"History Lesson – Part II" is a song from the 1984 album Double Nickels on the Dime by the American rock band Minutemen.
[1] The song is subtitled "Part II" as an earlier Minutemen composition titled "History Lesson" was included on their 1981 release, The Punch Line.
[2] The lyrics, as printed on the cover of Double Nickels on the Dime, contain the original references to Boon despite the difference in the actual recording.
Additional references are made to E. Bloom of Blue Öyster Cult, Richard Hell of the Voidoids, Joe Strummer of The Clash, and John Doe of X, as well as to Bob Dylan.
The song's iconic first line was used as the title of the book Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991, by Michael Azerrad.