Song meaning

Greg Graffin: “The song is written from the perspective of a kid who is running away. He says ‘I’m out of here, I’m off to find true north.’ It’s about recognizing that you don’t fit in and trying to find a truth and purpose. Those are all classic punk themes. We still remember exactly what it feels like to be a disaffected kid in this world. And I think we were able to convey that particularly well on this album.”^[1]

Graffin: "The song ‘True North’ uses a map as a metaphor saying that when we’re young, your parents sort of provide you with this map, and there’s open-ended routes you can take, but you better damn well follow the map. And the song ‘True North' is saying, ‘What’s in this map for me? There’s nothing here for me. This is your template.'"^[2]

“In order to find true happiness in life, I believe every one of us, no matter what age, has to find their own sense of direction."^[3]

Jay: "It’s kind of how society has its way, yet you are finding your own way. You don’t fit in. It is just like how True North is considered just a little off magnetic North on the compass. Finding True North is a metaphor for finding your place in the world."^[4]

Video

The video was directed by Zach Merck, who also directed the Live At The Palladium video in 2006. It was released by Epitaph on February 14, 2013.^[5]

Zach Merck: "I wanted the video to simply catch a feeling that every single one of us has had throughout our years. This is a band that has directly influenced generation after generation of punk rockers, and punk music in its truest form is something that we have and understand that the masses never will. There is something very special and personal about discovering the music on a new album, especially with Bad Religion, so that's what this video concept became - that intense private moment that happens to all of us... alone with our music, inspired by the lyrics... us against the world."

References