[Intro — barroom noise, bottles clinking, one guitar tuning badly] VOICE: Philadelphia! November tenth! Seventeen seventy-five! SECOND VOICE: Where we meeting? VOICE: The tavern. SECOND VOICE: Of course it's the fucking tavern. [Drums slam in — fast punk riff] [Verse 1] Down on Water Street in Philly, When rebellion filled the air, They needed men to fight the British— So they knew just where to stare. Captain Samuel Nicholas Had a brand-new Corps to fill, And if you're looking for some fighters, Check the bar—they're drinking still. No recruiting station needed, No damn office, no décor, Just a tavern full of bastards: “WHO WANTS TO JOIN THE CORPS?” [Pre-Chorus] Two battalions! Congress said! Grab your gear! Get outta bed! We were barely even sober When they marched us out the door— [Chorus — gang vocals] BORN IN A BAR! RAISED FOR WAR! Every clime and every shore! From Tun Tavern to the battlefield, Raise your glass and give us more! BORN IN A BAR! That's who we are! Eagle, Globe and Anchor scars! Two hundred fifty years of Marines— AND WE STILL AIN'T LEFT THE BAR! “RAH!” [Verse 2] Then we sailed down to the Bahamas, Nassau got an early taste, Turns out sending drunk Marines abroad Wasn't Congress' first mistake. Then came Tripoli and Mexico, Belleau Wood and foreign shores, Every generation proving We're professional at wars. But when fighting finally finishes And somebody calls retreat, Find the nearest drinking establishment— We'll conduct the debrief. [Pre-Chorus] From Tun Tavern to the Birthday Ball, We've raised a glass through one and all. Two-fifty years, and here's the score— WE'RE STILL MARINES! NOW POUR SOME MORE! [Chorus — gang vocals] BORN IN A BAR! RAISED FOR WAR! Every clime and every shore! From Tun Tavern to the battlefield, Raise your glass and give us more! BORN IN A BAR! That's who we are! Eagle, Globe and Anchor scars! Two hundred fifty years of Marines— AND WE STILL AIN'T LEFT THE BAR! [Verse 3] Private's got a brand-new Mustang At twenty-seven percent, Corporal married some girl Tuesday— By Friday half his check was spent. Someone woke up with a bulldog Tattooed somewhere God can't see, Someone lost his fucking trousers— BUT HE STILL HAS HIS CAC ID! There's a Lance who's fighting furniture, There's a Sergeant stealing beer, And the Lieutenant's got a clipboard— EVERYBODY DISAPPEAR! [Breakdown — half-time, bass and drums] Now listen up, Marines... The Commandant has a message. [pause] “Drink responsibly.” [long silence] MARINE: ...the fuck does that mean? [Band explodes back in] [Verse 4] November tenth comes every year, And wherever Marines roam, Some dive bar becomes Tun Tavern, And for one night, becomes home. Old Corps drinking with the young ones, Different wars but same old shit, Arguing whose Core was harder— Nobody will ever quit. So pour one out for those before us, Raise another for the Corps, And one more for the poor bartender Who just watched us through the door. [Bridge — pub-punk stomp, crowd clapping] Here's to Nicholas! RAH! Here's to Tun! RAH! Here's to every dumbass thing We've ever done for fun! To the Old Corps! RAH! To the new! RAH! To the DD-two fourteens Who somehow made it through! If you're active— DRINK! If you're out— DRINK! If your knees hurt when you stand— DRINK TWICE! If you still correct civilians When they call you an ex-Marine— [entire room] NO SUCH FUCKING THING! [Final Chorus — huge gang vocals] BORN IN A BAR! RAISED FOR WAR! Every clime and every shore! From Tun Tavern to the battlefield, Raise your glass and give us more! BORN IN A BAR! That's who we are! Eagle, Globe and Anchor scars! Two hundred fifty years of Marines— AND WE STILL AIN'T LEFT THE BAR! BORN IN A BAR! RAISED FOR WAR! Tell the bartender one more! From seventeen hundred seventy-five 'Til they don't need us anymore! For the living! For the fallen! For the ones who came before! The Marine Corps started drinking— AND WE NEVER FOUND THE DOOR! [Final crashing chord] [Outro — bar ambience returns] BARTENDER: Last call! MARINE: Bullshit. Marines don't retreat. BARTENDER: It's two in the morning. MARINE: ...strategic withdrawal? [bottles clink] ALL: SEMPER FI!
