1. With radio friendly… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three bands called 21 Guns
1. With radio friendly AOR super groups such as Bad English and Damn Yankees receiving commercial success, former Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham decided to form a similar type band and hope for stardom. Gorham recruited fellow Americans Tommy La Verdi (vocals), Leif Johansen (bass), and Michael Sturgis (drums). By 1992 they had been signed to RCA records and released a well-polished AOR album that received rave reviews, but went relatively unnoticed by the record buying public. After touring it was decided that La Verdi wasn't on the same page as the rest of the band, and with his departure the group disbanded. Gorham began appearing at Thin Lizzy tribute shows while Sturgis resurfaced with prog-rockers Asia.
In 1997 Gorham decided to reform 21 Guns around new vocalist Hans Olav Solli (ex-Sons Of Angels, ex-psycho motel). Solli had most recently been a member of iron maiden gitarist Adrian Smith's band Psycho Motel with drummer Mike Sturgis who returned to the reformed line up of 21 Guns. By the time the follow-up album Nothing's Real the music scene had completely changed, and a limited release in America killed any chance of the album breaking out commercially. A collection of demo recordings by the original line-up was released in 2002 and the band is rumored to be working on another studio recording. Solli resurfaced in the Norwegian music-project Greenhouze, Gorham hit the road with a Thin Lizzy tribute band and Sturgis became a permanent recording and touring drummer with Asia.
In 2009 it was announced that Scott Gorham and Leif Johansen have been writing and recording together again with a new singer, Peter Shoulder. Peter is the former singer/guitarist of Winterville. Scott and Peter first worked together when Winterville supported Thin Lizzy on their 2005 UK tour. In 2007 Winterville split and Peter went on to record his own solo material.
2. 21 Guns were an Australian hard rock band that released a self-titled album in 1990. Personnel: Andy McLean (lead vocals), Cameran McKenzie (guitar, backing vocals), Henry Eustacs (bass, backing vocals), Mark Herrera (drums).
3. 21 Guns were a very short-lived ska band from Coventry, United Kingdom, that released just one single: '21 Guns' on Shack Records (1981). Formed in 1980, the group consisted of The Specials roadies Trevor Evans (keyboards) and Johnny Rex (drums), plus Kevin Tanner (bass), Stuart MacLean (guitar) and Gary 'Judge' Chambers (vocals). Prior to their single at Shack Records (the label that The Specials' Neville Staple started, along with his then girlfriend, The Bodysnatchers' Stella Barker) 21 Guns recorded a three-song session for John Peel in early February 1981. They also scored a support slot opening for Hazel O'Connor.
Marching in Time
21 Guns Lyrics
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Echoes on as the fight begins
Thunder rolls over broken plains
I feel a distant gun load the shell with my name
I'm just a man of flesh and blood
And soon they'll have one less soldier
To march in time
Writing home to those it may concern
My hands are shaking for the boys
I know won't return
I'm just a man of flesh and blood
And marching to a different drum
We go marching in time
You see we don't remember
As we go marching through time
Now will we all be forgotten
Morning broke to cold light of day
The guns have stopped with no more to say
Silent tears and wounds that won't heal
I can't forget the pin it was all to real
I'm just a man of flesh and blood
And marching to a different drum
We go marching in time
You see we don't remember
As we go marching through time
Now will we all be forgotten
I've seen the smoke from fields of fire
And crossed the lines that made me blind
Closing your eyes won't stop the pain
Won't buy me time to fight again
(Chorus)
The lyrics of 21 Guns's song "Marching in Time" describe the experiences and emotions of a soldier in battle. The beginning of the song sets the scene with battle cries and thunder rolling over broken plains. The soldier knows that he is in danger as he hears a distant gun load the shell with his name. Despite this, he marches on as a man of flesh and blood, knowing that soon there will be one less soldier marching in time.
The next verse shows the soldier's empathy for his fellow soldiers who will not return home. He writes home to those who may be concerned, but his hands shake as he thinks of the boys who will not come back. The chorus repeats the line "We go marching in time," which represents the idea that soldiers are often not remembered for their individual experiences, as they march together in step. The soldier questions whether all soldiers will be forgotten as they go marching through time.
The third verse describes the aftermath of battle, as the guns stop and there is nothing left to say. The soldier is left with wounds that won't heal and silent tears as he remembers the pain of what he has experienced. He knows that he cannot forget, and that closing his eyes will not make the pain go away.
Line by Line Meaning
Battle cries in the wind
The wailing sounds of battle can be heard far and wide on the winds of war.
Echoes on as the fight begins
The tumultuous sounds of battle continue without interruption as the conflict commences.
Thunder rolls over broken plains
Amidst the destruction of the war, the sound of thunder can be heard echoing over the devastated terrain.
I feel a distant gun load the shell with my name
Despite being far away from the enemy, the artist has a sense of foreboding that a gun is being loaded with his name on it.
I'm just a man of flesh and blood
The artist is human and vulnerable, subject to the dangers and horrors of the war just like any other man.
And soon they'll have one less soldier
The singer knows that his time is running out and he will soon be another casualty of the war.
To march in time
The military jargon for soldiers moving in unison becomes an ominous reminder of the fragility of human life in the face of war.
Writing home to those it may concern
The artist is composing a letter to his loved ones, knowing full well it may be his last chance to communicate with them.
My hands are shaking for the boys
The artist is anxious and afraid for his fellow soldiers who may not make it out alive.
I know won't return
The artist foresees that many of his comrades will perish in the war and never return home.
And marching to a different drum
Although he is part of the army, the singer feels as though he is out of step with the rest of his unit and marching to a different rhythm.
We go marching in time
Despite their individual differences, the soldiers march in unison towards an uncertain fate.
You see we don't remember
The passage of time inevitably erodes memories, and many of the soldiers who fought and died will soon be forgotten.
As we go marching through time
The relentless march of time continues, regardless of the carnage and devastation that war inflicts.
Now will we all be forgotten
The singer is haunted by the fear that he and his fellow soldiers will be forgotten by history, lost to the annals of time.
Morning broke to cold light of day
As the sun rises on a new day, the aftermath of the war can be seen in stark relief in the cold light of dawn.
The guns have stopped with no more to say
The violence and noise of war have subsided, leaving behind only the eerie silence of death and destruction.
Silent tears and wounds that won't heal
The emotional and physical scars of war will last long after the immediate conflict has ended.
I can't forget the pin it was all too real
The memory of a specific moment of horror - represented by the image of a pin - is burned into the singer's mind as a reminder of the brutal reality of war.
I've seen the smoke from fields of fire
The destruction wrought by war is tangible and visible in the literal smoke and flames that consume everything in their path.
And crossed the lines that made me blind
The artist has experienced the bitter truth of war, and in doing so has transcended the illusions and biases that once blinded him to its horrors.
Closing your eyes won't stop the pain
The artist has learned that ignoring or denying the reality of the situation will not make the pain and suffering of war go away.
Won't buy me time to fight again
Even if the singer could turn back time and fight again, he knows that the outcome would still be the same: war is senseless and destructive, and there are no winners in the end.
Contributed by Micah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.