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)
The Way I Feel
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Apologies too late when you're up against the wall
Compassion heals while duplicity kills
You say that I'm different, you say that I'm different
The only thing different is the way I feel about you
Nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah
You moved up the ladder at very rapid speed
We moved methodically and calmly
When you got to the top you see enemies
You say that I'm different, you say that I'm different
The only thing different is the way I feel about you
Nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah
If I knew back then what I know now
That it would all turn out like this
I'd sit back and I'd watch you squirm
'Cause you say I'm different, you say I'm different man
The only thing different is the way I feel about you
Nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah
The opening lines of Rancid's song "The Way I Feel" set the theme of the struggles of a relationship that has not lived up to expectations. "Pick me back up just to throw me back down" immediately highlights the mutual hurt between the two parties involved. It showcases the repetitive cycle of being lifted up and then dropped without any explanation or prior warning. The second line, "Apologies too late when you're up against the wall," acknowledges that apologies won’t change anything and that the singer has been pushed to the limit where they can't take it anymore.
The singer then talks about how "compassion heals while duplicity kills." This line is a warning sign and a nod to the deceptive nature of the other person in the relationship. The chorus repeats the phrase "you say that I'm different" twice, which shows how the other person is attempting to shift the blame for their behavior back onto the singer, stating that it's the singer's fault that the relationship has gone sour. But the singer clarifies that the only difference between them is the way they feel about each other.
The second verse talks about how the other person moved up the ladder at a rapid pace while the singer moved slowly and steadily. When the other party got to the top, they began to see enemies, and the singer is left feeling like an enemy too. The final verse is a reflection on the past and acknowledges that if the singer knew what would happen in the future, they would not have invested as much time and energy into this relationship. Overall, the song is an anthem for anyone who has been in a relationship that hasn't turned out the way they wanted it to.
Line by Line Meaning
Pick me back up just to throw me back down
You repeatedly bring me up and then let me down
Apologies too late when you're up against the wall
You apologize only when it's too late and you're in trouble
Compassion heals while duplicity kills
Being kind and understanding can help heal, but being deceitful can cause harm
You say that I'm different, you say that I'm different
You claim that I'm not like you
The only thing different is the way I feel about you
The only thing that sets me apart is the way I feel about you
Nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah
(Chorus)
You moved up the ladder at very rapid speed
You quickly rose to the top
We moved methodically and calmly
We took our time and were level-headed
When you got to the top you see enemies
Once you reached the top, you saw others as enemies
If I knew back then what I know now
If I had knowledge in the past that I have now
That it would all turn out like this
That things would end up this way
I'd sit back and I'd watch you squirm
I would sit back and enjoy watching you struggle
'Cause you say I'm different, you say I'm different man
Because you claim that I'm not like you
The only thing different is the way I feel about you
The only difference is my feelings towards you
Nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah
(Chorus)
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: LARS FREDERIKSEN, ROGER M. FREEMAN, TIMOTHY ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@colossalkhohler4217
Pick me back up just to throw me back down
apologies too late when you're up against the wall
compassion heals while duplicity kills
you say I'm different the only thing different is
the way I feel about you
Na na na na na na na na na na
You moved up the ladder at a very rapid speed
we moved methodically
and calmly when you got to the top you see enemies
if I knew back then what I know now
it would all turn out like this
I'd sit back and I'd watch you squirm
cause you say I'm different
the only thing different is
the way i feel about you.....
@ericwright4789
If I make it to be 80 years old, I'll still be jamming this album.
@graalcloud
I'm surprised this gold doesn't have much views.
@catnippizza2838
John Redcorn I love being the only kid at my school who loves punk rock, let's me be an outcast and different, but punk deserves a lot more attention definitely
@nikkiv3477
catnip pizza Same here, couldn't agree more
@rekt_butterballs9196
Catnip pizza same here dude its quite nice, One time I connected my phone to my schools bluetooth loud speaker and blasted this album
That was a fun trip the the schools office
@garyhoffman5620
After listening to it on repeat twenty years ago it takes a while to remember.
But when you do it's good.
@John_Ripper
I love it too.
@ottorinogentile5457
In the 80-s I loved cockney rejects and sham '69,in 2000's offspring and rancid. Good times forever.
@villiantwo
BANGER!!!
@MrDo0bie
It is a fucking banger yeah.