Along with fellow California punk bands Green Day and Rancid, The Offspring have been credited with reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid-1990s. To date, The Offspring has released eight studio albums, one compilation, four EPs and three DVDs. They have sold over 34 million albums worldwide, making them one of the best-selling punk rock acts of all time. Each album since the release of their 1994 album Smash has sold over a million units.
Since the release of Smash, which is the best-selling independent label album of all time, The Offspring has achieved commercial success over five albums, with singles such as "Come Out and Play", and "Self Esteem". The band’s next three albums, Ixnay on the Hombre, Americana and Conspiracy of One, were also successful, with Ixnay on the Hombre and Conspiracy of One reaching platinum certification, and Americana achieving multi-platinum status. Longtime drummer Ron Welty left The Offspring in early 2003, and was replaced by Atom Willard. Later that year, the band released their next album, Splinter, to moderate sales and fairly warm reviews. In 2005, The Offspring released a greatest hits album and toured in support of the compilation. Their eighth studio album, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, was released on June 17, 2008 with the hit singles "You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid" and "Hammerhead."
Days Go By is the band’s ninth studio album and is due to be released on June 26, 2012. The Days Go By Songfacts reports that the title track was released as the first single and was premiered on KROQ on April 27, 2012.
2. Offspring was a short-lived English pop duo of the early 1970s, consisting of Mike Brayn and John Howard, who met at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex, United Kingdom. They released just one single, 'Windfall' (1972). Their planned studio album was never completed.
Half-Truism
The Offspring Lyrics
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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
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
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