Supersonic

Song details

Bad Religion original
Yes
First released
2002
First release
The Process of Belief (album)
Songwriter
Brett Gurewitz

Lyrics

Supersonic

Well, am I making haste or could it be haste is making me, What's time but a thing to kill or keep or buy or lose or live in. I gotta go faster, keep up the pace, Just to stay in the human race... I could go supersonic, the problem's chronic. Tell me, does life exist beyond it? When I need to sate, I just accelerate Into oblivion. Into oblivion yah yah yah yah yah yah ya-ahn... Now here I go again, everything is alien, How does it feel to be outstripped by the pace of cultural change? My deeds are senseless and rendered meaningless, when measured in that vein. I could go supersonic, the problem's chronic. Tell me, does life exist beyond it? When I need to sate, I just accelerate Into oblivion. I won't lie, (pace setters, go getters) It's exciting (rat racers, forget hers) When I try (researchers, berserkers) To decide things. (strategies to help the workers) I just want to live (new time saving devices) Decently, (quick vices, short splices) Meaningfully. (brevity, dependency) I'm in misery. (digital efficiency) I could go supersonic, the problem's chronic. Tell me, does life exist beyond it? When I need to sate, I just accelerate Into oblivion. Into oblivion yah yah yah yah yah yah ya-ahn..

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Song statistics

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47release versions
#122

122nd most featured song

404documented shows
#25

25th most played song

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Song Interpretations

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

10

legacy memberJan 20, 2011

[b][i]"I could go supersonic, the problem's chronic. Tell me, does life exist beyond it? When I need to sate, I just accelerate Into oblivion."[/i][/b] I have a different interpretation of the chorus. I believe the "oblivion" is in regard to opinions and cultures that are now extinct due to the sudden changes. So when he mentions accelerating into oblivion, he's saying that he is catching up with the modern culture…

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[b][i]"I could go supersonic, the problem's chronic.
Tell me, does life exist beyond it?
When I need to sate, I just accelerate
Into oblivion."[/i][/b]

I have a different interpretation of the chorus. I believe the "oblivion" is in regard to opinions and cultures that are now extinct due to the sudden changes. So when he mentions accelerating into oblivion, he's saying that he is catching up with the modern culture that, in time, will no longer exist.

As for [i]"life exist beyond it"[/i]: I don't believe there is a spiritual meaning behind it, more of a personal one. Keeping up with all the cultural changes, and allowing modern socialism to dictate the person you are, being told through popular culture what kind of person you should be, and how you should act. Beyond this, if you were to strip down all this dictatorship - would there be anything left? Would you still have a life outside of this? Could you survive without it?

As for the bridge:
[b][i]"I won't lie,
It's exciting
When I try
To decide things.
I just want to live
Decently,
Meaningfully.
I'm in misery."[/i][/b]

It's exciting when you get to decide things for youself, but because you want to live a "meaningful" life (will only be considered meaningful by others if socially accepted by the modern cultures as something meaningful), your life will be miserable.

So while this song may be about how it is hard to keep up with modern changes, it also goes into the effects on individualism, and questions whether it is worth it or not. Do you really want to sellout your ideals and laurels, just to be a liitle more popular?
legacy memberFeb 7, 2008 · edited Aug 23, 2010
This song is totally about the rat race that is society, generally, but I think that the sentiment is that he wishes people would slow down once in a while appreciate the finer things. Everyone gets so caught up in getting ahead that they forget what is important, and before they know it they're at death's door.
legacy memberJun 25, 2006 · edited Aug 23, 2010
I think it is about the speed that the earth is changing (technology,scientific beliefs etc.) "How does it feel to be outstripped by the pace of cultural change" backs it all up.The world is changing so much its hard to keep up with everything.
legacy memberJan 9, 2006 · edited Aug 23, 2010

This might have a couple of things into it. Such things as a high paced life. Also some parts seem to be linked to Greg's PhD thesis. Even though his thesis wasn't published until 2004 you don't just write a thesis over night. This being relevant in the line "Keep up the pace, Just to stay in the human race." Also how people aren't willing to change to believe in science instead of religion, even though it is a part…

