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)
Idle Hands
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thirty days in the street is how I'm doing it
A life of no money a quart of Cisco
The horses are loose I got mine let's go
The enemy would not expect an attack at this hour
The moon is a sliver the darkness gives me power
Come and find me I'm gonna be here
Come and find me I like it
you think I'm going back you must be joking
If I ever forget how bad it was to be homeless
I must still be high from the dope I was smoking
Last night I was thinking
Early morning drinking
The devil's got work for
Idle hands
Spent some time in a shelter down on Webster
you think I'm going back you must be joking
If I ever forget how bad it was to be homeless
I must still be high from the dope I was smoking
Last night I was thinking
Early morning drinking
The devil's got work for
Idle hands
In Rancid's song Idle Hands, the lyrics depict the chaotic and discontented life of a person living on the streets, surviving through means of alcohol and drugs. The song starts with the singer acknowledging his state of lunacy and how he survives in the streets with no money besides a bottle of Cisco, a cheap fortified wine. The chorus, "Come and find me, I'm gonna be here, Come and find me, I like it," reveals that the main character is content with his situation and is not looking to escape or be found.
The second verse of the song reflects on the character's past experience in a shelter, but he strongly denies ever wanting to go back there. The lyrics, "If I ever forget how bad it was to be homeless, I must still be high from the dope I was smoking," reveal that the character is possibly addicted to drugs, and despite the hardships of living on the streets, he prefers his current situation to the one he was in before. The last part of the song refers to the devil having work for idle hands, implying that the character is content being idle and not conforming to societal norms.
Overall, the song presents a grim perspective of life on the streets, where a person's choices are severely limited, and one can easily succumb to the temptations of addiction and other vices in order to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
Chaos discontent I'm a lunatic
My life is full of disorder, dissatisfaction and I'm crazy
Thirty days in the street is how I'm doing it
I've been homeless for a month and still living on the street
A life of no money a quart of Cisco
I'm broke, drinking cheap wine to survive
The horses are loose I got mine let's go
Opportunities are available, and I'm taking advantage of mine
The enemy would not expect an attack at this hour
I'm doing things at odd hours to avoid being caught by the 'enemy'
The moon is a sliver the darkness gives me power
I'm drawing strength and inspiration from the night and the moon's light
Come and find me I'm gonna be here
I'm not afraid, come look for me- I'll be here
Come and find me I like it
I'm not afraid, and I find it fun to have people try to find me
Spent some time in a shelter down on Webster
I've been homeless, staying in a shelter near Webster
you think I'm going back you must be joking
I'm never going back to that lifestyle; it's ridiculous to think so
If I ever forget how bad it was to be homeless
If I ever forget my past struggles of homelessness
I must still be high from the dope I was smoking
It's impossible for me to forget, unless I'm not sober
Last night I was thinking
Reflecting on my life and choices
Early morning drinking
I'm drinking early in the morning to cope
The devil's got work for
The devil has work for people like me who are idle and struggling
Idle hands
When you're idle, problems arise
Contributed by Ian L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mario Pava
fuckin' insane
Steven Mcmullen
Love
Allan Davis
Everything pre-Lars is so much better and actually sounds punk.
This is so rough and gritty.
Evan May
I understand what you're saying but Lars adds such a good rock n' roll influenced by Lemmy. He adds such a working class sound; I work in a warehouse with hella bikers and thugs n stuff and I play Rancid and it's so fitting.
Jason Misfit
Chaos discontent I'm a lunatic 30 days in the street is how I'm doing it
chanomani
whatr compressor did they use for his boice