DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Yourself

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DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Yourself

Post by ramonz »

Clams and I were talking through what was still left on DD, and there, surprisingly, was Do it Yourself. A quick check by both of us failed to find its "sister song" When the Pin Hits the Shell covered, so at the risk of doubling up, here's a take on the pair. Both from Decoration Day - released June 17, 2003. From Patterson: "Mine and Cooley's somewhat different take on another friend's not-so accidental death." (referencing how "Careless" is about a friend's accidental death).

From DD liner notes: "When the Pin Hits the Shell features veteran keyboardist Spooner Oldham (Aretha Franklin, Neil Young, Bob Dylan) playing what he referred to as his "Star Wars Solo" on the Wurlitzer. Both of these songs were first takes. Do It Yourself features a guest appearance from Bob Spires of Athens GA's incomparable band, The Possibilities." I did a little research, and while Bob Spires was in The Possibilities, so was Matt Lane. And a one "Jason" Gonzalez joined The Possibilities in '99. Thank you, The Possibilities. They've been described as trippy psychedelic 70's-style AM pop.

On a personal note, I'm not sure how much experience one has to have with the pain and waste of suicide, and/or the horrors of significant depression, to be "qualified" to do a write-up of these two classics. By no means do I claim to be qualified, but my world has seen large amounts of both. And while neither has found their way into my head, it's unfortunately another story for my friends and family. Two close childhood friends lost their battles with depression in their early 20's, and another very close friend continues to this day to fight the fight - and is winning with the help of medication. Family members past and present battle depression and alcoholism, which unfortunately feed on each other and are so hard to separate. So I'll give my take on these two heavy songs, and hopefully won't offend anyone who has a different take. Obviously we don't know the whole story of this friend's suicide (nor would it be appropriate for Cooley or Patterson to reveal it), so as is usually the case with most songs, and despite pretty clear lyrics, much is left to interpretation.

How do you make a song about a friend's suicide "work?" For DBT the answer was to write two songs, from somewhat different perspectives, one a flat-out rocker and one a much more subdued, minimalist affair. The two songs are connected not only by topic, but also by some fantastic in-studio banter that is split b/w the end of Pin and the beginning of Do it Yourself. Patterson: "This is my, this is my Stroker bait. (big Cooley laugh) I'm just gonna reel you in, motherfucker. Come on over here motherfucker. Come over right-turner. (big Cooley laugh) I'm gonna give it to you." Have always loved this. Sounds like they're having a blast. I won't analyze it too much, but possible connection b/w Cooley's Wayward Johnson Music and "right-turner?" Just a thought.....that I don't think about a lot, promise! ;) And what was it that Patterson was offering the Stroker Ace? We'll probably never know.

WHEN THE PIN HITS THE SHELL (4:10)
You can lie to your Mama, you can lie to your race
but you can't lie to nobody with that cold steel in your face.
And the same God that you're so afraid is gonna send you to hell
is the same one you're gonna answer to when the pin hits the shell.

Your sister's been blaming everybody.
I don't blame her, man, I guess I'd blame them too
if you was my brother, man, I'd probably stand by you.
But you ain't, man, so I got to go my way.

And I ain't gonna crawl upon no high horse
Cause I got thrown off of one
when I was young and I ain't no cowboy
so I ain't going where I don't belong.
It wouldn't do you no good to let you know that it damned near killed me too
so I ain't gonna mourn for you, man, now that you're gone.

Me and you, we liked our pills and our whiskey.
But you don't want your head full of either one when
the house gets quiet and dark.
Having fun used to be so damned easy,
racing trains from 2nd Street to Avalon.
Take a trip down memory lane,
You don't see no friendly faces
all the houses have been painted and
nobody knows your name.
It's enough to make a man not want
to be nobody's Daddy,
when all he thinks he's got left to hand down is guilt and shame.

And I ain't gonna crawl upon no high horse........

You can lie to your Mama, you can lie to your race
but you can't lie to nobody with that cold steel in your face.
And the same God that you're so afraid is gonna send you to hell
is the same one you're gonna answer to when the pin hits the shell.

Lyrics by Mike Cooley / Music by Drive-By Truckers
(c) 2001 Wayward Johnson's Music (BMI)
Star Wars Wurlitzer Solo: Spooner Oldham


DO IT YOURSELF (3:20)
My Daddy called me on a Friday morning, so sad to tell me just what you'd done
You tried so hard to make us all hate you but in the end you was the only one
Sick, tired, pissed and wired, you never thought about anyone else.
You tried in vain to find something to kill you
in the end you had to do it yourself.

