Greg Graffin, the band's frontman, holds a Master's degree in geology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University. His dissertation for Cornell was a comprehensive study of how modern scientists, especially those who believe in strict Darwinism, view theism and religion, and how their own religious beliefs, if any, affect their study and work. He has since published it for fans of the band.
In 1983, Bad Religion released into the unknown, a keyboard-driven psychedelic rock album that was enormously unpopular among the band's core fan base. It is now out of print, and generally disowned by the band. However, in past years it has become a collectors item, and has gained some acceptance from fans. It now can be seen going for more than $100 on eBay, and is often pirated.
In 1984, Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks) replaced Gurewitz. Bad Religion returned to a somewhat mellower, rock and roll version of their original sound with the back to the known, but they disbanded soon after.
The band reformed in 1987 and released suffer in 1988, cementing their comeback in the punk community. Not only is this album considered one of their best by most fans, but it is often credited with "saving" the Southern Californian punk rock scene by fans and Bad Religion's contemporaries alike.
no control (1989) and against the grain (1990) further increased the band's popularity, followed by generator (1992). Before the recording sessions for the latter album commenced, drummer Pete Finestone left the band in to focus on his other band, The Fishermen. Bobby Schayer joined the band as his replacement. recipe for hate (1993) followed shortly thereafter.
With alternative rock breaking into the mainstream, Bad Religion left Epitaph for major label Atlantic and quickly re-released Recipe for Hate on the major label. 1994's stranger than fiction followed, but shortly after its release Brett Gurewitz left the band again. Officially, he cited the increasing amount of time he was spending at Epitaph's offices as the Offspring (then a part of the Epitaph roster) became one of the biggest bands of the mid-1990s. But it was well-known that the departure was not on good terms, as he later accused the band of selling out for leaving Epitaph in favor of a major label. Gurewitz recorded a song with his new band The Daredevils entitled "Hate You," reportedly directed towards Jay Bentley. Gurewitz, moreover, was struggling more seriously with heroin and other addictions that had plagued him for years.
Gurewitz was replaced by Brian Baker, former member of bands such as Minor Threat and Dag Nasty. Previously, Graffin and Gurewitz had split songwriting duties, but Gurewitz's departure left Graffin as the band's lone songwriter.
What followed were a series of moderately successful albums, the gray race (1996), no substance (1998), and the new america (2000). As their popularity waned, Bad Religion left Atlantic in 2001 and returned to Epitaph. Bobby Schayer left the band following a serious shoulder injury and was replaced by Brooks Wackerman (Suicidal Tendencies) and Brett Gurewitz rejoined the band in time to record the process of belief (2002). the empire strikes first was in June 2004. Both albums are widely regarded as a return to form for the band.
In 2004, the band released digitally-remastered versions of five of their early albums (How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Suffer, No Control, Against the Grain, and Generator). The How Could Hell Be Any Worse? re-issue also contained all of their first EP, the Public Service EP (alternative versions of Bad Religion, Slaves and Drastic Actions from the self titled EP) and Back To The Known.
Bad Religion's fourtheenth full-length studio album, titled new maps of hell, was released on July 10, 2007. It debuted at #35 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 21,000 copies in its first week. It was originally intended to be released in 2006, but was pushed back largely due to the release of Graffin's second solo album, cold as the clay and his work at UCLA.
In 2010, Bad Religion released 30 Years Live for the band's 30th anniversary. The album was available for free to subscribers of the Bad Religion mailing list. Later the same year, Bad Religion released their fifteenth studio album, The Dissent of Man. The album took nearly two years to write and record, mainly due to the band's heavy touring schedule.
Brett Gurewitz, who still heads Epitaph Records, still records with the band and plays local shows, but doesn't tour with them. Greg Hetson can still be found at the occasional Circle Jerks show and helped open a bar in LA. Wackerman is working on a side project called The Kidneys. Graffin spends 10 weeks a year teaching two classes (Life Sciences 1 and Earth and Space Sciences 116) at UCLA. Jay Bentley keeps the Bad Religion MySpace page updated.
Answer
Bad Religion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Full of hunger, pain and strife
A man came forth with a vision of truth
And the way to a better life
He was convinced he had the answer
And he compelled people to follow along
But the hunger never vanished
And the village dried up and died
At a time when wise men peered
Through glass tubes toward the sky
The heavens changed in predictable ways
And one man was able to find
That he had thought he found the answer
And he was quick to write his revelation
But as they were scrutinized
In his colleagues eyes
He soon became a mockery
Don't tell me about the answer cause
Then another one will come along soon
I don't believe you have the answer
I've got ideas too
But if you've got enough naivete
And you've got conviction
Then the answer is perfect for you
An urban sprawl sits choking on its discharge
Overwhelmed by industry
Searching for a modern day savior from another place
Inclined toward charity
Everyone's begging for an answer
Without regard to validity
The searching never ends
It goes on and on and on for eternity
Don't tell me about the answer cause
Then another one will come along soon
I don't believe you have the answer
I've got ideas too
But if you've got enough naivete
And you've got conviction
Then the answer is perfect for you
The answer is perfect for you
The song "Answer" by Bad Religion is a criticism of the idea that there is a one-size-fits-all solution to life's problems. The first two verses depict two situations in which individuals believed they had the answer to their village's or world's problems, but their solutions ultimately failed. The first man, described in the first verse, believed he had the answer to alleviate hunger and poverty in his village but ultimately failed. The second man, described in the second verse, believed he had discovered the answer to the mysteries of the universe but was ridiculed by his colleagues. The chorus emphasizes the idea that there is no one answer that suits everyone, and individuals must be willing to develop their own ideas and convictions rather than blindly follow others.
