The O.C. Supertones - Strike Back Lyrics
Lyrics
Just like Leia's Father
You hit, we hit back harder
Like Huss and Stephen, I am not afraid to be a Martyr
California sun and sky
slip inside a suit and tie
Chevy rolls up to the house with everybody outside
gonna get down like we did the day before
50 more people be waitin' at the door
Team against team, Let's even the score
If there's 50 people outside,
We got room for 50 more!
And we're movinn' all smooth and when we get groovin'
we're fresh like salsa and we're fat like juben
You're cranium's cracked from my Shaolin attack
protect your neck, SUPERTONES strike back!
We want this whole band to be a big love letter
so we play the SKA and it makes you feel better
God's got love for us, so we got love for you
It's your life, so what you wanna do?
So come on put a glide in your stride, and a dip in yo hip
best back the heck up, cuz' hip-hop rolls from my lips
I spit when I rap, saliva flies when I sing
God gives me gifts, just look at my ring
Look less at me and look more to Christ
His grace has saved me and His grace will suffice us
So I jump for Jesus, it's Jesus who frees us
Let's get dumb like Beavis, I don't care who sees us
When we hop to hip-hop John Bell gets ill props
you know he can rock socks
give out love from his soapbox
with hip-hop nonstop, hippidie, hippidie, hop
first I can rock them socks, then I can knock your block
You can't stop this, you can't clock this
You can't dis this, so please don't miss this
a van and a roadmap, keep my life in my backpack
Comin' through your town, SUPERTONES strike back
Video
The O.C. Supertones - Supertones Strike Back
Meaning & Inspiration
The O.C. Supertones' "Strike Back," released in 1997 on their album *The Supertones Strike Back*, is a powerful declaration of faith and resilience that resonates deeply with themes found throughout Scripture. More than just a high-energy ska track, the song serves as a vibrant "love letter," as the band themselves describe, aimed at spreading a message of God's enduring love and the freedom found in Christ. The lyrics paint a picture of joyful defiance, a readiness to stand firm and spread the Good News, even in the face of opposition. This isn't a call to physical retaliation, but a spiritual one, echoing the sentiment of Romans 12:21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." The band's energetic delivery, a hallmark of their ska sound, embodies the very spirit of overcoming, inviting listeners to embrace a similar boldness in their walk of faith.
The core of "Strike Back" lies in its unwavering commitment to proclaiming the Gospel. The band emphasizes that their music is intended to "make you feel better," a reflection of the comfort and hope that God's love offers, as promised in Isaiah 40:1, "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God." They directly connect their gifts and their ability to "rock socks" and "knock your block" to divine enablement, underscoring the biblical principle that all good things come from above (James 1:17). The repeated invitation to "look more to Christ" and acknowledge that "His grace has saved me and His grace will suffice us" is a profound articulation of the salvific power of Jesus, mirroring Ephesians 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." Their embrace of uninhibited joy, likening themselves to "Beavis" and not caring "who sees us," speaks to the unashamed nature of true discipleship, a testament to the freedom found in surrender, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." The song's assertive posture, the "strike back" mentality, is not about aggressive confrontation, but a confident advance of God's kingdom, akin to Jesus’ commission in Matthew 28:19-20 to "go and make disciples of all nations." The imagery of a "van and a roadmap" keeping life in their backpack signifies a life dedicated to mission, traveling and spreading the message, a beautiful parallel to the early apostles who were willing to leave all to follow Christ and share His love.