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)
Lady Liberty
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want nothing to do with your crazy world
Broken promises, those poor noises
Are bringin' it by the time for all the famine and the law
From the contras to the upstarts to shouted Sandanistas
[Chorus:]
Lady Liberty, come down and bleed to me
Storming ??? west, then the cold hits
Then I come to find that the streets aren't paved at all
From the contras to the upstarts to shouted Sandanistas
From the contras to the upstarts to shouted Sandanistas
From the Kremlin to Afghanistan to the forgotten ones
She offers it confusion to distraught refugees
In the fields of poison ivy, through the famine and disease
You bled my loyalty
[Chorus]
Shouted Sandinista
The lyrics to Rancid's song Lady Liberty are a commentary on the political turmoil and broken promises in America. The singer addresses Lady Liberty, the personification of American freedom and democracy, with a bitter tone, asking her to come down and bleed to him. He expresses his disillusionment with the American dream, saying that he wants nothing to do with the crazy world Lady Liberty represents. He mentions broken promises, poor noises, famine, and the law as the things that are bringing down America.
The chorus repeats the singer's plea for Lady Liberty to come down and bleed, and he continues to sing about the deception that the streets are paved in gold. He talks about the cold that hits after storming the west, a possible reference to the gold rush or the westward expansion, and how he realized that the streets aren't paved at all. He mentions the contras, upstarts, and shouted Sandanistas, likely referring to the political conflicts in Nicaragua and the US government's involvement.
The song ends with the singer's condemnation of Lady Liberty for her confusion and betrayal of the forgotten ones, such as the refugees and those suffering from famine and disease. He blames her for bleeding his loyalty, suggesting that he once believed in the American dream but now sees it as a myth.
Line by Line Meaning
Lady Liberty, come down and bleed to me
I want the symbol of liberty to be destroyed because I don't want to be a part of this chaotic world
I want nothing to do with your crazy world
I don't want to be associated with the current state of the world
Broken promises, those poor noises
The promises made by those in power are empty and meaningless
Are bringin' it by the time for all the famine and the law
The ruling powers are responsible for famine and injustices in the world
From the contras to the upstarts to shouted Sandanistas
From various groups, including rebels, to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua
Lady Liberty, come down and bleed to me
The symbol of liberty needs to be destroyed because it has misled me to believe that everything is perfect
You had me to believe that the streets are paved in gold
The symbol of liberty made me believe that everything is perfect and prosperous
Storming ??? west, then the cold hits
After a period of prosperity, the economy crashes
Then I come to find that the streets aren't paved at all
I realize that everything is not as it seems and the world is not perfect
From the contras to the upstarts to shouted Sandanistas
From various groups, including rebels, to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua
From the Kremlin to Afghanistan to the forgotten ones
From the Soviet Union to Afghanistan to the people who have been forgotten
She offers it confusion to distraught refugees
The symbol of liberty confuses and adds to the distress of refugees
In the fields of poison ivy, through the famine and disease
Amidst the dangers of nature, and the hardships of famine and disease
You bled my loyalty
My loyalty was misplaced as the symbol of liberty misled me
Shouted Sandanistas
The Sandinistas in Nicaragua shouted for freedom and justice
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: LARS FREDERIKSEN, TIMOTHY ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bill In The Box
This track lives on to prove that Matt Freeman is the best, and most versatile bassist ever.
Чех-Сигма
Это страсти приятель.
PlayerRojo
🤘🏽
J.L. Allen
Then I come to find that the streets aren't paved at all...
Lucio Marchini
Libertà
Mike Niemczyk
🗽