NUFAN's debut album, Incognito, was released in 1990 through New Red Archives. The band has released a single and one more full-length on this label, until signing up with Fat Mike's label, Fat Wreck Chords, on 1993. At that year, No Use For a Name released its first record on Fat, The Daily Grind, which turned to be a highly successful album.
In 1995, After the release of Leche Con Carne, their fourth full-length, Chris Shiflett (now in the Foo Fighters and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes) and Matt Riddle (also in Pulley) joined the band to play Guitar and Bass, respectively. In 1997, after the success of Making Friends, the band went on a worldwide tour through U.S., Europe, Australia, Canada, and Japan.
Chris left the band to play in the Foo Fighters, so now they have Dave Nassie playing guitar
The band released their 8th full-length album, titled Keep Them Confused, on June 14th, 2005. It takes a more political, philosophical and religious position than earlier releases.
A greatest hits collection titled All the Best Songs was released on July 10, 2007.
A new fourteen song full-length studio album entitled The Feel Good Record of the Year was released on April 1, 2008. In 2009, when promoting the album in Europe, Dave Nassie left the band to join the ranks of Bleeding Through. In August 2009 the band announced, that they replaced Nassie with Lagwagon's guitarist and founding member of RKL, Chris Rest.
In December of 2010, Rory Koff announced to the band he would need time off from touring to go full time with his snowplow business and eventually was replaced by new full-time drummer Boz Rivera (of King City, RKL, and The Mad Caddies.). Koff was the last remaining member of the original 1987 No Use for a Name line up.
Since 2010, No Use for a Name has been working on a new album.
Tony Sly tragically passed away on August 1, 2012.
Thorn In My Side
No Use for a Name Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
''I'll never let you down'' ''You are my friend and you can talk to me''
So why am I? (so why am I?)
Still standing all alone
That's not the way that it's supposed to be
Chorus:
Thorn in my side
Thorn in my side
I felt it jabbing the first time that you lied
Deep inside
You gave me silence,
I tried to talk to you
I got denied and tried to think it through
You had no reason, I saw no warning sign
You think I'll stick around, you must be on glue
Chorus
So now I'm thinking, you'll turn your back on me
The second you find a better place to be
It's in our nature to hurt each other
I'll never find my place in this world of greed
The lyrics to No Use for a Name's song Thorn In My Side explores the theme of friendship and loyalty. The song opens with a statement of trust: "I'll never let you down" "You are my friend and you can talk to me." Despite these claims, the singer finds themselves standing all alone and questioning why they are in that position. The chorus reveals that the thorn in his side refers to the feeling of being backstabbed and talked about behind his back after being promised loyalty, with the reassurance that he had been given previously turning out to be nothing but empty words, causing a deep pain and betrayal felt deeply within him.
The lyrics suggest that the bond of friendship has been broken and the singer is feeling unsupported and isolated, with a sense that he was never really valued or cared for as a person. The second verse depicts the attempts at communication that have been ignored or rejected, leading to a realization that there was no clear reason for the change in attitudes or behavior. The line "You think I'll stick around, you must be on glue" highlights the bitterness and anger that come from feeling used and discarded. The final verse acknowledges the reality of a world full of greed and hurt, with the singer acknowledging that he may never find his place in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Remember these words
This is a reminder of the trust and loyalty that was promised.
"I'll never let you down" "You are my friend and you can talk to me"
These were the words of promise that were meant to establish trust and friendship.
So why am I? (so why am I?)
The singer questions why they feel alone and neglected despite the promises made.
Still standing all alone
The artist feels isolated and unsupported despite being told they have a friend.
That's not the way that it's supposed to be
The artist highlights the expectation that a friend would be there for them and not make them feel alone.
Thorn in my side
This describes the negative impact that the broken promise has had on the singer.
Talk about me, kiss my ass
The singer is aware that their friend has talked negatively about them and they don't care.
I felt it jabbing the first time that you lied
The artist felt the pain of betrayal the moment the friend broke their promise.
Deep inside
The pain and hurt caused by the friend's betrayal runs deep within the artist.
You gave me silence, I tried to talk to you
The friend didn't respond to the artist's attempts to communicate and resolve the issue.
I got denied and tried to think it through
The singer didn't receive any explanation or justification for the friend's betrayal, leaving them to ponder alone.
You had no reason, I saw no warning sign
The friend's betrayal was unexpected and unexplained, making it even more painful for the artist.
You think I'll stick around, you must be on glue
The singer won't stick around to be hurt again by someone who has already broken their trust.
So now I'm thinking, you'll turn your back on me
The singer anticipates that the friend will abandon them again when it's convenient for them.
The second you find a better place to be
The friend will leave the singer behind as soon as they find something or someone better.
It's in our nature to hurt each other
The artist believes that humans are inherently selfish and will hurt each other for personal gain.
I'll never find my place in this world of greed
The artist feels like they don't belong in a world where people put themselves first at the expense of others' feelings and well-being.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALAN CAGE, SERGIO VEGA, TOM CAPONE, WALTER ARTHUR SCHREIFELS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind