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He was born in Big Beaver by the border line.
Started playing hockey by the time he was nine.
His dad took a hose and froze the back yard.
Little Buddy dreamed he was Rocket Richard.
He grew up big and he grew up tough,
He saw himself scoring for the Wings or Canuks,
But he wasn’t that good with a puck.
Buddy’s real talent was beatin’ people up.
His heart wasn’t in it but the crowd ate it up.
Through peewees and juniors and midgets and mites,
He must have racked up more than three hundred fights.
‘Till a scout from the flames came down from Saskatoon
Said “There’s always room on our team for a good.
Son, we always got room for a goon.”
There were Swedes to the left of him,
Russians to the right,
A Czech at the blue line lookin’ for a fight.
Brains over brawn that might work for you
But what’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
“Hit somebody,” was the crowed roared
When Buddy the goon came over the boards.
"Coach," he said, "I wanna score goals"
The coach said "Buddy, remember your role.
The fast guys get paid, they shoot and they score.
Protect them Buddy that’s a’what you’re here for
Protection
Is what you’re here for.
Protection
It’s the stars who score.
Protection
Go and kick somebody’s ass.
Protection
Don’t put the biscuit in the basket just
Hit somebody.”
It rang in his ears.
Blood on the ice ran down through the years.
The king of the goons
With a box for a throne
A thousand stitches and broken bones.
He never lost a fight on his ice he patrolled.
But deep inside Buddy only dreamed of a goal.
He just wanted one damn goal.
there were Swedes at the blue line,
Finns at the Red,
A Russian with a stick heading straight for his head.
Brains over brawn, that might work for you.
What’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
In his final season on his final night,
Buddy and a Finn goon were pegged for a fight.
Thirty seconds left, the puck took a roll…
And suddenly Buddy had a shot on goal.
The goalie committed; Buddy picked his spot.
Twenty years of waiting went into that shot.
The fans jumped up.
The Finn jumped too,
And cold-cocked Buddy on his follow-through.
The big man crumbled,
But he felt alright.
‘Cause the last thing he saw was the flashing red light.
He saw that heavenly light.
There were Swedes to the left of him
Russians to the right
A Czech at the blue line lookin’ for a fight
Take care of your teeth, that might work for you
But what’s a Canadian farm boy to do
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
HIT SOMEBODY
But what’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
Started playing hockey by the time he was nine.
His dad took a hose and froze the back yard.
Little Buddy dreamed he was Rocket Richard.
He grew up big and he grew up tough,
He saw himself scoring for the Wings or Canuks,
But he wasn’t that good with a puck.
Buddy’s real talent was beatin’ people up.
His heart wasn’t in it but the crowd ate it up.
Through peewees and juniors and midgets and mites,
He must have racked up more than three hundred fights.
‘Till a scout from the flames came down from Saskatoon
Said “There’s always room on our team for a good.
Son, we always got room for a goon.”
There were Swedes to the left of him,
Russians to the right,
A Czech at the blue line lookin’ for a fight.
Brains over brawn that might work for you
But what’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
“Hit somebody,” was the crowed roared
When Buddy the goon came over the boards.
"Coach," he said, "I wanna score goals"
The coach said "Buddy, remember your role.
The fast guys get paid, they shoot and they score.
Protect them Buddy that’s a’what you’re here for
Protection
Is what you’re here for.
Protection
It’s the stars who score.
Protection
Go and kick somebody’s ass.
Protection
Don’t put the biscuit in the basket just
Hit somebody.”
It rang in his ears.
Blood on the ice ran down through the years.
The king of the goons
With a box for a throne
A thousand stitches and broken bones.
He never lost a fight on his ice he patrolled.
But deep inside Buddy only dreamed of a goal.
He just wanted one damn goal.
there were Swedes at the blue line,
Finns at the Red,
A Russian with a stick heading straight for his head.
Brains over brawn, that might work for you.
What’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
In his final season on his final night,
Buddy and a Finn goon were pegged for a fight.
Thirty seconds left, the puck took a roll…
And suddenly Buddy had a shot on goal.
The goalie committed; Buddy picked his spot.
Twenty years of waiting went into that shot.
The fans jumped up.
The Finn jumped too,
And cold-cocked Buddy on his follow-through.
The big man crumbled,
But he felt alright.
‘Cause the last thing he saw was the flashing red light.
He saw that heavenly light.
There were Swedes to the left of him
Russians to the right
A Czech at the blue line lookin’ for a fight
Take care of your teeth, that might work for you
But what’s a Canadian farm boy to do
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
HIT SOMEBODY
But what’s a Canadian farm boy to do?
HIT SOMEBODY
What else can a farm boy from Canada do?
Lyrics submitted by jmcreswell
Track duration: 05:27
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I've been a Warren fan forever and that line still kills me.
He collaborated with Mitch Albom (Of "Tuesdays with Maury" fame) on it. They wanted to write a song together. Mitch suggested a sports themed song. Warren was into the idea. Then Mitch suggested it be about hockey. Warren's reported response was "Whatever". I love that.
Ayup it was called Youngblood, in 1986 ; )
Also car crashes, limo drivers, and cocaine kill hockey players, not crosschecks or uppercuts.
William J. Masterton (August 13, 1938 – January 15, 1968) was a Canadian-American professional ice hockey centre who played one season in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars before succumbing to an injury he suffered during a game against the Oakland Seals in 1968. He is one of only two players in NHL history to die as a direct result of an on-ice incident during a game, the other being Howie Morenz of the Montreal Canadiens, in 1937.
And I hear they are making a movie of the song..... Best news ever!
Ten
You could look at it as a song with a positive message; disguard everything(personal safety, in Buddy's case) to achieve your dreams; no matter what the cost, you'll never regret it.
I don't neccesarily think he's dead, he was probably just knocked unconcious. "Cold-cocked" is just slang for either a cheap shot or just a vicious hit, not a reference to Buddy's death.
Whatever the message or Buddy's outcome, this song displays Warren Zevon's ability as a storyteller. He was one talented bastard.
Miss you, Warren.
It's a great song.