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Scotty McCreery - Now

Scotty McCreery - Now Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: See You Tonight
Released: 2013

Now Lyrics

Could be a house, could be a field
Could be a parking lot or up on top of Kill Devil Hill
A hillbilly yacht out on a lake
A rundown barn or underneath the stars on a tailgate

I don't really care about the wheres and hows
As long as we get there and we get started

[Chorus]
Now
Let's crank it up loud
Lets turn the place out
Let's throw down
Ain't no maybe, gettin' crazy
Now
Let's have a little fun
While the night is still young
Gonna get you some
Anybody wanna party
Come on let me hear who's with me
Now
Whoa, whoa, whoa

Grab your girl, grab your phone
Tap those fingers, ring those ringers, let everybody know
Gonna make history, gonna do it right
It's gonna be a don't wanna miss everybody wish they were here with us
Kinda night

We'll go until the sun comes up and shuts us down
Enough of this talking, let's get started

[Chorus]
Now
Let's crank it up loud
Lets turn the place out
Let's throw down
Ain't no maybe, gettin' crazy
Now
Let's have a little fun
While the night is still young
Gonna get you some
Anybody wanna party
Come on let me hear who's with me
Now
Whoa, whoa, whoa

Are you ready to rock
Then let's blow the top right off of this town
If you're down, let's get started

[Chorus]
Now
Let's crank it up loud
Lets turn the place out
Let's throw down
Ain't no maybe, gettin' crazy
Now
Let's have a little fun
While the night is still young
Gonna get you some
Anybody wanna party
Come on let me hear who's with me
Now
Whoa, whoa, whoa

Writer/s: MICHAEL F. BUSBEE, SCOTTY MCCREERY, FRANK ROGERS
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Now

McCreery opens his See You Tonight album with this rocking party tune, which finds him yelling out for a good time. The 2011 American Idol winner penned the song with LA/Nashville songwriter Busbee and the record's producer, Frank Rogers. It was one of five tracks on the set that the North Carolina native co-wrote, unlike Clear as Day, which didn't include any of his self-penned tunes. Scotty admitted to Billboard magazine being somewhat nervous about featuring some of his original songwriting for the first time. "At first you're a little scared to come out of your shoes and share some of your thoughts," he said. "You have to share those intimate thoughts to get a really good song."

George Strait - The Chair

George Strait - The Chair Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Greatest Hits
Released: 1987

The Chair Lyrics

Well excuse me, but I think you've got my chair,
No that one's not taken, I don't mind if you sit here,
I'll be glad to share.

Yea it's usually, packed here on Friday nights,
Oh if you don't mind could I talk you out of a light?
Well thank you, could I drink you a buy?
Oh listen to me, what I mean is can I buy you a drink?
Anything you please.

Oh you're welcome, well I don't think I caught your name,
Are you waiting for someone to meet you here?
Well that makes two of us, glad you came.
No I don't know the name of the band but they're good,
Aren't they, would you like to dance?

Yea I like this song too, it reminds me of you and me baby
Do you think there's a chance?
That later on, I could drive you home?
No I don't mind at all,
Oh I like you too and to tell you the truth
That wasn't my chair after all.

Oh I like you too and to tell you the truth
That wasn't my chair after all.

Writer/s: COCHRAN, HANK / DILLON, DEAN
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

The Chair

Named by CMT as one of the 100 greatest country songs of all-time, this was the result of a night-long songwriting binge by Country music songwriters Hank Cochran and Dean Dillon. The two had been writing songs all night long and as Dillon puts it "were about written out" when he strummed his guitar and sang the line "Excuse me but I think you've got my chair." Twenty minutes later, "The Chair" was complete.

This is one of Strait's 51 #1 hits, a record for country music.

Cochran was already a seasoned veteran in the music industry with classic songs like Patsy Cline's "I Fall To Pieces" to his name, and acted as a mentor to Dean Dillon, who was making his own mark in the business penning hits for Strait and other country artists. Dillon spoke with us in 2012 about collaborating with Cochran on this: "There's some lines in that song which are just brilliant that Hank wrote. The line, 'Thank you, can I drink you a buy, well, listen to me, what I meant is can I buy you a drink, anything you please,' it just shows how flustered the guy was. He's tripping over himself to get to know this girl. And using every line in the book, basically, to get her attention. And I just thought that was really brilliant on Hank's part. But then you have to understand Hank Cochran was one of the most brilliant songwriters ever in country music."

