When Bouncing Souls front man Greg Attonito sings out the
opening lines “I’ve met some people along the way” you know from the start that
something special is about to happen. True Believers by the Bouncing Souls is
one of the greatest songs (notice how I said songs and not punk songs) ever
written. Taken from the 2001 album How I Spent My Summer Vacation, True
Believers is a punk rock anthem if ever there was one. It’s a song that anyone
who has ever believed in something and gone against the grain.
The song starts of slow with a few guitars strokes with
Attonito singing “I’ve met some people along the way, some of them split some
of them stay, some of them walk some walk on by, I’ve got a few friends I’ll
love till I die, from all these people I try to learn, some of them shine some
of them burn, some of them rise some of them fall, good or bad I’ve know them
all.” Here the band are talking about meeting all manner of different people in
your life and being open to them and trying to learn from them. Letting
yourself experience different people is a very positive way to live your life.
Being close minded and judging people before giving them a chance will no doubt
leave you alone.
Then we get to the chorus. A chorus that gets a big a sing
along from the crowd than any other that I can think of. The whole band join in
for a rousing chorus of “we live our life in our own way, never really listened
to what they say, the kind of faith that doesn’t fade away, we are the true
believers.” This is so relatable for anyone who has ever had the belief in
anything and never given up on it. It really is a fantastic chorus, even if you
ignore the meaning the words it’s just incredibly catchy. Whenever you hear it
you will want to sing along at the top of your voice wherever you are.
Then we move onto the second verse. Accompanied by some
fantastic bass playing by Brian Kienlen Greg sings out “well you can fight or
you can run, hide under a rock until the war is won, play it safe and don’t
make a sound, but not us we won’t back down, true believers all the way, you
and I.” Another fantastically relatable verse from the Souls. It’s about how
being a true believer is about having the courage to be strong enough to do
whatever you believe in despite what anybody might think.
True Believers will go down as one of the classic songs from
this era of punk rock. Musically its full of great hooks and lyrically its
superbly catchy and a great positive message. It is a great anthem for all the “True
Believers.”
