<… Read Full Bio ↴Link 80 was a punk rock/ska punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Link 80 started in early 1994 in the famous East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members (guitarist Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, drummer Joey Bustos, bassist Adam Pereria and singer Jeff Acree) played around town as Drano, The Rag-Tags, and Mr. Slave-Unit, before settling on Link 80.
The name came from the interstate highway I-80 which they used to get to the drummer's garage for band practice and connected the band members' homes.
In July 1995, Nick Traina joined the band after meeting Adam at a show in San Francisco's Mission District. Nick's passion and voice combined with the rest of the band to make them different from most ska bands and gave Link 80 the "against the rest" attitude they display throughout their lyrics. Far more punk than ska and with an energy and a sense of immediacy lacking in pop-oriented ska bands, Link 80 was able to avoid the clichés of ska-punk characterized by their peers. As Asian Man Records describes them, they are an energetic blend of ska, punk rock, and hardcore.
After some demos, split EPs, complilation releases, "17 Reasons" and "Killing Katie" (both on Asian Man Records) Nick left Link 80 and started another band called Knowledge. Knowledge released one record on Asian Man Records named "A Gift Before I Go". Shortly thereafter Nick Traina committed suicide, at the age of 19... Ryan Noble took over as lead singer of Link 80 and released "The Struggle Continues," as well as some split EPs.
In 2002, the band consisting of Adam Davis, Aaron Nagel, Steve Borth, Joey Bustos, Barry Krippene, and singer Ryan Noble went on hiatus. Steve Borth would join Rx Bandits, before forming his own band Satori in 2006. The remaining Link 80 members would form DESA. They have since maintained that Link 80 would return, but for now they are focused on their respective projects.
Joey and Ryan are now in The Soft White Sixties. Matt formed a band called Dolores (with Nick's brother Todd Traina) and is a member of the comedy trio Chad, Matt & Rob. Aaron runs Two Twenty Two Design Studio and is an artist whose work can be seen on the covers of The Resignation and ...And the Battle Begun. Adam Pereria played with Thought Crime after leaving Link 80.
linkeighty.com
Burning Down
Link 80 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No longer welcomes me,
Outcasted and rejected,
I never thought I'd leave.
No longer is it sacred,
It's tainted through and through,
I thought that it was different,
Now I know that isn't true.
You wear it on your sleeve,
I wear it in my heart,
You were so quick to finish,
I have yet to start.
Something far to perfect,
Is never what it seems,
The reality I wanted,
Lives only in my dreams.
It's so sad that your life revolves around a fad,
You're burning down your future
While you build up your past.
You wear it on your sleeve,
I wear it in my heart,
You were so quick to finish,
I have yet to start
The unity they sold me
Was an ugly fucking lie.
They've cast me out,
And I've seen the truth 'cause I opened my eyes.
A fantasy I lived in has now crashed back to the ground,
Now nothing looks the same,
It's all been turned around.
I thought that I could leave it
And change the way things are,
But I lived that way for years,
And nothing's changed so far.
You wear it on your sleeve,
I wear it in my heart,
You were so quick to finish,
I have yet to start
It took so long to build it,
This home I thought I'd found,
But where there's smoke there's fire,
And now it's burning down.
The lyrics of Link 80's song Burning Down can be seen as an expression of disillusionment and disappointment. The song is about a person who has been ousted from a place that was once like a sanctuary to them. The place referred to here could be a physical location or a community that they were a part of. The person feels rejected and outcasted and speaks of the pain of being forced to leave a place that was once important to them. They realize that the place they once thought was sacred has become tainted and is no longer what it was.
The song also speaks about the disappointment that comes with the realization that something that seemed perfect is never really what it appears to be. The person acknowledges that they wanted a certain reality but now they know that it only exists in their dreams. The lyrics suggest that there is a contrast between the person speaking and the people who cast them out. While they wear their heart on their sleeve, the people who rejected them were quick to finish. The person is left to ponder why their life was focused on something that was just a passing fad while they burn down their future, their past is constantly being built up. The person finds out that the unity that was sold to them was a lie.
In conclusion, Burning Down tells a story of how one can always be let down by the things they thought they could rely on. The song tells a story of disillusionment, disappointment, and feelings of being ostracized. It stands as an observation of life's ups and downs and the importance of being true to oneself despite whatever challenges may come in the way.
Line by Line Meaning
A place that I could go to,
I used to have somewhere to go, but now I don't.
No longer welcomes me,
I'm not welcome there anymore.
Outcasted and rejected,
I was cast out and rejected.
I never thought I'd leave.
I never thought I'd have to leave that place.
No longer is it sacred,
That special place is no longer as special as it used to be.
It's tainted through and through,
The place is now completely ruined.
I thought that it was different,
I used to think differently about that place.
Now I know that isn't true.
But now I know the truth.
You wear it on your sleeve,
You show off your true self.
I wear it in my heart,
My true self is hidden inside me.
You were so quick to finish,
You rushed to the end.
I have yet to start.
I haven't even begun yet.
Something far to perfect,
Something that seemed too perfect.
Is never what it seems,
It's never actually that perfect.
The reality I wanted,
The real world I wanted to live in.
Lives only in my dreams.
Only exists in my dreams.
It's so sad that your life revolves around a fad,
It's unfortunate that you base your life around a temporary trend.
You're burning down your future
You're ruining your future prospects.
While you build up your past.
While you obsess over the past.
The unity they sold me
They sold me on the idea of unity.
Was an ugly fucking lie.
But it was a terrible lie.
They've cast me out,
They've kicked me out.
And I've seen the truth 'cause I opened my eyes.
I've realized the truth now that I'm no longer blinded.
A fantasy I lived in has now crashed back to the ground,
The ideal life I once had has now crumbled.
Now nothing looks the same,
Everything is different now.
It's all been turned around.
The world has been flipped upside down.
I thought that I could leave it
I thought I could just leave it behind.
And change the way things are,
And change the situation.
But I lived that way for years,
But I've been living like that for years.
And nothing's changed so far.
And nothing has changed yet.
It took so long to build it,
It took so much time and effort to create.
This home I thought I'd found,
This place I thought was going to be my home.
But where there's smoke there's fire,
But where there's a problem, it's usually worse than it appears.
And now it's burning down.
And now it's all falling apart.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind