Struck A Nerve

Song details

Bad Religion original
Yes
First released
1993
First release
Recipe For Hate (album)
Songwriter
Greg Graffin

Lyrics

Struck A Nerve

There's an old man on a city bus Holding a candy cane And it isn't even christmas. He sees a note in the obituary That his last friend has died. There's an infant clinging to His overweight mother in the cold As they go to shop for cigarettes, And she spends her last dollar On a bottle of vodka for tonight. And I guess it struck a nerve, Like I had to squint my eyes, You can never get out of the line of sight. Like a barren winter day Or a patch of unburned green, Like a tragic real dream, I guess it struck a nerve. Every day I wander in negative disposition As I'm bombarded by superlatives, Realizing very well that I'm not alone. Introverted, I look to tomorrow for salvation, But I'm thinking altruistically And a wave of overwhelming doubt Turns me to stone. And I guess it struck a nerve, Sent a murmur through my heart, We just haven't got time to crack the maze. Like a magic speeding clock Or a cancer in our cells, A collision in the dark, I guess it struck a nerve. I try to close my eyes, But I cannot ignore the stimuli. If there's a purpose for us all, It remains a secret to me, Don't ask me to justify my life. And I guess it struck a nerve, Like I had to squint my eyes, You can never get out of the line of sight. Like a magic speeding clock Or a cancer in our cells, A collision in the dark, I guess it struck a nerve. I guess it struck a nerve...

Versions & recordings

Grouped by recording

8

First released on Struck A Nerve · 1993

Appears on

The Best SongsBootleg · 2005View 1 version →Punk Rock Am Ring 2002Bootleg · 2002View 1 version →Holiday SamplerMisc release · 1997View 2 versions →Against the Grain / Recipe for HateMisc release · 1997View 1 version →

Song statistics

Archive coverage at a glance

88release versions
#43

43rd most featured song

302documented shows
#29

29th most played song

Live through the years

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Song Interpretations

What do you think this song is about? Share your interpretation and explain your reasoning.

3

legacy memberJun 12, 2006 · edited Sep 13, 2010

I think it's another song with religious matter. The last stanza was the most important above all. The first 3 stanzas were telling a story of this sad society. Then it reflects that he tries to pretend that he didn't see all the sadness around the world, but inside of his heart he is still crying or feels extremely badly for the elderly and other. Then again, he put on this prospective view of god, if there really i…

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I think it's another song with religious matter. The last stanza was the most important above all. The first 3 stanzas were telling a story of this sad society. Then it reflects that he tries to pretend that he didn't see all the sadness around the world, but inside of his heart he is still crying or feels extremely badly for the elderly and other. Then again, he put on this prospective view of god, if there really is a god who made us like that way, it will remain an secret to him, he will find that himself, or he will control his own destiny.
legacy memberJul 11, 2004 · edited Sep 13, 2010

The first verse of this song is about the sadness and hopelessness of people (not just the poor) in the world and the lack of meaning in our lives. Greg mentions that he "looks to tomorrow for salvation" and then "a wave of overwhelming doubt" turns him to stone, meaning no way, there is no hope for tomorrow; it will be just like the present. At the end, all of the hurt and suffering doesn't allow Greg to close his…

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The first verse of this song is about the sadness and hopelessness of people (not just the poor) in the world and the lack of meaning in our lives. Greg mentions that he "looks to tomorrow for salvation" and then "a wave of overwhelming doubt" turns him to stone, meaning no way, there is no hope for tomorrow; it will be just like the present. At the end, all of the hurt and suffering doesn't allow Greg to close his eyes. The writer obviously doesn't have an answer as is said: "if there is purpose for us all, it remains a secret to me." They don't even know what they are living for: "don't ask me to justify my life." This is a song of seeing and realizing and then searching and coming empty handed with no answer just like many other things we question.
legacy memberJul 11, 2004 · edited Sep 13, 2010

My opinion on this song is that Greg wrote about the effect of seeing poverty and apathy while walking on the streets and the such. That seems to be a recurring topic on this album. The lines: "there's an infant clinging to his overweight mother as they go to shop for cigarettes, and she spends her last dollar for a bottle of vodka for tonight" signify the lack of caring by the mother for her infant child, she doesn…

Read moreRead less
My opinion on this song is that Greg wrote about the effect of seeing poverty and apathy while walking on the streets and the such. That seems to be a recurring topic on this album. The lines: "there's an infant clinging to his overweight mother as they go to shop for cigarettes, and she spends her last dollar for a bottle of vodka for tonight" signify the lack of caring by the mother for her infant child, she doesn't care if he/she has to eat, she'll just get drunk and smoke, basically killing the child with second-hand smoke. Apathy right there.

The lines: "there's an old man on a city bus holding a candy cane, and it isn't even Christmas, he sees a note in the obituary that his last friend has died" show faithlessness in the old man. He's holding a candy cane, waiting for Christmas, and he finds out his last friend dies, leaving him with nothing to live for.

"And I guess it struck a nerve, like I had to squint my eyes, you can never get out of the line of sight" shows that no matter where you go, you see poverty and apathy, especially on city streets in good ol' U.S.of A.