Who's to blame for the loveless marriage, who's to blame for the broken band.
You ran from life and all of it's pleasures, your own teeth marks on your own damned hand.
Thrown out before the date's expired, you'd rather die than let anyone help,
You'd rather die than take a stab at living.
Nothing would kill you so you do it yourself.

Everyone has those times when the night's so long
The dead-end life just drags you down
You lean back under the microphone
and turn your demons into walls of goddamned noise and sound.

And it's a sorry thing to do to your sweet sister
It's a sorry thing to do to your little boy
It's a sorry thing to do to the folks who love you
Your Mama and Daddy lost their only boy
Some should say I should cut you slack, but you worked so hard at unhappiness.
Living too hard just couldn't kill you
In the end you had to do it yourself.

Living too hard just couldn't kill you
In the end you had to do it yourself.

June 2002, Chase Park Transduction, Athens GA.
Recorded that evening.
Lyrics by Patterson Hood / Music by Drive-By Truckers
© 2003 Soul Dump Music (BMI)
Harmony: Bob Spires (Thanks: The Possibilities)


From the "click, click, click....." of Brad's drumsticks intro, eerily echoing the title's moment of truth, When the Pin Hits the Shell is Cooley's take. And (somewhat) like Cooley's and Jason's different takes on the TVA expressed in song (Uncle Frank and TVA), Cooley's take on a friend's suicide comes from a different angle than Patterson's. Pin is a slow-burner, but in concert it is a sing-along. Not in the traditional sense, of course, but the crowd knows the words, and sings in appreciation, because I think many can relate.

The point of no return: the sound of the gun's firing pin hitting the bullet's primer, igniting the gunpowder and propelling the projectile. At the end of the day, it's come down to that - a very mechanical end to a very troubled life. I'm not sure I know of a more fitting and chilling song title. All his personal pain and anguish is over in that instant described in the title. But, unfortunately, the pain continues for the family.

I won't try to decipher each line, but Pin is as well-written as any DBT song. While it is ironic that the friend will have to answer to the same God no matter what course he takes, is that a comforting thing to realize or a frightening thing to realize.....or neither? Cooley's "ain't gonna crawl up on no high horse......" lyrics are etched in most of our minds. Classic Cooley and simply classic.

What is clear from both songs is that this friend must have been a VERY tough case. It sounds like a lot of caring people tried to help, over a long period of time, and he alienated everyone. Both Cooley and Patterson distance themselves from him, and the only real sorrow seems to be for the friend's family. And putting (transferring) that pain to family is seen by both as a selfish act. Both have moved on (as much as they can), and each song seems cathartic, bringing some closure on a really difficult time. You can only give but so much of yourself to someone who rejects it and/or doesn't want to be helped.

Do it Yourself kicks serious tail. It is a guitar-driven tornado of the highest caliber. 1:22 - 2:22 is as rockin' as any minute in the DBT canon - absolutely love it. Patterson seems a bit more pissed at the situation than does Cooley, but it could be that he's pissed he could not change the outcome vs. pissed at the friend. Clearly his Nuci's Space support means he cares a lot about - and puts a lot of time and effort into - fighting depression in musicians and anyone else. I respect the hell out of him/them for doing so. And like most of us, he can relate. "Everyone has those times when the night's so long, the dead-end life just drags you down. You lean back under the microphone, and turn your demons into goddamned walls of noise and sound." God that's good. But this friend wasn't able to fight his depression (or successfully fight it) by immersing himself in music or channeling his inner rock star - or by any other means. Not everyone stricken by it can, and it beat him, sadly.
Last edited by ramonz on Mon Mar 19, 2012 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by GuitarManUpstairs »

I'll have more to post about these songs later but for now in regards to this:

ramonz wrote:Patterson: "This is my, this is my Stroker bait. (big Cooley laugh) I'm just gonna reel you in, motherfucker. Come on over here motherfucker. Come over right-turner. (big Cooley laugh) I'm gonna give it to you." Have always loved this. Sounds like they're having a blast. I won't analyze it too much, but possible connection b/w Cooley's Wayward Johnson Music and "right-turner?" Just a thought.....that a I don't think about a lot, promise! And what was it that Patterson was offering the Stroker Ace? We'll probably never know.


