SFA (Stands For Anything) are a New York hardcore band, formed in the winte… Read Full Bio ↴SFA (Stands For Anything) are a New York hardcore band, formed in the winter of 1984 by local zine writer Mike Bullshit. They played their first gig on Easter Sunday 1985 with Major Conflict, Sheer Terror and Token Entry. Coincidentally, their first drummer, Tim McArdle, left SFA in 1986 to sing for Token Entry. Their first release was a 7" named New York with vocal duties shared by Mike Bullshit and Brendan. Mike later left the band and formed another legendary NYHC band, GO!. Other members of importance were Bill Arbizu, Jan Lorenzen and Kid Lynch on bass, guitar and drums respectively. After the aforementioned 7" they released New Morality LP, So What? LP, Unclean 7" and Solace LP. They also appeared on various compilations such as "Look at all the children now", "Squat or Rot".

The Struggle
SFA Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

For years the struggle has been raging on
Workers of the world are fighting back
We must come to terms and face the facts
The real enemy is the upper class

Arise
Wake up before it's too late
Arise

Take arms and bring down the state
Arise
Don't let it all be in vain
Arise
There's a brave new world we can gain

The rich still get richer every day
But the working man will have his say
The struggle continues and will always be
The struggle won't end until we're all free

Arise
Wake up before it's too late
Arise
Take arms and bring down the state

We must be willing to sacrifice to make things right
We must be willing to put aside our differences and unite

We must be willing to dedicate our lives to fight the fight
We must be willing to die for the cause to make things right

Overall Meaning

"The Struggle" by Welsh rock band Super Furry Animals is a call to action for the working class to unite and fight against the upper class who are perpetuating the economic inequality. The song recognizes that the struggle has been going on for years, and the working class must come to terms with the reality that their real enemy is not each other, but the upper class who benefit from the exploitation of their labor. The chorus of the song repeatedly urges the working class to "arise" before it's too late, take up arms, and bring down the state. The lyrics portray a clear sense of urgency and a warning of the dire consequences if the working class does not respond to the call to action.

The song reflects the band's socialist and anti-authoritarian ideology, which is evident in many of their other songs as well. The lyrics suggest that the rich are getting richer, and the working class must seize their opportunity to have their voices heard to achieve a more egalitarian society finally. The band's message is not explicitly violent, but the reference to taking up arms can be interpreted as a metaphor for a revolution or a protest against the establishment. The call to arms is not just physical but also mental, urging the working class to wake up and take action, put aside their differences, and unite against their oppressors.

Line by Line Meaning

For years the struggle has been raging on
The fight for workers' rights has been ongoing for a long time

Workers of the world are fighting back
Working people all around the world are standing up for their rights

We must come to terms and face the facts
We need to acknowledge the truth and reality of the situation

The real enemy is the upper class
The wealthy elite, who control the means of production, are the true opponents of workers' rights

Arise
Awaken to the fight for justice and freedom

Wake up before it's too late
Become aware of the urgency of the situation and take action now

Take arms and bring down the state
Use collective power to dismantle the existing oppressive system

Don't let it all be in vain
We must not let the sacrifices and efforts of those who came before us go to waste

There's a brave new world we can gain
There is a better, more just society that we can build if we fight for it

The rich still get richer every day
The wealthy continue to accumulate more wealth and power while exploiting workers

But the working man will have his say
Working people will eventually have their voice heard and their rights recognized

The struggle continues and will always be
The fight for justice and equality will persist as long as there is oppression

The struggle won't end until we're all free
The goal of the struggle is to liberate all people from oppression, and that won't be achieved until true freedom is attained

We must be willing to sacrifice to make things right
We need to be prepared to give up things in order to achieve justice and equity

We must be willing to put aside our differences and unite
We need to come together in spite of our differences to fight for a common cause

We must be willing to dedicate our lives to fight the fight
We need to be committed and persistent in the struggle for justice

We must be willing to die for the cause to make things right
We need to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of achieving true freedom and equality

Contributed by Jayden E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS