and me you and me


Next song: When The Weight Comes Down
Previous song: Boots Or Hearts




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Boots or Hearts - Lyrics

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Boots or Hearts...take your pick.

Last played: 2013/02/11 Sudbury, ON
Debut: 1989/07/01 London, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)
Notes: Besides a 7 year gap from 1991/11/15 Amstredam, NL to 1998/10/02 Henrietta, NY is been a regular part of the touring song rotation more or less.


Well I think that there's a problem here
Her voice just don't sound right
But I left myself on her answering machine
Said, "I'm back in town tonight."
I feel I've stepped out of the wilderness
All squint-eyed and confused
But even babies raised by wolves
They know exactly when they've been used

See when it starts to fall apart
It really falls apart
Like boots or hearts, Oh when they start
They really fall apart

Fingers and toes, fingers and toes
Forty things we share
Forty-one if you include
The fact that we don't care
Now you've blocked off most of main street
For your faith parade
Everyone in town now, they probably all agree
I'm lying in the bed I made

Now you won't even let me talk to you
We got some air to clear
We'd probably only agree on one thing anyway
That's what the hell is happening here?
Fingers and toes, fingers and toes
Forty things we share
Forty-one if you include
The fact that we don't care


Next song: Everytime You Go
Previous song: She Didn't Know




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She Didn't Know - Lyrics

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She Didn't Know?  Really?  Really?

Last played: 1991/08/04 Toronto, ON
Debut: 1988/03/02 Ottawa, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)

Notes: It's crazy the number of Hip songs that shaped my fandom and love of the band that have been retired - and retired so long ago. I hadn't even seen my first Hip concert by the time this one was put to bed...

Born a queen up on her side, and she felt it too.
There's a lot you can see when there's nothing to do
She got down on her knees and she dug herself out
Slipping to the east side and prancing about.

Learn a language baby, it's that kind of place
Low card is hunger and high card is taste
And trouble is small change when Daddy's around
You know that she learned a lesson when she happened down

She didn't know - the barrel was loaded
She didn't know - the barrel was loaded
She didn't know - the barrel was loaded
She didn't know

One eye on the table, one eye on the floor
She got beat for her pride with her back to the door
She be digging the spotlight and called it her own
But you know it's over when everyone's gone

Stealing seconds together, the day is
the night
You can fly your own colours as long
as they're right
The trigger invites you and so do the boys
But if there ain't no one listening
there ain't no noise


Next song: Boots Or Hearts
Previous song: Thirty-Eight Years Old




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Thirty-Eight Years Old - Lyrics

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Twelve Men Broke Loose in '73...

Last played: 2008/02/23 Kingston, ON
Debut: 1988/09/30 Ottawa, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)

Notes: Never in heavy rotation, Thirty-Eight Years Old has such a weird live history being as it's a Huge fan favourite. There is a massive and notable gap from 1993/07/24 - 2006/06/24. I was lucky enough to be at both of those shows and my jaw literally hit the ground at Fort York. The song was played 10 more times and was then unceremoniously shelved again for the 2009 We Are The Same tour.

Twelve men broke loose in Seventy-Three
From Millhaven maximum security
Twelve pictures lined up, across the front page
Seems the Mounties had a summertime war to wage
The Chief told the people they had nothing to fear
Said, "The last thing they wanna do is stick around here"
They mostly came from towns with long French names
But one of the dozen was a hometown shame.

Same pattern on the table
Same clock on the wall
Been one seat empty, eighteen years in all
Freezing slow time, away from the world
He's 38 year's old, never kissed a girl

We were sitting round the table, heard the telephone ring
Father said he tell em if he saw anything
Heard the tap on my window in the middle of the night
Held back the curtain for my older brother Mike

See my sister got raped, so a man got killed
Local boy went to prison, man's buried on the hill
Folks went back to normal when they closed the case
But they still stare at their shoes when they pass our place

My mother cried, "The horror has finally ceased!"
He whispered,"Yea for the time being, at least"
Over her shoulder, on the squad car megaphone
Said,"Let's go Michael, son, we're taking you home."


Next song: She Didn't Know
Previous song: New Orleans Is Sinking

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New Orleans Is Sinking - Lyrics

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New Orleans Is Sinking

Last played: Whatever the last show was.
Debut: 1988/03/02 Ottawa, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)
Notes: I like this song. If I never hear it again live, that's OK.


