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.
Talking To Myself
Strung Out Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wait for the people and things that ruin my day
As I sit away and take another hit I smoke another bong
Load and it seems I'm really lit
Talk about the things that no one ever wants to hear
Talk about the things in life that seem so unreal as I sit away
And take another hit I smoke another bong load
And it seems I'm really lit hey I can't take no more of it,
Rather sit here and think about these things here all alone as I sit away,
I take another hit, I smoke another bong load
And it seems I'm really lit hey I can't take no more of it,
Now I'm stoned. now life is so cold once again, now I'm stoned.
So stoned. woowowow.
The lyrics to Strung Out's song "Talking to Myself" portray a person who is struggling with addiction and using drugs to cope with the difficulties of life. The singer is isolated and disconnected from the world around them, waiting for things and people to ruin their day. They find solace in smoking a bong in order to escape reality and feel a temporary high. The lyrics express the singer's feelings of loneliness and despair as they are unable to escape their addiction and face their problems.
The repeated refrain, "now I'm stoned," emphasizes the singer's sense of hopelessness and the cyclical nature of addiction. They know that their highs will never last, and they will inevitably crash back down to reality. The line "these highs never last so I can never hear the phone" suggests that the singer is intentionally ignoring calls and cutting themselves off from society while they are high.
The song's lyrics offer a stark portrayal of addiction and the struggles that come with it. The singer's desperation and loneliness are palpable, and the repetition of the refrain drives home the cyclical nature of addiction. Overall, the song serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of drug use and the impact it can have on one's mental health and well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I am today it seems I'm stoned once again
I'm feeling high again and it seems like a common occurrence.
Wait for the people and things that ruin my day
I anticipate negative events and let them affect my mood.
As I sit away and take another hit I smoke another bong
I distance myself from reality and use drugs to seek temporary relief.
Load and it seems I'm really lit
The amount I smoked is making me feel even more high.
Talk about the things that no one ever wants to hear
I discuss unpopular topics that people tend to avoid.
Talk about the things in life that seem so unreal as I sit away
I ponder on surreal aspects of life while I'm lost in my own world.
And take another hit I smoke another bong load
I continue to consume drugs to maintain my high.
And it seems I'm really lit hey I can't take no more of it
I feel very intoxicated and can't handle it anymore.
Now I'm stoned. these highs never last so I can never hear the phone
I'm too high to pay attention to anything else and the effects are short-lived.
Rather sit here and think about these things here all alone as I sit away
I prefer to be alone, lost in my thoughts and disconnected from reality.
Now life is so cold once again, now I'm stoned. So stoned. woowowow.
My life feels empty and meaningless when I'm not high, and now I'm thoroughly stoned.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MITCH EASTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind