Annotated lyrics for The Hold Steady song 'Joke About Jamaica' - They used to think it was so cute when she said D'yer Mak'er / All the boys knew it was a joke about Jamaica / She'd always find a ride back home from the bar / She used to feel so stupid when they'd talk about the music / Born into every single tune / They used to hum against her lips with their hands on her hips / They used to kiss in the car / Dancing Days, Houses of the Holy / Hot child in the city in the middle of the prairie / Flirting with the boys with all her charms / First the laugh, then the eyes / Then the touch him on the arms / Then the drinks, they never seemed to cost money / Saturday night was a runway that extended into Sunday / And sometimes Monday / Back then it was beautiful / The boys were sweet and musical / The laser lights looked mystical / Messed up still felt magical / Girls didn't seem so difficult / Boys didn't seem so typical / It was warm and white and wonderful / We were all invincible / Tired eyes, Trampled Under Foot / Dazed and Confused, c-c-c-c-Cocaine Blues / She hasn't gotten any eye contact tonight / The boys are getting younger and the bands are getting louder / And the new girls are coming up like some white unopened flowers / She's pretty sure that that's where their power is / Back then it was unified / The punks, the skins, the greaser guys / Then one summer two kids died / One of them was crucified / Now it's so competitive / The sleeplessness and sedatives / I know it sounds repetitive / Every show can't be a benefit / We were kids in the crowd, now we're dogs in this war / We were wasps with new wings, now we're bugs in the jar / We were hot soft and pure, now we're scratched up in scars / We were counting carbs, now we eat in our cars / The boys in the band, they know they'll never be stars / Back then we weren't quite convinced / Flyering and stickering / The front-row girls were posturing / We were all imagining / Man, we had some massive nights / Some bashes and some bloody fights / Back before those two kids died