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.
No Voice of Mine
Strung Out Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see it in the form of choices every where
and I've been asleep a lifetime just to wake in time to find...
the voice that has been speaking for me is no voice of mine!
NOW YOU'VE JUST BEEN SPOKEN FOR !
NOW YOU'VE JUST BEEN SOLD !
my eyes fixated on the life I left behind,
a puppet dreams of being human
of someone elses vision of the perfect waisted life...
its in the way we never seem to get it right !
a systematic form of bowin down and under,
and all we know is what we are, without the faith in WHO WE ARE
soo desperate...
something here has gotta give and my instincts fill me with this dread
that I've become what I'm tryin' to kill, that my appetite is my free will...
THERE IS NO RIGHT, THERE IS NO WRONG, THERE IS ONLY THAT IS FOREVER GONE!
The song No Voice of Mine by Strung Out reflects upon the idea of individuality and the importance of speaking out one's own voice. The song signifies the transition of the singer from being asleep in life to finally waking up, realizing the choices around him and being able to identify the voice that has been speaking for him all along, a voice that is not his own. The use of winds as a metaphor indicates the shift in the environment, which is symbolic of the changes in the singer's life. The lyrics reflect on the idea that people often dream of what others want them to be and end up living a life that does not seem their own. The use of the puppet as a metaphor further highlights the notion that people often dance to someone else's vision of perfect life and lose themselves in the process.
The song further suggests the idea that society has developed a systematic approach of bowing down to a pre-conceived way of life without acknowledging individual abilities, strengths, and values. The lyrics reveal the idea that people often lack faith in who they are, and this lack of self-belief can lead to desperateness. The final verse of the song implies that the singer has realized the importance of speaking his own voice rather than being spoken for. The lyrics suggest that it might be too late to make a difference in his life, but he acknowledges that he needs to make a change and create his path. The ending verse signifies the absence of right or wrong in life, and the only thing that remains unchanged is what is forever gone.
Line by Line Meaning
the wind is shifting, somethings different in the air.
I sense a change coming, a feeling of transformation is in the atmosphere.
I see it in the form of choices every where
I observe options and decisions surrounding me.
and I've been asleep a lifetime just to wake in time to find...
I've been unaware for an extended period, only to awaken and realize...
the voice that has been speaking for me is no voice of mine!
The words I've been expressing are not truly reflective of who I am.
NOW YOU'VE JUST BEEN SPOKEN FOR!
Your thoughts and opinions have been disregarded as others speak on your behalf.
NOW YOU'VE JUST BEEN SOLD!
You have been persuaded and influenced to believe in something that isn't true to yourself.
my eyes fixated on the life I left behind,
I am focused on the past and the lifestyle I used to live.
a puppet dreams of being human
Someone who is being controlled longs for the freedom to make choices for themselves.
every time that a string gets pulled before you know, your dancin' to the lie
With each manipulation, you are unknowingly being manipulated to believe a falsehood.
of someone elses vision of the perfect waisted life...
You are buying into someone else's idea of what a fulfilling life should be.
its in the way we never seem to get it right !
It is evident that we frequently make mistakes.
a systematic form of bowin down and under,
We are following a structured approach that leads to conformity.
and all we know is what we are, without the faith in WHO WE ARE soo desperate...
We only have a basic understanding of ourselves and are desperate for a more profound sense of self.
something here has gotta give and my instincts fill me with this dread
I am convinced that a change must occur, and my intuition is causing me to feel uneasy.
that I've become what I'm tryin' to kill, that my appetite is my free will...
I fear that I am becoming the very thing I am attempting to defeat, and my desires are controlling my actions.
THERE IS NO RIGHT, THERE IS NO WRONG, THERE IS ONLY THAT IS FOREVER GONE!
There is no definitive answer or solution, only that which has been lost and can never be recovered.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: CHRISTOPHER TRAVIS JR AIKEN, JACOB IRA KILEY, JASON ALEXANDER CRUZ, JORDAN LIEBERMAN, ROBERT J RAMOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind