Struck A Nerve (from Recipe For Hate) | Discography | The Bad Religion Page

Details

Written by:	Greg Graffin
Released in:	1993

Lyrics

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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...

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Versions

Version	Length	Release	Catalog ID	Country	Format	Year
Album version
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	86420-1	United States	12"	2010
	3:47	Recipe For Hate		Russia	CD	2007
	3:47	Recipe For Hate		United States	CD	2007
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	82546-2	United States	CD	2004
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	OXX 1048-1	Brazil	CD	1996
	Show 16 more
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	ESCA-6112	Japan	CD	1995
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	86420-1	United States	12"	1994
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	86420	United States	MC	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	7 82546-4	United States	MC	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	CPT-1552	South Korea	MC	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	OXX-1048-2	Brazil	12"	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	86420-1	United States	12"	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	86420	United States	CD	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	86420	United States	CD	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	7 82546-2	United States	CD	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	6420	Europe	CD	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	MG2782	Poland	MC	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	TJK 205	Thailand	MC	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	86420	United States	MC	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	n/a	Malaysia	MC	1993
	3:47	Recipe For Hate	MJKE 6112	Malaysia	MC	1993
Live
	3:36	Tested	DRA 486986 1	Germany	2x12"	1997
	3:36	Tested	DRA 486986 2	Germany	CD	1997
	3:36	Tested	Esca 6658	Japan	CD	1997
	3:36	Tested	486986-4	Turkey	MC	1997
	3:36	Tested	DRA 486986 4 \| 485019 4	Poland	MC	1997
	Show 3 more
	3:36	Tested	DRASAMPCD39522	Germany	CD	1997
	3:36	Tested	486986-2	Australia	CD	1997
	3:36	Tested	758.329 / 2-486986	Brazil	CD	1997
Live @ KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, 12/10/1994
	3:25	Infected	DRA 661489 8	Germany	CD	1995
	3:26	Infected	ESCA-6305	Japan	CD	1995
Video live @ Palladium, 11/20/2004
		Live At The Palladium	6659-9	Europe	DVD	2006
		Live At The Palladium	86659-9	United States	DVD	2006
		Live At The Palladium	H-716	China	DVD	2005
*Not specified*
	3:47	Holiday Sampler	PRCD 8399	United States	CD	1997
	3:47	Holiday Sampler	PRCD 8388	United States	CD	1997
	3:47	Struck A Nerve	PRCD 5277-2	United States	CD	1993
		Recipe For Hate	02540-4	United States	MC	1993

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Song interpretations (3)

Liang From North Carolina Guest Location: Global Citizen	Quote 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. 06/12/2006 at 03:22 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.
Cain Guest Location: Global Citizen	Quote 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. 07/11/2004 at 17:22 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.
Frogger Guest Location: Global Citizen	Quote 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. 07/11/2004 at 17:21 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.