The Bouncing Souls are a punk band, formed in 1987. They are originally fro… Read Full Bio ↴The Bouncing Souls are a punk band, formed in 1987. They are originally from New Brunswick, New Jersey. By the time they were recognized by the national punk scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-hearted songs, a model followed by various other local bands (e.g. Blanks 77 and the Bristles). In the early stages of their career, they played a hybrid of punk, funk, metal, and just about anything else they felt like including. They were known for their energetic live shows, albeit with an amateurish element on their recordings at that stage. Soon, they had whittled it down to their own brand of punk, and become one of the most popular bands in the punk scene.

They made a name for themselves by consistently touring over the United States. Rather than signing with a known label, they initially decided to found their own, Chunksaah Records (named after their long-time friend Timmy Chunks), but are now releasing their albums on Epitaph Records.

The Bouncing Souls are one of the best selling and longest lived of the punk bands from New Jersey, following the legacy of previously successful punk bands Adrenalin OD and the Misfits.

DISCOGRAPHY

Studio albums

The Good, The Bad & The Argyle (1994)
Maniacal Laughter (1996)
Bouncing Souls (1997)
Hopeless Romantic (1999)
How I Spent My Summer Vacation (2001)
Anchors Aweigh (2003)
The Gold Record (2006)
Ghosts on the Boardwalk (2010)
Comet (2012)

Live and Compilation albums

The Bad the Worse and the Out of Print (2002)
Live (2005)

Splits

BYO Split Series, Vol. 4 (With Anti-Flag) (2002)

EPs

The Greenball Crew (1993)
Tie One On (1998)
Fight to Live (1999)
Gone (2001)

DVDs

Do You Remember? 15 Years of the Bouncing Souls (2003)
Live at the Glasshouse (2005)

""7" Records"

Ugly Bill (1991) (pressed on black and also transparent green wax)
"The Argyle e.p. (1993) (pressed on black, yellow, green, and red wax, some had green and yellow covers)
"Tales Of Doomed Romance" (1994) (split ep with the band Buglite pressed on red and black wax)
"Neurotic" (1994) (pressed on black and yellow wax)
"Bouncing Souls/Weston split" (1994) (pressed on black and red wax)
"Split EP" (1995) (pressed on black with the bands basic skills, youth gone mad, and the reviled, some have red stamped cover some black)
"Johnny X" (1995) (pressed on black wax)
"Fight to Live" (1999) (pressed on orange wax, distributed by epitaph europe)
"Tales Of Doomed Romance" (2001) (reissued split ep with the band ZeroZero pressed on yellow and black wax)
"Bouncing Souls/Lucky Stiffs Split" (2005) (pressed on splatter wax and 1500 picture disks)

Bryan's Lament
The Bouncing Souls Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Remembering things we said

Moments get stuck in my brain
In my blue skies and my rain
You are so beautiful to me
I can't wait to see you again

Here comes, that old pain again
I came so far, I ended up at the start

And every new day starts with the sunrise
And pictures of you in my heart

Overall Meaning

The Bouncing Souls's "Bryan's Lament" is a song about heartbreak and loss. The singer is looking back on a past relationship he had with someone he deeply cared about. He's trying to push past the emotions he's feeling, but the memories of his past love are overwhelming. He's smoking a cigarette, staying up late at night, unable to sleep because he can't get his ex out of his head. The chorus of the song is particularly poignant. The singer is remembering the moments they shared and how important this person was to him. He's also feeling the pain of losing them and how difficult it is to move on.

The second verse of the song talks about how the singer has tried to cope with the loss. He's been drinking and missing work, but nothing seems to make him forget the person he's lost. He's stuck in a cycle of longing for what he once had. The line, "I came so far, I ended up at the start," is a metaphor for how much effort he's put into moving on, but ultimately he's still in the same emotional space he was at the beginning of the song. The final line, "And pictures of you in my heart," reinforces that even though it's been a long time since they've been together, the person he lost still has an immense hold on him.

Line by Line Meaning

Sat back and I light a cigarette
I am taking a break and lighting up a cigarette.

These pictures of you in my head
I cannot stop thinking about you and have mental images of you.

I feel like shit and my eyes are burning
I feel terrible and my eyes are tired from crying or lack of sleep.

But still, I just cant go to bed
Despite my exhaustion, I cannot bring myself to go to sleep.

Whiskey nights and missed mornings
I have been drinking heavily and sleeping in too late or missing appointments.

Still these pictures of you in my head
Even with distractions, thoughts of you continue to consume me.

I drown myself ten feet deep tonight
I am indulging in self-destructive behavior tonight.

Remembering things we said
I am replaying conversations we had in my mind.

Moments get stuck in my brain
I cannot forget the special moments we shared.

In my blue skies and my rain
You are present in every emotion and experience I have.

You are so beautiful to me
I find you incredibly attractive and special to me.

I can't wait to see you again
I am eagerly looking forward to when we are reunited.

Here comes, that old pain again
I am feeling familiar emotional pain again.

I came so far, I ended up at the start
I thought I was moving on, but I am back to feeling the same hurt as before.

And every new day starts with the sunrise
A new day brings hope and opportunity for happiness.

And pictures of you in my heart
Even with the start of a new day, thoughts of you continue to linger in my mind and heart.

Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Justin Th

6y↑7

Sat back and I light a cigarette
These pictures of you in my head
I feel like shit and my eyes are burning
But still, I just cant go to bed

Whiskey nights and missed mornings
Still these pictures of you in my head
I drown myself ten feet deep tonight
Remembering things we said

Moments get stuck in my brain
In my blue skies and my rain
You are so beautiful to me
I can't wait to see you again

Here comes, that old pain again
I came so far, I ended up at the start
and every new day starts with the sunrise
and pictures of you in my heart

All comments from YouTube:

Nook

4y↑12

It’s a shame that this is not on Spotify. This song, That’s Youth and Punks in Vegas are amazing

Bobby Mallory

4y↑1

No byo stuff is on spotify.....bummer but I get it

Kevin Connor

2y↑2

This is from an era when they absolutely could not miss. Between Summer Vacation and Anchors Aweigh. All of this is gold. Kind of a shame it's not on a proper album. This, Punks in Vegas, Overnight, all among their best. They were just on fire from 2001-2004.