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)

Midnight Mile
The Bouncing Souls Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been dreaming under unfamiliar skies
and talking to strangers lossed in nights passed in disguise
why am i so long?
why can't i say it all in song
we come up empty face to face
words i wish i could erase

I've been hiding under unfamiliar skies

and talking to strangers lossed in nights passed in disguise
take this heart and put it with my bones (woahhh)
and put them in a box
and send them home
and send them home

we've been dreaming alone under different stars
of a thousand smiles
and of a thousand scars

you walk me to the sun
we walk through the rain
we pass through the love and bask
in the pain
in the pain
IN THE PAIN!!!! [x2]

I'm a midnight mile from your home
can I come in and warm my bones
I'm a midnight mile from your home
can I come in and warm my bones

maybe it's time I get it right
maybe this time I'll get it right

Overall Meaning

The Bouncing Souls' song "Midnight Mile" seems to be about a person who is lost and searching for familiarity in life. The first two lines indicate that the person is dreaming under unfamiliar skies and talking to strangers who are lost in the nights passed in disguise. This suggests that the person is going through a period of change and uncertainty while seeking a connection with others. However, the person also questions their own inability to express themselves through song, perhaps experiencing creative blocks or a struggle with communication. The next few lines seem to suggest that the person has been hiding and wants to send their heart and bones home, almost as if they are trying to reconnect with their roots or a sense of belonging.

The chorus repeats the idea of dreaming under different stars, indicating a continued search for meaning and connection. The line "you walk me to the sun, we walk through the rain" symbolizes a journey that the person is taking with someone else, potentially a friend or lover, through good times and bad. The final line of the chorus emphasizes the idea of pain as a necessary part of life.

The final verse brings the song back to the idea of distance and separation, as the person proclaims themselves a midnight mile from home. This time, they are asking to come in and warm their bones, seeking comfort and companionship. The final line leaves the listener with a sense of hope, suggesting that perhaps this time, things will turn out better, and the person will "get it right."

Line by Line Meaning

I've been dreaming under unfamiliar skies
I've been hiding and dreaming in an unknown place

and talking to strangers lossed in nights passed in disguise
I've been talking to unfamiliar people at night while hiding my true identity

why am i so long?
Why do I keep procrastinating or why am I taking so long?

why can't i say it all in song
Why can't I express everything through singing?

we come up empty face to face
We don't have anything to say to each other when we meet

words i wish i could erase
I regret some of the things I said

take this heart and put it with my bones (woahhh)
Let my emotions mix with my soul

and put them in a box
And store them away

and send them home
To go back to where I belong

we've been dreaming alone under different stars
We have been dreaming separately under different circumstances

of a thousand smiles
Of countless moments of joy