12 Rounds are :
Claude Sarne - Vocals, Keyboards
Atticus Ross - Bass, Programming
Adam Holden - Guitar (1995-1997)
Kirk Hellie - Guitar (1998)
12 Rounds are a British band formed in 1995. Their first release was on the NME (New Musical Express)cover tape with "Holed (demo)" credited to 12 Rounds With Jesus.
Later that year the 12 Rounds EP was released on Polydor Records available on limited 12" and CD. This was followed by the album "Jitter Juice" available on CD, 12" and tape, "Business/Pleasant Smell" single on 10" and CD and finally the Personally EP (12" and CD) in 1996 (The video for Personally was an early work of Chris Cunningham who went on to produce videos for Aphex Twin, Bjork and Madonna).
They signed with Nothing Records in 1997/1998 and recorded the album "My Big Hero". The accompanying single "Pleasant Smell" featured remixes by various people connected to the Nothing label. They toured as support to Marilyn Manson in 1998.
A third album was written and recorded, but due to internal problems at Nothing Records this never saw the light of day. A couple of promo CDs with tracks from this album are rumoured to exist, but the only release of any of this material was seen on Jerome Dillion's project "nearlY"s album "Reminder-Live" in the form of the song "Chicane". Claude contributed the lyrics and vocals on nearlY's first album "Reminder".
Atticus Ross works mainly as a producer now and is most famous for producing With Teeth and Year Zero with Trent Reznor for Nine Inch Nails.
Recently there was a possibility that 12 Rounds' third album may still make an appearance, but there has been no further news at the time of writing.
On August 17th 2009 the 12 Rounds website was updated with news from the band along with a new track called "Shine On" from their third unreleased album. They also mention "We would like to put a track a month out, as a MP3 (downloadable or just playable) until the beginning of next year when we will stick out an EP, with some new material and some updates to the ones that have lived and breathed with us all this time."
Business
12 Rounds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What I saw
And I don't do business
In that way
Don't mind
You can stay
If you want
Cos when I see you ache
I still see blood
In his eyes
And when he falls
He falls so deep so deep
Makes me high
Makes me high
I still see blood
In his face
Knock you out
And fall so deep so deep
Don't know what
What it is
In your eyes...
In your eyes
Came back yesterday
What I found..
And I don't do
Business in that way
Don't mind what you say
You can laugh
But when I see you ache
It makes me wet
I still see blood
In his eyes
And when he falls
He falls so deep so deep
Makes me high
Makes me high
I still see blood
In his face
Knock you out
And fall so deep so deep
Don't know what
What it is In your eyes...
In your eyes
The lyrics of "Business" by 12 Rounds are suggestive and open to interpretation, but they seem to describe someone who is involved in violent or shady business dealings. The singer has come back from somewhere and encountered something disturbing, and they seem to get pleasure from causing pain and seeing others suffer. The repetition of the lines "I still see blood in his eyes/face" suggests that some kind of violent act has taken place, and the singer is almost addicted to the feeling of power they get from it. The lyrics about falling deep and getting high seem to describe the rush of adrenaline and emotion that come with violent acts.
The lyrics are intentionally vague, but they create a dark, unsettling atmosphere that fits with the band's overall aesthetic. The song features distorted guitars and a pounding beat, and the lyrics are delivered in a snarling, almost aggressive tone. It's a song that seems to revel in its own darkness, and it's hard to tell whether the singer is the villain or the victim.
Line by Line Meaning
Came in yesterday
I arrived at a certain place yesterday
What I saw
I witnessed something
And I don't do business
I am not involved in any form of deal or transaction
In that way
Through illegal or unconventional methods
Don't mind
I don't care
You can stay
You are allowed to remain here
If you want
It's your choice
Cos when I see you ache
Because seeing you in pain or suffering gives me pleasure
It makes me pleased
It brings me happiness or satisfaction
I still see blood
The image of blood is still vivid in my memory
In his eyes
I witnessed the presence of blood in the person's eyes
And when he falls
When he is defeated or falls down
He falls so deep so deep
He experiences a great loss or defeat
Makes me high
It gives me an emotional rush or pleasure
I still see blood
The image of blood is still vivid in my memory
In his face
I witnessed the presence of blood in the person's face
Knock you out
To defeat or render unconscious
And fall so deep so deep
To suffer a great defeat or loss
Don't know what
I'm uncertain about something
What it is In your eyes...
I cannot determine the true nature of what I see in your eyes
Came back yesterday
I returned to a certain place yesterday
What I found..
I discovered something
And I don't do
I refuse to engage in
Business in that way
Illegal or unconventional deals or transactions
Don't mind what you say
I am not affected by your words
You can laugh
You are free to laugh or ridicule me
But when I see you ache
But, at the same time, seeing you suffer also brings me pleasure
It makes me wet
It arouses me sexually
I still see blood
The image of blood is still vivid in my memory
In his eyes
I witnessed the presence of blood in the person's eyes
And when he falls
When he is defeated or falls down
He falls so deep so deep
He experiences a great loss or defeat
Makes me high
It gives me an emotional rush or pleasure
I still see blood
The image of blood is still vivid in my memory
In his face
I witnessed the presence of blood in the person's face
Knock you out
To defeat or render unconscious
And fall so deep so deep
To suffer a great defeat or loss
Don't know what
I'm uncertain about something
What it is In your eyes...
I cannot determine the true nature of what I see in your eyes
Contributed by Mia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Vashyanna Penn
This was so beautiful.