Scotty McCreery - Feel Good Summer Song

Scotty McCreery - Feel Good Summer Song Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: See You Tonight
Released: 2013

Feel Good Summer Song Lyrics

I park the car out on the beach, let the water kiss my feet
Can hear the music coming from the pier
The beat is fast, the bass is loud
I could disappear into the crowd
But I think that I'll just stay out here
'Cause since you're gone

[Chorus]
I can't hear another Feel Good Summer Song
The sunshine only lights up what is wrong
I should just give in and sing along and laugh like we used to
The tide is high, the sky is blue, but how can I get over you
When every station is playing a feel good summer song

It seems like you were just right here
The sand was white, the coast was clear
You kissed me just so you could steal my shades
We snuck off underneath the dock
As the waves crashed on the rocks
You told me that you'd always feel this way
But now you're gone

[Chorus]
I can't hear another feel good summer song
The sunshine only lights up what is wrong
I should just give in and sing along and laugh like we used to
The tide is high, the sky is blue, but how can I get over you
When every station is playing a feel good summer song

Since you're gone, the music's trying to sway me to move on
But I just wanna stay here all night long missing you
Wishing you would come back but you're gone

[Chorus]
I can't hear another feel good summer song
The sunshine only lights up what is wrong
I should just give in and sing along and laugh like we used to
The tide is high, the sky is blue, but how can I get over you
When every station is playing a feel good summer song

A feel good summer song

Writer/s: MCANALLY, SHANE L. / HARDING, JOHN THOMAS / OSBORNE, JOSH
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group, SONGS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Feel Good Summer Song

Despite its title, this J.T. Harding, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne penned song is the antithesis of a carefree summer anthem. It describes a heartbroken man who desperately wants to forget a painful memory and move on with his life:

"Since you're gone
I can't hear another feel good summer song
The sunshine only lights up what is wrong
I should just give in and sing along,"

Scotty explained: "Every time he turns on the radio station, he just hears another feel-good country song. He says, 'How can I get over you when every station is playing a feel-good country song?'"

George Jones - Choices

George Jones - Choices Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: The Cold Hard Truth
Released: 1999

Choices Lyrics

[Chorus]
I've had Choices
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
No I wouldn't be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I made

I was tempted
By an early age I found
I liked drinkin'
Oh, and I never turned it down
There were loved ones
But I turned them all away
Now I'm living and dying
With the choices I made

[Chorus]

I guess I'm payin'
For the things that I have done
If I could go back
Oh, Lord knows I'd run
But I'm still losin'
This game of life I play
Living and dying
With the choices I made

[Chorus]

Living and dying
With the choices I made

Writer/s: YATES, BILLY WAYNE / CURTIS, MICHAEL A.
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, CONEXION MEDIA GROUP, INC.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Choices

This song is basically the true life story of George Jones, who overcame drug and alcohol addiction.

The year this was released, Jones was supposed to perform it on the televised CMA Awards. The CMA's wanted George to perform about 30 seconds of the song directly before a commercial break, so George backed out of the performance because he refused to perform only part of the song. During the live awards show, fellow Country singer Alan Jackson rebelled against the CMA's and stopped his song "Pop A Top" midway and started into the full version of this.

Rumor was from backstage at the CMA's after Alan Jackson broke the format and performed "Choices" on the awards show he walked straight out the back door saying, "That might be it for my career." Of course, it was anything but. George Jones saw Jackson's performance on TV at his home, and applauded the effort. A couple of years later, Jackson used the CMA awards to perform, for the first time, his post 9/11 tribute "Where Were You."

