“Cynical Bastards” is the third song off the Arkells' third major studio album, High Noon. The track is a salute to the hard working men and women of the Arkells' hometown, Hamilton, Ontario.
In an interview for an article written about the album for The Huffington Post Canada, lead singer Max Kerm...
[Verse 1]
Now I don't disagree, it's a hell of a scene
Jackson Square dropouts avoiding police
If the '80s were tough, the '90s were mean
All that was left for the desperate were these fast cash machines
And that easy money never helped anything
With that kind of juice, man, it ain't worth the squeeze
But month by month I feel a change in the breeze
So start moving on make your own history
[Chorus]
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards move a little faster
[Verse 2]
Some people can't shake the weight of the past
Some people's hearts remain at half-mast
It's downtown where it all intersects
Some came from the mountain, college kids from the west
And not every suit lies right through their teeth
There's good and there's bad, and there's some in between
As I wait for the bus coming from the east
There's generations of pride and yeah, elbow grease!
[Chorus]
Now, if you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards move a little faster
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh!)
[Verse 3]
Now I understand if it's all a bit much
It's a bit of a circus, it's a little bit rough
I heard this place (Ooh, ooh) was run by the mob (Ooh, ooh)
Buying everyone off (Ooh, ooh) down at city hall (Ooh, ooh)
And those Oakville moms, they stick up their nose (It's true)
Those Burlington dads keep their daughters at home
If you're the kind with nothing to say
You heard about this party, but you're praying for rain (What!)
[Chorus]
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards move a little faster
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards move a little faster
[Outro]
Move a little faster, move a little faster
Move a little faster, move a little faster
Cynical Bastards was written by Arkells.
Cynical Bastards was produced by Eric Ratz & Tony Hoffer.
Arkells released Cynical Bastards on Tue Aug 05 2014.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Arkells released the cords to numerous of their songs in what they called the “Flatten The Curve: Music Class” where fans were encouraged to learn their music and join in a live stream found on their Instagram daily. The official cords can be found here: