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)
LA River
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got nothing to do
But dream all night
Of movie stars and Cadillac cars
And beautiful girls
And big city lights
LA River dragnet coming down
Shimmy shimmy shake, shimmy shake, shimmy shimmy shimmy
LA River dragnet coming down
Boom, shakalakalakalakalaka boom,
Shimmy shimmy shake, shimmy shake, shimmy shimmy shimmy
From every corner
Of this great old nation
Good kids succumb
To the depths of temptation
Homecoming queens
Get lost in the cracks
And quarter back heroes
Get strung out on Smack
LA River dragnet coming down
Boom, shakalakalakalakalaka boom,
Shimmy shimmy shake, shimmy shake, shimmy shimmy shimmy
LA River dragnet coming down
Boom, shakalakalakalakalaka boom,
Shimmy shimmy shake, shimmy shake, shimmy shimmy shimmy
You wake up one day
With a monkey on your back
With foil on all your windows
And you're hiding all your tracks
The sheriff's shotgun
Don't make a sound
When it's pointed at your corpse
After he shot you down
LA River dragnet coming down
Boom, shakalakalakalakalaka boom,
Shimmy shimmy shake, shimmy shake, shimmy shimmy shimmy
LA River dragnet coming down
Boom, shakalakalakalakalaka boom,
Shimmy shimmy shake, shimmy shake, shimmy shimmy shimmy
The lyrics to Rancid's song "LA River" tell the story of small-town kids who dream of leaving their mundane lives behind and moving to the big city of Los Angeles. The song describes the allure of Hollywood glamour and the hope of living a better life in the city. However, the lyrics also highlight the dark side of city life, where temptation and addiction can lead to a downward spiral.
The chorus of the song, "LA River dragnet coming down, boom, shakalakalakalakalaka boom, shimmy shimmy shake, shimmy shake, shimmy shimmy shimmy", is a powerful and repetitive statement that represents the inevitable consequences that come with the seductions and dangers of the city. The use of onomatopoeia and rhythmic repetition adds emphasis to the impending doom that comes with the chase of the American Dream.
Overall, the song captures the various struggles and difficulties that can come with the pursuit of a better life, despite the initial excitement and thrill of new beginnings.
Line by Line Meaning
1951 Small town kids
The year is 1951, and the lyrics are referring to young people from small towns who have nothing to do.
Got nothing to do
These kids have no activities or interests that keep them occupied.
But dream all night
Instead, they spend their time daydreaming and thinking about things that they don't have.
Of movie stars and Cadillac cars
Their dreams include things they see in movies, such as famous actors and luxurious cars.
And beautiful girls
They also dream of beautiful women.
And big city lights
Their dreams involve the excitement and allure of city life.
LA River dragnet coming down
The 'LA River dragnet' is a metaphor for a police crackdown on crime.
Boom, shakalakalakalakalaka boom,
This line is just a nonsensical interjection, possibly meant to reflect the sound of a police siren or other loud noises.
Shimmy shimmy shake, shimmy shake, shimmy shimmy shimmy
This line is another nonsensical interjection, possibly meant to reflect the chaos of a police raid or the physical act of shaking under stress.
From every corner
This line indicates that the previous lines about small town kids dreaming big apply to young people from all over the US.
Of this great old nation
The 'great old nation' refers to the United States.
Good kids succumb
Even 'good' or innocent young people can be drawn into dangerous situations or illegal activities.
To the depths of temptation
This is another way of saying that young people can become trapped by drug addiction, crime or other negative influences in their quest for excitement or escape from boredom.
Homecoming queens
Even popular, successful students can become caught up in the negative aspects of youth culture.
Get lost in the cracks
This line means that even young people with advantages can fall through the cracks or become forgotten by society.
And quarter back heroes
This line refers to popular sports figures who are often idolized by young people.
Get strung out on Smack
However, even these popular athletes can become addicted to drugs, and 'smack' is an informal term for heroin.
You wake up one day
This line shifts the focus onto the singer, implying that he or she has personal experience with the negative effects of youth culture.
With a monkey on your back
This is a metaphor for drug addiction, with the 'monkey' referring to the constant craving for drugs like heroin or cocaine.
With foil on all your windows
This line is a reference to a common way that drug addicts try to block out light and sound, to create a private and safe space for drug use.
And you're hiding all your tracks
The artist is trying to conceal his or her drug addiction from others, and possibly from the police.
The sheriff's shotgun
This line shifts the focus back to the police, and the violence that can sometimes result from drug use or drug-related crimes.
Don't make a sound
This line implies that the singer is being hunted or pursued by the police, and needs to remain absolutely silent to avoid being caught.
When it's pointed at your corpse
This line implies that the artist has already been killed by the police, with the shotgun as the weapon of choice.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TIMOTHY (USA) ARMSTRONG, LARS FREDERIKSEN, ROGER MATTHEW FREEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Cra-ZPunk
BOOM SHAKALAKALAKA BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!
@JL-qo1hg
Deadly
@dannybedoya4053
Reminds me of 'boris the spider' from the who
@AwesomeHotSauceandKristosCast
All I can think of is South Park's Timmy when he says "shimmy shimmy..." Sounds like a song from Timmy's band. Sorry Matt, but Geezus.
@damageinc-uo3zs
We didnt all watch that tho Lollll
@JL-qo1hg
This song doesn't fuck around