The original lineup consisted of vocalist Jason Cruz, guitarists Jake Kiley and Rob Ramos, bassist Jim Cherry and drummer Adam Austin. After releasing a self-titled 7" record, they became one of the first bands to be signed to Fat Wreck Chords, the record label owned and operated by Fat Mike of the band NOFX. Austin left the band in 1992 and was replaced by Brad Morrison who also left the band and was replaced on drums by Jordan Burns, formerly of fellow Simi Valley natives Ten Foot Pole. Their first album, Another Day in Paradise, was released in May of 1994. Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues followed in 1996. In 1998 they released The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat, a compilation album of their pre-Fat Wreck Chords material.
The band showed notable musical growth on their 1998 album Twisted by Design, which was both speedy and technical but also punk-based and with darker overtones. The album established a mixture of the fast, poppy sound the band had established with Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues but mixed it with more atonality and more abstract song structures. Bassist Jim Cherry left the band in 1999 and went on to play in Pulley and Zero Down, but died of heart failure in 2002. He was replaced by Chris Aiken, whose musical background had a strong impact on the 2000 album The Element of Sonic Defiance, which continued in the fast, melodic punk tradition of the band while introducing more hard rock and metal elements.
In 2002 the band released their fourth full-length album An American Paradox, their first release to appear in the Billboard Top 200. The initial production run contained a bonus song entitled "Don't Look Back". A video was filmed for the song "Cemetery" and was included on several punk rock video compilations. In 2003 they recorded and released a live album as part of the Fat Wreck Chords Live in a Dive series. Exile in Oblivion, was released in 2004, with a video filmed for the song "Analog." Strung Out released their sixth full-length album, Blackhawks Over Los Angeles on June 12, 2007.
In March 2009, Strung Out released a compilation of B-sides, demos, and covers called "Prototypes and Painkillers" with material from all eras of the band's history. Many of these tracks have been on various punk compilations and/or were included in their "Live in a Dive" recording.
On September 29, 2009, Strung Out Released a their 7th studio album titled Agents of the Underground.
Betrayal
Strung Out Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the tires are burning
The smell of asphalt
Lingers in the air
My head expanding
And my thoughts are burning
While it rattles an shakes
Blows up in fear
Tell me where
Just tell me how
Please tell me
Where I'm supposed to go
A thousand miles
Down this one way street
An where it stops I don't know
Halucinations
More like
Desacration
Never bargained for an
End like this
Silence locks me up
My fate down and out
But not alone
So
Tell me where
Just tell me how
Please tell me
Where I'm supposed to go
A thousand miles
Down this one way street
An where it stops I don't know
On a one way trip
To the center of my spine
Through the desert
I call my mind
An in my rear view
I'm watched by the same
Set of burning eyes
To be assured that
I'm home free
So I shift into neutral
And I let it ride
I've dug my grave
And I've locked my door
No prayers gonna save me now
This machine assumed
My fate so just wait
Tonight I've lost control
I'm off the road
So tell me where
Just tell me how
Please tell me
Where I'm supposed to go
A thousand miles
Down this one way street
An where it stops I don't know
The lyrics to Strung Out's song "Betrayal" are an introspective look at the singer's inner turmoil as they navigate their way through a difficult situation. The song starts with the imagery of a revving engine and burning tires, which conjure up feelings of danger and excitement. The smell of asphalt in the air gives us a sense of the physical world around us but the singer is caught up in the internal struggle of their own mind.
The singer's thoughts are burning and rattling, and they don't know where they're supposed to go. They're lost and alone, and the only thing they have to hold onto is the hope that they're not alone. They're haunted by hallucinations and a feeling of desecration, which adds to the sense of chaos and confusion. Silence seems to lock them up, and their fate seems bleak.
The chorus of the song is a plea for guidance, a cry for help. The singer wants someone to tell them where they're supposed to go, but it seems that all they have is a one-way street with no end in sight. The song ends with the singer feeling like they've lost control, off the road and in free fall.
Overall, "Betrayal" is a song about feeling lost and unsure of one's path. The imagery of burning tires and a revving engine give us a sense of energy and motion, but ultimately, the singer is trapped in their own internal struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
This engine's revving
The singer's emotions are high and intense, possibly due to stress or anxiety.
And the tires are burning
The singer is experiencing a lot of friction and tension in their life.
The smell of asphalt lingers in the air
The singer senses that something important is going to happen.
My head expanding, and my thoughts are burning
The artist is feeling overwhelmed, anxious or panic-stricken.
While it rattles an shakes, blows up in fear
The situation is causing the artist to feel tense, anxious or scared.
Tell me where, just tell me how, please tell me where I'm supposed to go
The singer is looking for guidance, direction or help in figuring out their situation.
A thousand miles down this one way street, and where it stops I don't know
The situation seems overwhelming, and the singer is unsure how to proceed or what the outcome will be.
Hallucinations more like desecration
The artist feels disoriented, and their mind may be playing tricks on them.
Never bargained for an end like this
The artist did not expect things to turn out this way.
Silence locks me up, my fate down and out
The artist feels trapped, and their future looks bleak.
But not alone, so
The singer has company or assistance, even if they feel like there is nobody with them.
On a one way trip to the center of my spine
The situation is causing the artist to feel extreme stress, worry, or anxiety.
Through the desert I call my mind
The singer's thoughts are barren, or there is nothing clear in their mind.
And in my rearview, I'm watched by the same set of burning eyes
The singer recognizes a recurring or familiar problem that has happened before.
To be assured that I'm home free, so I shift into neutral, and I let it ride
The singer is trying to regain a sense of control or normality by easing up on their worries or problems.
I've dug my grave, and I've locked my door
The artist has made a grave mistake or has caused themselves to become trapped in some way.
No prayers gonna save me now
The artist feels like they are at a point of no return and nothing can help them.
This machine assumed my fate, so just wait
The situation may feel like it is beyond the singer's control, and they must wait for their outcome.
Tonight, I've lost control, I'm off the road
The singer has reached a point of no control, and there is no way to fix the situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PERTTU KIVILAAKSO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Franz Kafka
I almost crashed my car thanx to this song last night lol ... man I have an astrolux tattoo would have been a good death tho
Gabriel Flores
This song is badass