7 Seconds is one of the longest standing bands in Punk Music they have been touring and recording for three decades.
Because of the positive message in their music they are constantly being categorized as a Straight Edge Band. The band has continually rejected this label.
The band started by releasing some poorly-recorded, but highly energetic, EPs, most of which were later re-released as "alt.music.hardcore" and "Old School" compilation CDs. They also appeared on the 1985 hardcore compilation "Cleanse the Bacteria", in addition to numerous other compilations, such as "Not So Quiet On the Western Front," "Something to Believe In," and "Another Shot from Bracken."
7 Seconds has floated across several genres of rock. Their first full-length LP "The Crew" was recorded in 1983 and released by BYO Records, as was its successor - the classic hardcore EP "Walk Together Rock Together". With the "New Wind" LP, the band dramatically expanded its sound and style with audible elements of a sometimes quieter, more melodic and accessible sound. Many writers have credited this particular period of 7 Seconds' career as being highly influential on many pop punk, emocore and indie rock bands that came along much later. Subsequent LPs moved deeper into mainstream territory with proto-emo and U2-like sounds. The "7 Seconds" LP continued their musical experimentation. However, the band returned to an old-school hardcore sound in 1999 with the "Good to Go" album.
They are currently touring and plan to re-record their first three tapes Drastic Measures, Socially Fucked Up, Three Chord Politics, onto CD.
In the February, 2005 issue of AMP magazine, in an article titled, "7 Seconds: 25 Years of Our Core," Kevin Seconds explained how the band's name originated:
“We were big fans of The Dils, they had this EP, 198 Seconds of The Dils and I was so in love with punk rock that I would just write album titles on my clothes. This was still when Steve and I lived with my mom. We had this desk in this room we shared and I wrote ‘197 seconds of The Dils’, I miswrote the title. Over time, everything else faded, but the 7 Seconds part was there, and I circled it, I thought it looked cool.”
In 1982 7 Seconds is believed to be the first band to refer to themselves as Hardcore. For their first show on March 2 in Newsletter NWIN/SPUNK #1 they described their band as hardcore new wave [1]
Dim Menace's fist-brandishing scowl on the cover of the Skins, Brains, & Guts EP is one of the most iconic images in punk rock.[2]
Sacramento News & Review [3] speaks at length of their influence in the positive hardcore movement and their positive effect on the Punk Culture.
Sooner or Later
7 Seconds Lyrics
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Neither is willing to give just a little
Ramming our heads into nothing
Winning a war that is non-existent
Sooner or later will we work together?
Who knows?
Or will we resign to the fact that that's just how it goes?
You're seeing things in your own way
While I'm seeing things in the opposite
And we think we're so fucking different
Unwilling to buckle or deal with it
Sooner or later will we work together?
Who knows?
Or will we resign to the fact that that's just how it goes?
Sooner or later will we work together?
Who knows?
Or will we resign to the fact that that's just how it goes?
Sooner or later will we work together?
Who knows?
Or will we resign to the fact that that's just how it goes?
The lyrics to 7 Seconds's song Sooner or Later touch on the theme of stubbornness and the inability to compromise which ultimately creates a divide in relationships. The opening lines, "Both of us too fucking stubborn, Neither is willing to give just a little," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The lines suggest that both parties are unwilling to give in to the other which results in a constant clash of opinion. The line "Ramming our heads into nothing, Winning a war that is non-existent," highlights the absurdity of the situation. The two individuals are wasting energy fighting a war that doesn't exist, resulting in nothing being achieved.
The chorus "Sooner or later will we work together? Who knows? Or will we resign to the fact that that's just how it goes?" presents a question to the listener. It asks whether the two individuals will finally come to the realization that cooperation is necessary, or if they will continue to go their separate ways. The repetition of the chorus offers a sense of uncertainty, as the answer remains unknown. The line "And we think we're so fucking different, Unwilling to buckle or deal with it," emphasizes the individuality of the two people, which contributes to their inability to compromise.
Overall, the lyrics to Sooner or Later evoke a sense of frustration and conflict, ultimately highlighting the importance of communication and cooperation in relationships to overcome differences.
Line by Line Meaning
Both of us too fucking stubborn
We are both too stubborn to find any common ground.
Neither is willing to give just a little
Neither of us is willing to compromise or make any concessions.
Ramming our heads into nothing
We are both determined to pursue our own goals, but those goals ultimately lead to nothing.
Winning a war that is non-existent
We are each fighting for our own ideals, but those ideals are not in conflict with each other.
You're seeing things in your own way
You have your own perspective on things that may be different from mine.
While I'm seeing things in the opposite
I have my own perspective on things that may be different from yours.
And we think we're so fucking different
We believe that our differences are significant and insurmountable.
Unwilling to buckle or deal with it
Neither of us is willing to compromise or back down from our positions.
Sooner or later will we work together?
Might we eventually find a way to collaborate, despite our differences?
Who knows?
It's impossible to say for sure.
Or will we resign to the fact that that's just how it goes?
Will we accept that our differences cannot be reconciled and continue to pursue our separate paths?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Kevin Seconds
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind