Olympia WA.
Rancid Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hangin' out with Lars down on 6th street
He knew I was in trouble
I was feeling much like the devil
There was something burnin' deep inside of me

Ran into three Puerto Ricans
These girls took us to the fun house
Where we played a lonely pinball machine

Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of them seem to be goin' my way
New York City well I wish I was on a highway
Back to Olympia

I'm having a hard time understanding
It gets all too demanding
She's all gone and I'm stranded
Something burning deep inside of me

All I know it's four o'clock and
She ain't never showed up
And I watched a thousand people go home from work

Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of them seem to be goin' my way
New York City well I wish I was on a highway
Back to Olympia

How many times will it take me
Before I go crazy
Before I lose everything
Something burning deep inside of me
Ran into three Puerto Ricans
Those girls took us to the fun house
I don't want to be alone again

Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of 'em seem to go my way




New York City, well I wish I was on a highway
Back to Olympia

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rancid's song "Olympia WA" tell the story of a man who is lost and struggling to find his way. The first verse describes his encounter with Lars, probably a friend who notices that he is going through a tough time. He then meets three Puerto Rican girls who take him to a funhouse where he plays pinball, possibly trying to escape his pain. The second verse tells of his struggle to adapt to life in New York City. He is alone and frustrated because the city's pace is not for him. He wishes he was back in his hometown of Olympia, where everything was better.


The chorus repeats the same lines, emphasizing his yearning for his hometown. In the third verse, the man expresses his confusion and desperation. He wonders how many times it will take before he loses everything before the feeling inside him consumes him. The bridge brings the man back to his encounter with the Puerto Rican girls, where he pleads not to be alone again. The song ends with the chorus, driving home the man's desire to go back to Olympia, where he can perhaps find the peace he desperately needs.


Line by Line Meaning

Hangin' out with Lars down on 6th street
I was with my friend Lars on Sixth Street


He knew I was in trouble
Lars could sense that something was bothering me


I was feeling much like the devil
I was in a very bad mood


There was something burnin' deep inside of me
I was feeling angry and frustrated about something in particular


Ran into three Puerto Ricans
We encountered three Puerto Rican women


These girls took us to the fun house
They invited us to a place called the fun house


Where we played a lonely pinball machine
We spent time there playing a pinball machine by ourselves


I'm having a hard time understanding
I don't understand what's happening or why I feel this way


It gets all too demanding
The situation is becoming overwhelming


She's all gone and I'm stranded
The person I was waiting for isn't there and now I'm stuck by myself


All I know it's four o'clock and
The only thing I'm certain of is that it's currently four o'clock


She ain't never showed up
The person I was waiting for never arrived


And I watched a thousand people go home from work
I observed a large number of people leaving their jobs for the day


How many times will it take me
I'm wondering how many more attempts it will take to figure things out


Before I go crazy
Before I become overwhelmed and lose control


Before I lose everything
Before I lose control and everything falls apart


I don't want to be alone again
I don't want to be in this situation without anyone else with me


Cars passin' by but none of 'em seem to go my way
Even though there are many cars passing by, none of them are going in my desired direction


New York City, well I wish I was on a highway
I wish I was somewhere else, like on a highway


Back to Olympia
Specifically, I want to go back to Olympia, Washington




Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: LARS FREDERIKSEN, ROGER M. FREEMAN, TIMOTHY ARMSTRONG

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@giacomoguazzarini4867

Hangin' out with Lars down on 6th street
He knew that I was in trouble
I was feelin' much like the devil
There was something burnin' deep inside of me
Ran into three Puerto Ricans
These girls took us to the funhouse
Where we played a lonely pinball machine

Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of 'em seem to go my way
An' New York City
Well, I wish I was on the highway
Back to Olympia

I'm having a hard time understanding
It gets all too demanding
She's all gone and I'm stranded
Somethin' burning deep inside of me
All I know it's four o'clock and
She ain't never showed up and
I watched a thousand people go home from work, yeah

Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of 'em seem to go my way
Oh New York City
Well, I wish I was on the highway
Back to Olympia

How many times will it take me
Before I go crazy
Before I lose everything
Somethin' burning deep inside of me
Ran into three Puerto Ricans
Those girls took us to the funhouse
I don't wanna be alone again

Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of 'em seem to go my way
Oh New York City
Well, I wish I was on the highway
Back to Olympia



All comments from YouTube:

@Something-Strange

Fact - Every track on this album is gold

@user-ly3tc8qm4b

Truth

@justmusic2010

yes..

@jaxxonwilcox9566

This the only album I ever went more than 10 years without listening to it and still knew every lyric to every track

@georgenikishin1375

Tim Armstrong? Is he Travis Barkers Twin From The upside down?those 2 +Brody Dalle+ 'Jimmy Urine [M§¡] are the ONLY REAL PUNX.PUT THEM in a band and the world would Implode/Explode prob.3.min in to the first jam.What a way to Go!!

@AnarchyHunter97

One of my favorite facts

30 More Replies...

@mooneyes1114

The opening riff I could listen to on a continuous loop. Idk why, it's so simple yet it's so fulfilling. Great album and yes every track is gold, from top to bottom, inside and out.

@philiom7724

to me it sounds like the way i feel, driving on the highway to somewhere I want to go.

@tikhongilson3770

Do you hear the Ace Hardware jingle in the opening solo? I love it!

@DrDolan

@@philiom7724LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!❤❤❤😂😂

More Comments

More Versions