Swingin Party

Album: Tim (1985)
Play Video
  • Bring your own lampshade, somewhere there's a party
    Hear it's never endin', can't remember when it started
    Pass around the lampshade, there'll be plenty enough room in jail

    If being wrong's a crime, I'm serving forever
    Being strong and kind, I need help here with this feather

    If being afraid is a crime, we hang side by side
    At the swingin' party down the line

    Pound the prairie pavement, losin' proposition
    Quittin' school and goin' to work and never goin' fishin'
    Water all around, never learning how to swim now

    If being wrong's a crime, I'm serving forever
    If being strong and kind, then I need help here with this feather

    If being afraid is a crime, we hang side by side
    At the swingin' party down the line, li-li-line
    At the swingin' party down the line

    Bring your own lampshade, somewhere there's a party
    Hear it's never endin', can't remember when it started
    Pass around the lampshade, there'll be plenty enough room in jail

    If being wrong's a crime, I'm serving forever
    Being strong is what you want, then I need help here with this feather

    If being afraid is a crime, we hang side by side
    At the swingin' party down the line
    Every valentine at the swingin' party down the line
    Catch you down at the swingin' party down the line Writer/s: Paul Westerberg
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 1

  • Fogmoose from NyA "swingin party" was slang for a public hanging in the old west days, and Westerberg was certainly aware of the double meaning when writing the song.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music Scene

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"They're Playing My Song

As a songwriter and producer, Narada had hits with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Starship. But what song does he feel had the greatest impact on his career?

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

P.F. Sloan

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.