The Hold Steady: Knuckles

I've been trying to get people to call me Freddy Knuckles. People keep calling me Right Said Fred. And it's hard to keep trying when half your friends are dying. And it's hard to hold it steady when half your friends are dead already. We got taxmen coming around the back in their kevlar vests. Militia men cooking up a batch of the crystal meth. We got wars going down in the middle west. We got wars going down in the middle western states. Kevlar vests against the crystal flakes.

I've been trying to get people to call me Freddie Mercury. People keep calling me Drop Dead Fred. It's hard to take it easy when half your friends are way too easy. It's hard to get ahead when half your friends are dead. We got taxmen coming around the back in their kevlar vests. We got militia men cooking up a batch of the crystal meth. And we got wars going down in the middle west. We got wars going down in the middle western states. Kevlar vests against the crystal flakes.

And his elbow was a spiderweb with five spiders trapped inside, and he said "You know, the last guy, I guess he didn't even have to die, but the first four looked so nice, I wanted five." "The first four looked so nice..."

I've been trying to get people to call me Sunny D. 'Cause I got the good stuff the kids go for. People keep calling me Five Alive. 'Cause the last guy didn't really die, I just lied. And the first four didn't really die, I just lied. Too many people getting stabbed. Getting tangled up in crabs.

And I've been trying to get people to call me Johnny Rotten. But people keep calling me Freddy Fresh. And it's hard to take it easy when half your friends are looking way too easy. And it's hard to stay in bed when half your friends are dead. Taxmen coming around the back in their kevlar vests. Militia men cooking up a batch of the crystal meth. We got wars going down in the middle west. We got wars going down in the middle western states. White crosses and wooden stakes.