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)
Crane Fist
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'd combine both styles unify the techniqes
But we were too young
Too full of ignorant pride ???
Oh no, some people live illegal what you got you can't keep here
Oh on, some people live illegal all their lives are led in evil
Open up the chains and set the man free
The devils and the witches are looming on me
Adecision of dissention into insanity
Oh no, some people live illegal what you got you can't keep here
Oh on, some people live illegal all their lives are led in evil
Humility will hold you and never let you go
To all my friend well, much gonna turn
And to all the wicked i've got my eyes on you
And everyone stands in confusion, oh oh no
Oh no, some people live illegal what you got you can't keep here
Oh on, some people live illegal all their lives are led in evil
To do the job, you better prepare yourself to die (spoken)
Put em up put em up put em out wit' a cougar
Cool to the front street president maker
Put him in put him up set him by the door
Rough him up and stop him without the headphones
Put on the speaker gonna blast it
Blast those lyrics of elastic
With the twelve gauge dealt with lyricals
Shut up the ? and smack him
Well since it's all on the contrast
Proclamation to the nihilist
Down to the propaghandist
Take me off of that fuckin list
Open the chains and set the man free
The devils and the witches are looming on me
The fighting and the robbing, and the slavery
A decision of dissension into insanity
Oh no, some people live illegal what you got you can't keep here
Oh on, some people live illegal all their lives are led in evil
Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no
The opening lines of Rancid's "Crane Fist" reveal a sense of nostalgia, as the band members look back on their youth when they had big dreams and aspirations to unite the different styles and techniques within their martial arts school. However, their youthful arrogance hindered them from ever achieving this goal. The song then delves into political and social issues, focusing on the struggles of those who live on the margins of society. The chorus emphasizes the consequences of illegal or immoral actions, highlighting the notion that one cannot keep what they have obtained through illicit means, and alluding to the idea that such actions only lead to a life of evil.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more aggressive and confrontational, suggesting that retribution is necessary against those who commit crimes, ranging from robbery to slavery. The repeated phrase "open up the chains and set the man free" is a call for freedom and justice, while the rest of the lyrics imply a combative and violent approach to achieving this goal. The use of martial arts terminology and imagery, such as "crane fist," "techniques," and "proclamation to the nihilist" adds to the song's overall tone of rebellion and resistance.
Overall, "Crane Fist" speaks about the challenges of youth, political and social issues, and the fight for justice. The song calls for protection of the innocent, retribution against those who commit crimes, and the pursuit of freedom and equality.
Line by Line Meaning
Within the same school the idea was
We were all supposed to work together and combine our styles and techniques.
We'd combine both styles unify the techniqes
We were supposed to work together to find a unified style.
But we were too young
We were too immature to understand the importance of working together.
Too full of ignorant pride ???
We were too proud and ignorant to come together and work as a team.
Oh no, some people live illegal what you got you can't keep here
Some people do things that are illegal and can't be kept in our society.
Oh on, some people live illegal all their lives are led in evil
Some people live a life of crime and evil.
Open up the chains and set the man free
We need to give individuals their freedom and stop controlling them.
The devils and the witches are looming on me
There are people who are morally corrupt and threaten us.
The fighting and the robbing and the slavery
There is much violence, robbery, and slavery in our society.
Adecision of dissention into insanity
The decision to fight and be divided is leading to a state of insanity.
Humility will hold you and never let you go
We need to embrace humility and let it guide us.
To all my friend well, much gonna turn
Things are going to change for us and our friends.
And to all the wicked i've got my eyes on you
We are aware of those who are bad and watching them.
And everyone stands in confusion, oh oh no
Everyone is confused and unsure of what to do next.
To do the job, you better prepare yourself to die (spoken)
Success requires preparation and even risk.
Put em up put em up put em out wit' a cougar
We need to fight back with strength and aggressiveness.
Cool to the front street president maker
We need to be calm and cool while still being assertive.
Put him in put him up set him by the door
We need to confront our problems head-on.
Rough him up and stop him without the headphones
We need to stop corrupt people even if they try to manipulate us.
Put on the speaker gonna blast it
We need to speak out and make our voices heard.
Blast those lyrics of elastic
We need to use our words powerfully and effectively.
With the twelve gauge dealt with lyricals
We need to be strong and resolute in confronting our problems.
Shut up the ? and smack him
We need to silence those who try to stop us with force.
Well since it's all on the contrast
We need to understand the differences between people and work together despite them.
Proclamation to the nihilist
We need to challenge the beliefs of those who believe in nothing.
Down to the propaghandist
We need to challenge those who try to manipulate and control us.
Take me off of that fuckin list
We don't want to be on a list of corrupt people.
Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no
We are facing many challenges and struggles in our society.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: TIMOTHY (USA) ARMSTRONG, LARS FREDERIKSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JM-lz9gr
Dude, this band and their music means so much to me
@conors4430
That bass isn’t walking, it’s strutting Fucking awesome
@ITJ57
One of the Best!
@catzilla1616
23 years later Life Won't Wait is still my favourite album, hello from 2021
@tonyjones2612
Yes! Mine too for years, I feel like not many understand this was rancids peak at creativity. It's very underrated and shows all that rancid had to offer. Unfortunately they listened to the critics and had to prove how "punk" they still were on the next album and so on.
@matthewsamsak7014
Same for 2022
@cravenmoordik
Samesies as well.
2022
@skull4722
2023
@UPBEATFOREVER
☠️🐺..and out come the wolves..for me!
@areyoutheregoditsmedave
This album is one of the most interesting and chaotic of any band. By far Rancids best.