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.
Way Down the Line
The Offspring Lyrics
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The world you get's the one you give away
It all just happens again
Way down the line
There is a chain that's never broken
You know the story it's sad but true
An angry man gets drunk and beats his kids
What comes around well it goes around
Nothing changes cause it's all the same
The world you get's the one you give away
It all just happens again
Way down the line
At 17 Shannon is pregnant
As young as her mom when she had her
Her kid is never gonna have a dad
The same old way that Shannon never had
What comes around well it goes around
Nothing changes cause it's all the same
The world you get's the one you give away
It all just happens again
Way down the line
And all the things you learn when you're a kid
You'll fuck up just like your parents did
It all just happens again
Way down the line
And welfare moms have kids on welfare
And fat parents they have fat kids too
You know it's never gonna end
The same old cycle's gonna start again
What comes around well it goes around
The Offspring's song "Way Down the Line" deals with the idea that history repeats itself and that patterns of behavior tend to continue across generations. The lyrics are bleak, describing a world where abusive parents create abusive children and the cycle of poverty continues from generation to generation. The song's opening lines, "Nothing changes cause it's all the same / The world you get's the one you give away," set the tone for the rest of the song, suggesting that people are trapped in a cycle that they are powerless to break.
The second verse of the song describes a young woman named Shannon who is pregnant at 17, just like her mother was at the same age. The song suggests that Shannon's child is destined to repeat the same patterns of behavior because Shannon herself never had a father to guide her. The bridge of the song drives home the idea that people tend to repeat the same mistakes as their parents, with the lyrics "And all the things you learn when you're a kid / You'll fuck up just like your parents did."
Overall, "Way Down the Line" is a bleak song that suggests that the cycle of poverty and abuse is nearly impossible to break. The song's lyrics are delivered with a sense of resignation, suggesting that the characters in the song are doomed to repeat the same patterns of behavior over and over again.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing changes cause it's all the same
No matter how much time passes, some things never change and remain consistent.
The world you get's the one you give away
The world someone experiences is shaped by the way they treat others and the choices they make.
It all just happens again
A cycle of events that repeat themselves generation after generation.
Way down the line
Far into the future, or after a long time has passed.
There is a chain that's never broken
A cycle that continues endlessly, without interruption or change.
You know the story it's sad but true
A commonly known story that is both unfortunate and accurate in its accuracy.
An angry man gets drunk and beats his kids
An angered man who drinks excessively and subjects his children to violence.
The same old way his drunken father did
The man emulating his own father's behavior towards him, in a continuous cycle.
What comes around well it goes around
The consequence of one's actions is likely to return in the future.
At 17 Shannon is pregnant
A young girl named Shannon is impregnated at the age of 17.
As young as her mom when she had her
Shannon is the same age her own mother was when she had Shannon.
Her kid is never gonna have a dad
Shannon's child will grow up without a father figure in their life.
The same old way that Shannon never had
The child will grow up in the same situation as their mother, without a father figure.
And all the things you learn when you're a kid
Lessons and ideas learned in childhood that stay with someone as they progress through life.
You'll fuck up just like your parents did
One is likely to repeat the mistakes of their parents and other influential adults in their life.
And welfare moms have kids on welfare
Mothers who rely on welfare to support themselves and their children, in a repeating cycle.
And fat parents they have fat kids too
Obese parents are likely to have similarly overweight children, due to lifestyle habits and genetics.
You know it's never gonna end
An endless cycle of patterns and behaviors that will continue without intervention.
The same old cycle's gonna start again
A repeating cycle of patterns and behaviors that will continue, without change or improvement.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DEXTER HOLLAND, GREG KRIESEL, KEVIN WASSERMAN, PETE PARADA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind