For Charles Bronson

For Charles Bronson
	;
Album	All Eternals Deck
Released	2011
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	3:01
Previous track	"Outer Scorpion Squadron"
Next track	"Never Quite Free"

For Charles Bronson is the 11th song on the album All Eternals Deck. This song also appears as a demo on All Survivors Pack as the 11th track.

Lyrics[]

Catch a lucky break, try to make it last
Rig a blanket curtain up between 
the present and the past

Play my lucky numbers 
for most of what they're worth
Lie about my age right down
 to my last day on this earth

Set your sights on good fortune
Concentrate
Pull back the hammer 
Try to hold the gun straight

Hit the gym each night, 
stay cool and seldom speak
Keep the heart of a champion
Never let them see you're weak

And whatever they say 
on your page three mention
Focus on the parts
 that make you feel good
Be grateful for the attention

Set your sights on good fortune
Concentrate
Pull back the hammer 
Try to hold the gun straight

Try to hold the gun straight
And true
And steady
Let the frame find you
when the cameraman's ready

Work until I drop
Drift from place to place
Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania
scratched into my face

Set your sights on good fortune
Concentrate
Pull back the hammer 
Try to hold the gun straight
Try to hold the gun straight

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song[]

"I was watching a movie called, uh, 'Red Sun', uh, and uh, it's a Japanese movie, actually, that he's, that was shot in the US, that he was in, and it's a weird turn, it's got Toshirō Mifune in it, and, uh, and yeah, it's Charles Bronson doing a strange sort of turn, and you look up his biography and learn some stuff about him, he's an interesting dude. [interviewer: "Tell me more."] Well, he grew up in incredible poverty in, uh, in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, and uh, and, uh, like, serious, the sort of poverty that when a lot of us who grew up without a lot of money feel like we know what it's like to be poor, but, but, Depression-era kids, it's a whole different deal, you know, it's, uh- There was one pair of clothes for the nine children in his household to share. So when he went to school one day, he's wearing a dress, because that's all they had, right. And, uh, and he grew up in this crushing poverty, and, uh, and the song is pretty much a straight bio. He, he really did lie about how old he was throughout his entire career, and uh, and I just- he seemed like a real survivor type of guy who hung around the edges of the business long enough until he found his niche." -- 2011-05-11 - WXPN Session - World Cafe - Philadelphia, PA
"This is a song about a fellow who was born in Pennsylvania, and there are many stories told about his childhood. Who knows how many of them are true? He can't tell us, 'cause he's dead. This is called 'For Charles Bronson'." -- 2012-01-21 - Tipitina's - New Orleans, LA

Things Referenced in this Song[]

Charles Bronson was an American actor who starred in many action films. He was born in the town referenced in the song: Ehrenfeld, PA.

Live Shows this Song Was Played at[]

Videos of this Song[]

All Eternals Deck

Track list: "Damn These Vampires" • "Birth of Serpents" • "Estate Sale Sign" • "Age of Kings" • "The Autopsy Garland" • "Beautiful Gas Mask" • "High Hawk Season" • "Prowl Great Cain" • "Sourdoire Valley Song" • "Outer Scorpion Squadron" • "For Charles Bronson" • "Never Quite Free" • "Liza Forever Minnelli"
Bonus tracks: "Brisbane Hotel Sutra" • "Used to Haunt"
All Survivors Pack: "Catherine Antrim’s Kid" • "Rotten Stinking Mouthpiece"