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)
Damnation
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me what your seeing
Tell me what it's like
To get that old cold feeling
Spend all night just
Looking at the ceiling
Living in a blown out
Hotel building
It's a narrow path
Between evil and good
Watch the strong man
In his decline
Another man dying
Is misunderstood
All I see is Damnation
Whole worlds gone to hell
All I see is Damnation
Whole worlds gone to hell
Don't see things
The way the were
Only see things
The way they are now
Realize now that it's gone too far
Look into the eyes
Of the dead and gone
Now all the machines
Are broken down
It's a song and dance
Between evil and good
Early stages of final decline
All alone misunderstood
All I see is Damnation
Whole worlds gone to hell
All I see is Damnation
Whole worlds gone to hell
Whole worlds gone to hell
Whole worlds gone to hell
Whole worlds gone
Whole worlds gone
Whole worlds gone
Whole worlds gone to hell
The song "Damnation" by Rancid paints a bleak picture of a world that has fallen apart. The lyrics describe a scene where everything is broken down and people are struggling to survive. The singer asks someone to describe what they are seeing, suggesting that they are witnessing the same desolate environment. They talk about spending all night looking at the ceiling, perhaps implying that there is nothing else to do.
The line "all the machines are broken down" appears twice and seems to be a metaphor for the breakdown of society. The "narrow path between evil and good" suggests that people are struggling to make the right choices in a world that has become morally ambiguous. The "strong man" in his decline and the "man dying" who is misunderstood suggest that even those who were once powerful are now suffering and misunderstood.
The repeated refrain of "all I see is damnation, whole world's gone to hell" reinforces the theme of a broken world beyond repair. The singer implores listeners to see things as they are now, rather than how they once were, implying that there is no going back to a better time.
Overall, "Damnation" is a bleak and powerful song that speaks to the sense of hopelessness many people feel about the state of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Lets go down town
Come with me into the city
Tell me what your seeing
Explain to me what you observe
Tell me what it's like
Describe to me the experience
To get that old cold feeling
To feel a sense of loneliness and despair
Spend all night just
Pass the entire night
Looking at the ceiling
Staring upwards with no purpose
Living in a blown out
Existing in a destroyed
Hotel building
Large structure for lodging
All the machines are broken down
None of the contraptions are operational
It's a narrow path
The line between two sides is fine
Between evil and good
Seperating malevolence from benevolence
Watch the strong man
Observe the mighty individual
In his decline
During his downfall
Another man dying
The demise of another person
Is misunderstood
Not interpreted properly
All I see is Damnation
I only witness destruction
Whole worlds gone to hell
The entire universe has descended into chaos
Don't see things
Do not perceive events
The way they were
As they existed in the past
Only see things
Merely see occurrences
The way they are now
As they are currently
Realize now that it's gone too far
Understand that things have progressed too much
Look into the eyes
Stare into the eyes
Of the dead and gone
Of those who have passed away
It's a song and dance
It's a pattern of behaviour
Early stages of final decline
The beginning of the last deterioration
All alone misunderstood
Misconceived and alone
Whole worlds gone
The world has been ruined
Whole worlds gone to hell
The world has been completely destroyed
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: TIMOTHY (USA) ARMSTRONG, LARS FREDERIKSEN, ROGER MATTHEW FREEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Scott Woodall
💀🎼 Badass.
Andrew Barnard
This song honestly would make more sense now
raul garate
Necesito guitarra clasica de sonido puk britonico
El punteo el sonido caracterisco de punteo no son los pistol ni los clas es el sonido de guitarra punk guitarristas britanicos
Miguel angel Ridriguez gonzalez
The clash carnal
Matthew Denham
True today