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)

Someone's Gonna Die Tonight
Rancid Lyrics

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[Originally a Blitz song 'Someone's gonna die tonight']

This is where the good times went
With his brains lying on the pavement
With a broken bottle in his hand
And another in his back

[chorus:]

Do you feel alright? Oi! Oi! Oi!
Someone's gonna die tonight Oi! Oi! Oi!
Do you feel alright? Oi! Oi! Oi!
The boys are out tonight!

Was it something that he said?
with his footballscarf now stained red
With a broken bottle in his hand
You will never understand

[chorus]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rancid's adaptation of the Blitz song 'Someone's Gonna Die Tonight' depicts a violent gang fight on the streets. The song portrays that a fight has led to a fatality, with the victim's brains lying on the pavement, holding a broken bottle in his hand and another in his back. The chorus, "Do you feel alright? Oi! Oi! Oi! Someone's gonna die tonight Oi! Oi! Oi! Do you feel alright? Oi! Oi! Oi! The boys are out tonight!" serves as a warning to anyone who dares to cross the gang's path. The song's lyrics suggest the gang's volatile behavior and propensity to incite violence.

The lines, "Was it something that he said? with his football scarf now stained red with a broken bottle in his hand You will never understand" indicate that there was a specific reason for this fight, and the violence has escalated to a point where it is impossible to decipher the cause. The use of the football scarf might be an allusion to the football hooliganism that was rampant in Britain during the '80s. The song appeals to the punk subculture, especially those from the working-class background, who often found themselves in conflict with the law.

Line by Line Meaning

This is where the good times went
The atmosphere has changed from a jovial one to something darker

With his brains lying on the pavement
The victim has been brutally beaten to death

With a broken bottle in his hand
The perpetrator used a broken bottle in the attack

And another in his back
The victim was stabbed in the back, suggesting an ambush

Do you feel alright? Oi! Oi! Oi!
The killer is reveling in the violence, rallying a crowd to join in

Someone's gonna die tonight Oi! Oi! Oi!
The lack of consequences for this murder hints at a cycle of violence

Was it something that he said?
The motive for the murder is unclear, possibly trivial

with his footballscarf now stained red
The victim was likely an innocent bystander, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time

You will never understand
The killer is unapologetic, refusing to justify their actions

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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