“Army Of One” by The Offspring

The phrase “army of one” alludes to a singular individual being just as effective as an entire army. This idea is not usually meant to be taken literally. In fact as used within the context of this song, it is premised on the notion of a person, whether it be the singer or addressee, being up against the world. 

Verily, even though the state of the world isn’t expounded on too much, the implication is that this is a troubled one we live in. 

Moreover, based on the first verse it is pretty clear that the singer has some serious interpersonal and emotional issues he’s dealing with. But the vocalist is challenging likeminded individuals – the brokenhearted who feel as if all hope is fading away – to ‘dig in’ and focus their energies towards surviving in a productive and edifying manner.

So this is another one of The Offspring’s Let the Bad Times Roll songs in which they are tackling the subject of depression, even if in an indirect fashion this time around. Indeed these lyrics don’t concentrate on the feeling of melancholy so much. Instead, the emphasis is on the narrator simply not having it. Even if no one else in the world is concerned about his emotional wellbeing, still, he’s not having it. 

And it is this state of mind which empowers him to move forward even while others fall by the wayside.  And it also such a state a mind that he is encouraging the listening audience to adopt.