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This might have a couple of things into it. Such things as a high paced life. Also some parts seem to be linked to Greg's PhD thesis. Even though his thesis wasn't published until 2004 you don't just write a thesis over night. This being relevant in the line "Keep up the pace, Just to stay in the human race." Also how people aren't willing to change to believe in science instead of religion, even though it is a part of the human race evolving and becoming smarter and being able to prove our beliefs by "How does it feel to be outstripped by the pace of cultural change."
legacy memberJul 17, 2004 · edited Aug 23, 2010

This song (to me) speaks about the increasing complexity (pace) of human life. As we become more technologically advanced and daily responsibilities increase, more and more education is needed just to 'join the human race.' If we wish to sate our desire for the indulgences we've become accustomed to, it's necessary to pick up the pace, and the demands increase exponentially ' [...] into oblivion' This process has…

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This song (to me) speaks about the increasing complexity (pace) of human life. As we become more technologically advanced and daily responsibilities increase, more and more education is needed just to 'join the human race.' If we wish to sate our desire for the indulgences we've become accustomed to, it's necessary to pick up the pace, and the demands increase exponentially ' [...] into oblivion' This process has and continues to outstrip entire sub-cultures, such as the small-farmer.
legacy memberJul 17, 2004 · edited Aug 23, 2010
I think it goes beyond pop culture. Not just our fashion is changing quickly, but all our living conditions, the way we work etc.. We are moving faster than ever, everywhere. We have to think faster than our parents. We have to be flexible in this times of 'information pollution' and the 'service sector' as a 'job machine', which means able to change our home, our job etc. quickly.
legacy memberJul 17, 2004 · edited Aug 23, 2010

It is clear that this song includes ideas of pop culture, but only as pop culture is enveloped within the idea of change as a whole. The song begins with the premise of the nature of time, but the implication is not just what the nature of time is (as we know it to be a physical property, thanks to Einstein), but what time is in relation to man. "Does life exist beyond it" may be a reference to life after death,…

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It is clear that this song includes ideas of pop culture, but only as pop culture is enveloped within the idea of change as a whole.

The song begins with the premise of the nature of time, but the implication is not just what the nature of time is (as we know it to be a physical property, thanks to Einstein), but what time is in relation to man.

"Does life exist beyond it" may be a reference to life after death, but it would be the only one of its kind in the song. While the remainder of the songs militate against this interpretation (especially Materialist and Epiphany), the underlying, metaphysical theme of personal, eternal significance divorced from temporal, material life may coincide with this idea.

The song displays not only the idea of change from generation to generation, but the change within one's own life, and that life for an individual is defined by a certain set of ideas and circumstances. Once these ideas and circumstances change, as they are bound to do, is the individual now lost or is there life beyond that point? I think this is the more sensible meaning of this verse. The idea that we are all stripped by the "Arrow of Time" is redolent in the message, yet the underlying question is whether or not permanent significance can be found in anything done by anyone in transit.

The line "My deeds are senseless and rendered meaningless when measured in that vein" shows that while there is a nonsensical notion of permanent significance involved in discussing man and time, lending toward nihilism, the point of departure is the method of measurement. Even Bad Religion wants to find a way to measure personal significance in a world that coldly outpaces even the swiftest and the brightest.
snowkidxJul 17, 2004 · edited Aug 23, 2010
I agree with the spiritual thing; in a deep meditative state you enter nothingness, oblivion. So basically, when the world get's to crazy and one needs to 'sate' go deep into the state of mind where nothing exists.
legacy memberJul 17, 2004 · edited Aug 23, 2010
I think that this song is on the pop culture of America and any other country. In the last couple of decades we made such big changes and that what we wear changed the way of how we dress and talk. I also, for some strange reason think it has some spiritual meaning to it when they say "does life exist beyond it."
legacy memberJul 17, 2004 · edited Aug 23, 2010
'Supersonic' is about the disposability of flash-in-the-pan pop culture. As was increasingly evident in the 90s (and still is today), a triple platinum artist today may very well be 'outstripped by the pace of cultural change' and left flat broke tomorrow.