Written by Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper
Hailing from Australia, the Saints were one of the first and most influential punk groups, coming up at the same time as the Ramones, and like them ragged and unflashy. This song is a full-on sonic assault, with no gloss or effects. The jackhammer guitar is double-tracked, the vocals are tossed off in a way that bands like Interpol and the Strokes would imitate decades later. The drums are ferocious as well, but buried in the mix. Lyrically the song is paranoid and jittery, evoking isolation and alienation from a world that seems indifferent and hostile: "Livin' in a world insane / They cut out some heart and some brain." At three and a half minutes (an epic by Ramones standards), it never drags, the band's manic energy burning through the time.
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