Let’s talk more about unknown bands. The band this week’s song belongs to, The Offspring, are actually a very well known band – they just don’t get the recognition they deserve.

As far as I’ve seen, if you were to ask most people if they knew who they were, sure, most might faintly recognize their name, but more would be familiar with songs – namely ones like You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid (2008), or The Kids Aren’t Alright (1998), and Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) (1998).

The Offspring debuted back in 1984, an eighties rock band. The song I’ll be using was on their 2000 album.

As unfortunate as it is, a lot of teenagers now don’t know a lot of The Offspring’s other amazing songs – a lot of which that are actually quite relatable. This week’s song, for example; titled Come Out Swinging, it isn’t impossible to guess what the song could be about.

Come Out Swinging, in a brief description, is about fighting for yourself. Even the title says to “come out swinging”, which is to not let anybody drag you down or count you out.

You brace and hold it all inside

It’s more than you can stand

No one around even tries

Tries to understand

This is another song about how people tend to hold things in instead of letting them out. Emotions aren’t meant to be be bottled up, however, so even bracing yourself to do so tends to be more than people can stand.

To most people, it always seems as though other people refuse to try and understand how they feel. Especially in the dark times, everybody seems close minded and seems like they don’t care.

Don’t turn away, don’t turn away

Come out swinging

Come out alone

They’re in your way

But as long as you’re swinging

Strong then you’ll get by

Don’t turn away – don’t give up. Don’t let others take advantage of you giving up. Show them you’re strong – come out swinging. Even if you’re standing alone, stand your ground and don’t let others drag you down.

Swinging is metaphorical, of course, since fighting doesn’t usually lead to anything but more conflict and trouble for everyone. It refers to just standing your ground and refusing to let anybody bring you down.

Whether they’re trying or not, as long as you hold strong and carry on, then you’ll get by.

Your pacing’s wearing out a line

Right beside your bed

The scene replays a million times

Stuck inside your head

And though you stand in place

Your mind escapes

Read between the lies

Smile’s on your face

You fake like you’re ok

Sleep deprivation is a common thing if you tend to overthink things or feel depressed. Sometimes people can’t stand to stay laying around and they have to move to distract themselves.

People always say words don’t hurt, but something someone says could stay with you for the rest of your life. It’s more painful than people think, but they’re usually suffering themselves.

Sometimes others feel the need to just escape themselves and their minds, and they lose themselves in anything else. They trick themselves into thinking they’re just fine, whether they are or not.

A lot of people wanting to escape reality simply pull a wool over their eyes in order to pretend to ignore everything and everyone. So even if the truth is right in front of them, oftentimes they don’t see it.

At some point or another, everybody has faked a smile and pretended they were perfectly fine, if only to avoid being questioned by others.

Come Out Swinging is a song that speaks volumes of standing your ground and really just a giant reality check. Along with plenty of others of songs by ‘The Offspring,’ it’s a suggested listen for anyone struggling with themselves.