I have no basis for thinking so, but i always pictured it as Patterson rolling a joint and saying it was his Stroker bait.... :mrgreen: :lol: Maybe i just don't wanna think about the Wayward Johnsons.... :lol:
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by RolanK »

One of my favorite Cooley songs. And DIY has been growing a lot on me latelyl. Agree with the part 1:22 - 2:22. I guess that's Cooley's guitar-part?

Can't really relate to the theme of these two songs on a close personal level. Have been spared for that kind of stuff in my family and close friends. Two of my class-mates from high-school chose their way out of live, but this was years after we had lost contact, and I only heard it years later via friends. Makes you sit back and think for a while, though.
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by dime in the gutter »

ramonz wrote: Come over right-turner.

i always thought it was "come over, ike turner."

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by ramonz »

dime in the gutter wrote:
ramonz wrote: Come over right-turner.

i always thought it was "come over, ike turner."


That's funny - could be! And makes me wonder if my mind is trying to make connections that don't exist.

Damn, that's actually hilarious. :lol:

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by dime in the gutter »

ramonz wrote: And what was it that Patterson was offering the Stroker Ace? We'll probably never know.

in my mind, patterson is throwing his guitar riffage out as a lure.....like he is spinning top water bait to "reeeeel you in, motherfucker"

motherfucker being you or cooley or ike turner.

or some shit like that.

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Sub »

dime in the gutter wrote:
ramonz wrote: And what was it that Patterson was offering the Stroker Ace? We'll probably never know.

in my mind, patterson is throwing his guitar riffage out as a lure.....like he is spinning top water bait to "reeeeel you in, motherfucker"


That's pretty much how I've always taken it too.

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by beantownbubba »

"While it is ironic that the friend will have to answer to the same God no matter what course he takes, is that a comforting thing to realize or a frightening thing to realize.....or neither? Cooley's "ain't gonna crawl up on no high horse......" lyrics are etched in most of our minds. Classic Cooley and simply classic."

I think Cooley clearly intends that "same God" line to be either frightening or ironic in the most chilling or cynical or disappointed in his friend way, as in: "WTF is wrong w/ you? You told me were scared God was gonna send u to hell for all you've done and then you go make him decide about you all the sooner by committing suicide (which at least in Catholicism is a sin that consigns you to hell all by itself).

Yeah, that "high horse" line is classic Cooley and it's also classic Cooley phrasing. Unbelievable how he makes that work. :)
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Smarty Jones »

LOVE Pin Hits the Shell. LOVE. Ramonz, you pretty much described it perfectly - no way I could put it better.

Brad's part at the beginning and end of the song frame the context and title of the song incredibly well. Love the melody between verses 1 and 2.

And hearing Cooley sing the words "horse" and "cowboy" in the same sentence...dreamy. :D

Really enjoy Do It Yourself as well, it's a great song, I just don't love it on the level that I do Pin Hits the Shell.
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Zip City »

Pin is fantastic.

DIY has never done anything for me. I usually skip it
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by jr29 »

DIY is really strong, but "When The Pin Hits The Shell" is ,to me, the most moving and powerful DBT song of them all. ("The Living Bubba" being a solid second). I think Cooley's vocal is as strong as anything he has done.
When I first heard the song I kinda interpreted the title as somewhat of a metaphor for killing yourself through drug and alcohol abuse. That hit a little closer to home for me than the literal interpretation. I suppose it could work either way.

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Sterling Big Mouth »

Stuck at work and took a break by coming here, of course. I have to post more on these gems, but I couldn't leave without first giving Ramonz a standing ovation. Outstanding post.
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Smitty »

turn your demons into walls of goddamn noise and sound

As someone who has struggled with depression, these songs have meant alot to me at certain times through the years.
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by cortez the killer »

