The band has 11 releases through Fat Wreck Chords: eight studio albums, one EP, one live album and a collection of B-sides, compilation tracks and demos. Lagwagon has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America, Europe and Asia. Their moderate success reflected a growing interest in punk rock during the 1990s, along with fellow California bands Rancid, Green Day and The Offspring. Their song 'May 16' was also featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.
The story about the name Lagwagon is that Joey’s mom was often late picking him and his brother up from school. She drove a station wagon, which his brother dubbed the "lagwagon". After signing to Fat Mike's label Fat Wreck Chords, Lagwagon released their debut album for the label, Duh, in 1992. Frontman Joey Cape commented on how the album was made, "Back then, we were inexperienced in the studio. It was less about the recording process and more about rehearsing. We recorded and mixed Duh in 4 days. There's something to be said for a budget. You have to have your shit together before you go into the studio and the end result is a record that better reflects the band's sound at the time." Two years later, Lagwagon released Trashed, their second record on Fat, which turned out to be highly successful, leading to the eventual production of a video for "Island of Shame." During this time, a number of punk bands, such as Green Day, The Offspring and Rancid, had hit the mainstream and Lagwagon turned down offers to join several major labels. Hoss, the third Lagwagon album, was released on November 21, 1995. After the release of that album and an extensive tour in Europe, Australia, and Japan, both guitarist Shawn Dewey and drummer Derrick Plourde would leave the band and be replaced temporarily by Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) on guitar, and permanently by Dave Raun (RKL) on drums. Shawn Dewey, already in the side project band Buck Wild on Lobster Records would go on to release two full-length LPs Beat Me Silly and Full Metal Overdrive and do two European tours with Good Riddance and Ten Foot Pole.
After two more albums, Double Plaidinum and Let's Talk About Feelings, the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2000, due to all members working on side projects. Lagwagon resurfaced in 2002, and released their sixth album Blaze the following year. In 2004, frontman Joey Cape released a split album with No Use for a Name vocalist Tony Sly featuring acoustic versions of songs by both bands. On November 1, 2005, Lagwagon released Resolve, which is a homage to the life of Derrick Plourde, original drummer for Lagwagon and Bad Astronaut.
In 2008, Lagwagon released an EP titled I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon. Despite earlier reports that the band would begin recording their next full-length studio album by 2009, Lagwagon had gone on hiatus from touring and writing again, due to Cape launching a solo career, releasing Bridge in 2008 and Doesn't Play Well with Others in 2010.
In January 2010, Joey Cape announced during an interview with Canada's Exclaim! magazine[4] that Jesse Buglione had left Lagwagon, having been with the band since its foundation in 1990. However, Cape dismissed rumors of Lagwagon breaking up. While he was not sure if Lagwagon would record a new album or embark on another full-scale tour, he said that he was open to playing shows and possibly recording and releasing new Lagwagon songs sporadically. Jesse Buglione confirmed his departure on Lagwagon's official message board himself, as reported by sputnikmusic.com and punknews.org. Lagwagon toured with No Use for a Name that summer. In an interview with fasterlouder.com.au Joey Cape, revealed former RKL bassist Joe Raposo is Lagwagon's new bassist. In a June 2011 interview with ExploreMusic however, Joey Cape said that things didn't work out with Raposo, and the band is testing a new bassist. After first announcing Patrick Solem as the new bass player in August 2011, the band decided that Raposo would remain in the band permanently.
On September 22, 2011, Fat Wreck announced they would be re-issuing expanded editions of the first 5 albums on CD, vinyl, and digital download. The albums were available both separately and in a box set titled Putting Music In Its Place. The reissues were released November 22, 2011, with a short line-up of concerts in the USA played in December and January, and a European tour following in April 2012. As of October 2012, Lagwagon is headlining a full U.S. tour titled The Fat Tour 2012, with Dead To Me, The Flatliners, and Useless ID as support.
