7 Year Bitch was formed in 1990 by vocalist Selene Vigil, guitarist Stefanie Sargent, bassist Elizabeth Davis and drummer Valerie Agnew. Vigil, Sargent, and Agnew had been playing together in the Seattle band Barbie's Dream Car when their bassist left for Europe. They subsequently recruited Davis and renamed their band after the movie Seven Year Itch.
At their first concert, the band opened for The Gits, who would prove to have a significant influence on their music. In 1991 the band released the single "Lorna" and signed with C/Z Records. Their first album, Sick 'Em, was released in 1992, but it was overshadowed by Sargent's death on June 27. Sargent passed out on her back after returning home from a party where she had drunk alcohol and taken a small amount of heroin. She died of asphyxiation when she failed to wake up after throwing up the contents of her stomach. After a prolonged period of uncertainty, the band decided to continue, recruiting guitarist Roisin Dunne as Sargent's replacement later that year.
In July 1993, longtime friend and Gits frontwoman Mia Zapata was brutally raped and murdered while walking home late at night. This event, coupled with Sargent's death the previous year, had a profound effect on the group. As a reaction, the band recorded and released their second album ¡Viva Zapata! (1994) in tribute to both of their fallen friends. Valerie Agnew also became the primary instigator and co-founder of the anti-violence and self-defence organisation Home Alive. On April 8, 1994, the band played a benefit show for Rock Against Domestic Violence at the Cameo Theatre on Miami Beach, alongside Babes in Toyland and Jack Off Jill.
In 1995 the band signed with Atlantic Records, and in 1996 released their third album, Gato Negro. Following the tour supporting Gato Negro, guitarist Roisin Dunne left, and was replaced by Lisa Faye Beatty, the band's live sound engineer and long-time friend.
In early 1997, the band began recording material for what was to be their fourth album. The band moved from Seattle to California, Elizabeth Davis and Valerie Agnew to San Francisco and Selene Vigil to Los Angeles. With the recent departure of their guitarist, Roisin Dunne and the geographical separation between bandmates, Seven Year Bitch's career came to a close after a final tour with San Francisco's Lost Goat.
Following the break-up of 7 Year Bitch, bassist Elizabeth Davis joined the San Francisco-based band Clone, with whom she performed until 2003. In 2005 she helped to form the band Von Iva. Vocalist Selene Vigil formed a gothic/psychedelic-influenced band by the name of Cistine, in 2000. Roisin Dunne joined the band The Last Goodbye in 2006, and now resides in New York.
Their songs, "The Scratch" and "Icy Blue" were featured in the movie Mad Love with Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell.
Derailed
7 Year Bitch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My horrible memories
They haven't a friend
Sayin' it before
Now do it again
Memories of tragedies
Memories you scare me
I'm gonna inebriate them
I will get it
And I will use it
To my advantage
Right up to the brink
Of damage
I will suck from it
Every juice
Every drop
Put to use
You don't know shit
So leave me be
I wanna wallow
In self pity
It's happy hour on a sad train
I need these drinks to dull the pain
So don't you question how do I cope
Oh can't you see there is no hope
No reason though it rhymes
21 hours just me and mine
I will get it and I will use it to my advantage
Right up to the brink of damage
You don't know shit
So leave me be
I wanna wallow
In self pity
It's happy hour on a sad train
I need these drinks to dull the pain
So don't you question how do I cope
Oh can't you see there is no hope
No reason though it rhymes
21 hours just me and mine
My horrible memories are back again
In "Derailed," the lead singer of 7 Year Bitch narrates a personal struggle with traumatic memories that haunt her. The lyrics present a cyclical, vicious pattern of confronting and attempting to control the memories, only to be reminded of their debilitating power. The alliteration of "horrible memories" emphasizes the severity and frequency of the remnants of past trauma. The repetition of the phrase "I will get it and I will use it to my advantage" highlights the singer's intention to take control of the memories, but also foreshadows the potential harm she may cause to herself in the process. The line "Right up to the brink of damage" suggests the fine line between control and harm, and the dangers of self-destructive behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
Horrible memories are back again
I am haunted by my painful past experiences
My horrible memories
I am burdened by the weight of my past traumatic events
They haven't a friend
My memories are a constant source of torment, and I have no solace from them
Sayin' it before
I've talked about my emotional pain before
Now do it again
I am reiterating my suffering because it is consuming me
Memories of tragedies
I relive my painful experiences over and over again
Memories you scare me
My memories are so haunting that they are causing me fear
I'm gonna inebriate them
I plan on self-medicating with alcohol to temporarily relieve my emotional pain
I will get it
I will obtain what I need to cope with my pain
And I will use it
I will utilize alcohol to ease my suffering
To my advantage
I will gain benefits from my use of alcohol
Right up to the brink
I will use alcohol to its limit before it becomes harmful
Of damage
I will risk harm to myself to avoid dealing with my pain
You don't know shit
People who judge me do not understand what I'm going through
So leave me be
I want to be left alone with my self-destructive behavior
I wanna wallow
I choose to indulge in self-pity, and do not want to be motivated to change
In self pity
I am stuck in a cycle of dwelling on my pain instead of facing it
It's happy hour on a sad train
I am using alcohol to cope while traveling on a train
I need these drinks to dull the pain
I am using alcohol as a form of self-medication
So don't you question how do I cope
Do not judge my actions or question my coping mechanisms
Oh can't you see there is no hope
I feel hopeless about my situation and future
No reason though it rhymes
I am stating a simple truth without much depth or explanation
21 hours just me and mine
I am alone with my thoughts for the next 21 hours
Contributed by Scarlett H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.