Against Me! - I Was A Teenage Anarchist

Against Me! the band, started their musical adventure in 1997. This date aligns with my memories, because I remember listening to them in various friends’ basements between 1998-2002 when I was in high school. The song “I was a Teenage Anarchist,” would not come out until 2010, long after those youthful days. However, given its subject matter and perhaps the nature of memories melting together over time, I would have thought that I had heard “I was a Teenage Anarchist” when I was a teenager, but evidently that is impossible.

When I was a teenager, I was not an anarchist. At no point in my life have I been anarchist. I do not consider myself a political person, but it hardly takes much intelligence to see the fundamental flaws is allowing chaos to dominate the lands. However, when I was a teenager, I was friends with a handful of teenage anarchists, and not too surprisingly, all of them listened to Against Me!

The anarchist and I had a few things in come. We all deeply treasured personal freedom. I will be honest, we also, all wanted to set the world on fire; you know at least a little.

“Do you remember,
When you were young, and you wanted to set the world on fire?”

I do Grace. I do.

A simple and incomplete analysis of “I was a Teenage Anarchist” could incorrectly conclude this song is a celebration of youthful rebellion. Every verse opens with the title, “I was a Teenage Anarchist,” and the delivery has so much grit and attitude perhaps a casual listener could be forgiven for thinking this is a declaration of passion for lawless chaos. However, it is hard to ignore that “I was a Teenage Anarchist” is written in past tense, so that is the first big hint that this song is a little more complex than a cock/punk rock song.

“I was a teenage anarchist,
Looking for a revolution.”

We all are Grace. We all are.

The second hint is the second verse, when it adds:

“I was a teenage anarchist,
But the politics were too convenient,”

This is a good line, if for no other reason, then the fact it is true.

The third verse digs deeper showing the unavoidable consequence of believing that everyone will just behave if we stop having organized civics.

“I was a teenage anarchist,
But then the scene got too rigid.
It was a mob mentality,
They set their rifle sights on me.
Narrow visions of autonomy,
You want me to surrender my identity.
I was a teenage anarchist,
The revolution was a lie.”

I like the final verse uppermost; it really fleshes out the unavoidable tragic consequence of ill-conceived political conviction.

As it often happens, revolutionaries wish for nothing more than a shift in power in their favour. So often, those who feel oppressed, real or imagined, seek only to shift the target off of them and onto someone they are bigoted against instead. Which is, more or less, the vibe I take away from “I was a Teenage Anarchist.” The fanatics so often becomes the very thing they fight against.

I was ready to enjoy this song forever just based on the energy of the song, the message could have been a juvenile fanfare for the ideologically impractical, and I would have been happy with it. I do not fault people for expressing their hopes and dreams, especially in art, I do not have to agree with someone to enjoy their creativity and passions. The second you think you have it figured out, that’s when I know you are wrong. It is okay to admit you do not know people. It is also okay to admit you were wrong. Every single person who every fancied themselves enlightened, in anything, or in anyway, will face this humbling reality eventually, so long as they are capable of being intellectually honest with themselves and others.

So yeah, it sure is nice when lyrics make sense and invoke thought. Honestly though, I just enjoy a powerful rock song, and Against Me! delivers on that. Much appreciated that a great song was written within it.

Keep on rocking in the free world.

- King of Braves