They strongly support the DIY punk ethic, booking their own shows, printing their own merchandise, printing CDs from scrap material, and hand-written notes and other gifts included with each CD. The Taxpayers release digital copies for free, via blogs and Quote Unquote Records. Noah Taxpayer said the following in a letter to the blog Rock Sellout:
"We believe that offering free music is imperative to challenging the ever failing soul sucking music industry."
The Taxpayers are a punk rock band, taking influence from folk, country, jazz, swing, blues, hardcore punk. They have been credited for working with different styles. Experimenting with different forms of audience participation, they often incorporate magic tricks, stories, and more at live shows.
Current members include:
++Rob Taxpayer (Guitar / Vocals)
++Noah Taxpayer (Drums)
++Danielle Steal (Accordion)
++Eric Frame (Touring Bass)
++Phil Gobstopper (Local Bass, Science)
++Alex Saxplayer (Sax)
++and other friends! (Kazoo, Piano, Chrous, Etc…)
Past Members:
++Nate Taxpayer
I Love You Like An Alcoholic
The Taxpayers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
glance: your smile, my veins at maximum capacity, blood pumping
so fast. My girl, if looks gave heart attacks. The dangerous
men in the shadows were like an audience, and even the meanest
among them had a little shine in their eyes when they saw us
walk by. Walked about twenty blocks talking about good bars and
better towns than this one. Kissed that first night, and then
the rain opened up the sky to get one last kiss – I love you
like I need a broken leg.
I was getting off the late shift, attempting to recover.
Crumpled up the bus pass and tossed it into the gutter. Some
handsome dark stranger, you were standing there on the corner.
You had those compelling magnetized eyes that you must have lost
when you got older. Seven blocks in, my fingers brushed your
hand; I blushed and you laughed, but you seemed a little sad. I
ain't one to jump a ship, but I absolutely knew – I was six
steps in when I fell into you. One last kiss, I love you like a
broken pot. I love you like a pack of dogs. I need you like I
need a gaping head wound.
The Taxpayers' song "I Love You Like An Alcoholic" depicts a story of a couple who meets by chance on the corner of Park and Main of a humid summer night. The singer, who was getting off the late shift, comes across a handsome stranger with "compelling magnetized eyes" and immediately falls in love. As they walk and talk, there is a sense of danger and excitement from the couple, with the "dangerous men in the shadows" watching their every step.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a passionate and impulsive love that blossoms quickly, with the couple kissing in the rain before parting ways. The repetition of "I love you like [insert object or condition here]" conveys the intensity of the singer's feelings towards their love interest. The last line, "I need you like I need a gaping head wound," seems to suggest that the singer recognizes that their love is not necessarily healthy or rational, but they still cannot help the way they feel.
Overall, the song captures the thrill and recklessness of falling in love with someone unexpectedly, despite the potential risks involved. It conveys a sense of desperation and longing for someone that the singer cannot resist, even if it means putting themselves in harm's way.
Line by Line Meaning
Heavy humid night. Corner of Park and Main. Cast that first glance: your smile, my veins at maximum capacity, blood pumping so fast.
It was a hot and muggy night, and I was at the intersection of Park and Main. When I saw you for the first time, your smile was so captivating that it felt like my blood was rushing through my veins at an unprecedented rate.
My girl, if looks gave heart attacks. The dangerous men in the shadows were like an audience, and even the meanest among them had a little shine in their eyes when they saw us walk by.
If someone could die from a mere look, that's how I felt every time I looked at you. The shady characters on the street watched us as we strolled by, and even the most unfriendly-looking ones had a gleam in their eyes when they saw us together.
Walked about twenty blocks talking about good bars and better towns than this one. Kissed that first night, and then the rain opened up the sky to get one last kiss – I love you like an alcoholic.
We walked for miles discussing the best bars and towns we'd been to, and then we shared our first kiss that night. The rain began pouring down as if it was trying to get in on the action, and at that moment, I realized that I loved you like a drunkard loves alcohol.
I love you like a statuette. I need you like I need a broken leg.
I love you like a precious, prized statue. Even more than that, I need you like I need a broken leg that needs mending.
I was getting off the late shift, attempting to recover. Crumpled up the bus pass and tossed it into the gutter. Some handsome dark stranger, you were standing there on the corner.
I had just finished a long shift and was trying to recover. I crumpled up my bus pass and threw it away in the gutter. That's when I saw you, a beautiful stranger, standing on the corner.
You had those compelling magnetized eyes that you must have lost when you got older. Seven blocks in, my fingers brushed your hand; I blushed and you laughed, but you seemed a little sad.
Your eyes were so entrancing that they must have lost their power as you aged. After we'd walked for seven blocks, my hand brushed against yours, and I blushed while you laughed. However, it seemed as though you were a bit melancholy.
I ain't one to jump a ship, but I absolutely knew – I was six steps in when I fell into you. One last kiss, I love you like a broken pot. I love you like a pack of dogs. I need you like I need a gaping head wound.
I'm not the kind of person to rush into things, but I knew right away that I was falling for you. Our last kiss felt like it was the end of the world. I love you like a broken piece of pottery, and I love you as intensely as a pack of dogs. Additionally, I need you as badly as someone who has a severe head wound requires medical attention.
Contributed by Reagan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.