The third verse describes a modern-day urban sprawl that is in search of a savior to save them from their problems, regardless of the validity of the solution. The final chorus drives home the idea that the answer is perfect only for individuals that possess enough naivety and conviction to believe in it blindly.
Overall, the song is a warning against blindly accepting someone else's answer to life's problems and encourages individuals to develop their own ideas and convictions.
Line by Line Meaning
Long ago in a dusty village
In a distant and olden village
Full of hunger, pain and strife
Being full of famine, suffering, and struggle
A man came forth with a vision of truth
A man presented an idea of what he believed was right
And the way to a better life
And a better path to take towards a good life
He was convinced he had the answer
He was sure he had the solution
And he compelled people to follow along
And he urged others to follow his idea
But the hunger never vanished
However the famine did not disappear
And the man was banished
And the man was ultimately rejected
And the village dried up and died
And the village became arid and perished
At a time when wise men peered
During a time when intelligent people gazed
Through glass tubes toward the sky
Through tubes made of glass pointed at the sky
The heavens changed in predictable ways
The sky transformed in expected manners
And one man was able to find
And only one person discovered
That he had thought he found the answer
What he considered as a solution was found
And he was quick to write his revelation
And promptly he wrote it down
But as they were scrutinized
However, upon examination
In his colleagues eyes
In the view of his companions
He soon became a mockery
He quickly became a subject of ridicule
Don't tell me about the answer cause
Do not discuss the solution because
Then another one will come along soon
Another idea will soon emerge
I don't believe you have the answer
I do not believe you have a solution
I've got ideas too
I also have thoughts
But if you've got enough naivete
But, if you have sufficient naïveté
And you've got conviction
And you have confidence in your idea
Then the answer is perfect for you
Then your solution is impeccable for you
An urban sprawl sits choking on its discharge
A city spread out and stifled by its discharges
Overwhelmed by industry
Overpowered by the impact of industrialization
Searching for a modern day savior from another place
Exploring for a different location's modern-day messiah
Inclined toward charity
Tending towards philanthropy
Everyone's begging for an answer
Everybody is pleading for a solution
Without regard to validity
Without considering the legitimacy
The searching never ends
The exploration never stops
It goes on and on and on for eternity
It persists continuously forever
The answer is perfect for you
The solution fits precisely to you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GREG GRAFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rifki agisha
Long ago in a dusty village
full of hunger, pain and strife
a man came forth with a vision of truth
and the way to a better life
he was convinced he had the answer
and he compelled people to follow along
but the hunger never vanished
and the man was banished
and the village dried up and died
at a time when wise men peered
through glass tubes toward the sky
the heavens changed in predictable ways
and one man was able to find
that he had thought he found the answer
and he was quick to write his revelation
but as they were scutinized
in his colleagues eyes
he soon became a mockery
don't tell me about the answer
'cause then another one will come along soon
I don't believe you have the answer
I've got ideas too
but if you've got enough naivete
and you've got conviction
then the answer is perfect for you
an urban sprawl sits choking on its discharge
overwhelmed by industry
searching for a modern day savior from another place
inclined toward charity
everyone's begging for an answer
without regard to validity
the searching never ends
it goes on and on for eternity
Fly Johnson
This band is the Rush and Iron Malden of Punk with lyrics as deep as Neil Peart and the melodic prowess of Maiden. Simplified and easily digestible. Genius.
Joe Schaffran
One of the greatest song writers of all time
lettuce overlord
Do you mean as deep as neil peart because hes in the ground? Lol
rifki agisha
Long ago in a dusty village
full of hunger, pain and strife
a man came forth with a vision of truth
and the way to a better life
he was convinced he had the answer
and he compelled people to follow along
but the hunger never vanished
and the man was banished
and the village dried up and died
at a time when wise men peered
through glass tubes toward the sky
the heavens changed in predictable ways
and one man was able to find
that he had thought he found the answer
and he was quick to write his revelation
but as they were scutinized
in his colleagues eyes
he soon became a mockery
don't tell me about the answer
'cause then another one will come along soon
I don't believe you have the answer
I've got ideas too
but if you've got enough naivete
and you've got conviction
then the answer is perfect for you
an urban sprawl sits choking on its discharge
overwhelmed by industry
searching for a modern day savior from another place
inclined toward charity
everyone's begging for an answer
without regard to validity
the searching never ends
it goes on and on for eternity
Swerdis
It's brass tubes, not glass tubes.
jb111082
I thought that the lyric sheet included with the Generator album said " Then the answer is burning for you" but I could be very wrong.
juscelino silva
AWESOME bro , thanks
Matt
@idaliciofunk Who needs this, everyone should know those lyrics! J.K.
idaliciofunk
Thanks
Bryton's Thoughts
Dude, Greg or Brett (whoever of the two wrote this) should seriously be proud of this. One of the best Bad Religion songs ever. Like were talking Top 5 or Top 10.