Scared Straigh… Read Full Bio ↴Ten Foot Pole was founded in 1983 as Scared Straight.
Scared Straight was a punk band from Simi Valley, California. The band was formed in 1983 by a group of friends and was originally called S.O.F. Original members were Scott Radinsky, Mike Thompson, Gary Gallanes and Dennis Jagard, who started the band to enter a "Battle of the Bands" competition at a local skate rink. After going through several members and name changes, they began playing with some "Nardcore" bands from nearby Oxnard, California, which helped them gain recognition. All of the Scared Straight records were released by Mystic Records.
In the early 1990s they changed their name to Ten Foot Pole. One of the reasons for the name change was to move away from the "straight-edge" reputation that followed the band with a name like Scared Straight. In the beginning, Ten Foot Pole had a reputation of being a more aggressive, hardcore punk band that likes to party and have fun. The band released two albums under their new name with the old lineup: Swill and Rev. After the release of Rev and a split EP with Sweden's Satanic Surfers, Radinsky was forced to leave the band due to his professional baseball commitments and Ten Foot Pole's desire to be a full-time touring band. From then on Dennis Jagard took over lead vocals for the band.
The next albums, Unleashed and Insider, developed a new fan base but lost some old time fans who preferred Scott's voice. This included decision makers at Epitaph Records, and the next album, Bad Mother Trucker, was released on Victory Records, followed by Subliminable Messages on Go-Kart Records. The band toured Europe to promote the album, along with Phinius Gage. Various musicians joined and left along the way as the band toured heavily in the US and Canada. Various members included Glen "Vegas" Murray Eric Cody, Kris Kwiatkowski, John Chapman, Dan Kelly, Chris Dalley, Keith Divel, Chris Del Rio, and Mike Levy who is a teacher in California, along with Kevin Ruggeri, who is an English teacher for Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Lead singer Dennis is a sound engineer, who has mixed for artists including Prince, Beck, AFI and Jimmy Eat World.
On 4 April 2009, the band ended a three-year hiatus with a show at the Riorock festival in Belgium, followed by some shows in California in late 2011 and a short tour in Australia in November 2012.
They were also featured 2000 in the Punk Goes Metal compilations performing a cover of "Love Song" by Tesla.
Broken Bubble
Ten Foot Pole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The old familiar roads now seem so strange
Can you believe that there's paint on the walls
Kids are murdered in the high school halls
Wake up kid and stop your whining
Every silver cloud has a black lining
The word hasn't changed
It just broke your bubble
You were raised in the suburbs
Mom and Dad gave you the best
The referee has left the field
And you're all alone to face this test
Do you have the strength
To maintain your precious values
Are you in control of your own fate
Or will you become one of those guys
You used to hate
Sooner or later everyone wants the best
And your private world becomes like all the rest
Nothing is worse it's just touching you
For the first time you see the world zoo
It's not a question of staying alive
You don't have to fuck over others to survive
The question is what's good enough
How much do you need to stop being tough?
The song "Broken Bubble" by Ten Foot Pole is a powerful commentary on the harsh realities of life, and how they can shatter the illusions that people hold. The lyrics describe the experience of waking up to a world that is vastly different from the safe, comfortable bubble that the singer grew up in. They feel disoriented and overwhelmed by the chaos and violence that surrounds them.
The lines "Can you believe that there's paint on the walls / Kids are murdered in the high school halls" are particularly impactful, as they speak to the senselessness of youth violence in the US. The singer is forced to confront the fact that their upbringing did not prepare them for the harsh realities of the world, and they must now figure out how to cope.
The refrain "The word hasn't changed / It just broke your bubble" is a reminder that the world has always been a difficult and unpredictable place, but the singer's privileged existence shielded them from that fact. Now that they are confronting that reality, they must reevaluate their values and determine what is truly important.
Line by Line Meaning
So you noticed that your city changed
You have finally realized that changes have occurred in the city you live in.
The old familiar roads now seem so strange
The roads that once were familiar are now unrecognizable and unfamiliar.
Can you believe that there's paint on the walls
You are shocked to see that there is paint on the walls.