Scotty McCreery - Forget to Forget You

Scotty McCreery - Forget to Forget You Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: See You Tonight
Released: 2013

Forget to Forget You Lyrics

If you see my number on your phone when you pick it up
Or get a good morning text when your wakin' up
Or see my truck drivin' by at the end of the day
If you get a letter in the mail from me now and then
Or find a note on your door from me checkin' in
If I send you a rose or a whole bouquet
Well, pay no mind
I just Forget to Forget You sometimes

[Chorus]
It ain't nothin' but a habit, I can break it
I can shake it, I can make it on my own
Ain't like I really care or I miss you
Or it matters or I wish you weren't gone
Don't think I'm that
God, I gotta get you back
Probably never gonna get over you kind
I just forget to forget you sometimes

I wish you would've caught me out rockin' last night
Instead of catchin' me sittin' at this green light
Baby, I was on a roll 'til I heard that song
It ain't nothin' but a ghost then it's gone again
Ain't like I'm still stuck in what could'a been
Every part of me wants to be movin' on
Except the back of my mind
It just forgets to forget you sometimes

[Chorus]
It ain't nothin' but a habit, I can break it
I can shake it, I can make it on my own
Ain't like I really care or I miss you
Or it matters or I wish you weren't gone
Don't think I'm that
God, I gotta get you back
Probably never gonna get over you kind
I just forget to forget you sometimes

It ain't nothin' but a habit, I can break it
I can shake it, I can make it on my own
It ain't like I really care or I miss you
Or it matters or I wish you weren't gone
Don't think I'm that so lost without you
Every thought's about you
Holdin' onto somethin'
That's never gonna happen
God, I gotta get you back
Probably never gonna get over you kind
No, it's just that I
Forget to forget you sometimes
Just Sometimes
Oh, I forget to forget you sometimes

Writer/s: BEATHARD, CASEY / DULANEY, MICHAEL
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Forget to Forget You

This Casey Beathard and Michael Dulaney penned song finds Scotty addressing heartache, which is something new for him. Clear as Day predominantly featured happy-go-lucky songs, but McCreery wanted to tackle new themes on See You Tonight. "I've had these feelings before," he said. "Anybody who is a teenager has been there before. People relate to it and it's one of those emotions that you can't put on the back burner. It's real and it hurts. There's something about country music. Even if the song is about heartbreak, you can listen to it and try to feel better about the situation you are in."

Slim Gaillard - Yep Roc Hearesay

Slim Gaillard - Yep Roc Hearesay Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Best Of Slim Gailard
Released: 1945

Yep Roc Hearesay Lyrics

Yep Roc Hearesay

This song was banned on at least two Los Angeles radio stations for its suspicious lyric references to drugs and crime. The suspicion was really toward Slim Gaillard himself, who did indeed attract more than his share of suspicion. It was later revealed that the lyrics Slim used were taken through reading an Armenian dinner menu.

A now very overlooked artist of the '30s and '40s, Slim Gaillard was a cult hero of his time. At least 2 pages of Kerouac's On the Road make reference to Gaillard; "One night we went to see Slim Gaillard in a little Frisco nightclub. In Frisco great eager crowds of semi-intellectuals sat at his feet and listened to him on the piano, guitar and bongo drums... Now Dean approached him, he approached his God; he thought Slim Gaillard was God." He played several instruments and could tap dance while playing piano with the back of his hands. His most famous songs include "Flat Foot Floogie," "Cement Mixer" and the children's classic, "Down By The Station." His lyrics were all over the place, as he sang about food, cars, liquor, and whatever he was experiencing at the time. He made up songs as he went, and only looked back to play greater versions of them with greats such as Dizzy Gilespie and Charlie Parker. His music was a prelude to bebop Jazz, and he has even been coined as the true great granddaddy of modern rap.

Scotty McCreery - Carolina Moon

Scotty McCreery - Carolina Moon Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: See You Tonight
Released: 2013

Carolina Moon Lyrics

I woke up this morning to the hummin' of the engines
Haulin' nature's finest from the Gulf of Mexico
Riding this ol' river is peaceful but it's lonesome
And it makes me wonder how the old folks are at home

[Chorus]
Now the years have blown by me like the wind through the pines
But the song of the south is ever sweet as homemade wine
Oh, how I miss those mountains when the laurels are in bloom
And the southern stars are dancin' 'round the North Carolina Moon

Just rolled through Memphis, I could hear them guitars palyin'
They had the blues so so bad it almost broke my heart
But it don't sound nothing like a band of tree frogs singin'
When every now and then they get in tune with grandpa's harp

