The song was initially released as ‘Once’ on their debut album ‘Homebrew’ in 1998. For fans of: Face To Face, Bad Religion, NOFX, Rise Against, and Millencolin.

Here’s what Andy Dietrich of Handheld has to say: “In 1998 a few guys in high school started a punk rock band. One of the first songs they ever recorded was called ‘Once’, which became the first song off their debut record. It was a snapshot of youthful dreams and aspirations. Fast forward to the present day, and Handheld has revisited that iconic track with a retrospective twist that tugs at the heartstrings. The passage of time has added layers of depth and emotion, turning what was once a hopeful anthem into a poignant journey through the years. Or something like that…

Recorded, Produced & Mixed by: Pat Dietrich
Mastered by: John Harcus
Artwork by: Pat Dietrich

Lyrics:

We know today
It’s hard to make it
Nobody knows this like me
Like we really cared
Why can’t they all see what’s important?
Popularity was never in our minds
We just wanted to share
Back in the day we took a chance
We took the stage and we were okay
We didn’t care, we just wanted to play
Sometimes we sucked and we made some mistakes
Maybe they’ll like us, maybe they won’t
But do you think I care? I don’t
Somebody out there has got to see
What this music means to me
There was no record deal
Just some kids being real
The best nights were spent at the old band hall

(Upstairs on Queen)
Basement shows, sleeping on floors
Empty dive bars were the norm
There was always something new
Like the london alleyway brawl
Then the next trend came into play
And we were out like the ones before us
We kept on going, it’s what we did best
We kept on playing with no regret
Maybe they’ll like us, maybe they won’t
But do you think I care? I don’t
Didn’t know at the time, but now I can see
What the music meant to me
God Damn we’re proud
More like back, than still around
After all this time we’re still having fun
Some might think that we are wrong
that we’re still bother to caring on
At this point we’ll just go until we’re dead
We still don’t have to prove anything
We still only play what we want
We still don’t answer to nobody (except wives)
We only have what we got
Maybe they’ll like us, maybe they won’t
Do you think we cared? Hell no!
20 years later, I hope you can see
What this music means… the first song
we recorded was once
Once again we record once again
But this time the song takes a long look back
The first version looked forward as kids
And after all the time, and a long break,
the meaning behind the song still remains
The question asked what the music meant, can be answered now simple and plain
It means friends, and good times
Even though we are a bit past our prime
It’s means retelling the stories time and again
It means the inside jokes only we only we understand
The impact we left in the grand scheme was small
And we wouldn’t change a single thing at all
Cause right from the start we made the music
And the music made us who we are