In October 2012, Joey Cape stated that there will be a new Lagwagon album, which will be their first since 2005's Resolve. While details and release dates are not yet known, the band announced on its Twitter feed that songs are being written for a new album. The September 22 Tweet reads, "Writing, writing, writing. New album... It's gonna happen!"
The band recorded their eighth album, Hang, with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room, Ft Collins, CO. The album was released on October 28, 2014, and debuted at #95 on the Billboard 200.
On October 4, 2019, the band released their ninth studio album Railer.
Black Eyes
Lagwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This simpleton, sees everything
He's only satisfied,
To point out other's mistakes
Never afraid, to use his pride
His tradition is old,
His faith a hand-me-down, the family
He wears them on his sleeve,
He once had the gift,
This image in his grandparents eyes
No guns, no drugs, no rape, no end
This vacant soul, is pale and blue,
In empty gaze, his crow's feet are
A vision of defeat sick
And tired of the meaninglessness
The irrational he's desensitized,
His every need and emotion
A cup half empty,
But full of euphoria he's,
Searching for the light switch in the dark,
To switch his routine
To find a reason,
To find faith in piece of mind
When one to many beliefs die,
It's tough to see through these black eyes
Everyone forgives everyone forgets
Everyone is true
And no one here will lie to you
He knows the truth,
He knows the truth,
Here nothing's certain
Disregard what you've learned,
To find faith in piece of mind
All of their gods died with his peace,
I should know him that heathen?s me
The song "Black Eyes" by Lagwagon is a powerful and introspective reflection on the struggles of a person who has lost faith and feels disconnected from the world around them. The lyrics are both poetic and raw, capturing the sense of alienation and despair that can come from feeling lost and alone. The central figure in the song is portrayed as someone who is deeply troubled and unable to find meaning or purpose in life. He sees everything but is never satisfied, constantly pointing out the mistakes of others while ignoring his own. He is trapped in a cycle of pride and shame, unable to break free and find peace.
The image of the "black eyes" that give the song its title is a powerful one, representing the darkness and hopelessness that the singer feels. The lyrics suggest that this sense of despair is something that is shared by many people, and that it is difficult to find clarity or meaning in a world that is so uncertain and unpredictable.
Line by Line Meaning
He knows no shame, and takes no blame
The person is shameless and never admits to their mistakes.
This simpleton, sees everything
The person thinks they know everything but is actually simple-minded.
He's only satisfied,
To point out other's mistakes
The person feels happy when they criticize and point out others' flaws.
Never afraid, to use his pride
The person is always confident and often boasts about themselves.
His tradition is old,
The person's ways and beliefs are outdated and have been passed down through generations.
His faith a hand-me-down, the family
The person's faith has been inherited from their family and not chosen by themselves.
He wears them on his sleeve,
The person openly displays their beliefs and values to others.
Morale and values left under a christmas tree
The person's morals and values are not very significant to them and are treated like any unimportant Christmas present.
He once had the gift,
The person used to have a talent or was admired in the past.
This image in his grandparents eyes
Their grandparents saw them in a positive light in the past.
No guns, no drugs, no rape, no end
This person doesn't partake in anything harmful or illegal.
This vacant soul, is pale and blue,
The person feels empty and unhappy.
In empty gaze, his crow's feet are
The person has wrinkles around their eyes due to unhappy expressions.
A vision of defeat sick
The person looks sickly and beaten.
And tired of the meaninglessness
The person feels bored and unmotivated because they don't find meaning in anything they do.
The irrational he's desensitized,
The person has become indifferent to irrational things.
His every need and emotion
The person's emotions and needs are affected by their indifference.
A cup half empty,
The person has a negative outlook on life.
But full of euphoria he's,
However, he still feels joy despite negativity.
Searching for the light switch in the dark,
The person is trying to find meaning or hope in their life amidst the darkness.
To switch his routine
The person wants to change their life or daily habits.