[Chorus]
Now the years have blown by me like the wind through the pines
But the song of the south is ever sweet as homemade wine
Oh, how I miss those mountains when the laurels are in bloom
And the southern stars are dancin' 'round the North Carolina moon

Now when I die boys, make me this promise
You'll send my body back up North Carolina way
I don't want no tombstone, just lay me next to mama
And let the honeysuckle grow wild upon my grave

[Chorus]
Now the years have blown by me like the wind through the pines
But the song of the south is ever sweet as homemade wine
Oh, how I miss those mountains when the laurels are in bloom
And the southern stars are dancin' 'round the North Carolina moon

Yeah, the southern stars are dancin' 'round the North Carolina moon
North Carolina moon
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh (X2)

Writer/s: RON STEWART, JON RANDALL
Publisher: Wrensong
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Carolina Moon

This Jon Randall and Ronnie Stewart written song finds Scotty singing lovingly of his home state. The North Carolina native wanted to record this Appalachian-tinged tune as soon as he heard the first verse and chorus. "It hits home with me, growing up in North Carolina," he said. "The song talks about being on the road touring and missing home."

Alison Krauss joins Scotty to offer harmonies on the traditional Country tune. He was honored that one of the best singers in any genre agreed to record the song with him. "That took the song over the top," he said. "She is wonderful and has such an iconic and beautiful voice."

Olivia Newton-John - Phenomenal Woman

Olivia Newton-John - Phenomenal Woman Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Stronger Than Before
Released: 2005

Phenomenal Woman Lyrics

Pretty women wonder
Where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit
A fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.

I say
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman
Phenomenal Woman
(Yes indeed)
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenal woman
Baby that's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
Like a hive of honey bees.

I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
The joy in my feet.

I'm a woman
Phenomenal woman
(Yes indeed)
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenal woman
Baby that's me.

It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout
Or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.

I say
It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.

I'm a woman
Phenomenal woman
(Yes indeed)
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenal woman
Baby that's me.
Baby that's me yeah

Writer/s: Angelou, Maya / Smith, Stephen Darrell / Gilbert, Tom
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Phenomenal Woman

Based on a poem by Maya Angelou, this women's-anthem song, produced (and previously recorded) by Amy Sky, features Olivia Newton-John with additional vocals by Patti LaBelle, Delta Goodrem, Mindy Smith, and Diahann Carroll. It is featured on a CD exclusively sold at Hallmark stores for breast cancer awareness, with some of the proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Sub Focus - Turn Back Time

Sub Focus - Turn Back Time Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Torus
Released: 2013

Turn Back Time Lyrics

Brush off my shoulders, but not 'cause it's colder
Will it get better, now that we're older?
Remember the feeling, a deeper emotion
To be high as a mountain, as deep as the ocean

How I wish I could Turn Back Time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time

How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time

Oh, I just hate being without you
It's just another thing to break through
Carry the hurt I dare not speak it
Bring back the love that we all believe in

How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time

How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time
How I wish I could turn back time

Writer/s: St. Louis, Chantal Coren Grace / English, Kim / Feliciano, Frankie / Williams, Kevin Michael
Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group, Ultra Tunes
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Turn Back Time

Sub Focus told MusicRadar.com the story behind this song: "I've been doing a lot of sampling from the early '90s," he said. "There are quite a few acapellas that you can find; I'd really geek out and find out which versions of the original releases had the acapella on them, then try and buy the vinyl or CDs online to get the highest quality versions possible."

"That's how this track started - by chopping these up, and coming up with ideas from there," he continued. "It ended up with me getting session musicians in to recreate some of the samples, which really freshened up the song."

The vocals are performed by Yolanda Quartey, who is a member of the Bristol country/soul band Phantom Limb. She also sung on the chorus of Chase & Status' hit single, "Blind Faith."

