When I was just a skinny lad on holiday by the sea,
I met a girl in a Rancid shirt, and a tape she gave to me
With the Black Flag First Four Years and the Minor Threat Discography,
And punk rock saved my life.
Going down the Red Eye back in 1998,
Hanging out with Household Names and staying out too late,
This angry adolescent found an outlet for his hate,
And punk rock saved my life.

The vision wasn't perfect and we knew it all along,
We dressed like fucking idiots and got our facts all wrong.
But everyone must needs be an extremist when they're young -
Fucking with your parents makes you grow up big and strong.

Folding zines and record sleeves while sitting round at home,
Flicking through the catalogues and distros at the shows,
Circle pits and sing-a-longs, come on let's fucking go,
And punk rock saved my life.

That little dream is over, it was never going to last.
Everybody's moved along and it's all in the past,
But when I was just 16 I pinned my colours to the mast.
And punk rock's in the ink that's in my skin,
The attitude in every song I sing,
And we didn't change the world, we didn't win,
We probably didn't even save my life, it's true
But I bet we had a better time than you.