On CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE, Ness is freed to further explore his rootsy Americana influences, from straight country and bluegrass treatments of original tunes to covers of "Long Black Veil," Hank Williams's "You Win Again" and Dylan's "Don't Think Twice." Naturally, Ness attacks much of this material with the same punk-inspired brute force and unflinching lyrical realism that made Social Distortion a success, and it makes CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE an intriguing chapter in Ness' continually unfolding musical story.

One of the things that always set Social Distortion apart from the rest of the '80s California punks was their incorporation of twangy country/rockabilly into their driving sound. They wound up covering everything from "Ring of Fire" to Jimmy Work's "Making Believe" without sacrificing a bit of sonic fury. With Social D. frontman Mike Ness' solo debut, it becomes apparent that most of those country leanings came from him.

Personnel: Mike Ness (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars); Bruce Springsteen (vocals, guitar); James Saez (acoustic, electric & slide guitars, keyboards, percussion); Chris Lawrence (guitar, pedal steel guitar); Brian Setzer, Billy Zoom (guitar); Tom Corbett (mandolin); Mando Dorame (tenor saxophone); Jamie Muhoberac (Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards); Veikko Lepisto (acoustic & electric basses); Josh Freese, Daniel Glass (drums).

One of the best tragic unhappy love song ever written. Like Mike Ness said "its just a poem put to music"

99 To Life - Social D


I'm broken hearted, I'm a broken
Man. Driven by anger, on that
Night I ran. I had me a woman,
I thought that she'd be true.
Now she's gone and left me, you
Know her life is through.
chorus:
Lonely weekends, baby lonely
Nights the judge he gave me,
Ninety nine to life.
I wish she could be here, Lord if
She only could, instead she's
Layin' in a puddle of blood.
She was my baby, thought she'd be
My wife. I killed my baby, I killed
Her with my knife.
chorus:
Lonely weekends, baby lonely
Nights the judge he gave me,
Ninety nine to life.
So alone I'm sittin' in my prison cell
Lord only knows now, I'm in
A living hell, the rest of my life,
In this penitentiary, the good
Lord above now, please have
Mercy on me.
chorus:
Lonely weekends, baby lonely
Nights the judge he gave me,
Ninety nine to life.

Mike Ness went back to his roots with this country rockabilly. His solo album is one of the finest and underappreciated albums. Enjoy this one!