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.
Matchbook
Strung Out Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The signs are obvious that all we had has run its course.
I don't mind giving up the upper hand in this little charade.
'Cause I've been spending too many nights here on the floor
Waiting for something inside you to change.
Don't look back in anger now its all that you can see.
'Cause angers all I got to keep me warm when your away.
Disconnect myself from your memory, I'll never feel anything at all.
To justify that all your words , don't mean anything to me.
'Cause I've cut you off
So here we stand and face each other we've got nothing to say.
A flashback to another time when silence was a welcome friend.
Now I'm sorry I can never really say all the things going on inside my head.
Silence is a justified expression of my war now.
Nothing's like it was before
Don't look back in anger.
Now is that all that you can say?
'Cause anger's all I got to keep me warm when you're away, and all your words and all our actions don't mean anything to me 'cause I've got you off.
Don't look back in anger
Don't look back in anger
Don't look back in anger, it's just a memory.
And it's easy to forget your face and it's easy to survive in this place without you, without you.
I just comb my hair and wash my face.
Keep straight ahead and keep my pace.
Don't think about nothing, I might never be alright.
Well I got my friends, I got my pen.
I got a million distractions to keep me warm and I know is that I'll be alright.
I'll be alright....
The lyrics to the song Match Book by Strung Out convey the end of a relationship and the feeling of walking away from something that is no longer working. The singer describes how he can see it in the other person's eyes and hear it in their voice that their partnership has run its course. He resignedly accepts that he has been spending too many nights waiting for something that will not happen. The singer disconnects himself from the memory of the other person, and he cuts them off completely.
Line by Line Meaning
I can see it in your eyes, I can hear it in your voice.
It's evident from your body language and tone that we're no longer on the same page.
The signs are obvious that all we had has run its course.
It's apparent that our relationship has reached its end.
I don't mind giving up the upper hand in this little charade.
I'm willing to accept the loss of control in this pretend game of love we've been playing.
'Cause I've been spending too many nights here on the floor
Waiting for something inside you to change.
I've wasted countless nights hoping you would change, but now I'm done waiting.
Don't look back in anger now its all that you can see.
You're fixating on anger as the only way to view our past.
'Cause angers all I got to keep me warm when your away.
Anger is the only emotion helping me cope when you're not around.
And I know that this is nothing new but tonight is all I know.
I understand that this situation isn't new, but for tonight, it's all I can focus on.
Disconnect myself from your memory, I'll never feel anything at all.
I'm erasing you from my memories so I can stop feeling any emotions about our relationship.
To justify that all your words , don't mean anything to me.
I'm trying to make myself believe that your words are meaningless.
'Cause I've cut you off
I've completely shut you out of my life.
So here we stand and face each other we've got nothing to say.
We're standing in each other's presence without anything to discuss.
A flashback to another time when silence was a welcome friend.
I'm reminded of a time when comfortable silence existed between us.
Now I'm sorry I can never really say all the things going on inside my head.
I regret not being able to express my inner thoughts and feelings to you.
Silence is a justified expression of my war now.
I feel at peace with myself by making silence my weapon.
Nothing's like it was before
Our relationship has changed completely; nothing is the same.
Don't look back in anger.
I'm advising you to not dwell on anger from our past.
Now is that all that you can say?
Are you solely going to focus on negative emotions?
'Cause anger's all I got to keep me warm when you're away, and all your words and all our actions don't mean anything to me 'cause I've got you off.
I'm relying on anger to keep me emotionally stable without you, and your words and actions have no effect on me because our relationship is over.
And it's easy to forget your face and it's easy to survive in this place without you, without you.
It's simple to remove you from my memory and continue living without you by my side.
I just comb my hair and wash my face.
I'm simply continuing with the mundane tasks that make up daily life.
Keep straight ahead and keep my pace.
I'm pushing forward and maintaining my personal momentum.
Don't think about nothing, I might never be alright.
If I simply distract myself and avoid thinking, I may never fully heal from this broken relationship.
Well I got my friends, I got my pen.
I have a support system in my friends and solace in writing.
I got a million distractions to keep me warm and I know is that I'll be alright.
I have numerous distractions to keep my mind occupied, and I'm hopeful that I'll recover.
I'll be alright....
I'll be okay in the long run.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
telenofunken
I can see it in your eyes
I can hear it in your voice
the signs are obvious
that all we had has run its course
and I don't mind giving up the upper hand
in this little charade
cause I've spent too many nights here on the floor
waiting for something inside you to change
Don't look back in anger now is all that you can see
cause angers all I got to keep me warm when you're away
and I know that this is nothing new
but tonight it's all I know
disconnect myself from your memory
and never feel anything at all
to justify with all your words
don't mean anything to me
cause I've cut you off
So here we stand and face each other
we've got nothing to say
a flashback to another time
when silence was a welcomed friend
now I'm sorry I can never really say
all the things going on inside my head
silence is a justified expression of my war
now nothings like it was before
Don't look back in anger now is all that you can see
cause angers all I got to keep me warm when you're away
and all your words and all your actions
don't mean anything to me
cause I've cut you off
Don't look back at anger
Don't look back at anger
Don't look back at anger
It's just a memory
It's easy to forget your face
and it's easy to survive in this place
without you, without you
I just comb my hair and wash my face
keep straight ahead and keep my pace
just think about nothing, I might never be alright
well I got my friends, I got my pen
got a million distractions to keep me warm
and I know that I'll be alright, that I'll be alright
AmrknPsyko
anyone else taking a trip down memory lane, listening to all the good punk bands when we were in high school? Just some punk skateboarders with nothing to lose, nothing to worry about. Just living in that moment. Love Strung Out, love this song. So many good memories.
Preston Sill
Yes. Yes I am.
Rhys Thomas
36. Still skate transition almost daily even after some serious injuries, still listen to 90s punk, still rocking band shirts dickies and vans. I refuse to grow up
Judson Parker
Fuck. Yes.
Justin Vachon
10 years later and we’re still here 🤙
Joey Loucks
37 years old. A break up. A love lost. A Matchbook set in flames. God bless 90s punk
that guy
Hang in there brother I’m 38 and promise it gets better
Andrew Shirley
One of my favourite songs by anyone ever. Twisted By Design helped me through some hard times and this song still gives me goosebumps. I kept on at a friend for years to check it out, 8 years later he comes to me and said "I just listened to that Strung Out album.... You were right, it is amazing" and he isn't the type of person to say it unless he meant it.
Philip Trippe
90s skate punk = most underrated genre ever. strung out = most underrated band ever.
Stephen Dre
Philip Trippe I’ve been in countless fights over my love for this band. Will defend them until the day I die.