Naked Raygun was a very influential Chicago-based punk band of the 1980s an… Read Full Bio ↴Naked Raygun was a very influential Chicago-based punk band of the 1980s and early 1990s. All incarnations featured Jeff Pezzati on vocals. Members over time include Jim Colao and Eric Spicer on drums, Pierre Kezdy and Camilio Gonzalez on bass, and Santiago Durango. John Haggerty, and Bill Stephans on guitar. Naked Raygun began as a noisy, free-form artist, often trading members with Big Black but later sharpened into a hard pop outfit in a league with the Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Jam.

The Misfits were known for their sing-along "Whoa-oh-oh" choruses after the 1982 "Walk Among Us" LP -- and although Naked Raygun are often cited as having been influenced by The Misfits in this regard, the reverse is the case.

Haggerty and Kezdy would later join with Larry Damore of the Bhopal Stiffs to form Pegboy. Pezzati fronted The Bomb. A reunion in the late 90s produced the live album Free Shit!. The band reunited for Riot Fest 2006 on November 5, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, and is playing a west coast tour in December, 2007.

Official Site: http://www.nakedraygun.org

Understand
Naked Raygun Lyrics

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So it's come to my attention
Some things you don't understand
Wandering through a cycle
When the power lay in your hand

Well there's an old expression
About how to play the game
Where Triumph and Disaster

Are imposters just the same

[Chorus:]
I understand
Do you understand
Understand?

So some they ask me
And this is what I say
The only thing worth having
Is what can't be taken away

[Chorus x2]

Well I can show you
Just what I mean

[X2]

Well it's my world
I see with blinding sight
Don't read from a Book
I decide what's wrong and right

So when all is evil
Don't leer into the sky
The power of creation
Is inside you and I

[Chorus x2]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Naked Raygun's song "Understand" deal with the theme of self-empowerment and the recognition of one's own agency. The opening lines, "so it's come to my attention/some things you don't understand", hint at the singer's awareness of other people's lack of understanding of the world around them. The following lines, "wandering through a cycle/when the power lay in your hand", can be interpreted as a commentary on the human tendency to passively move through life without realizing the extent of their own power to shape it.

The singer then introduces an "old expression" about how to play the game of life, where triumph and disaster are both imposters. The chorus reiterates this sentiment with the repetition of the question "understand?" The second verse sees the singer offering their opinion on what the only thing worth having is, which is what can't be taken away. In the final verse, the singer takes ownership of their worldview and emphasizes the power of creation that resides in everyone, stating that "the power of creation/is inside you and I."

Overall, "Understand" is a call to recognize one's own agency and to actively shape one's own life. It emphasizes the importance of having a personal worldview and taking control of one's own destiny.

Line by Line Meaning

So it's come to my attention
I have noticed something

Some things you don't understand
There are things that you do not comprehend

Wandering through a cycle
Going through the same process repeatedly

When the power lay in your hand
When you had control of the situation

Well there's an old expression
There is a common saying

About how to play the game
About how to approach a situation

Where Triumph and Disaster
Both success and failure

Are impostors just the same
Are both not entirely reliable

[Chorus:]
Refrain

I understand
I comprehend

Do you understand
Do you comprehend?