Doreen
Old 97s · Wreck Your Life [1995]
(Hitchhike to Rhome lyrics.
Minor variations found on Wreck Your Life.)
When I first met Doreen
She was barely seventeen.
She was drinking whiskey sours in the bar.
The way she tossed 'em back
I would've had a heart attack.
But as it is I let her drive my car.
We galloped through the boroughs
Like a pair of horny thoroughbreds,
Until I said, "Stop the car, Doreen."
Well you can roll your eyes and nod
But I swear that I saw God,
In the moonlight on a side street in the wreckage we call Queens.
Doreen, Doreen, Last night I had an awful dream.
You were laying in the arms of a man I'd never seen.
Come clean Doreen. Come clean Doreen.
Well I'm pulling into Cleveland
In a seven-seater tour van.
There's eight of us, so I'm sleeping on the floor.
The guy that plays the banjo
Keeps on handing me the Old Crow,
Which multiplies my sorrow, I can't take it anymore.
Doreen, Doreen, last night I had an awful dream.
You were laying in the arms of a man I'd never seen.
Come clean Doreen. Come clean Doreen.
Now I'm begging and I'm pleading,
"Well pull over guys, I'm bleeding.
There's a Fina off the highway with a phone."
I'm calling you Doreen,
But it rings and rings and rings.
Where is it that you are, if you aren't in our bed at home.
Doreen, Doreen, last night I had an awful dream.
You were laying in the arms of a man I'd never seen.
Come clean Doreen. Come clean Doreen.
Minor variations found on Wreck Your Life.)
When I first met Doreen
She was barely seventeen.
She was drinking whiskey sours in the bar.
The way she tossed 'em back
I would've had a heart attack.
But as it is I let her drive my car.
We galloped through the boroughs
Like a pair of horny thoroughbreds,
Until I said, "Stop the car, Doreen."
Well you can roll your eyes and nod
But I swear that I saw God,
In the moonlight on a side street in the wreckage we call Queens.
Doreen, Doreen, Last night I had an awful dream.
You were laying in the arms of a man I'd never seen.
Come clean Doreen. Come clean Doreen.
Well I'm pulling into Cleveland
In a seven-seater tour van.
There's eight of us, so I'm sleeping on the floor.
The guy that plays the banjo
Keeps on handing me the Old Crow,
Which multiplies my sorrow, I can't take it anymore.
Doreen, Doreen, last night I had an awful dream.
You were laying in the arms of a man I'd never seen.
Come clean Doreen. Come clean Doreen.
Now I'm begging and I'm pleading,
"Well pull over guys, I'm bleeding.
There's a Fina off the highway with a phone."
I'm calling you Doreen,
But it rings and rings and rings.
Where is it that you are, if you aren't in our bed at home.
Doreen, Doreen, last night I had an awful dream.
You were laying in the arms of a man I'd never seen.
Come clean Doreen. Come clean Doreen.
Doreen
Released on the 1995 album Wreck Your Life, 'Doreen' stands as a defining track in the catalog of the American punk band Old 97s. The song exemplifies the group's signature blend of high-energy punk rock and soulful, R&B-influenced vocals, a sound that became central to their identity during the mid-1990s. With its driving rhythm and emotive delivery, the recording captures the raw intensity characteristic of the era's garage and alternative scenes. As a staple of their discography, 'Doreen' remains a powerful representation of the band's ability to fuse disparate musical influences into a cohesive and memorable work.