Kids are murdered in the high school halls
High school students are being killed inside the school.
Wake up kid and stop your whining
Stop complaining and become aware of what is happening around you.
Every silver cloud has a black lining
Every good thing has a bad side to it.
The word hasn't changed
The world is still the same.
It just broke your bubble
Your perception of the world has been shattered.
Now you see you can't hide from trouble
You realize that trouble is everywhere and it's impossible to hide from it.
You were raised in the suburbs
You grew up in a wealthy, privileged area.
Mom and Dad gave you the best
Your parents provided you with the best things they could afford.
The referee has left the field
No one is there to enforce the rules anymore.
And you're all alone to face this test
You have to face this challenge on your own.
Do you have the strength
Do you have the power to overcome this?
To maintain your precious values
Can you still hold onto your important beliefs?
Are you in control of your own fate
Do you have control over your own destiny?
Or will you become one of those guys
Will you become like the people you didn't like before?
You used to hate
People you previously despised.
Sooner or later everyone wants the best
Everyone wants the best things in life eventually.
And your private world becomes like all the rest
Your private life becomes like everyone else's.
Nothing is worse it's just touching you
Nothing has gotten worse, but it feels different for you personally.
For the first time you see the world zoo
You finally see the chaotic, wild nature of the world.
It's not a question of staying alive
Surviving is not the only question here.
You don't have to fuck over others to survive
You don't need to hurt others to survive.
The question is what's good enough
The real question is what is satisfactory.
How much do you need to stop being tough?
What do you need to be content and not fight for every little thing?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DENNIS STEVEN JAGARD, STEVEN THOMAS CARNAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Scott Wiecenski
So you've noticed that your city's changed
The old familiar roads now seem so strange
Can you believe that there's paint on the walls
Kids are murdered in the high school halls
Wake up kid, stop your whining
Every silver cloud has a black lining
The world hasn't changed it just broke your bubble
Now you see you can't hide from trouble
You were raised in the suburbs
Mom and dad gave you the best
The referee has left the field
And you're all alone to face this test
Do you have the strength to maintain your precious values
Are you in control of your own fate
Or will you become one of those guys you used to hate
Sooner or later everyone wants the best
Your private world becomes like all the rest
Nothing is worse it's just touching you
The first time you see the world zoo
It's not a question of staying alive
You don't have to fuck over others to survive
The question is what's good enough
How much do you need to stop being tough
You were raised in the suburbs Mom and dad gave you the best
The referee has left the field
And you're all alone to face this test
Do you have the strength to maintain your precious values
Are you in control of your own fate
Or will you become one of those guys you used to hate
dario HC
Thank God! Finally this video is online again. One of the best songs of the 90s
Tim B
I love that the lead singer in this band was also a very well accomplished Major League baseball player.
StarBit .Agencia
When good music was a real lifestyle
Ant Circus
One of my favorite and most underrated bands of all time
joeshuge
@Bierprofi your opinion is dogshit.
joeshuge
@Bierprofi wrong
Bierprofi
They werent and arent underrated
Andrew Walker
Fucking love this song and the clip. The song that got me into TFP
Maclaud BISC8
Muito massa!!! Vocal é bom !!!
Scott Wiecenski
So you've noticed that your city's changed
The old familiar roads now seem so strange
Can you believe that there's paint on the walls
Kids are murdered in the high school halls
Wake up kid, stop your whining
Every silver cloud has a black lining
The world hasn't changed it just broke your bubble
Now you see you can't hide from trouble
You were raised in the suburbs
Mom and dad gave you the best
The referee has left the field
And you're all alone to face this test
Do you have the strength to maintain your precious values
Are you in control of your own fate
Or will you become one of those guys you used to hate
Sooner or later everyone wants the best
Your private world becomes like all the rest
Nothing is worse it's just touching you
The first time you see the world zoo
It's not a question of staying alive
You don't have to fuck over others to survive
The question is what's good enough
How much do you need to stop being tough
You were raised in the suburbs Mom and dad gave you the best
The referee has left the field
And you're all alone to face this test
Do you have the strength to maintain your precious values
Are you in control of your own fate
Or will you become one of those guys you used to hate