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)
Journey to the End of the East Bay
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Consumed in sacred ground for me
There wasn't always a place to go
But there was always an urgent need to belong yeah
All these bands and all these people
All these friends and we were equals
But what you gonna do when everybody goes on without you?
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, yeah
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
Started in '87 ended in '89
Got a garage or an amp we'll play anytime
It was just the four of us yeah man the core of us
Too much attention unavoidably destroyed us
Four kids on tour, three thousand miles
In a four door car not know what was going on
We got a million years touring out like this
Hell no no premonition could have seen this
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, yeah
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
Matty came from far away
From New Orleans, then into the East Bay
He said this is a mecca
I said this ain't no mecca man, this place is fucked
Three months go by, he had no home
He had no food, he's all alone
Matty said fool me once, shame on you
He said fool me twice, he went back to New Orleans
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, yeah
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
"Journey to the End of the East Bay" is a song by the iconic punk rock band Rancid, and the lyrics describe the band's journey and experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area punk rock scene. The first verse talks about finding a sense of belonging in the punk rock subculture, despite not always having a physical place to go. The second verse reflects on the transience of the scene, and the simultaneous sense of community and isolation that comes with being a part of it. The repeated refrain of "to the end, I'll journey to the end" can be seen as a vow to continue on in the face of adversity, and to remain true to oneself.
The song is full of references to the punk rock scene in the East Bay, which was one of the most vibrant and influential scenes in punk rock history. The line "all these bands and all these people, all these friends and we were equals" is a nod to the DIY ethos that characterized the scene, with bands forming their own labels and booking their own shows. The reference to "the four of us" is likely a reference to Rancid's original lineup, which featured Tim Armstrong, Matt Freeman, Brett Reed, and Matt McCall.
Line by Line Meaning
Reconcile to the belief
Coming to terms with the belief
Consumed in sacred ground for me
Engulfed in a special place for me
There wasn't always a place to go
A lack of a clear destination
But there was always an urgent need to belong yeah
But a desire to fit in was always present
All these bands and all these people
Countless bands and individuals
All these friends and we were equals
We were all friends and peers
But what you gonna do when everybody goes on without you?
But what can you do when everyone moves on without you?
Started in '87 ended in '89
Began in 1987 and ended in 1989
Got a garage or an amp we'll play anytime
If given a garage or an amplifier, we will play music at any time
It was just the four of us yeah man the core of us
There were only four of us, the essential group
Too much attention unavoidably destroyed us
Excessive attention ultimately led to our downfall
Four kids on tour, three thousand miles
Four young individuals on a tour spanning thousands of miles
In a four door car not know what was going on
In a four-door vehicle, unclear about the circumstances
We got a million years touring out like this
We could tour like this for millions of years
Hell no no premonition could have seen this
No warning could have anticipated this outcome
Matty came from far away
Matty arrived from a distant location
From New Orleans, then into the East Bay
From New Orleans, then to the East Bay area
He said this is a mecca
He proclaimed this area as a meeting place
I said this ain't no mecca man, this place is fucked
I disagreed and said the place was in a poor state
Three months go by, he had no home
Three months pass, and Matty was homeless
He had no food, he's all alone
He was hungry and entirely by himself
Matty said fool me once, shame on you
Matty warned against taking advantage of him
He said fool me twice, he went back to New Orleans
And if taken advantage of again, he would leave this place and return home
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
I will continue my journey until the very end
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: LARS FREDERIKSEN, ROGER M. FREEMAN, TIMOTHY ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheGuit1
Reconciled to the belief, consumed in sacred ground for me
There wasn't always a place to go
But there was always an urge, a need to belong
All these bands and all these people
All these friends and we were equals, but
Whatcha gonna do when everybody goes on without you
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, yeah
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
Started in '87, ended in '89
You got a garage or an amp we'll play anytime
It was just the 4 of us, yea man the core of us
Too much attention unavoidably destroyed us
Four kids on tour 3, 000 miles
In a four door car not knowing what was going on
Not if we got a billion years it would turn out like this
Hell no, no premonition could have seen this
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, yeah
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
Matty came from far away
From New Orleans, then into the East Bay
He said this is a mecca
I said this ain't no mecca man, this place is fucked
Three months go by, he had no home
He had no food, he's all alone
Matty said fool me once, shame on you
He said fool me twice, he went back to New Orleans
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
To the end, yeah
To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end
@SONIJUANQUI
Reconcile to the relief
consumed in sacred ground for me
there wasn't always a place to go
but there was always an urgent need to belong
all these bands and
all these people
all these friends and
we were equals but
what you gonna do
when everybody goes on without you?
to the end to the end I'll journey to the end
started in 87 ended in 89
got a garage or an amp we'll play anytime
it was just the 4 of us, yeah man the core of us
too much attention unavoidably destroyed us
4 kids on tour, 3000 miles in a 4-door car not know what was goin' on
we got a million years
tourin' out like this hell
no no premonition could've seen this
Matty came from far away
from New Orleans into the east bay
he said this is a mecca i said this ain't no mecca man, this place's fucked
3 months go by, he had no home he had no food he's all alone
Matty said fool me once shame on you didn't fool me twice
he went back to New Orleans
@ianguerra5486
Who is here still in 2023!!?
@nosajjason5854
Me
@mylifetolive8050
December 28th
@titooritiz2359
Still here!!!
@mir6598
Rancid for life 😉
@claudetremblay2869
Here in 2024
@chrisadigue6977
2024 man still here and loving it af
@SacRaFiX24
Listening to this what 26 years later. IM honestly breaking down crying. WE ARE ALL ON THAT JOURNEY. MY HEARTS WITH ALL OF YOU
@airborneandrowdy
I love you, homie. Same same.
@wglkm1800
Its been 26 years? Man I love you homie. Go hard always.