Jump Through the Hoops - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Jump Through the Hoops - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

4:11

Question the Answers, 1994

Written by Dicky Barrett and Joe Gittleman

Starting off with a blast of horns, this is the cri de coeur of a working man who hits the daily grind from nine to five (though one verse implies he's a bartender, a job that doesn't typically have those hours).  He's got his pride.  He'd rather lay down and die than sit up and beg, even though he doesn't have a minute's rest.  As is typical with the 'Tones, the lyrics are full of the internal rhyme and assonance that Barrett loves to spit out in his rapid-fire growl: "It's up and out, rise and shine, on the double / No time to slack, attack, and tackle the trouble / Shake myself out of bed again."

Hope I Never Lose My Wallet - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Hope I Never Lose My Wallet - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

2:06

Devils Night Out, 1989

Written by Dicky Barrett and Joe Gittleman

On their debut album, the Bosstones smash ska and punk together with a reckless enthusiasm they would later trade for greater precision. The playing is loose, fast, and infectiously joyful, driven by one of the band's most memorable horn riffs.  Barrett spits out the lyrics with a delighted frenzy, listing all the things he'd be sad to lose (his hair, his youth, his girl), but circling back to the titular wallet, jokingly given the same gravity.  I wonder if the song is a winking nod to the punk fashion of having wallets on chains?

It Will Be - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

It Will Be - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

3:22

Pin Points and Gin Joints, 2009

Written by Dicky Barrett and Joe Gittleman

This song is a note of commiseration to a heartbroken friend.  Hope is gone, words were said that can't be taken back, the whole universe is dismal now, all the usual scenes.  But the narrator assures us that love will come again if you wait patiently.  "It will be when you least expect it / Electricity and then / Wait and see, it'll be electric again."  I do prefer my Bosstones to be more frenetic and guttural, but the more restrained vibe here fits the message.

A Jackknife To a Swan - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

A Jackknife To a Swan - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
2:48
A Jackknife To a Swan, 2002
Written by Dicky Barrett, Tim Burton, Joe Gittleman

More rock than ska at this point in their career, the Bosstones here serve up a grim tale of urban violence, in which a woman is burned to death and a man, fleeing some predatory group of men, apparently runs into the path of a train.  The title evokes two types of diving, but the story makes the image more literal and visceral, as a harmless life is brutalized.  Apparently the events in the song are based on a real life incident in Boston, which (if true) makes me wonder why Barrett doesn't sound angrier.

Open And Honest - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Open And Honest - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

2:52

The Magic Of Youth, 2011

Written by Dicky Barrett, Joe Gittleman, and Kevin Lenear

I'm a fan of most anything the 'Tones record; I regard them as one of the best ska bands.  This is up there with their best songs, in my opinion.  In addition to the sharp horn section, it's got some rocking guitar licks.  And the lyrics are not only Barrett's usual avalanche of wordplay — he seems to love just playing with the sounds and senses of words — it's got a message of being genuine with each other.  "Let′s face what you're afraid of / To find out what we′re made of / In the process made aware / That there is nothing here worth fearing."