Shark Island was one of the most popular club bands in Los Angeles during t… Read Full Bio ↴Shark Island was one of the most popular club bands in Los Angeles during the 80's metal explosion. They dubbed themselves the "the longest running successful rock show in L.A.", but they were never able to break wide open.

They began as Sharks as early as 1979 when high school friends Richard Black (considered to be the man from whom Guns N' Roses' front man Axl Rose stole most of his stage moves!) and Spencer Sercombe joined forces. The lineup for the Sharks changed regularly, with vocalist Black and guitarist Sercombe being the only staples. The Sharks released an independent album called Altar Ego in 1982.

By 1985 the Sharks had developed into Shark Island with a line-up of Michael Guy (guitar), Tom Rucci (bass) and Walt Woodward (drums). The band released an album of demos independently before being signed to Epic records. Shortly after, they had two songs included on the Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack. In 1990 the band went from a five-piece down to four, when Black and Sercombe recruited a new band of Chris Heilmann (bass) and Greg Ellis (drums). The band were ready to set the world on fire with their first major label album, Law Of The Order. It contained killer singles such as "Paris Calling" and "Bad For Each Other", but went completely unnoticed by the record buying public.
In 1991 Black and Sercombe joined the one-off super group Contraband before heading back to Shark Island. New songs were recorded in 1992, but never released, and the band just faded away. Sercombe ended up joining the Riverdogs with Vivian Campbell (ex of Dio and now Def Leppard fame), and Heilmann played with Quireboys vocalist Spike in Spike's Soul Thing and Black worked with Jake E. Lee in the short-lived Bourgeois Pigs. In 2005 the band reunited with new drummer Glen Sobel and re-recorded some of their unreleased songs for the Gathering Of The Faithful album. In 2019, another album, Bloodline was released as well as a live album, Day Of The Dead: Alive in Zagreb.

Why Should I Believe
Shark Island Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Midnight, traveling on my own
Streetlights lead the way from home
Nothing here for me to stay
But dirty work for honest pay
Gonna leave it all behind this time
And let it die

Why should I believe what they say

Why should I be molded to their way
Made myself a promise that I′d fight
And I would be the judge of what is right - for me

Meet the prisioner of a role
Captured, lost and dying soul
I will break the chains of time
I will change and own my mind
I refuse to be another light
In the night

Why should I believe what they say
Why should I be molded to their way
Made myself a promise that I'd fight
And I would be the judge of what is right

Gonna burn the bridges down behind me
Looking for horizons to unfold
Gonna bury all the hate inside me
I will face a new world on my own

Why should I believe what they say
Why should I be molded to their way
Made myself a promise that I′d fight
And I would be the judge of what is right

Why should I believe what they say
Why should I be molded to their way

Made myself a promise that I'd fight
And I would be the judge of what is right - for me

Overall Meaning

The song "Why Should I Believe" by Shark Island talks about breaking free from societal norms and expectations that force us into particular roles and ways of thinking. The singer of the song is tired of living a mundane life, doing dirty work for honest pay, and being molded into a certain way of life. The lyrics convey a sense of rebellion against conformity, and the need to break free and explore new horizons. The lines "I refuse to be another light in the night" and "I will change and own my mind" emphasize the importance of taking control of one's own destiny and not being held captive to the expectations of others.

The chorus of the song repeats the question "Why should I believe what they say? Why should I be molded to their way?" This highlights the theme of individuality and the need to question authority and what society thinks is right. The bridge of the song talks about burning bridges and burying hate, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for leaving the past behind and starting anew.

Overall, the lyrics of the song encourage listeners to think for themselves, reject conformity, and pursue their own dreams and aspirations.

Line by Line Meaning

Midnight, traveling on my own
I am on a solitary journey at night

Streetlights lead the way from home
I'm following streetlights to go away from my home

Nothing here for me to stay
There's nothing that interests me to stay here

But dirty work for honest pay
The only way to make an honest living is through undesirable work

Gonna leave it all behind this time
I'm leaving everything behind this time

And let it die
I'm going to let it go and forget about it

Why should I believe what they say
I question why I should believe in what 'they' say

Why should I be molded to their way
I question why I should be shaped to follow their ways

Made myself a promise that I'd fight
I have made a promise to myself that I will fight

And I would be the judge of what is right - for me
I will be the only one to judge what's right for myself