Half-Truism
The Offspring Lyrics


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One is for envy and one just for spite
The cuts in my heart, they show me your eyes
Don't make it better by twisting knife
Turns all by itself, on to someone else

Your self-liberation, we'll leave this behind
Beyond slings and arrows that rain on our minds
You'll make it better shaking it off
It never mattered anyway

If we don't make it alive, it's a hell of a good day to die
All our light that shines strong only lasts for so long
And it's ashes to ashes again, should we even try to pretend?
All our light that shines strong only lasts for so long

The banner you're waving is burning and red
It's blocking the sun light that shines overhead
You against the world, diamonds and pearls
Voices inside you churn, watch the city burn

Your own liberation will leave them behind
All the slings and arrows that rain on your mind
Don't make it better break it 'cause
It never mattered anyway

If we don't make it alive, it's a hell of a good day to die
All our light that shines strong only lasts for so long
And it's ashes to ashes again, should we even try to pretend?
All our light that shines strong only lasts for so long

I won't calm down

The banner you're waving is burning and red
You against the world, diamonds and pearls
It never mattered, mattered,
Mattered anyway

If we don't make it alive, it's a hell of a good day to die
All our light that shines strong only lasts for so long
And it's ashes to ashes again, should we even try to pretend?
All our light that shines strong only lasts for so long





All our light that shines strong only lasts for so long

Overall Meaning

The Offspring's song Half-Truism is a powerful anthem about self-liberation and overcoming obstacles. The lyrics "one is for envy and one just for spite" suggest that the singer has been hurt by others who were motivated by negative emotions towards them. The "cuts in my heart" literalize the emotional pain the singer feels, and they use the image of being shown the eyes of the person who caused their pain to underscore the personal nature of the hurt. However, they push back against the idea that their pain could be made better by the person who hurt them, and instead turn to a self-liberation that will leave that pain behind. Through their journey, they recognize that the things that once mattered no longer do, and that their own personal strength is what truly shines.


The chorus of the song reflects a grudging acceptance of the fleeting nature of human life: "if we don't make it alive, it's a hell of a good day to die / all our light that shines strong only lasts for so long / and it's ashes to ashes again, should we even try to pretend?" Here, the singer seems to acknowledge that life is short and that human beings are ultimately mortal. They cast their own self-liberation and strength as a way to make the most of that brief time on earth, rather than being weighed down by grudges or negative emotions. The final line of the song, "all our light that shines strong only lasts for so long," reinforces this message: the singer's light, and by extension that of every human being, is only temporary, and it's up to each of us to make the most of it while we can.


Line by Line Meaning

One is for envy and one just for spite
One motivation is to feel jealous of others and the other is driven by a desire to harm them without reason


The cuts in my heart, they show me your eyes
The emotional pain I feel is a reflection of the way you have hurt me, and it's visible in my eyes


Don't make it better by twisting knife
Don't try to alleviate the hurt you caused me by making it worse through your actions


Turns all by itself, on to someone else
The negativity and harm you put out into the world will eventually come back to you, maybe through someone else


Your self-liberation, we'll leave this behind
By freeing yourself from the past hurt and negative emotions, we can move on together


Beyond slings and arrows that rain on our minds
Despite the challenges and negativity that affect our thoughts and emotions


You'll make it better shaking it off
We can improve our situation by shaking off negative emotions and moving forward


It never mattered anyway
The past negativity and hurt no longer matter and we can move on


If we don't make it alive, it's a hell of a good day to die
Even if we fail to overcome challenges, we can still find satisfaction in trying and facing difficult situations


All our light that shines strong only lasts for so long
Our positivity and strength can only last for a limited time and eventually fade away


And it's ashes to ashes again, should we even try to pretend?
Our strength eventually fades away, so why should we pretend otherwise?


The banner you're waving is burning and red
The symbol you are holding onto is destructive and harmful


It's blocking the sun light that shines overhead
It's preventing us from seeing the positivity and hope in the world


You against the world, diamonds and pearls
You are fighting the world and its negativity, trying to find the good in it


Voices inside you churn, watch the city burn
The inner turmoil and struggle you face is causing chaos and destruction around you


Your own liberation will leave them behind
By freeing oneself from the internal struggles and negativity, the external negativity and harmful symbols can be left behind


Don't make it better break it 'cause
Don't try to fix or improve the harmful situation, instead break free from it


I won't calm down
I refuse to let the negativity and harm calm me down or wear me out


It never mattered, mattered, mattered anyway
The past negativity and harm never truly mattered in the grand scheme of things


All our light that shines strong only lasts for so long
Our positivity and strength can only last for a limited time and eventually fade away




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRYAN KEITH HOLLAND

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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