The band was formed in Kingston, ON, Canada, in 1990 by Fintan "Finny" McConnell and Barry Williams, as a one-off band for a St. Patrick's Day party.
The Mahones have released ten albums to date (Draggin' The Days, Rise Again, The Hellfire Club Sessions, Here Comes Lucky, Paint The Town Red - The Best Of, Live At The Horseshoe, Take No Prisoners, The Irish Punk Collection, Whiskey Devils - A Tribute To The Mahones and The Black Irish Album), and one very rare cassette (Clear The Way). The Black Irish Album, The Mahones' critically-acclaimed 7th studio album, was released along with a tribute album in 2011, featuring 20 international bands covering Mahones' songs.
The band's cited influences included The Clash, The Pogues, The Who, The Waterboys and Hüsker Dü. The group's lineup has changed a number of times, with McConnell and Williams as the main constant members. Pogues members Terry Woods and Phil Chevron joined the band on tour in 2003.
The Mahones have shared stages and toured around the world with legends such as The Dropkick Murphys, Stiff Little Fingers, Shane MacGowan and The Popes, Billy Bragg, Chuck Ragan, The UK Subs, Sick Of It All, The Defects, Agnositic Front, The Buzzcocks, D.O.A., Against Me, The Tragically Hip, The Damned, Suicidal Tendencies, The Prodigy, Gwar, Skunk Anansie, Tricky, Blue Rodeo, Steve Earle, The Alarm, Sinead O'Connor, The Street Dogs, Roger Miret and The Disasters, Flogging Molly, Spirit Of The West, The Dubliners, Christy Moore, The Band and Van Morrison. More recently, Scuffy Wallace of The Dropkick Murphys joined The Mahones onstage for a few shows as Tin Whistle player in Toronto and Montreal during a recent Dropkick Murphys Canadian tour.
Over the years, The Mahones' music has appeared in several major International Hollywood film releases. Recently, their song "Paint The Town Red 2010" was featured in the climactic final fight scene of the 2 x Academy Award/ 2 x Golden Globe winning Mark Wahlberg/Christian Bale/Amy Adams film "The Fighter" (2010). The Mahones also co-wrote and recorded the title track for the Hollywood Pictures movie "Celtic Pride" (Wally High/The Mahones) featuring Damon Wayans, Daniel Stern, and Dan Akroyd which was composed specifically for the film. The song 100 Bucks was also featured in the movie " Dog Park ", featuring Natasha Henstridge, Luke Wilson, Janeane Garofalo, as well as Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney from Kids in the Hall. The Mahones' song 'A Little Bit of Love' is in the new film Ecstasy, based on Irvine Welsh's (Trainspotting) critically acclaimed book.
In 1999, bassist Joe Chithalen died in Amsterdam shortly after a concert. He had accidentally ingested food containing peanuts, to which he was allergic. The Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Library, Joe's M.I.L.L., was established in Kingston soon after by Wally High.
Paint The Town Red
The Mahones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I haven't seen you in a while, come over here, my friend
It sure has been a long time since I've seen your pretty face
I hear that you've been doing good, what's the story with this place?
So c'mon, here we go again, you and I
We'll paint this fucking town red
I'm in the mood to hit the streets, and paint the fuckers red
We're gonna go out nuts tonight, chasing down the browns
We're gonna go down to the pubs, and take this fucking town
Well, it's six in the morning now, the sun is in my eyes
My pockets are all empty, and I'm glad to be alive
I'll see you at the gates of hell, that's where we're going to
So raise your glasses in the air, I'll drink this one for you
The Mahones's song "Paint The Town Red" is a raucous punk-rock anthem about the joys of living life to the fullest. The lyrics capture the excitement of a night out on the town with an old friend, catching up on old times and getting into trouble. The singer greets his friend with enthusiasm, eager to hear about their recent adventures and share in the fun. The chorus is an invitation to let loose and go wild, painting the town red and leaving a trail of mayhem in their wake.
As the song progresses, the tempo builds and the lyrics become more frenzied. The singer declares his intentions to hit the streets and party hard, determined to make the most of the night. He urges his friend to join him in his quest for adventure, and together they set off on their wild journey. The second verse is even more energetic than the first, as the singer describes their exploits in vivid detail. They chase down anyone who gets in their way, visiting every pub in town and raising a glass to life.
