In Kids in the Riot, Doherty says of the song; \"Carl was completely out of his mind, he started using crack and heroin then when we were doing the first album, thought it was a big joke. We wrote a song called 'Skag and Bone Man' out of it, know what I mean? ... [The song] stands out because we wrote and recorded it all in a day. Just being able to take what was around me, all my feelings, all my emotions about everything and put it into a song, whip the band into shape and give Carl his little 30 seconds for his solo and just BANG! It was there and I was happy, I was proud.\" The melody is inspired from Perry Como's \"Catch a Falling Star.\"
Toodle pip On and on and on and on and on and on Like you even know what's going on To this world that I'm thrown Kill you before you're born Pawn your soul to be number one
You say it's old fashioned that same old song That's how your mother likes it all night long
We could stay at home and Call the skag and bone man Dig our grave out with a spoon In the morning picking flowers Stare at the wall for hours Till the sun becomes the moon
You say it's old fashioned, the feeling I know That's how your mother likes it, now watch my boy go
If it's real, it's your next meal Don't even talk about it
It's real like your next meal Don't even talk about it