Linkin Park - Pushing Me Away

Linkin Park - Pushing Me Away Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Hybrid Theory
Released: 2000

Pushing Me Away Lyrics

I've lied to you
The same way that I always do
This is the last smile
That I'll fake for the sake of being with you

Everything falls apart
Even the people who never frown eventually break down
The sacrifice of hiding in a lie
Everything has to end
You'll soon find we're out of time left to watch it all unwind)
The sacrifice is never knowing

Why I never walked away
Why I played myself this way
Now I see your testing me pushes me away
Why I never walked away
Why I played myself this way
Now I see your testing me pushes me away

I've tried like you
To do everything you wanted too
This is the last time
I'll take the blame for the sake of being with you

Everything falls apart
Even the people who never frown eventually break down
The sacrifice of hiding in a lie
Everything has to end
You'll soon find we're out of time left to watch it all unwind)
The sacrifice is never knowing

Why I never walked away
Why I played myself this way
Now I see your testing me pushes me away
Why I never walked away
Why I played myself this way
Now I see your testing me pushes me away

We're all out of time, this is how we find how it all unwinds
The sacrifice of hiding in a lie
We're all out of time, this is how we find how it all unwinds
The sacrifice is never knowing

Why I never walked away
Why I played myself this way
Now I see your testing me pushes me away
Why I never walked away
Why I played myself this way
Now I see your testing me pushes me away

Pushes me away

Writer/s: SHINODA, MIKE / DELSON, BRAD / BENNINGTON, CHESTER CHARLES / BOURDON, ROBERT G. / HAHN, JOSEPH
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Pushing Me Away

This song is about a guy who only feels pain when he is with a girl who he used to love. He still loves her but something has happened that causes him pain when he is with her. In the Live In Texas version it says, "When I look into your eyes there's nothing left to see, nothing but my own mistakes staring back at me." This refers to how he can only see how much pain he has inflicted on someone he loves when he looks at her. He can't stand that feeling anymore.

In the remix of this song ("P5hng Me Aw*y"), he says, "When I look into your eyes, there's nothing there to see. Nothing but my own mistakes, staring back at me." This says he made a big mistake being with her. In her eyes he sees his reflection, but it's him as a miserable person.

Zendaya - Love You Forever

Zendaya - Love You Forever Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Zendaya
Released: 2013

Love You Forever Lyrics

So why're you're here acting like you don't
Wanna be here, dancing on the floor
Don't know really what you're waiting for
For, for yeah

Boy, I came here to party
I just wanna keep pressing replay
So turn it up
I love the way it makes me feel
Let's turn it up
'Cause we live that life

We on that all night, get it right
If you keep on moving like that
I might Love You Forever
We on that first time love high
Just keep on moving
'Cause I just might love you forever

Love you forever
Love you forever

So love the way we going back and forth
Dance until we can't do it no more
Every night, stop it so speed it up, slow it down
Yeah, baby, keep it moving

Boy, I came here to party
I just wanna keep pressing replay
So turn it up
I love the way it makes me feel
Let's turn it up
'Cause we live that life

We on that all night, get it right
If you keep on moving like that
I might love you forever
We on that first time love high
Just keep on moving
'Cause I just might love you forever

Love you forever
Love you forever

The way you move is so amazing
So hypnotized, you take me away with you
'Cause you already got me crazy
Crazy

So don't stop, let it rock
Keep moving, keep, keep moving
Let's play it over and over
So don't stop, let it rock
Keep moving, keep, keep moving
Let's play it over and over

We on that all night, get it right
If you keep on moving like that
I might love you forever
We on that first time love high
Just keep on moving
'Cause I just might love you forever

Love you forever
Love you forever

So why're you're here acting like you don't
Wanna be here, dancing on the floor
Don't know really what you're waiting for
For

Writer/s: FRED, TIFFANY LAUREN / JONAS, NICHOLAS / SHELTON, PAUL / KINCY, MARCUS / COLEMAN, ZENDAYA MAREE STOERMER
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group, Walt Disney Music Company
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Love You Forever

This up-tempo '90s throwback cut finds Zendaya singing about falling in love on the dance floor. The track was produced by Nick Jonas and Paul "Famous" Shelton. "I knew Paul 'Famous', who did 'Replay,' and he did a few other songs on my album," Zendaya told MTV News. "And he had brought that song to me and he was like, 'Me and Nick did this song,' and I was like, 'Oh, I love it. Thank you!"

