Am eight-and-a-half-minute
Ted Nugent classic, from his eponymous
1975 solo debut. This
grinding, emotional track has all the attitude of someone holding a
knife in your face and smiling about it. The
morbid (but typically
high octane) lyrics are about threatening and
beating a woman. As wacky, ultra-energetic, and occasionally
misogynistic as the Nuge is, the song does not
condone mistreating women. It's just telling a scary
tale that is unfortunately played out in
real life every day, and infusing it with Ted's "
don't get in my way" outlook on life. Besides, the Nuge would say, why hurt women when the forest spirits keep stocking your backyard with fresh
deer? In any case, there's more
musical ideas here than most other 70's
electric guitar music combined, so just nervously smile and hope that he's not singing about
your neck.
Here I come again now, baby, like a dog in heat.
You tell it's me by the clamor now, baby. I like to tear up the street.
Now I've been smoking for so long, you know I'm here to stay.
Got you in a stranglehold, baby; you best get out of the way.
The road I cruise is a bitch, now, baby. I know you can't turn me 'round.
And if a house gets in my way, you know I'll burn it down.
You remember that night you left me? You put me in my place.
I got you in a stranglehold, baby, and then I crushed your face.
Sometimes you wanna get higher, and sometimes you got to start low.
Some people say that they think they gonna die someday.
I got news: You never got to go!
C'mon, c'mon up
C'mon, c'mon up
C'mon, c'mon up
C'mon, c'mon up
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon baby
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon up
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon baby
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!
The road I cruise is a bitch, now. You know you can't turn me 'round.
And if a house gets in my way, you know I'll burn it down.
You remember that night that you left me? You put me in my place.
I got you in a stranglehold, baby, and then I crushed your face.
Occasionally, Tool will play this during their live shows (as they did with along with King Buzzo a few times during 1998), but even they can't match the emotional level of the original. Worse, Maynard sometimes tones down the lyrical violence (just like he sometimes does with older Tool songs), taking the balls off a song about being a ballsy, macho asshole. It doesn't work that way.