Coming out of the streets of Fullerton California, DI was formed in the sha… Read Full Bio ↴Coming out of the streets of Fullerton California, DI was formed in the shadows of The Adolescents back in 1983 in a studio behind a pawn shop. The Adolescents, Social Distortion, Agent Orange and several other local early punk rock pioneers were the breeding ground from which DI was born. DI branded their own form of punk rock that complemented the Orange County Punk scene in sound and attitude. DI was thrown to the forefront after the band performed "Richard Hung Himself" with the original line up that recorded the bands first EP in the 1984 movie, "Suburbia", directed by Penelope Spheeris who's previous production was "Decline of Western Civilization." When the band went through a line up change after the first EP titled Team Goon, members of emerging Fullerton band Almost 21 became the backbone for the sound that DI is known for today. During that line up change, front man Casey Royer known for his cutting and outrageous social commentary through humor is joined by Rikk Agnew of The Adolescents on guitar. Rikk brought to DI a handful of songs written in previous years, such as "Falling Out" and "OC Life" which were featured on Rikk Agnew's solo album, "All By Myself" and were made wildly popular though Casey Royer's style and personality. Over the many years that DI has been on the scene, the band has went though a lot of line up changes that has made DI a very incestuous family of players. Most of the former and present members were all part of the Fullerton and north Orange County Punk scene which proved to be the key ingredient to keeping the personality that makes DI what it is. DI has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, and everywhere they performed DI left the audience not wanting the show to be over. The current line, which many have stated could very well be the hardest hitting and most cohesive line up ever, made up of Casey Royer on vocals, brothers Eddie and Joey Tatar as the rhythm unit of bass and drums, Chickenhead on rhythm guitar and brought together by lead guitarist Clinton Calton.
DI is proud to bring you the band’s 8th release, “On The Western Front”.

Stand Up
D.I. Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

it's the american way it's the thing to do i can take anything i want the right to choose is always mine i'm counting on you to stand up and strike them down i'm counting on you, stand up... you see they walk the streets they kill for fun but sometimes i feel i'm the only one the only one i'm counting on you to stand up and strike them down stand up... it's okay to die no, no! strike force, allied weapons... i've got the new catalog, it's got all the neat new guns we can trade 'em to you for all kinds of stuff we'll get some weed or some feds get some sheets and we can get some stuff we can trade you all kinds of fire power let them fight our wars for us so we won't see the state blow up cuz you really think this game's all said no, let them all do it there so we don't have to sweat sweat

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to D.I.'s song "Stand Up" speak to the violent culture that often permeates American society, where individuals feel entitled to take whatever they want and the right to choose is always theirs. The song speaks to the need for someone to rise up and strike down those who walk the streets and kill for fun. The singer acknowledges feeling alone in their quest to stand up against this kind of violence, and implores someone else to join them in their fight.

The lyrics also touch upon the idea of using weapons and firepower as a tool to fight against these violent forces, but the singer ultimately questions the worth of engaging in such a fight. They suggest that perhaps it is better to let others fight these wars for us, so that we do not have to bear witness to the state's eventual collapse. The song seems to reflect a pervasive sense of nihilism and hopelessness in the face of escalating violence and an increasingly unstable society.

Line by Line Meaning

it's the american way it's the thing to do
This is how Americans behave and it's widely accepted.

i can take anything i want the right to choose is always mine
I have the freedom to do what I want and make my own choices.

i'm counting on you to stand up and strike them down
I'm relying on you to stand up and fight against those who do wrong.

you see they walk the streets they kill for fun but sometimes i feel i'm the only one the only one
There are people who commit heinous acts, and at times it feels like no one else cares.

i'm counting on you to stand up and strike them down stand up...
Once again, I need you to take action and stop those who are causing harm.

it's okay to die no, no!
Dying is not okay and should be avoided if possible.

strike force, allied weapons...
Using military force and weapons supplied by allies to fight against a common enemy.

i've got the new catalog, it's got all the neat new guns we can trade 'em to you for all kinds of stuff
I have access to the latest gun catalog and can trade them to you for various items.

we'll get some weed or some feds get some sheets and we can get some stuff
We will exchange guns for drugs, bedding, or other goods.

we can trade you all kinds of fire power let them fight our wars for us
We will provide weapons to others to fight our battles on our behalf.

so we won't see the state blow up cuz you really think this game's all set no, let them all do it there so we don't have to sweat sweat
We give guns to others to avoid seeing our own country get destroyed, believing that this is a game and that others can handle it without any effort from us.

Contributed by Nora H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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