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)
Civilian Ways
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hold the cold steel of my rifle
As I dream of foreign lands
And I promise myself
I will cherish every moment I can
But there's ghosts that
Follow me around
When I say goodbye
I try to be strong
Now I'm going back to the U.S.
Where I belong
I ain't never alone
The war seems to follow me home
No longer an active soldier
When I walk down the street
I'm shaking hands
With everyone that I meet
And I watch everyone
Wondering what they see
Civilian ways are now
What's foreign to me
I came off a long tour
I left this place in two or three
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
I live in Marysville
Out on the county line
And my brother and my mother
Both visit me all the time
And visions of you
Are always running right
Through my mind
We always talk about
What we're gonna do
When the war is won
We're gonna fix up them old cars
And ride them into the sun
When I heard you're no
Longer with us
Man I was done
Civilian ways are now
What's foreign to me
I came off a long tour
I left this place in two or three
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
In Rancid's song "Civilian Ways," the lead vocalist tells the story of a soldier returning home from a long tour in a foreign land. The song starts with the soldier holding the "cold steel of his rifle" while dreaming of foreign lands. He promises himself that he will cherish every moment he can, but he knows that there are "ghosts" that follow him around everywhere he goes. When he says goodbye, he tries to stay strong, but he knows he is going back to the US, where he belongs. The war seems to follow him home, even though he is no longer an active soldier.
As the song progresses, the soldier walks down the street and shakes hands with everyone he meets. He watches others and wonders what they see when they look at him. The "civilian ways" are now foreign to him, as he has been away for so long. He left the place two or three years ago, and now he is back. He talks about how his family and friends visit him all the time, and how he has visions of someone special always running through his mind. They talk about what they will do when the war is won, and how they will fix up old cars and ride them into the sun. However, his dream is shattered when he hears that someone close to him has passed away.
The song is a powerful statement on the effects of war on soldiers and their families. It illustrates the mental and emotional challenges that soldiers face when they return home, but it also highlights the strength and courage they possess. The song reminds listeners to never forget the sacrifices that soldiers make for their country.
Line by Line Meaning
I hold the cold steel of my rifle
I am holding my rifle in anticipation of going to a foreign land
As I dream of foreign lands
I dream about my future journey to a foreign land
And I promise myself
I make a promise to myself
I will cherish every moment I can
I vow to appreciate every moment I experience
But there's ghosts that
However, there are memories that haunt me
Follow me around
They always seem to follow me wherever I go
Everywhere I am
No matter where I go, these memories follow me
When I say goodbye
When I bid farewell
I try to be strong
I attempt to show strength
Now I'm going back to the U.S.
Now, I am returning to the United States
Where I belong
My homeland
I ain't never alone
I never feel alone
The war seems to follow me home
The memories of the war remain with me even after returning home
No longer an active soldier
I am no longer an active soldier
When I walk down the street
As I walk down the street
I'm shaking hands
I shake hands
With everyone that I meet
With every person I encounter
And I watch everyone
I observe everyone
Wondering what they see
Pondering about what they perceive
Civilian ways are now
The way of life in civilian society is now
What's foreign to me
Unfamiliar to me
I came off a long tour
I recently completed a long tour
I left this place in two or three
I left this place two or three years back
May we never forget the sacrifices
Let us never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
That my friends made for me
I live in Marysville
I reside in Marysville
Out on the county line
Near the countryside border
And my brother and my mother
My family
Both visit me all the time
Both frequently visit me
And visions of you
And images of you
Are always running right
Perpetually appearing
Through my mind
In my thoughts
We always talk about
We frequently discuss
What we're gonna do
Our future plans
When the war is won
When the war is over
We're gonna fix up them old cars
We will repair our old cars
And ride them into the sun
And drive them towards the sunset
When I heard you're no
Upon hearing that you are not
Longer with us
Here with us
Man I was done
I was devastated
May we never forget the sacrifices
Let us never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
That my friends made for me
May we never forget the sacrifices
Let us never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
That my friends made for me
May we never forget the sacrifices
Let us never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
That my friends made for me
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: TIMOTHY (USA) ARMSTRONG, LARS FREDERIKSEN, ROGER MATTHEW FREEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael
I hold the cold steel of my rifle
As I dream of foreign lands
And I promise myself
I will cherish every moment I can
But there's ghosts that
Follow me around
Everywhere I am
When I say goodbye
I try to be strong
Now I'm going back to the U.S.
Where I belong
I ain't never alone
The war seems to follow me home
No longer an active soldier
When I walk down the street
I'm shaking hands
With everyone that I meet
And I watch everyone
Wondering what they see
Civilian ways are now
What's foreign to me
I came off a long tour
I left this place in two or three
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
I live in Marysville
Out on the county line
And my brother and my mother
Both visit me all the time
And visions of you
Are always running right
Through my mind
We always talk about
What we're gonna do
When the war is won
We're gonna fix up them old cars
And ride them into the sun
When I heard you're no
Longer with us
Man I was done
Civilian ways are now
What's foreign to me
I came off a long tour
I left this place in two or three
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
Brad K
10 years since my last bit of time in Afghanistan and I'm still confused about civilian ways. I love this song.
Brad K
@Repent Sinner Glad you found reasons to stick around. It might not always be the easier path but it's worth it.
Repent Sinner
@Brad K if it weren't for God and my gf who became my wife and gave me 3 kids, I have blown my brains out years ago
Repent Sinner
I'll never understand civilians or POGs. OEF/OIF Infantryman 04-12
Patrick Webster
This song has gotten me through some rough fucking nights of total annihilation of my mind, body, and soul through trying to put bandaids on my soul. Just trying to get that switch to turn back off, to get out of flight or fight, to feel normal in this civilian world. I don’t think I will ever feel totally “normal” but mother fucking music like this makes life more bearable.
Brad K
@James Fitzgerald Definitely way better these days than when I first got back. Time, maturity, reading, and the brotherhood got me through and helped me grow instead of the other options. Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
Michael
I hold the cold steel of my rifle
As I dream of foreign lands
And I promise myself
I will cherish every moment I can
But there's ghosts that
Follow me around
Everywhere I am
When I say goodbye
I try to be strong
Now I'm going back to the U.S.
Where I belong
I ain't never alone
The war seems to follow me home
No longer an active soldier
When I walk down the street
I'm shaking hands
With everyone that I meet
And I watch everyone
Wondering what they see
Civilian ways are now
What's foreign to me
I came off a long tour
I left this place in two or three
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
I live in Marysville
Out on the county line
And my brother and my mother
Both visit me all the time
And visions of you
Are always running right
Through my mind
We always talk about
What we're gonna do
When the war is won
We're gonna fix up them old cars
And ride them into the sun
When I heard you're no
Longer with us
Man I was done
Civilian ways are now
What's foreign to me
I came off a long tour
I left this place in two or three
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
May we never forget the sacrifices
My friends made for me
Medicine Wolf
I have to be careful about putting this one on or the eyes get watery. I first heard it sometime after I had gotten back from Iraq, actually it was after I got out of the army. I grew up on punk and rnr and I’d been a fan of Rancid long before this song & it was something I never expected from them and there’s no better band to have written this one
Patrick Webster
I’ve shed tears from this song a shit ton of times, don’t sweat that my brother.
Stephen Webb
Tim Armstrong's brother was my first sergeant when I served in Iraq in 2003