I love both of these songs. I really caught the DBT bug in the Fall of '06. First it was TDS. Then ABAAC. Next up was SRO. Then I discovered the wonderful world of DD. That album is simply a beast. I was obsessed with the first nine songs on it (especially "The Deeper In," "Marry Me," "My Sweet Annette," "Outfit," and "Heathens"). I thought (and still do) "Your Daddy Hates Me" & "Careless" were somewhat buzz kills and I'd kinda of lose my attention at that point. I'd either stop listening or skip to "Decoration Day" and be done with it. At some point I let it roll and "Pin" and "Do It" really began to sink their claws into me. I was struck by how the band decided to include two songs about suicide not only on the record itself, but back-to-back. Well, not only does it work, it really catapults the album to legendary status in my view. It is somewhat surprising they are making an appearance this late into this track of the week excercise, but better late than never. Nice write-up ramonz. I really enjoyed reading it.
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by pearlysnaps »

Sub wrote:
dime in the gutter wrote:
ramonz wrote: And what was it that Patterson was offering the Stroker Ace? We'll probably never know.

in my mind, patterson is throwing his guitar riffage out as a lure.....like he is spinning top water bait to "reeeeel you in, motherfucker"


That's pretty much how I've always taken it too.


Same here. DIY's intro riff is fairly Stonesy, a genre at which Cooley excels. I take it as that Stonesy riff is the bait that will hook and reel Cooley in.

Nice write-ups, folks. I can't add much but to say that these are two really great tunes that resonate with me. They are strong tunes from a top-notch album.
Last edited by pearlysnaps on Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Iowan »

cortez the killer wrote:I love both of these songs. I really caught the DBT bug in the Fall of '06. First it was TDS. Then ABAAC. Next up was SRO. Then I discovered the wonderful world of DD. That album is simply a beast. I was obsessed with the first nine songs on it (especially "The Deeper In," "Marry Me," "My Sweet Annette," "Outfit," and "Heathens"). I thought (and still do) "Your Daddy Hates Me" & "Careless" were somewhat buzz kills and I'd kinda of lose my attention at that point. I'd either stop listening or skip to "Decoration Day" and be done with it. At some point I let it roll and "Pin" and "Do It" really began to sink their claws into me. I was struck by how the band decided to include two songs about suicide not only on the record itself, but back-to-back. Well, not only does it work, it really catapults the album to legendary status in my view. It is somewhat surprising they are making an appearance this late into this track of the week excercise, but better late than never. Nice write-up ramonz. I really enjoyed reading it.


It's one thing I've always loved about DD. In the middle of the album, they do three divorce songs in a row, then do three death songs in a row, albeit one of them being a trainwreck (compliment) of a song about accidental death, and the other two about the same suicide written from two different perspectives. The whole middle section of that album is solely about death, be it the death of inter-personal relationships, or physically dying.

It's fucking brilliant.

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Smitty »

The "you can lie to your race" line always bothered me (slightly).
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Iowan »

Smitty wrote:The "you can lie to your race" line always bothered me (slightly).


I took it as "human race", FWIW. It just rhymes better with "face".

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Zip City »

Iowan wrote:
Smitty wrote:The "you can lie to your race" line always bothered me (slightly).


I took it as "human race", FWIW. It just rhymes better with "face".


same
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by mwh »

Smitty wrote:The "you can lie to your race" line always bothered me (slightly).


Agreed. The truckers are obviously not a racist bunch, but I always cringed at the thought of somebody taking this line out of context or repurposing it as a racist rally cry. If it does indeed mean human race, and maybe that's what he was going for, it isn't clear.

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Zip City »

I never took any racial connotations from that at all
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Smitty »

mwh wrote:
Smitty wrote:The "you can lie to your race" line always bothered me (slightly).


Agreed. The truckers are obviously not a racist bunch, but I always cringed at the thought of somebody taking this line out of context or repurposing it as a racist rally cry. If it does indeed mean human race, and maybe that's what he was going for, it isn't clear.


I've never took it as something that could be miscrued as a "racist rally cry", just seems kinda forced, put there for the only reason of rhyming "face".
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by mwh »

Zip City wrote:I never took any racial connotations from that at all



To be clear, I don't think Cooley or anyone in DBT is racist and I think they've proven that multiple times. But if I didn't know what I know about them and I heard that line of that song being sung by a southern rock band (I know they don't like the label, but it is what it is) I would think the worst. I know that's not what he's trying to say, but at the same time I have no idea what he IS trying to say here (other than maybe it was just a rhyme).

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Sub »

i've always taken that line to be an inside thing. where if you also knew the guy who took his life you would understand why its there and only something us outsiders could speculate about.

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by JimmerDette »

Zip City wrote:I never took any racial connotations from that at all



agreed........to me absolutely no negativity with that line.

