Punk rock band formed in 1989 by former All, DYS and Dag Nasty frontman Dav… Read Full Bio ↴Punk rock band formed in 1989 by former All, DYS and Dag Nasty frontman Dave Smalley, who is the only permanent member. The band has recorded 7 studio albums. They stayed on "Epitaph Records" until 1998 and have since switched to other labels. Down by Law has never achieved substantial commercial success, but a number of largely popular acts cite them as influential. After several lineup changes, the band went on hiatus from touring and recording in 2003, but resurfaced in 2008 before beginning work on new material and embarking on their first tour in six years in 2009.
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The Truth
Down By Law Lyrics

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Feelin' high and feelin' low
You're just standing there
With no where to go
You can't win if you're all hooked up
One day you're out of luck and
There's no finding some
If you don't watch you're step
You'd better watch you're step cause

You will always lose
Now depressions hit and you're after it
And that's a bad excuse
The wrong thing to do is to
Pretend that you
Haven't got a problem
You didn't have to cause this pain
To yourself
You can change anytime you want
Just don't get in too deep cause
I'm worried

That that's gonna tear us apart
I knew that it would

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Down By Law's "The Truth" express the sentiment of feeling lost and stuck in a cycle of addiction. The opening lines depict the emotional highs and lows that come with being addicted to something. It then describes the feeling of being trapped and having nowhere to go. It emphasizes the futility of trying to win while being addicted, as it will inevitably lead to bad luck and destroy any chance of finding happiness. The lyrics also warn against pretending as though everything is okay while being aware of the addiction. This behavior only causes more pain and destruction. The song then culminates in a plea to change and not get too deep into the addiction or risk tearing apart relationships.

The song is a heartfelt, genuine plea to those struggling with addiction or caught up in any destructive behavior. The lyrics aim to inspire change in people's lives and remind them that they have the power to turn things around. The song has a powerful and relatable message that resonates with people from all walks of life.

Line by Line Meaning

Feelin' high and feelin' low
Sometimes you feel good, sometimes you don't

You're just standing there
You're stuck and don't know what to do

With no where to go
You feel lost and directionless

You can't win if you're all hooked up
You won't succeed if you're dependent on something

One day you're out of luck and
At some point, things won't go your way

There's no finding some
You won't be able to recover some things once they're lost

If you don't watch you're step
If you're not careful, you might make mistakes

You'd better watch you're step cause
You should be careful because...

You will always lose
If you're not careful, you will always fail

Now depressions hit and you're after it
You're feeling sad and trying to escape it

And that's a bad excuse
Using depression as an excuse for bad behavior is not okay