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)
Evil’s My Friend
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Unsympathetic Put you in the ground
System systematic Survival in the town
Only if you let it Gonna drag you down
Evil’s my friend
Evil’s my friend again
You’re never gonna let ‘em take away your right
And the bad ones forget them Running to the night
And the good ones regret them Ready to ignite
Evil’s my friend
Evil’s my friend again
The song "Evil's My Friend" by Rancid is a fast-paced and energetic track that features loud and aggressive guitar riffs, powerful drums, and the unmistakable punk rock vocal delivery of lead singer Tim Armstrong. The lyrics of the song reflect a feeling of frustration and disillusionment with society, as well as a sense of defiance and determination to resist the forces that seek to oppress and control.
The first verse of the song describes a bleak and dangerous urban environment where crime is rampant and the system is rigged against the people who live there. The singer acknowledges the grim reality of this world, but also suggests that it is possible to resist and overcome it if one is willing to stand up and fight back. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Evil's my friend" several times, suggesting that the singer has come to terms with the darkness of the world around them and has learned how to use it to their advantage.
The second verse of the song continues this theme of resistance and rebellion, as the singer urges the listener to stand up for their rights and not let the "bad ones" win. The lyrics also suggest a certain amount of nihilism and disregard for the consequences of one's actions, as the singer seems to suggest that it is better to be "ready to ignite" and fight back against oppression than to simply accept one's fate and be dragged down by the forces of evil.
Line by Line Meaning
Crime epidemic Never going down
There's an increase in criminal activities in the town, and it seems like it won't be slowing down anytime soon.
Unsympathetic Put you in the ground
The people committing crimes are ruthless and won't hesitate to hurt or kill anyone who gets in their way.
System systematic Survival in the town
The way the town is run and how things work are so ingrained that it's the only way to survive there.
Only if you let it Gonna drag you down
If you don't take a stand against the crime and the system keeping it going, it'll only bring you down too.
Evil’s my friend
The person speaking has accepted that the town, filled with crime and corruption, is their friend.
Evil’s my friend again
The person has been in this situation before and knows that the only way to survive is to embrace it.
If you wanna go and get ‘em you better stand and fight
If you want to stop the bad guys, you have to be willing to fight them head-on.
You’re never gonna let ‘em take away your right
The person won't let the bad guys take away their right to live freely and without fear.
And the bad ones forget them Running to the night
The bad guys are running away to avoid any punishment for their actions.
And the good ones regret them Ready to ignite
The good people in the town regret not taking action against the bad guys earlier and are now ready to take them down.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LARS FREDERIKSEN, ROGER M. FREEMAN, TIMOTHY ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nyomanswastika1551
Grind a pathetic
Never going down
And sympathetic
Put you in the ground
System systematic
Survival in the town
You're only if you laid it
Gonna drag you down
Evil's my friend
Evil's my friend again
If you wanna go and get her
You better stand your fight
You're never gonna let her
Take a way you ride
And the bad was forgetting her
Running in to the night
And the good will regret her
Running to ignite
@insurgent8542
Crime epidemic – Never going down
Unsympathetic – Put you in the ground
System systematic – Survival in the town
Only if you let it – Gonna drag you down
Evil’s my friend
Evil’s my friend again
If you wanna go and get ‘em – you better stand and fight
You’re never gonna let ‘em – take away your right
And the bad ones forget them – Running to the night
And the good ones regret them – Ready to ignite
Evil’s my friend
Evil’s my friend again
@nyomanswastika1551
Grind a pathetic
Never going down
And sympathetic
Put you in the ground
System systematic
Survival in the town
You're only if you laid it
Gonna drag you down
Evil's my friend
Evil's my friend again
If you wanna go and get her
You better stand your fight
You're never gonna let her
Take a way you ride
And the bad was forgetting her
Running in to the night
And the good will regret her
Running to ignite
@Agussetiawan1980_
Mantap
@Capnsensible80
You managed to get almost every line wrong, even when someone else posted the correct lyrics already 5 years prio 🤦♀
@MartinTundra
Drain Epidemic
Never Going Down
System Systematics
Put You In The Ground
Only If You Let IT
Gonna Keep You Down
@jasontondre1024
Matt Freeman with the pick-less effort warms this bassist’s heart
@DadpoolM46
He is so damn good!! Definitely one of the best bassists in punk music 🤘🖤🤘 I will never tire of listening to this song.
@czorian1
i missed seeing these guys back in the day of Lets Go! i remember sleeping on the street for 3 days in 3 different citys to see them 3 nights in a row. Best memories and great people.
@user-nf6qx8lu4z
This group is highly underrated.
@thebarrochannel
Ian Bundy say what? They were just "covered" by almost 60 bands in a tribute album. And some of those bands were big (in the punk scene)
@user-nf6qx8lu4z
thebarrochannel
Damn !! I didn't know thanks.