White Stones, Queens 1974
Fathers talking shit
Motherfucker slam the door
Hittin' the streets runnin' can I take this any more?
In the reins of the trains I cuddle on the floor

Well the park bench, door and
Sleeping in the rain
Little kids sitting in the shooting gallery
Set yourself up
Rom innocence to misery
Oh if this is what you want not
The way of what they fucking say

Hanging out with Sid yet again in the USA
Sidney Sidney in the USA

Lower east side 1976
Who's got the dope and
Who's turning tricks?
Should I call a user all for a fix?
Ripping off some lady just to avoid from gettin' sick

But a life runs low when you got no where to go
What the fuck happens to your soul when your low
Is he comin' over is he comin' home
Oh momma's disappointed waiting by the phone

Yeah!

Hanging out with Sid yet again in the USA
Sidney Sidney in the USA

Same fucking shit 1998
Lifting bait, and by the motherfuckers that he hates
Hit some fucking people by the Kennedy strait
Who's got the bag gonna seal his fate?

Well the park bench, door and
Sleeping here for free
Little kids sitting in the shooting gallery
Set yourself up for manifested misery
Well this is what you want
Not the way they fucking say

Hanging out with Sid yet again in the USA
Sidney Sidney in the USA


Lyrics submitted by Kpizzle

1998 Lyrics as written by Timothy Armstrong Howard Kusten

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

1998 song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

43 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    Read Dee Dee Ramone's autobiography, "Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones", and tell me this isn't about him.

    Dee Dee's father was an American soldier who met Dee Dee's mother in Germany. He was an alcoholic and, according to the book, a pretty mean mother fucker as this song says. Also Dee Dee lived in Whitestone and Queens. There's also an entire chapter in his book chronicling the summer he ran away as a teenager. Then in 1976, Dee Dee lived in the Lower East Side. By this time he was a total dope fiend, going out to cop heroin every day with his various junkie friends in New York. I think the lines "Is he coming over?/ Is he coming home?/ Oh momma's disappointed/ Waiting by the phone" is about his relationship with his mother, when he'd lived with her as a young adult and would come home in the morning from being out all night and they had crazy arguments. I think the last verse is about Dee Dee struggling to stay off methadone and dope at the end of his life.

    As for the chorus it's just talking about him hanging out with Sid Vicious and "a kid" in New York, not sure who "a kid" is, perhaps Sid's infamous girlfriend Nancy Spungen, because in his book Dee Dee mentions several times how Nancy was younger than all the other addicts living in New York and was kind of annoying. Or maybe it's a reference to Dee Dee himself, cuz he was notoriously childish...

    Also I doubt this is about Sid Vicous' life because he was living in England in 1974 and 1976.

    gabbagabbaheygirlon March 02, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This Song kix ass, Rancid is the best band :P

    SongMeaningson April 18, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this is such a bad ass song!! how could you not like it? rancid really gets you pumped up!

    saves_the_day_girlon May 03, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    such a great song. such a great band. f*** people who didn't like life wont wait.

    lobstergirlon May 07, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Life won't wait is a GREAT album, and this is a great fuckin' kickass song!!!!!!

    DXTRon May 07, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is awesome! RaNcId rawks!

    startinglinechikon May 15, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    OK, i hear that this song i sgood, and i agree, but does anyone know what the song actually means

    foreignmanon May 23, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    OK, i hear that this song i sgood, and i agree, but does anyone know what the song actually means

    foreignmanon May 23, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    nevermind, I KNOW MY OWN VERSION!

    foreignmanon May 23, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    suck my balls mr garrison

    INyearsTOcomeon May 24, 2002   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.