One of the first bands that Tim played in was Basic Radio. After Basic Radio disbanded, he performed in the ska punk band Operation Ivy under the nickname "Lint" from their beginning in 1987, until they disbanded in 1989. Soon thereafter, Armstrong helped found the Dance Hall Crashers, but left the band after a brief period of time. He was also in Downfall with Matt Freeman (Rancid). In 1991 Armstrong went on to greater fame with the very successful Rancid.
While still with Rancid, he also has a side-project, Transplants, which started with Armstrong, his friend "Skinhead Rob" Aston and a drum machine. Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker later came on to replace the drum machine.
In addition to his projects, Armstrong has also been known to pop up on others' albums in various roles. He's contributed vocals, guitar, songwriting to tracks by bands including Box Car Racer, Cypress Hill, Bad Religion, Stubborn All-Stars, Head Automatica, The Specials, The Matches, Left Alone, NOFX, Fruit Cocktail, H2O, Dr. Israel, Agnostic Front, The Lordz, Time Again and Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, which is a side-project of his Rancid bandmate Lars Frederiksen.
He has collaborated with P!nk, the Aggrolites, Gwen Stefani, Buju Banton, Kelly Osbourne and Skye Sweetnam.
He has also produced several albums, including the debut albums by AFI, Answer That and Stay Fashionable (1995), The Gadjits, At Ease (1996), F-Minus, S/T (1999) and Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, S/T (2001).
Armstrong is still very active in the Berkeley scene that grew up around 924 Gilman Street. He has showcased his other artistic talents and created artwork for the INSAINTS logo. His artwork and photography are also to be seen on various cds of his own label HellCat, eg. Give 'em the Boot compilations, Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards.
A new album by Rancid was set for an early 2007 release, but had been delayed as to the fall of 2008. As of recent the album has been set for a spring/summer 2009 release.
He has also done a solo album entitled A Poet's Life, which fans can download for free on the internet. He was releasing one song at a time, and has released a music video with each song.
Hold On
Tim Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
Just like the Mississippi
Our journey starts in Minnesota
Take I-35 to 90
Big hi to that country road
Are we gonna make it on down?
She said yeah, Tim, good to see ya
Hope you all stick around
The futures not the hardest to see
Do what you do girl
But please don't leave
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
Get down when I wanna, man
Get through the darkest night
We were born to ride, now baby
Ride until the morning light
Took a trip down to Kansas
Missouri, then Arkansas
Stayed with her sister
That girl's above the law
The futures not the hardest to see
Do what you do girl
But please don't leave
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
It's a mad house, baby
Fast women, cocaine and booze
Toughest of the roughest
I got nothing to lose
Before I met ya
Everything was going wrong
It been a long journey now
Girl I wanna take you home
The futures not the hardest to see
Do what you do girl
But please don't leave
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
The lyrics of Tim Armstrong's "Hold On" are a declaration of love and commitment to a significant other despite the challenges that may arise along the way. Armstrong pledges to "hold on" to his partner as long as he can and to understand if she chooses to leave.
The song begins with an allusion to the Mississippi River which flows from Minnesota, through South Dakota and eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The journey with his partner also begins in Minnesota but the destination is unspecified. They could be headed anywhere, and the uncertainty of the future contributes to the overall message of the song.
As the journey progresses to Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas, Armstrong sings about some of the trials and tribulations of their adventures together, alluding to tough times in a mad house full of fast women, cocaine, and booze. Despite everything, he wants to take his partner home.
Overall, "Hold On" is a love song that celebrates the ups and downs of a relationship, encouraging partners to stick together and confront difficulties head-on, rather than giving up.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
The singer will keep holding on to the person they love as long as possible
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
The singer will accept it if the person they love decides to leave
Just like the Mississippi
Their journey is going to be like the river Mississippi
Our journey starts in Minnesota
The journey of the artist and the person they love starts in Minnesota
Take I-35 to 90
They take a specific route to continue their journey
Soon through South Dakota
After Minnesota, they soon pass through South Dakota
Big hi to that country road
The singer acknowledges and greets the country road they're on
Are we gonna make it on down?
