# Okay, let's talk about the Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up To Boston **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [August 19, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-lets-talk-about-the-dropkick-murphys-im-shipping-up-to-boston/969926 "2022-08-19T02:29:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-lets-talk-about-the-dropkick-murphys-im-shipping-up-to-boston/969926/1 "2022-08-19T02:29:35Z")
So, this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ldf7T6TlV-o/hqdefault.jpg "Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up To Boston") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldf7T6TlV-o) I’m trying to think of any other song I know with such a contrast in quality between the instrumental parts, and the singing. The instrumental parts are just banging, get me moving every time I hear them. And then…Just noisy growling singing. I even kind of like the lyrics, just the way they’re sung annoys me. Can anyone think of another song with such a contrast? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-lets-talk-about-the-dropkick-murphys-im-shipping-up-to-boston/969926/2 "2022-08-19T03:12:03Z")
I can understand what you mean, but I love the vocals too. The very first time I ever heard the song was in the movie, and I told my ex- that we’d be hearing that song for the rest of our lives. The yelling kind of reminds me of Joe Strummer of The Clash, who I love, so that might be part of it. That said, I’m sure you can find an instrumental version. ETA: [Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up to Boston (Instrumental) - YouTube](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6u_r7aLKWi4) It turns out to be a very simple song without the lyrics. A couple of stanzas on repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-lets-talk-about-the-dropkick-murphys-im-shipping-up-to-boston/969926/3 "2022-08-19T03:18:37Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > It turns out to be a very simple song without the lyrics. A couple of stanzas on repeat. But then, I literally just found this, later in the YouTube playlist that brought me here in the first place: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HXm8JdC4k4c/maxresdefault.jpg "Shipping Up To Boston/Enter Sandman - Bagpipe Cover (The Snake Charmer x Goddesses of Bagpipe)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXm8JdC4k4c) ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-lets-talk-about-the-dropkick-murphys-im-shipping-up-to-boston/969926/4 "2022-08-19T03:20:52Z")
Plus, there’s several comments there that agree with me about the shouting. What are they, Vogons? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-lets-talk-about-the-dropkick-murphys-im-shipping-up-to-boston/969926/5 "2022-08-19T03:32:27Z")
I counter with [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zRmJwqVbtQI/maxresdefault.jpg "Dropkick Murphys - "The Green Fields Of France" (Full Album Stream)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRmJwqVbtQI) So they absolutely can be melodic if they want to. I agree that their Shipping up to Boston is a shouty song, but it’s definitely a choice they made rather than a question of talent. It’s very much an angry young man song in style and vocals. The band as a whole is a lot more about tradition and emotion than they’re about making ‘beautiful’ music IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-lets-talk-about-the-dropkick-murphys-im-shipping-up-to-boston/969926/6 "2022-08-19T03:35:05Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > It’s very much an angry young man song in style and vocals. The band as a whole is a lot more about tradition and emotion than they’re about making ‘beautiful’ music IMHO. Oh, I don’t deny it was a choice. It’s just a weird choice. If they’d backed off maybe 20%, it would be perfect. I like a lot of their other stuff, it’s just they went a bit too hard on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-lets-talk-about-the-dropkick-murphys-im-shipping-up-to-boston/969926/7 "2022-08-19T03:36:25Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Plus, there’s several comments there that agree with me about the shouting. Well, maybe if you lost your wooden leg climbing up the topsail and had to ship up to Boston to find it, you wouldn’t have such an angelic singing voice either. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-lets-talk-about-the-dropkick-murphys-im-shipping-up-to-boston/969926/8 "2022-08-19T03:40:52Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Well, maybe if you lost your wooden leg climbing up the topsail and had to ship up to Boston to find it, you wouldn’t have such an angelic singing voice either. Yeah, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be making such a good instrumental bit, either! While we’re at it, let’s have Christmas in August. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qTx-sdR6Yzk/maxresdefault.jpg "Dropkick Murphys - "The Season's Upon Us" (Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTx-sdR6Yzk)