Once dubbed as "No Trigger's side project," Smartbomb is wasting no time sh… Read Full Bio ↴Once dubbed as "No Trigger's side project," Smartbomb is wasting no time shedding the side project ties and is quickly jumping to the frontlines of the punk rock scene. This is evident with their hectic touring schedule but most prominently on their debut full length, "Diamond Heist." With the craft of Jim Siegel (Dropkick Murphys, The Unseen, Give Up The Ghost), "Diamond Heist," which was nearly four years in the making, showcases an obvious progression since their debut EP "Chaos And Lawlessness" (recorded and self released when they were teenagers and recently re-released on Think Fast!).
-RevHQ

Chaos and Lawlessness
Smartbomb Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Riots every night? Got no curfew. Riots every night, red and blue in the rearview.
They said "spread em! you fucking queers!" We said "we've had it up to here!"
Into the night, we disappear. See you in the morning in riot gear.
Tonight, tonight, riots tonight.
Comply, comply, comply, comply. Giving up, call it freedom, in fact it's just a lie.
We burned the books and they come to arrest us. Chaos and lawlessness unites us.
Tonight, it's fucking riots outside of Paris

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Smartbomb’s song Chaos and Lawlessness express themes of rebellion, resistance, and anarchy. The opening lines “Riots every night? Got no curfew. Riots every night, red, and blue in the rearview” immediately set the tone of the song, suggesting that there is a constant state of unrest and rebellion rising up against authority. The lines “They said ‘spread em! You fucking queers!’ We said ‘we’ve had it up to here!’” point towards a clash between the normative, oppressive forces and the non-conforming, individualistic forces. The lines “Into the night, we disappear. See you in the morning in riot gear” connote a sense of persistence, planning, and strategy involved in the acts of rebellion.

The lyrics then contrast the rebelliousness of the first few verses with the more ominous tones of compliance and conformity. The lines “Comply, comply, comply, comply. Giving up, call it freedom, in fact, it’s just a lie” depict the suppression of individualism and the loss of freedom that comes with surrendering to norms, be it social or political. The contrast between rebellion and compliance creates an interesting dynamic, where the lyrics seem to suggest that there is a thin line between freedom and oppression.

Ultimately, the lyrics return to the theme of rebellion and resistance with the lines “We burned the books and they come to arrest us. Chaos and lawlessness unites us. Tonight, it’s fucking riots outside of Paris”. The lyrics suggest that rebellion and resistance are the only means of maintaining one’s freedom and sense of individuality against repressive and oppressive forces.

Line by Line Meaning

Riots every night? Got no curfew.
There are riots happening every night without any curfew imposed.

Riots every night, red and blue in the rearview.
The riots are so frequent that people can see the red and blue police lights in their rearview mirrors.

They said "spread em! you fucking queers!" We said "we've had it up to here!"
The authorities ordered a group to spread apart and insulted them, but the group was fed up with the oppression and refused to comply.

Into the night, we disappear. See you in the morning in riot gear.
The group has to hide during the night, but they plan to be back in the morning equipped for more riots.

Tonight, tonight, riots tonight.
There will be riots happening tonight.

Comply, comply, comply, comply. Giving up, call it freedom, in fact it's just a lie.
The authorities demand compliance, but surrendering to their demands does not equate to true freedom.

We burned the books and they come to arrest us. Chaos and lawlessness unites us.
The group's illegal action of burning books has caused them to be targeted for arrest, but the resulting chaos and lawlessness brings the group together in solidarity.

Tonight, it's fucking riots outside of Paris
There will be riots happening outside of Paris tonight.

Contributed by Andrew L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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