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