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)

Mental Bits
The Bouncing Souls Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The sun is shining in the breeze
Free from all the world's worries
I'm walking with the city's beat
Under the palms swinging in the tree

Move out, move on
Life is here, singing her song
Move out, move on

The sun is shining as we walk along
Move on

We've been singing a worried song
In our hearts now for so long
All of the past, it can't be wrong
Let's let it go, and move along

Move out, move on
Life is here, singing her song
Move out, move on
The sun is shining as we walk along
Move on

The sky is always on my side
Trouble's part of my joy ride
Drama's crash, emotions clash
We have to live with the past

I'm gonna take the scenic route
Battle the traffic with a better view
It's better not to fight alone
Altogether lets move along

Move out, move on
Life is here, singing her song
Move out, move on
The sun is shining as we walk along
Move out, move on
Life is here, singing her song
Move out, move on

The sun is shining as we walk along
Move out, move on

Overall Meaning

The Bouncing Souls’s song Mental Bits is a reflective offering that urges listeners to move on from their pasts and embrace life with open arms. The lyrics portray a world that is bright and full of opportunity. The opening lines refer to the sun shining in the breeze, which offers a sense of calm and serenity. The singer talks about walking with the city’s beat, which showcases their willingness to embrace the rhythm of the world around them. The imagery of palm trees swinging in the breeze evokes a sense of peace and tranquility.

The chorus encourages people to move on and leave their worries behind. The singer acknowledges the truth that everyone has a past, but they shouldn’t let it weigh them down. The lyrics urge listeners to let go of the past and live life to the fullest. The lines “The sky is always on my side / Trouble's part of my joy ride / Drama's crash, emotions clash / We have to live with the past” showcase the singer's sentiment that trouble and drama are just part of the adventure of life, and that one needs to embrace life’s challenges without carrying the baggage of their past.

Overall, Mental Bits is an uplifting song that encourages listeners to embrace life and all its possibilities, rather than being held back by their past.

Line by Line Meaning

The sun is shining in the breeze
Everything is looking bright and promising today with the sun beaming in the wind

Free from all the world's worries
Nothing seems to bother us and we feel free from the stress and anxieties of the world

I'm walking with the city's beat
I'm in sync with the rhythm and energy of this vibrant city and I can feel it pulsating through me

Under the palms swinging in the tree
Walking below the swaying palms is a peaceful and relaxing experience

Move out, move on
It's time to leave behind the negativity and move forward towards a better future

Life is here, singing her song
Life itself is rejoicing in our decision to move on and is offering us new opportunities

The sun is shining as we walk along
As we move along with our journey, the warmth of the sun is reminding us of the optimism and hope we have within us

We've been singing a worried song
We have been consumed with worry for too long and now it's time to change our tune

In our hearts now for so long
The burden of worry has been weighing heavily on our hearts for a long time now

All of the past, it can't be wrong
Although the past may have had its share of negative experiences, it has shaped us into who we are today

Let's let it go, and move along
It's time to forgive, forget and leave the past behind to embrace the new and unknown future

The sky is always on my side
We feel reassured knowing that nature is always by our side, offering support and guidance

Trouble's part of my joy ride
While adversity is inevitable, it’s part of the thrill of living life, and is a reminder of how far we have come

Drama's crash, emotions clash
We are bound to come across pitfalls, disagreements and conflicts, but these experiences add some excitement to our journey

We have to live with the past
We must come to terms with our past experiences, accept them as a part of our story, and learn to live with them

I'm gonna take the scenic route
It's time to take a different approach and take a more scenic and positive outlook on life

Battle the traffic with a better view
Through the ups and downs of life, we have a choice to view life through a different lens and come out stronger and better

It's better not to fight alone
There is strength in unity and we are better off together, supporting each other through our struggles

Altogether lets move along
As a team, we can achieve great things and so let's move forward together with positivity and hope

Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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TRACKS