Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991… Read Full Bio ↴Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, former members of the band Operation Ivy, Rancid is often credited as being among the wave of bands that revived mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid-1990s. Over their 32-year career, Rancid retained much of its original fan-base, most of which was connected to its underground musical roots.

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)

New Orleans
Rancid Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well I went south
With a case of survival
To amend my heart
That's paper thin
You see I felt her words
And her images filed
I'm gonna carry my
Heart to New Orleans

I have no home to go
So I wander awhile
From coast to coast
From sin to sin
From the coldest shores
To the warmest islands
Been around the world
Back to New Orleans

Well she's got pride
Like a million lions
She's got a scar
On her velvet face
She's got a smile
Like a newborn child
She's gotta walk,
A stoic grace

I never slept that night
Until my arrival
I romanticized a long embrace
You see I lost my tongue
And burned my Bible
But I made it back home
To New Orleans

Well she's got pride
Like a million lions
She's got a scar
On her velvet face
She's got a smile
Like a newborn child
She's gotta walk
A stoic grace

Well I held my breath
And I swam for miles
When all was lost
And hell took place
You see it rained all night
And the city she flooded
It rained all night
In New Orleans

Yeah it rained all
Night in New Orleans
Yeah it rained all
Night in New Orleans

Yeah it rained all
Night in New Orleans

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Rancid's song New Orleans are reflective of the journey of the singer. The singer has been traveling from place to place with no home to go to. He describes his heart as being paper thin and he's attempting to find a place to heal it. He mentions that he's been to "the coldest shores to the warmest islands" and ultimately ends up in New Orleans. He describes the city with admiration and respect, saying it has pride like a million lions, but also with an understanding that it has been scarred - with a scar on its velvet face. He describes the people of New Orleans with respect and admiration as well, comparing their walk to "stoic grace."

The last verse of the song is particularly poignant, where the singer describes his experience of "swimming for miles" during a particularly difficult time in New Orleans. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina is implied here, with the city flooding and the singer feeling lost among the chaos. The repeated refrain of "it rained all night in New Orleans" underscores the helpless feeling that accompanies natural disasters and the struggle to rebuild afterward.

Overall, the song could be interpreted as a search for a place to call home and a journey of self-discovery. The singer has been wandering for some time, searching for something elusive to heal his "paper-thin" heart, and ultimately finds some solace in New Orleans.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I went south With a case of survival To amend my heart That's paper thin
I left my home with only the essentials to survive, in order to heal my fragile heart.

You see I felt her words And her images filed I'm gonna carry my Heart to New Orleans
I was inspired by the beauty and art of New Orleans and decided to make it my new home.

I have no home to go So I wander awhile From coast to coast From sin to sin From the coldest shores To the warmest islands Been around the world Back to New Orleans
I am a wanderer with no permanent home, but after traveling the world, I found myself back in the welcoming city of New Orleans.

Well she's got pride Like a million lions She's got a scar On her velvet face She's got a smile Like a newborn child She's gotta walk, A stoic grace
New Orleans is a city full of pride and history, it has been through tough times leaving its mark but still has an inviting presence and resilience.

I never slept that night Until my arrival I romanticized a long embrace You see I lost my tongue And burned my Bible But I made it back home To New Orleans
I was anxious and excited to finally reach New Orleans, a place I had longed for. I let go of old ways of thinking and embraced the beauty of the city.

Well I held my breath And I swam for miles When all was lost And hell took place You see it rained all night And the city she flooded It rained all night In New Orleans Yeah it rained all Night in New Orleans Yeah it rained all Night in New Orleans Yeah it rained all Night in New Orleans
I swam through the flooded city during a dark time when chaos and destruction took place. Despite the hardships, New Orleans still stood resilient, and the rain continued to pour.

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: TIMOTHY (USA) ARMSTRONG, LARS FREDERIKSEN, ROGER MATTHEW FREEMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Well I went south
With a case of survival
To amend my heart that's paper thin
You see I felt her words
and her images filed
I'm gonna carry my heart to New Orleans
I have no home to go
So I wander awhile
From coast to coast
From sin to sin
From the coldest shores
To the warmest islands
Been around the world
Back to New Orleans

Well she's got pride
Like a million lions
She's got a scar
on her velvet face
She's got a smile
like a newborn child
She's gotta walk,
a Stoic Grace

I never slept that night
Until my arrival
I romanticized a long embrace
You see I lost my tongue
and burned my Bible
But made it back home to New Orleans

Well she's got pride
Like a million lions
She's got a scar
on her velvet face
She's got a smile
like a newborn child
She's gotta walk
a Stoic Grace

Well I held my breath
and I swam for miles
When all was lost
and hell took place
You see it rained all night
and the city she flooded
It rained all night in New Orleans

Yeah it rained all night in New Orleans
Yeah it rained all night in New Orleans
Yeah it rained all night in New Orleans