Bourbon blues on the street, loose and complete
Under skies all smokey blue-green
I can't forsake a dixie dead-shake
So we danced the sidewalk clean
My memory is muddy, what's this river that I'm in?
New Orleans is sinking man and I don't wanna swim

Colonel Tom. What's wrong? What's going on?
You can't tie yourself up for a deal
He said, "Hey north you're south shut your big mouth,
You gotta do what you feel is real"
Ain't got no picture postcards, ain't got no souvenirs
My baby, she don't know me when I'm thinking bout those years

Pale as a light bulb hanging on a wire
Sucking up to someone just to stoke the fire
Picking out the highlights of the scenery
Saw a little cloud that looked a little like me

I had my hands in the river
My feet back up on the banks
Looked up to the lord above
And said, "Hey man thanks"
Sometimes I fell so good, I gotta scream
She said Gordie baby I know exactly what you mean
She said, she said, I swear to god she said...

My memory is muddy what's this river that I'm in?
New Orleans is sinking man and I don't wanna swim


Next song: Thirty-Eight Years Old
Previous song: I'll Believe In You




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I'll Believe In You - Lyrics

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I'll Believe In You

Last played: 1994/07/24 Glastonbury, ENG
Debut: 1988/07/15 Toronto, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)

Notes: This song was under-played live even in its prime and that's me accounting for some sketchy record keeping in the early Hip years. This song has always had the potential to be a live vehicle in the realm of songs like Fully Completely, On The Verge, Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man & Inevitability Of Death but for whatever reason was pretty much abandoned after 1991 except for a lone and final appearance in 1994.

Well, it's 7 a.m. and she awoke by the radio
Yea she rolled on over said, "Where did man go?"
She's been a gunslinger's wife all her life
Now she fights when she's able
For the sake of the kids when the knife's at their
necks in the cradle
She screams,

I'll believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight
I will believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight

Well she's got all the kids and she's got all their uses
But she loves them the same for neglect and abuses
She got a warm spot where they fought
And they made up last night
He said, "Don't read too much into the fact
That I'm leaving."
She screams,

I'll believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight
I will believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight
I will believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight
I will believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight

How do I explain this
I mean how do I put this into words
It's one thing or another
But it's neither this nor that
Actually, it's a collection of things
She said, "That's it, that's it, get out"

Well her mother said, "Kill him, slow at your leisure"
Ah but desperate times call for desperate measures
So she went to the closet and she pulled the old gun down
"I'll put a bullet through his heart if he ain't home by sundown"
Yea 5:55 he comes walking in the front door smiling
He said, "Don't read too much into what I ain't denying"
She screams...

I'll believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight
I will believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight
I will believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight
I will believe in you or I'll be leaving you tonight
Well I believe in you


Next song: New Orleans Is Sinking
Previous song: Blow At High Dough




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Blow At High Dough - Lyrics

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Blow at High Dough

Last played: 2013/02/14 Toronto, ON
Debut: 1988/09/30 Ottawa, ON
Album: Up To Here (1989)

Notes: What can I say about this one? It works anywhere in the setlist. It's just that good. I remember the old Maple Leaf Gardens and when they would play this and hit that high point near the end of the song and they would light the whole crowd up in white light and everyone's arms were just thrusting towards the ceiling as people were jumping. The crowd just went straight up all around. No luxury box barriers, etc. Probably my first Big Time arena rock moment.

They shot a movie once, in my hometown
Everybody was in it, from miles around
Out at the speedway, some kinda Elvis thing
Well I ain't no movie star
But I can get behind anything
Yea I can get behind anything

Get it out, get it all out
Yea stretch that thing
Make it last, make it all last
At least until the supper bell rings
Well the taxi driver likes his rhythm
Never likes the stops
Throes of passion, throes of passion
When something just threw him off

Sometimes the faster it gets
The less you need to know
But you gotta remember,
The smarter it gets
The further it's gonna go
When you blow at high dough
When you blow at high dough

Whoa baby I feel fine
I'm pretty sure it's genuine
It makes no sense, no it makes no sense
But I'll take it free any time
Whoever fits her usually gets her
It was the strangest thing
How'd she move so fast, move so fast
Into that wedding ring

Out at the speedway, same Elvis thing
Well I can't catch her, but I can get behind anything
Yea I can get behind anything
Well I can get behind anything

Out at the speedway, same Elvis thing


Next song: I'll Believe In You




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Up To Here - Lyrics

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Welcome to to lyrics post page for The Tragically Hip's Up To Here album.  Click on a song title below for the lyrics and Digital Lyric Art.  A classic.

Released: August 30, 1989
Recorded: Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN
Length: 43:29
Label: MCA
Producer: Don Smith
Certification: Diamond (Canada - 1,000,000+)


Track Listing:
Blow At High Dough
I'll Believe In You
New Orleans Is Sinking
38 Years Old
She Didn't Know
Boots Or Hearts
Everytime You Go
When The Weight Comes Down
Trickle Down
Another Midnight
Opiated

©The Tragically Hip

Next album: Road Apples
Previous album: The EP




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