The Hold Steady - Barely Breathing Lyrics

You shoulda seen 'em just after midnight*
Well they were down on their luck and still high from a street fight

Told it like it wasn't really much of a big thing
To be out on the tiles and barely breathing
We were barely breathing
Showing up at shows like you care about the scene still
Where were you when the blood spilled?
They almost killed me
It got pretty sketchy

We tried to push forward
Now we're pointing at the scoreboard and it feels so amazing
And the crowd's going crazy

Summer '88 was all heat and intensity
Saw the Youth Of Today at the 7th Street Entry
There were skins in the pit, some of them tried to kill me
Same club next summer, and now they're called Shelter
And after the show I spoke with the singer
And he tried to hand me a pamphlet about Hare Krishna

I said "You gotta be kidding"
Who the hell is the blue guy?
But then he said something special
Using only his eyes

The kids are all distracted
No one wins at violent shows
The kids are a distraction
No one wins at violent shows