The Impression That I Get
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| "The Impression That I Get" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Song by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones | ||
| from the album Let's Face It | ||
| Released | 1997 | |
| Genre | Ska punk | |
| Label | Reprise Records | |
| Writer(s) | Dicky Barrett Joe Gittleman |
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| Let's Face It track listing | ||
| "Royal Oil" (3) |
"The Impression That I Get" (4) |
"Let's Face It" (5) |
"The Impression That I Get" is a song by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
It is the first single from the 1997 album Let's Face It and reached number 1 on the Billboard charts. In 1998, a live version of this song appeared on Live from the Middle East. That same year, the Bosstones performed this song during their debut performance on Saturday Night Live.
[edit] Music
"The Impression That I Get", like their song "Where'd You Go?", is fairly characteristic of the Bosstones’ ska punk style. Brass instruments play a large role in this sound, as do the distinctive vocals of Dicky Barrett.
[edit] Lyrics
In the lyrics, the singer asks listeners if they have "been close to tragedy" necessitating "a strength most don't possess". The singer says while he has not faced such a daunting situation himself, he "know(s) someone who has" and makes the understatement that he is "sure it isn't good."
Most compellingly, the singer candidly expresses doubts about his own mettle and wonders how he would perform in such a situation himself. While stating "I like to think that if I was I would pass" he confesses "I'm afraid of what I might find out."
The opening line of the chorus states "I never had to knock on wood" and is easily misunderstood. It may be more clearly rendered as "I never had to..." (knock on wood)" referring to something that the singer has never had to do (i.e. face a huge crisis) and utilizing the superstitious phrase "knock on wood" which is said in the hopes that a good thing will continue to occur after it has been acknowledged.
Similarly, the mid-chorus lyrics "It makes me wonder if I, Never had to knock on wood" are more easily understood with the insertion of ellipsis and other punctuation, i.e. "it makes me wonder if I...? Never had to... (knock on wood)."