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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Zip City »

JimmerDette wrote:
Zip City wrote:I never took any racial connotations from that at all



agreed........to me absolutely no negativity with that line.



My reading has always been that the mama/race duality is a way of saying "you can lie to one person, or you can lie to the world"
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by PeterJ »

Zip City wrote:
JimmerDette wrote:
Zip City wrote:I never took any racial connotations from that at all



agreed........to me absolutely no negativity with that line.



My reading has always been that the mama/race duality is a way of saying "you can lie to one person, or you can lie to the world"


I have been thinking of how to sum up my thoughts on the race line, and this hits my thoughts exactly.

Scary that it came from Zip. :lol:
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by Clams »

Just getting around to posting in this thread. Ramonz and I were shocked to learn that Pin Hits the Shell hadn't been covered yet. I could swear someone already did it, but I searched for a thread and came up empty. Ramonz' idea to pair it up with Do It Yourself is perfect though.

A few things that have probably already been mentioned...

--I love the duality of these two songs back-to-back.
--Cooley's "high horse/ain't no cowboy" line is as good as it gets. Same goes for "me and you, we liked our pills and our whiskey/but you don't want your head full of either one when the house gets quiet and dark." I marvel at both of those lines every time I hear them. For me, they're the highlights of the song, and they're right up there with "when my face looks like a road map" and "it don't make you do a thing, it just let's you" and all the other great shit that Cooley has ever written.
--Spooner's solo in the middle of Pin Hits the Shell is great, and I love that little riff that Cooley plays throughout the song - you know the one I mean, it first comes in right after "I ain't gonna mourn for you, man, now that you're gone"
-- Do It Yourself is like an overlooked nugget tucked into the middle of Decoration Day. It isn't a bad song at all, but you just don't notice it much because it's tucked in among all those great DD songs that come before and after it.
-- While I'm lucky that I don't have too much experience when it comes to suicides and close friends or family, you can tell that this song is very personal to Patterson. The verse that has always stood out for me is the one about the "sorry thing to do to your sweet sister/sorry thing to do to your little boy, sorry thing to do to the folks who loved you/your mama and daddy lost their only boy." That verse takes something personal to the singer and turns it into something everybody can relate to. Makes me sad every damn time I hear it.

Great job, Ramonz.

PS - If anyone wants to do a track of the week thread, feel free to send me a PM.
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by chickenwingpuke »

Yup. Cooley's saying you can lie to everyone in the whole damn world if you want to...but inside you will know the truth. I've never taken anything racial out of that line. To do so would be a little presumptive and shows no attention being paid to the rest of the lines. that's my 2cents.
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Re: DBT Tracks#94/95: When the Pin Hits the Shell/Do it Your

Post by fistfightsandtears »

I had similar situation growing up and when I first got a hold of DD both these songs stood out for that reason. I had a friend and we both started together doing the parting “hard” and damn it was fun. Shit beyond fun it was insane, but then again it was still new to us. As time grew on I kind of grew out of things and he just got deeper in. he couldn’t hold a job meanwhile I kept moving up. He treated his wife like shit and gave no thought to his little boy. I helped out the family as much as I could and him. After a while I had to give up on helping him find work, I would give someone my word and he wouldn’t even show up. Things started getting way out hand at his house and his wife would call me to come and help out. I finally talked his wife into leaving him(not for me, for her and kid) she said he kept telling her he would kill himself. After a really charged night she called me and was scared to death. I told her to leave and take the kid and get a hotel and I’d pay. She said “he keeps saying he’s gonna kill himself”. Finally I was pissed and said “if that’s the case, I’ll buy the fucking bullet” the next day he was found hung in her front yard.

Kinda a shity thing to say but I still stand behind it.I didn’t go to the funeral and still haven’t seen the grave site. So when I heard Patterson say “Who's to blame for the loveless marriage, who's to blame for the broken band. You ran from life and all of it pleasures, your own teeth marks on your own damned hand. Thrown out before the date's expired, you'd rather die than let anyone help, You'd rather die than take a stab at living.
Nothing would kill you so you do it yourself…sorry thing to do to your little boy” and Cooley say “It wouldn't do you no good to let you know that it damned near killed me too,so I ain't gonna mourn for you, man, now that you're gone”

It kinda relieves a little guilt
its kinda like an erection at church, you just can't beat it

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