2)House / Rave artist in the early 1990s with releases on Pulse-8 Records.
3)A misspelling of the "Band of Gypsys," of Jimi Hendrix, along with Buddy Miles & Billy Cox, debuted on New Years Eve 1969-70 at the Fillmore East as A Band of Gypsys. Please fix your tags!!
4) For the legendary South African band, see here Band O' Gypsys.
Machine Gun
Band of Gypsies Lyrics
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Tearing my body all apart
Machine gun
Tearing my body all apart
Evil man make me kill ya
Evil man make you kill me
Even though we're only families apart
Well I pick up my axe and fight lik a bomber
(you know what I mean)
Hey and your bullets keep knocking me down
Hey I pick up my axe and fight like a bomber now
Yeah but you still blast me down to the ground
The same way you shoot me down baby
You'll be going just the same
Three times the pain
And your own self to blame
Hey machine gun
Oooooooooo
I ain't afraid of your mess no more, babe
I ain't afraid no more
After a while your your cheap talk don't evern cause me pain
So let your bullets fly like rain
'cause I know all the time you're wrong baby
And you'll be goin' just the same
Yeah machine gun
Tearing my family apart
Yeah yeah alright
Tearing my family apart
Don't you shoot him down
He's about to leave here
Don't you shoot him down
He's got to stay here
He ain't going nowhere
He's been shot down to the ground
Oh where he can't survive no no
Yeah that's what we don't wanna hear any more, alright
No bullets
At least here, huh huh
No guns, no bombs
Huh huh
No nothin', just let's all live and live
You know instead of killin'
The lyrics to Band of Gypsys’ “Machine Gun” tell a story of the horrors of war and the destruction it leaves in its wake. The repeated phrase of “Tearing my body all apart” represents the physical and emotional toll of war on those who are fighting, caught in the crossfire, and those left behind. The opening line, “Evil man make me kill ya,” illustrates the senselessness of war and how people who are essentially the same (as they come from families just “apart”) end up killing each other.
The singer of the song becomes a fighter (using his axe as a metaphor for his guitar) but continues to be maimed by his adversaries. He is not afraid of the bullets (or “mess”) anymore because he knows that he is right, and that killing is wrong. As the song ends, the message becomes clear: the cycle of violence must end. The repeated refrain “No bullets. At least here, huh huh. No guns, no bombs. Huh huh. No nothin', just let's all live and live. You know instead of killin'” demonstrates that peace should be valued over war and fighting, and that this is attainable.
Line by Line Meaning
Machine gun
The sound of gunfire that is tearing the singer's body apart
Tearing my body all apart
The singer is being physically torn apart by the machine gun fire
Evil man make me kill ya
The singer is being forced to kill someone by an evil person
Evil man make you kill me
The other person is being forced to kill the artist by the same evil person
Evil man make me kill you
The artist is once again being forced to kill the other person
Even though we're only families apart
Despite being from different families, they are being forced to kill each other
Well I pick up my axe and fight lik a bomber
The singer is picking up their guitar and playing fiercely as if in a bombing raid
(you know what I mean)
No additional meaning, just a filler phrase
Hey and your bullets keep knocking me down
Despite the artist's efforts, they keep getting shot down by the other person's gunfire
Hey I pick up my axe and fight like a bomber now
The artist continues to play their guitar aggressively
Yeah but you still blast me down to the ground
Despite the singer's efforts, the other person is still able to shoot them down
The same way you shoot me down baby
The other person will suffer the same fate at some point
You'll be going just the same
The other person will eventually be shot down as well
Three times the pain
The pain of losing loved ones will be felt threefold
And your own self to blame
The other person is responsible for their own actions and the pain they cause
Hey machine gun
The artist is directly addressing the machine gun itself
Oooooooooo
No additional meaning, just a vocalization
I ain't afraid of your mess no more, babe
The singer is no longer afraid of the other person's tactics
I ain't afraid no more
The singer is reiterating that they are no longer afraid
After a while your your cheap talk don't evern cause me pain
The other person's words and threats no longer have any impact on the artist
So let your bullets fly like rain
The artist is daring the other person to continue shooting
'cause I know all the time you're wrong baby
The artist knows that the other person is in the wrong
And you'll be goin' just the same
The other person will meet the same fate as those they have killed
Yeah machine gun
The artist is again addressing the machine gun itself
Tearing my family apart
The violence is causing harm to the singer's family
Yeah yeah alright
No additional meaning, just a filler phrase
Don't you shoot him down
The singer is pleading with the other person not to shoot someone
He's about to leave here
The person the artist is referring to is planning on leaving the situation
He's got to stay here
The artist is insisting that the person stay
He ain't going nowhere
The person is not planning on leaving
He's been shot down to the ground
Despite the singer's pleas, the person has been shot and is now on the ground
Oh where he can't survive no no
The person has been shot in a way that is not survivable
Yeah that's what we don't wanna hear any more, alright
The artist is expressing their desire to no longer hear the sound of gunfire
No bullets
The artist wants there to be no more bullets
At least here, huh huh
The singer acknowledges that this may be wishful thinking or impossible
No guns, no bombs
The artist wants all weapons to be gone
Huh huh
No additional meaning, just a filler phrase
No nothin', just let's all live and live
The singer is encouraging peace and coexistence instead of violence
You know instead of killin'
The singer is emphasizing their desire for nonviolence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jimi Hendrix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind