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.
Rock-A-Bye
7 Year Bitch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Clench your fists, grit my teeth
Lotta smoke, wipe my eye
Why'd ya have to go and die?
And everything seems like nothing
Up against what your { ?}
'Cuz pain was pain
But pain was never {?} that (?)
Well here I am and here I go...
You sleep, so sound, no sign of struggle around
But this is not sleepin' I didn't hear your fists pound
No, I didn't hear your fists pound
Don't you roll my baby away
'Cuz there's a couple more things I wanted to say
Don't you roll my baby away
There's a couple more things I wanted to say
Don't you roll my baby, my baby away
Wake up!
Wake up!
The lyrics to 7 Year Bitch's song Rock-A-Bye deal with the pain and grief of losing someone close to you. The singer of the song drinks and cries, trying to cope with the intense emotions they are feeling. The smoke that fills the air, along with the clenched fists and gritted teeth, further illustrate the intensity of the singer's pain. They cannot understand why their loved one had to die, and everything in life feels like nothing compared to the loss they are experiencing. The line "pain was pain, but pain was never (?) that" suggests that the singer is struggling to articulate the full magnitude of their suffering.
The second verse of the song focuses on the moment when the singer discovers their loved one has died. They are in shock and cannot fathom how their loved one could be sleeping so soundly without any sign of struggle. The line "this is not sleepin', I didn't hear your fists pound" suggests that the loved one may have died suddenly, without any warning or signs of distress. The singer is desperate to keep their loved one close and begs them not to be "rolled away." The final lines of the song are a direct plea to their loved one, urging them to "wake up."
Overall, Rock-A-Bye is a powerful and emotional song that deals with the pain and grief of losing someone close to you. Through vivid imagery and intense emotion, 7 Year Bitch captures the heartache and confusion that can accompany such a devastating loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I drink and I cry
I cope with your loss by drinking and crying
Clench your fists, grit my teeth
I am filled with anger and frustration about your death
Lotta smoke, wipe my eye
I am smoking a lot and often wiping my eyes as I mourn
Why'd ya have to go and die?
I am wondering why you had to die and feeling angry about it
And everything seems like nothing
Without you, everything feels meaningless
Up against what your { ? }
Not clear (lyrics unclear)
'Cuz pain was pain
Feeling pain was something we understood
But pain was never {?} that (?)
Not clear (lyrics unclear)
You sleep, so sound, no sign of struggle around
You look so peaceful in death and it's hard to believe there was a struggle
But this is not sleepin' I didn't hear your fists pound
Despite your peaceful appearance, I know this wasn't just sleeping because I didn't hear you fighting
Don't you roll my baby away
I don't want you to be taken away from me
'Cuz there's a couple more things I wanted to say
I feel like there were things left unsaid
Wake up!
I am desperately wishing you could come back to life
Wake up!
I am pleading with you to wake up
Contributed by Zachary J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.