The artist wonders if they will be able to continue their journey
She said yeah, Tim, good to see ya
The person the artist loves responds positively and greets them
Hope you all stick around
The person the artist loves hopes they can continue their journey together
The futures not the hardest to see
The singer believes that the future is not hard to predict
Do what you do girl
The artist tells the person they love to do what they need to do
But please don't leave
The singer expresses their desire for the person they love to stay with them
Get down when I wanna, man
The singer has control over their actions
Get through the darkest night
The singer and the person they love will help each other through tough times
We were born to ride, now baby
The artist and the person they love were meant to be together and go on this journey
Ride until the morning light
The artist and the person they love will continue their journey together until the morning comes
Took a trip down to Kansas
The singer and the person they love traveled to Kansas
Missouri, then Arkansas
After Kansas, they traveled to Missouri, and then Arkansas
Stayed with her sister
They stayed with the person they love's sister
That girl's above the law
The sister of the person the artist loves is someone who doesn't follow rules
It's a mad house, baby
The place they're in is chaotic
Fast women, cocaine and booze
The place they're in involves drugs, alcohol and women
Toughest of the roughest
They're in a dangerous area with violent people
I got nothing to lose
The singer has nothing to lose by being there, as they have the person they love
Before I met ya
The singer's life was not good before they met the person they love
Everything was going wrong
The singer's life was not going well
It been a long journey now
They've been on a long journey to get to where they are now
Girl I wanna take you home
The artist wants to take the person they love home with them
Lyrics Β© Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Timothy Armstrong
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@budaksailang984
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
Just like the Mississippi
Our journey starts in Minnesota
Take I-35 to 90
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Big hearted country girl
Hope you're gonna make it on down
She said, 'Yeah, Tim,
Aw, good to see ya man.
Hope ya'll stay around'
The future's not the hardest to see.
Do what you do girl,
But please don't leave.
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
Get down when I wanna, man.
Get through the darkest night.
We were born to ride, now baby,
Ride until the morning light
Took a trip down to Kansas,
Missouri, then Arkansas.
Stayed with her sister,
That girl's above the law.
The future's not the hardest to see.
Do what you do girl,
But please don't leave.
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
It's a mad house, baby.
Fast women, cocaine, and booze.
Toughest of the roughest, (right)
I got nothing to loose.
Before I met ya,
Everything was going wrong.
It's been a long journey, now
Girl I wanna take you home.
The future's not the hardest to see.
Do what you do girl,
But please don't leave.
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can.
@hafiezirzano5323
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
Just like the Mississippi
Our journey starts in Minnesota
Take I-35 to 90
Soon through South Dakota
Big hi to that country road
Are we gonna make it on down?
She said yeah, Tim, good to see ya
Hope you all stick around
The futures not the hardest to see
Do what you do girl
But please don't leave
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
Get down when I wanna, man
Get through the darkest night
We were born to ride, now baby
Ride until the morning light
Took a trip down to Kansas
Missouri, then Arkansas
Stayed with her sister
That girl's above the law
The futures not the hardest to see
Do what you do girl
But please don't leave
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
It's a mad house, baby
Fast women, cocaine and booze
Toughest of the roughest
I got nothing to lose
Before I met ya
Everything was going wrong
It been a long journey now
Girl I wanna take you home
The futures not the hardest to see
Do what you do girl
But please don't leave
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
And if you choose to leave me, girl, I'll understand
I'm gonna hold on to you as long as I can
@acerockollaa
I haven't heard this in years. I'm so happy to hear it.
@vincenzogiannini9876
Same, here I am 2022. Cheers for Timmy and all the influence
@nicksimons3769
Guy is a legend
@carrierose2202
Remembering a time long ago...Love this song!
@pyrrha2
Love this song,it means a lotta things for me !
@aaronpereira1082
Can't believe this is already 10 years old. This was the album of summer 2007 for me and my crew, those were good times
@tonyrosales915
Tim Armstrong and The Aggrolites, equals a winning combination....
@chechezluvsgd
for the rest of my life, this song will remind me of muffins. i was listening to it, and sorta dancing around and stuff and i had the mixing bowl in my hands and i was like spinning around (yep i have too much energy and time on my hands) and then i sorta lost control and got the whole thing over myself. it was actually really funny. and then my parents came in and started laughing at me, and they heard this song, and they really liked it and we listened to tim the rest of the night.
@MiBzAn
such a sweet song <3 Tim's such an amazing storyteller.
@albertjimenez8797
Esto es ska de verdad, sin olvidar que su procedencia fue el reggae.
Que muchos aprendan a tocar ska, que hay muchos grupos actuales o aΓ±os de atrΓ‘s que no tienen ni puta idea de tocarlo π
Un 10 os doi de cΓ³mo lo interpretas, tal y como es.