To find a reason,
The person is looking for a purpose or motivation in life.
To find faith in piece of mind
The person wants to feel at peace through discovering a meaningful faith or belief system.
When one to many beliefs die,
The person has lost too many faiths or beliefs, making it difficult for them to find a new one.
It's tough to see through these black eyes
The person has a negative perspective and it's challenging to change it.
Everyone forgives everyone forgets
People usually let go of others' mistakes and move on.
Everyone is true
People are generally honest with each other.
And no one here will lie to you
The person is in an honest environment.
He knows the truth,
The person thinks they know everything and what's true.
Here nothing's certain
In this place, nothing is definite.
Disregard what you've learned,
The person suggests forgetting what you know and learned.
To find faith in piece of mind
In order to find peace, the person suggests discovering a new faith or belief system.
All of their gods died with his peace,
The person lost faith in their religious or spiritual beliefs.
I should know him that heathen's me
The person talking realizes that they themselves are the 'heathen' and understands the meaninglessness of their actions and beliefs.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ric9759
I just cut and pasted these lyrics from Lyricscode(?). I didn't do the transcription. They seem right. I love this song.
He knows no shame, and takes no blame
This simpleton, sees everything
He’s only satisfied, to point out other’s mistakes
Never afraid, to use his pride
His tradition is old, his faith a hand-me-down, the family
He wears them on his sleeve, morale and value left under a Christmas tree
He once had the gift, this image in his grandparents eyes
No guns, no drugs, no rape, no end
This vacant soul, is pale and blue, in empty gaze, his crow’s feet are
A vision of defeat sick and tired of the meaninglessness
The irrationale he’s desensitized, his every need and emotion
A cup half empty, but full of euphoria he’s,
Searching for the light switch in the dark, to switch his routine
To find a reason, to find faith and piece of mind
When one too many beliefs die, it’s tough to see through these black eyes
Everyone forgives everyone forgets
Everyone is true and no one here will lie to you
He knows the truth, he knows the truth, here nothing’s certain
Disregard what you’ve learned, to find faith and piece of mind
All of their gods died with his peace, I should know him that heathen’s me
@WittedBastard
By far one of the best punk albums of all time!! Literally every song is siicckk! on this album.
@ryan2stix
38 years young and still loving this album
@p31990
Muchos recuerdos con Lagwagon, Millencolin, Mxpx, Bad Religion, Pennywise, Pulley, Nofx y todas esas bandas con las que crecí. Gracias por el tema !!
@Tipi83
One of my favourite albums ever, Hoss! \m/
@markhainaut2683
I agree
@valdirn.8481
Gosto muito dessa música, me faz sentir no Texas com os animais
@ric9759
I just cut and pasted these lyrics from Lyricscode(?). I didn't do the transcription. They seem right. I love this song.
He knows no shame, and takes no blame
This simpleton, sees everything
He’s only satisfied, to point out other’s mistakes
Never afraid, to use his pride
His tradition is old, his faith a hand-me-down, the family
He wears them on his sleeve, morale and value left under a Christmas tree
He once had the gift, this image in his grandparents eyes
No guns, no drugs, no rape, no end
This vacant soul, is pale and blue, in empty gaze, his crow’s feet are
A vision of defeat sick and tired of the meaninglessness
The irrationale he’s desensitized, his every need and emotion
A cup half empty, but full of euphoria he’s,
Searching for the light switch in the dark, to switch his routine
To find a reason, to find faith and piece of mind
When one too many beliefs die, it’s tough to see through these black eyes
Everyone forgives everyone forgets
Everyone is true and no one here will lie to you
He knows the truth, he knows the truth, here nothing’s certain
Disregard what you’ve learned, to find faith and piece of mind
All of their gods died with his peace, I should know him that heathen’s me
@michelegrassi4385
Thank you !!!
@ElephoneP-es3ek
L A G W A G O N the best band
@marios6368
Great song and album.