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)
Outgunned
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Roll to Alabama or Florida panhandle
It's a same place, the fans, what company I keep
Take north 75 to Atlanta
Highways and byways and Back street we creep
Always outnumbered, never outgunned
Northfolk, Richmond, Baltimore indeed we take
95 to Philadelphia when we get there we sing a song that goes
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah
Roll through Knoxville next stop Nashville
Take the 40 to Memphis Tennessee
Clubs and truck stops take that non stop
Little Rock, Flagstaff, Boston, Bakersfield
Always outnumbered never outgunned
Our band of outlaws is out on the run
Always outnumbered never outgunned
We don't back down to no one, no fear, not one
Always outnumbered never outgunned
The lyrics of Rancid’s song “Outgunned” is about the perseverance of the band regardless of the odds stacked against them. The lyrics in the chorus, “Always outnumbered, never outgunned,” show the band’s determination to keep on fighting despite being in a challenging situation. The song talks about the band's journey as they travel from one place to another to play their music. The lyrics describe different locations in the United States, from Alabama and Florida to Georgia and North Carolina, among others.
The lines, “Roll to Alabama or Florida panhandle, it's the same place, the fans, what company I keep” means that the band is moving from one location to another, and even though the location may remain the same, the fans and company they keep are what make the journey worthwhile. The band's travels take them to various cities along the east coast, such as Charlotte, Raleigh, Norfolk, and Baltimore, among others. The lyrics "Roll through Knoxville next stop Nashville, take the 40 to Memphis Tennessee" shows the band's journey across Tennessee, playing in clubs and truck stops.
Overall, Rancid's "Outgunned" song is about the challenges of being a musician on the road, but it is also about the joy and fulfillment that comes with playing for different audiences, meeting new people, and doing what they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Always outnumbered, never outgunned
We may not have the most people or resources, but we always have enough to keep fighting
Roll to Alabama or Florida panhandle
We travel around to different places to keep our music and message alive
It's a same place, the fans, what company I keep
No matter where we go, the fans we meet and the people we surround ourselves with make it feel like home
Take north 75 to Atlanta
We take specific highways to get to our next destination and keep moving forward
Highways and byways and Back street we creep
We take different routes, including backstreets, to navigate our way around and stay under the radar
Carolina, Charlotte, and Raleigh
We visit different cities and states to reach new fans and connect with people from different backgrounds
Northfolk, Richmond, Baltimore indeed we take
We keep moving north and exploring different cities, never stopping in one place for too long
95 to Philadelphia when we get there we sing a song that goes
We have a song that we perform specifically when we reach Philadelphia
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah
The lyrics of the song we sing in Philadelphia
Roll through Knoxville next stop Nashville
We travel to different cities, including Knoxville and Nashville, to continue sharing our music
Take the 40 to Memphis Tennessee
We take a specific highway to reach Memphis, another destination on our journey
Clubs and truck stops take that non stop
We perform at a variety of venues, including clubs and truck stops, to reach different audiences
Little Rock, Flagstaff, Boston, Bakersfield
We keep moving and discovering new cities across the country
Our band of outlaws is out on the run
We think of ourselves as outlaws, pushing against the norms and expectations of society
We don't back down to no one, no fear, not one
We never back down from anyone or any challenge, and we never let fear hold us back
Always outnumbered never outgunned
No matter how outnumbered we may be, we always have enough strength and determination to keep fighting
Contributed by Camilla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jeff Markel
this sounds just like " my life to live by the bastards"