Zendaya added that though she and Nick Jonas made music together, she never actually got to meet the ex Disney star. "I have tweeted him and talked to him over Twitter and talked to him through Paul," Zendaya said. "But I haven't been like, 'Hey, thank you,' which is funny, but I think we came out with a great song, and I'm very lucky to have him on it."

Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia

Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
Released: 1980

Holiday In Cambodia Lyrics

So, you've been to school
For a year or two
And you know you've seen it all
In daddy's car
Thinking you'll go far
Back east your type don't crawl

Playing ethnicky jazz
To parade your snazz
On your five-grand stereo
Braggin' that you know
How the niggers feel cold
And the slum's got so much soul

It's time to taste what you most fear
Right Guard will not help you here
Brace yourself, my dear
Brace yourself, my dear

It's a Holiday In Cambodia
It's tough, kid, but it's life
It's a holiday in Cambodia
Don't forget to pack a wife

You're a star-belly snitch
You suck like a leech
You want everyone to act like you
Kiss ass while you bitch
So you can get rich
While your boss gets richer off you

Well, you'll work harder
With a gun in your back
For a bowl of rice a day
Slave for soldiers
Till you starve
Then your head is skewered on a stake

Now you can go where the people are one
Now you can go where they get things done
What you need, my son...
What you need, my son...

Is a holiday in Cambodia
Where people are dressed in black
A holiday in Cambodia
Where you'll kiss ass or crack

Pol Pot, Pol Pot, Pol Pot, Pol Pot

It's a holiday in Cambodia
Where you'll do what you're told
It's a holiday in Cambodia
Where the slums got so much soul
Pol Pot

Writer/s: BOUCHER PKA BIAFRA/PEPPERELL/LYALL/
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Holiday In Cambodia

This song is about an American kid who expects to go off to college and thinks he knows everything about the ghetto ("Braggin that you know how the niggers feel cold and the slums got so much soul") and then gets drafted and sent to Vietnam. Pol Pot was the dictator of Cambodia during that time.

While playing this song live, Jello would act like a dumb American kid who suddenly ends up in Vietnam and gets shot.

This is one of the few Dead Kennedys songs that was written by the entire band - most were composed solely by Biafra. In our 2013 interview with Biafra , he said it was still his favorite song, and explained how it came together:

"The original 'Holiday in Cambodia' is more a straight punk song. We called them 'chainsaws' back then, 'chainsaw punk' after the Ramones song ('Chainsaw'). The other guys didn't like it. They didn't want to play it. I was heartbroken, I was crestfallen, they'd never done that to me before. And then Klaus (Flouride - bass player) began noodling around on what became that signature bass line. I thought, 'Hey, wait a minute. That's cool. What would happen if we swiped everything from my 'Holiday in Cambodia' song - verse, chorus, bridge - but used that as the original root rhythm?'

Actually, we had a three-chord chorus and bridge that came from the original, and then the verse we swapped out. Eventually, Ray (guitarist East Bay Ray) came up with that signature guitar part when he enters the song. It was taking a while; we didn't even play it at our first show, although we knew we had it under our belt. It was a pretty chief song for making me decide I ought to stick with these guys and it might turn into something really unusual, because I was playing around with some other people, too.

Before we played, I came back out of the bathroom and back to Ray's garage and heard that lick, and I was like, 'Yow!' And Ray told me he'd seen Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett at Winterland when he was a kid, and I took note of that. So when I was trying to get something to put on top of Klaus' riff, I kept trying to get it to fit there, and fit there, and fit there, and finally, it appeared."

The line, "You're a star-belly sneech" is a reference to a Dr. Seuss character in his story The Sneetches.

Despite this being one of the most popular Dead Kennedys songs, this actually caused a whole lot of controversy and turmoil between Jello Biafra and the other band members. In the late '90s, the Levi's clothing company asked permission to use the song in an ad for Dockers; although the other band members were OK with the song's usage, Jello refused, citing his anti-corporate stance and what he believed to be Levi's unfair work practices. This led to the rest of the band suing him for unpaid royalties, which eventually led to Jello losing all publishing rights to the DK catalog. The commercial eventually aired using a Pretenders song - it showed a guy catching a mouse and putting it in a cage when his girlfriend felt sorry for it.