The climax of the song comes with the dawn, as the group stumbles out of the last pub and faces the reality of the morning. They are exhausted, broke, and probably hungover, but they are filled with a sense of triumph and camaraderie. The singer assures his friend that they will meet again, even if it means descending into the depths of hell. The final gesture is a toast to their friendship and the night they shared, a moment of gratitude for the good times and the memories they will carry with them.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey there, where you going to, how the hell you been?
It's been a while since we've seen each other, so tell me, where have you been and how have you been doing?
I haven't seen you in a while, come over here, my friend
I haven't seen you in a long time, come closer and catch up with me, my friend.
It sure has been a long time since I've seen your pretty face
It's been a while since I've seen you and I'm glad to see your smiling face again.
I hear that you've been doing good, what's the story with this place?
I've heard that you're doing well, so what's new in this town? Tell me about it.
So c'mon, here we go again, you and I
Let's do this again, just like the old times, you and me together.
We'll paint this fucking town red
Let's have a wild and crazy night, and conquer this town together.
I'm in the mood to hit the streets, that's what I bloody said
I'm feeling adventurous and ready to go out and party, that's what I just said.
I'm in the mood to hit the streets, and paint the fuckers red
I want to go out and have a blast, and make a statement by taking over this town.
We're gonna go out nuts tonight, chasing down the browns
We're going to have a wild and crazy time tonight, and go after anyone and anything that gets in our way.
We're gonna go down to the pubs, and take this fucking town
Let's go to the pubs and dominate this town, show everyone what we're made of.
Well, it's six in the morning now, the sun is in my eyes
It's early in the morning now, and the sun is rising, shining directly in my eyes.
My pockets are all empty, and I'm glad to be alive
I've spent all my money, but I'm happy to be alive and have enjoyed the night to the fullest.
I'll see you at the gates of hell, that's where we're going to
We've had such a wild night, we might as well be headed to hell. See you there.
So raise your glasses in the air, I'll drink this one for you
Let's cheers with our glasses raised high, and I'll drink to you and to the amazing night we've had.
Contributed by Jordyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@evanc4301
Hey there, where you going to
How the hell you been?
I haven't seen you in a while
Come over here my friend
It sure has been a long time since I've seen your pretty face
I hear that you've been doing good
What's the story with this place?
C'mon, here we go again, you and I
We'll paint this fucking town red
I'm in the mood to hit the streets
That's what I bloody said
I'm in the mood to hit the streets
And paint the fuckers red
We're gonna go out nuts tonight
Chasing down the browns
We're gonna go down to the pubs
And take this fucking town
Well, it's six in the morning now
The sun is in my eyes
My pockets are all empty
And I'm glad to be alive
I'll see you at the gates of hell That's where we're going to
So raise your glasses in the air I'll drink this one for you
@thedude5756
Hey there, where you going to, how the hell you been?
I haven't seen you in a while, come over here, my friend
It sure has been a long time since I've seen your pretty face
I hear that you've been doing good, what's the story with this place?
So c'mon, here we go again, you and I
We'll paint this fucking town red
I'm in the mood to hit the streets, that's what I bloody said
I'm in the mood to hit the streets, and paint the fuckers red
We're gonna go out nuts tonight, chasing down the browns
We're gonna go down to the pubs, and take this fucking town
Well, it's six in the morning now, the sun is in my eyes
My pockets are all empty, and I'm glad to be alive
I'll see you at the gates of hell, that's where we're going to
So raise your glasses in the air, I'll drink this one for you
@Ganjus
The mahones are great, seen them several times, I live in there home town.
@Kirakon78420
Great irish diaspora in Canada !!
@thesimpleshow283
Lol I'm down the road in gananaoque
@wpgme85
DKM concert in Winnipeg was awesome. first time I ever heard the Mahones, and it was fucking awesome.
@amrroxmoora
thumbs up if the fighter brought you here !!
@golden1234ism
Great pub fight song
@DaZoneRanger
Yep, The Fighter brought me here! I'm actually watching the movie RIGHT NOW, and momentarily paused it to good search this song.
@mohammadnajibahmadfuad5429
awesome song. from malaysia with love.
@MazeThePlaya
saw them supporting DKM in Munich, loved them!
@gerco16
the mahones where in groningen (holland) last year. i never heard of them but i realy enjoyed theire music. i still do i also got that shirt with the same print on it as the picture ferry nice music greetz from holland gerco