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)
Django
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shift gear, and I, try to steer, I see a tear, you're so fuckin insincere
Django,
You drag your coffin around
You drag your coffin around
You drag your coffin around
Django,
All around town, just like a dead man does
Just like a dead man does
Just like a dead man does
Just like a dead man
Dead man
Dead man
Dead man
Dead man
Gonna have some fun, so you belong, cocaine run, until you watch the fuckin sun go
Underground, and the never found, and the drugs are around, gotcha tired fuckin beyond
Django,
You drag your coffin around
You drag your coffin around
You drag your coffin around
Django,
You drag your coffin around
All around town, just like a dead man does
Just like a dead man does
Just like a dead man does
Just like a dead man
Dead man
Dead man
Dead man
Dead man
Get one thing clear, first you live in fear, then you disappear, and that unity shit
Shift gear, and I, try to steer, I see a tear, you're so fuckin insincere
Django,
You drag your coffin around
You drag your coffin around
You drag your coffin around
Django,
You drag your coffin around, all around town
The lyrics to Rancid's "Django" paint a picture of a person who is living in fear and possibly engaging in drug use. The singer has a clear disdain for this person, possibly someone they once trusted, as they describe them as "fucking insincere". The metaphor of "dragging a coffin around town" implies that this person is weighed down by their own actions and perhaps even their own guilt, similar to how one would be weighed down by carrying a coffin. Despite this, the person is described as trying to have fun and engage in cocaine use until they eventually disappear or go underground, with the drugs around them constantly.
The repetition of "just like a dead man does" throughout the song adds to the theme of the weight of one's own actions and the consequences that come with them. The first line of the song, "Get one thing clear, first you live in fear" suggests that the fear of consequences may be what triggers this person's behavior in the first place. The repetition of the chorus, where the singer addresses the person as "Django" adds a haunting quality to the song and further emphasizes the metaphor of carrying a coffin around.
Overall, "Django" is a song that critiques someone who is living recklessly and without concern for their own well-being or the consequences of their actions. The use of metaphors and imagery creates a vivid picture of this person's behavior and the weight that they carry with them.
Line by Line Meaning
Get one thing clear, first you live in fear, then you disappear, and that unity
First, you are afraid and then vanish, abandoning the values of togetherness.
Shift gear, and I, try to steer, I see a tear, you're so fuckin insincere
I attempt to guide you, but you are insincere, revealing a hint of vulnerability
Django, You drag your coffin around
The singer of the song, Django, moves through life with a sense of melancholy and hopelessness, as if he is bearing his own coffin
All around town, just like a dead man does
Django's demeanor is similar to that of a walking corpse as he wanders aimlessly through his city
Gonna have some fun, so you belong, cocaine run, until you watch the fuckin sun go
In an attempt to find a sense of belonging, Django has turned to drugs and seeks temporary pleasure, succumbing to the cycle of addiction and self-destruction.
Underground, and the never found, and the drugs are around, gotcha tired fuckin beyond
Django finds himself trapped in the world of drug addiction, feeling worn out and, there is no respite
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: TIM ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mintycbo
This whole album was awesome...
Tomma the Pikey
Every songs a winner!! Great album with a great variation of songs, from slow ballad types, ska upbeat, punk and hard core punk. Original 70's punk here and love how this band moved the music forward!!!
Regional Faction
This song is so GDMF awesome! These guys are an inspiration and influence for us!
David Pilger
spot on, sir. the whole album is fantastic!
Lorenzo Razzauti
Wonderful song and fantastic movie! I'm an italian "spaghetti western" lover...those were some real kickass movies...lots of 'em got translated in other languages. This song does perfectly honour to the director: RIP, great Sandro Corbucci! All hail Franco Nero. Rancid Rules!! Greets from IT.
Andrei M. G.
One of my all time favorites as well! Nero instantly became one of my favorite actors after I watched Django for the first time.
Lorenzo Razzauti
@Andrei M. G. There's a point where the evil colonel's henchmen yell at him and they say exactly "Hey, Django! You drag your coffin around, just like a dead man!"
Too bad he's got a gatling gun in it.
PunkKittyOi
HOW COULD THIS SONG BE SO UNKOWN? Its one of the most best songs in the world!
SendThemRunning
damn that bass line is amazing
Emiliano Dean
One of their best songs, along with Travis Bickle, and Tropical London