Lyrics

When we were young, the future was so  
The old   was so alive
And every kid on the whole   street
Was gonna make it big and not be  

Now the neighborhood's cracked and  
The kids are   up, but their lives are worn
How can one   street
Swallow so many lives

Chances thrown
Nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard
Hard to see
Fragile lives,   dreams

Jamie had a   , well she really did
Instead she   out and had a couple of kids
Mark still lives at home, 'cause he's got no  
He just plays   and smokes a lot of pot

O.J. committed  
Brandon od'd and  
What the hell is going on?
The   dream, reality

Chances thrown
Nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard
Hard to see
Fragile lives, shattered dreams

Chances thrown
Nothing's free
Longing for what used to be
Still it's hard
Hard to see
Fragile lives, shattered dreams
Legend

Meaning

This was inspired by a nostalgic trip lead singer Dexter Holland took to his old neighborhood, Garden Grove in Orange County, California. Many people he knew had met tragedy (i.e., car accidents, nervous breakdowns, etc.).

Vocabulary

drop out

reject convention, leave (school)
She dropped out of school, pregnant, at 14

shattered

Broken into little pieces; completely destroyed