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)
Travis Bickle
Rancid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And every city looks the fucking same
And the derelicts who roam the streets are all the same
And the scum surfaces up and has no one to fucking blame
Game over its no fun
Got me on the run
I'm gonna go get my gun
Game over its no fun
Got me on the run
I'm gonna go get my gun
Blam blam blam your done
Why all the prostitution right about midnight
And the junkies hives are trying to get tight
And I'm trying to find some ultra sound
But there's no fucking way to get out of this hell
Game over its no fun
Got me on the run
I'm gonna go get my gun
Blam blam blam your done
Game over its no fun
Got me on the run
I'm gonna go get my gun
Blam blam blam your done
Game over its no fun
Got me on the run
I'm gonna go get my gun
Blam blam blam your done
Game over its no fun
Got me on the run
I'm gonna go get my gun
Blam blam blam your done
Yah! Your fuckin done!
The lyrics to Rancid's song Travis Bickle explore the gritty reality of inner-city life and the sense of hopelessness that pervades it. The song centers around the singer's sense of disillusionment with the world around him, as he observes the same scene play out repeatedly in every city he visits. He notes the prevalence of drug addiction and prostitution, and the fact that the people who are caught up in these cycles of despair are often helpless to break free from them. The singer expresses his frustration with the situation and his inability to escape it, leading him to consider taking matters into his own hands.
The song references Travis Bickle, the iconic anti-hero from the film "Taxi Driver," who is similarly disillusioned with the world around him and lashes out violently as a result. Like Bickle, the singer of the song feels powerless in the face of the overwhelming poverty, crime, and misery that surrounds him, leading him to contemplate the use of deadly force. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that there are no easy answers to the problems plaguing society, and that violence and despair may be the only responses that seem available to those who are caught up in them.
Line by Line Meaning
All the junkies they know my name
I am notorious in the drug addict community.
And every city looks the fucking same
All urban areas appear identical in their misery, poverty, and hopelessness.
And the derelicts who roam the streets are all the same
Homeless people are indistinguishable from one another.
And the scum surfaces up and has no one to fucking blame
The most loathsome individuals rise to the top, yet no one is responsible for this.
Game over its no fun
The situation has devolved to an irreparable extent, and it's no longer amusing.
Got me on the run
I'm being pursued and must flee.
I'm gonna go get my gun
I'm going to grab a weapon.
Blam blam blam your done
I'll shoot and kill whoever is after me.
Why all the prostitution right about midnight
Why does the sex industry thrive at night?
And the junkies hives are trying to get tight
Drug users are attempting to find their next fix.
And I'm trying to find some ultra sound
I want to escape to a peaceful environment.
But there's no fucking way to get out of this hell
Unfortunately, there's no way to flee this ongoing nightmare.
Yah! Your fuckin done!
The person who was pursuing me is dead, and I have won.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: LARS FREDERIKSEN, TIM ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
yuzxria
i was listening to this band with my dad when i was young, and i'm now coming back to it at almost 23 years old... i cannot express how emotional it gets me haha! rancid will always hold a special place in my heart! <33
Savanah Dahlsten
I remember buying this cd for my husband for Christmas I remember when the album debuted
kawamikaze
Bought for the cover as a teenager, great album 😎
JasonX
Legend. This album is bomb.
Adhi Purnama
its so amazing album!!
Mario Burges
Yes Man!! :-D
Rudy Reyes
Q pinche grupo de punk tan más chingón my rancid q sigan tocando un chingo de años más arre.
Besoffene Helden - Ein neuer Anfang
Proof that Punk doesn't have to suck
jack marsh
Didn't know this was a song about Taxi Driver for a long time.
Ron Calabro
How? The song is called Travis bickle for christ sakes