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)
Stop
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Unity for the sake of the many forms
Oh they use imagination only few can go
Touch of madness only few ever know
Well you can go on your way
Or you can stagger through hell
You can lie on your back
In a state of confusion
Got nothing to do
I was connected respected
Watching you make it through
And all this rhetoric
They tell me to sing along
They said that you were dying
But I know that they were wrong
Second generation melting pot
You're ripped apart but you're never done
There she goes
It's all right
Nothing to do
Waste your time
And all this rhetoric
They tell me to sing along
They said that you were dying
But I know that they were wrong
Well you can go on your way
Or you can stagger through hell
Or you can lie on your back
Or you can stand up tall
State of confusion
You got nothing to do
Connected respected
I'll watch you make it through
And all this rhetoric
They tell me to sing along
They said that you were dying
But I know that they were wrong
The lyrics of Rancid's song "Stop" tell of the struggle of being part of a society that has a sense of unity for the sake of the many forms, but only by small sacrifices that only few people make. The song acknowledges the power of imagination that only a few possess, and the touch of madness that only a few ever know. This is a call to action, an exhortation to choose one's path, either to go on their way, to stagger through hell, to lie on their back or to stand up tall. The singer is in a state of confusion reflecting on their own personal journey and is watching someone else "make it through."
The song seems to be calling for unity in the face of a divided society. It tackles the idea of being a "Second generation melting pot" - the idea that we are all American, but come from different backgrounds, yet we can still have unity. The phrase "ripped apart but you're never done" describes the struggles of societal segregation and racism, and how it's an ongoing fight. It’s also about resisting the manipulations of a society that is trying to dictate how a person should think or act, and about continuing to fight for what we believe in.
Line by Line Meaning
Small sacrifices or otherwise few
Some people give very little or make small sacrifices
Unity for the sake of the many forms
For the benefit of the larger group, we should work together despite our differences
Oh they use imagination only few can go
Some people have deep imaginations that few others can appreciate or understand
Touch of madness only few ever know
Only a select few can truly understand or experience madness
Well you can go on your way
You have a choice to make
Or you can stagger through hell
You can make things difficult for yourself
You can lie on your back
You can choose to be helpless
Or you can stand up tall
You can choose to be strong and confident
In a state of confusion
Feeling lost or uncertain
Got nothing to do
Feeling aimless or without purpose
I was connected respected
I felt close to and admired someone else
Watching you make it through
Observing someone else successfully overcoming challenges
And all this rhetoric
People are talking a lot without taking action
They tell me to sing along
Others are encouraging me to go along with their opinions and actions
They said that you were dying
Others claimed that something important was coming to an end
But I know that they were wrong
I believe that their prediction was incorrect
Second generation melting pot
A group of people from different backgrounds who share a common heritage
You're ripped apart but you're never done
You may face challenges, but you will persevere
There she goes
Someone is leaving or moving on
Nothing to do
Feeling directionless or idle
Waste your time
Spending time in an unproductive or unsatisfying way
State of confusion
Feeling lost, uncertain, or overwhelmed
Connected respected
Feeling close to and admired by others
I'll watch you make it through
I will support and observe someone else as they overcome challenges
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cynthia Driver
Love this song
Pizza Handhelds
holy shit sounds like an old school op ivy song!
Colin Mulholland
.....How is it that no other Rancid album ever used brass but they had to hide this treasure on the fucking B Side?
filippo
Che ricordi.
Joe Jones
Sounds nothing like opiv... but it's cool to see young kids, jamming this.
Joe Kidger
where is this from???
Adam Klosterhaus
Joe Kidger Bloodclot slingle b-side
Joe Kidger
Adam Klosterhaus thanks! ill give it a look