Rancid has had two lineup changes since its inception, with Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman being continuous members. Their current lineup consists of Armstrong on guitar and vocals, Freeman on bass and vocals, Lars Frederiksen on guitar and vocals, and Branden Steineckert on drums. The band was formed by Armstrong, Freeman, and former drummer Brett Reed, who left the band in 2006 and was replaced by Steineckert. This lineup recorded their first album, with Frederiksen joining the band on their subsequent tour.
To date, Rancid has released ten studio albums, one split album, one compilation, two extended plays, and a series of live online-only albums, and has been featured on a number of compilation albums. The band has sold over four million records worldwide, making it one of the most successful punk rock groups of all time. The band rose to fame in 1994 with its second studio album, Let's Go, featuring the single "Salvation". In the following year, Rancid released its highly successful album ...And Out Come the Wolves, which produced its best-known songs "Roots Radicals", "Ruby Soho", and "Time Bomb", and was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA, selling over one million copies in the United States alone. Its next six albums – Life Won't Wait (1998), Rancid (2000), Indestructible (2003), Let the Dominoes Fall (2009), ...Honor Is All We Know (2014) and Trouble Maker (2017) – were also critically acclaimed, though not as commercially successful as ...And Out Come the Wolves. The band released their tenth album, Tomorrow Never Comes, in June 2023.
Studio albums
Rancid (1993)
Let's Go (1994)
...And Out Come the Wolves (1995)
Life Won't Wait (1998)
Rancid (also known as "Rancid 2000" or "Rancid 5") (2000)
Indestructible (2003)
Let the Dominoes Fall (2009)
...Honor Is All We Know (2014)
Trouble Maker (2017)
Tomorrow Never Comes (2023)
As Wicked
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw an old man on the street
He was in a dumpster looking for something to eat
He moved so slow, like a dying dream
Like a machinist who got caught in the machine
I saw this lady and she was crying
She said it's hard when someone you love is dying
I saw this kid who's about five years old
He was in the park all alone, he was cold
There's somethine coming around
As wicked as it may seem
As wicked as anything may be
As wicked as it may seem
As wicked as anything could be
I know this girl, she's barely alive
She's all haggard, she's only twenty-five
She said she never had a friend before
I said "hey girl, I'll be your friend but who is keeping score?"
I saw this other little girl on the phone
Her mother's comforting her from far far from home
The little girl's very hesitant
Her best friend lie dead on the pavement
There's something coming around
As wicked as it may seem
As wicked as anything could be
As wicked as it may seem
As wicked as anything could be
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah yeah
I always end up back on the hill
Looking down at the landfill
I always go there when I can
My friend Marty said "Tim, you're a lucky man"
There's something coming around
As wicked as it may seem
As wicked as anything could be
As wicked as it may seem
As wicked as anything could be
The song "As Wicked" by Rancid paints a picture of the harsh realities of life through various "scenes" of people in difficult situations. The first verse describes an old man rummaging through a dumpster, an image of poverty and desperation. The second verse depicts a grieving woman and a young child left alone in the cold. The chorus repeats the phrase "as wicked as it may seem" emphasizing that despite how bleak things may appear, there is always something even worse looming around the corner. The third verse follows a girl who is struggling to survive and make connections with others, while the final scene brings us back to the viewpoint of the singer who finds solace in a landfill over looking the city.
What is striking about this song is that it confronts the listener with raw and unapologetic images of the struggles of the urban poor. The songwriters do not shy away from describing despair and hardship, but instead forces the listener to reckon with them. The chorus is particularly powerful in its repetition, emphasizing that the problems that the song describes are not isolated incidents, but rather a pervasive and systemic issue. By the end of the song, the listener is left with a sense of despair, but also a sense of urgency, that something must be done to address these problems.
Overall, "As Wicked" is an unflinching and powerful commentary on the societal issues that plague many communities. It forces the listener to confront the violence and struggles that the disenfranchised confront every day.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, four
The song is starting.
I saw an old man on the street
The singer saw a senior citizen in the street.
He was in a dumpster looking for something to eat
The old man was searching for food in a dumpster.
He moved so slow, like a dying dream
The old man was moving in a slow, dream-like manner.
Like a machinist who got caught in the machine
The slowness of the old man's movements were likened to someone getting stuck in a machine.
I saw this lady and she was crying
The singer saw a woman who was crying.
She said it's hard when someone you love is dying
The crying woman spoke of how difficult it is to lose someone you love.
I saw this kid who's about five years old
The singer observed a five-year-old child in the park.
He was in the park all alone, he was cold
The child was shivering in the park without anyone to keep him warm.
There's somethine coming around
Something ominous is approaching.
As wicked as it may seem
This incoming event is going to be extremely nasty.
As wicked as anything may be
It will be the epitome of wickedness.
I know this girl, she's barely alive
The singer knows a girl who is barely surviving.
She's all haggard, she's only twenty-five
The girl is only twenty-five years old but appears worn down.
She said she never had a friend before
The girl has never had a friend in her life.
I said "hey girl, I'll be your friend but who is keeping score?"
The singer offers to be the girl's friend without any expectation of receiving anything in return.
I saw this other little girl on the phone
The singer saw another young girl talking on the phone.
Her mother's comforting her from far far from home
The girl's mother is trying to comfort her despite being far away.
The little girl's very hesitant
The young girl is hesitant and unsure.
Her best friend lie dead on the pavement
The little girl's best friend has died on the pavement.
I always end up back on the hill
The singer frequently returns to a certain hill.
Looking down at the landfill
From this vantage point, the singer can see a landfill below.
I always go there when I can
The singer likes to visit this hill and landfill when possible.
My friend Marty said "Tim, you're a lucky man"
The singer's friend Marty remarked how fortunate he is.
Nah nah nah
An interlude in the song.
Nah nah nah
Another interlude in the song.
Nah nah nah
Another interlude in the song.
Nah nah nah yeah
The final interlude in the song.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: LARS FREDERIKSEN, ROGER M. FREEMAN, TIMOTHY ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@judgeholden9942
Beautiful song about an ugly world. Tim has some truly great songwriting moments
@WyattScott
one of his highlights for certain 👍👊🏻🍺
@phins13td
Real music right here. Thanks for always putting a smile on my face Rancid.
@Yorksbloke
The lyrics are … their best. Powerful and vivid
@Metaldudehere
i own this dvd, it is a must own. Rancid has shown me punk, and punk is a newer genre to me, i just discovered it. THANK YOU RANCID!
@cormac71
great song, great album, great band!!!
@piscies1775
I love this band.
@evilboots5296
Brilliant song!!
@TTownTim
no matter who you are in this ,moment... you are a FOOKIN SHINING STAR!!... ⭐
@wolflover1212
Rancid are the gods of punk! ♥