The Brews
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Brews" is a song by NOFX from the album Punk in Drublic released in 1994. The song subverts the Oi! genre, a form of music often associated with racist skinheads, by lionizing Jews and containing numerous laudatory references to Jewish culture.
[edit] Lyrics
Friday night we'll be drinkin' Manischewitz[1], goin' out to terrorize goyim[2]
Stompin' shegetz[3], screwin' shiksas[4], as long as we're home by Saturday mornin'[5]
'Cause hey, we're the Brews[6], sportin' anti-swastika tattoos (Oi! Oi!)[7]
We're the boys, the Orthodox, Hasidic, O.G.[8] Ois
Orthopedic Dr. Martens[9] good for waffle-makin', kickin' through the shin
Reputation gained through intimidation, pacifism no longer tradition
'Cause hey, we're the Brews, sportin' anti-swastika tattoos (Oi! Oi!)
We're the Brews, the Fairfax[10] ghetto boys, skinhead Hebrews
We've got the might, we're psycho meshuggahnas[11]
We can't lose a fight as we are the chosen ones[12]
Chutzpah-driven,[13] we battle then we feast
We celebrate, we separate our milk plates from our meat[14]
We're the Brews, sportin' anti-swastika tattoos (Oi! Oi!)
We're the boys, the Orthodox, Hasidic, O.G. Ois
[edit] Notes
- ^ Manischewitz: the leading brand of kosher wine and various Jewish foods
- ^ Goyim: Yiddish and Hebrew for Gentiles
- ^ Shegetz: Yiddish for a non-Jewish man (a pejorative term)
- ^ Shiksa: Yiddish for a non-Jewish woman (a pejorative term)
- ^ "As long as we're home by Saturday morning": Jews attend synagogue for Shabbat (Shabbos) on Saturday mornings
- ^ The Brews: a reference to Hebrews
- ^ "Oi! Oi!": a rallying cry used in the Oi! subgenre of Punk rock; the homonym Oy in Yiddish is a commonly used interjection expressing mild frustration or concern and is seen as a recognizable characteristic of Jewish vernacular speech
- ^ O.G.: original, or 'Original Gangster'; the term implies pride in being able to represent oneself credibly as an original adherent to the gangster lifestyle, rather than as someone who adopts a 'gangsta' image superficially (coined by rapper Ice-T with his 1991 album OG: Original Gangster)
- ^ Dr. Martens: a footwear brand featuring orthopaedic air-cushioned soles; the popularity of Dr. Marten's boots in skinhead youth culture often causes observers to associate one with the other
- ^ Fairfax: a predominantly Jewish area of Los Angeles, California
- ^ Meshuggahnas: Yiddish for "crazy"
- ^ "We are the chosen ones": according to Judaism, the Jews were chosen by God to prosper (see Jews as a chosen people)
- ^ Chutzpah: Yiddish for nerve; gall
- ^ "Separate our milk plates from our meat": consuming milk and meat (including chicken) at the same time is not permitted according to Jewish law (see Kashrut)
- ^ "Dayenu": a lyric from a song sung at seders, the traditional Passover evening meal
