In 2002 Battalion of Saints reformed, the current line-up includes San Diego Veterans Matt Anderson (Heroin) on bass, Scott Bartoloni (Heroin, Clikitat Ikatowi) on guitar, Steve Gearhardt "Gearbox" (Total Chaos) and Mario Rubalcaba (Clikitat Ikatowi, RFTC, Hot Snakes) sharing duties on drums, and enlisting old friend and partner in crime Londis Kues "TK" (Crucified Youth, TOF) on guitar. The original Battalion of Saints lineup put out the "Fighting Boys" 12" EP, and the "Second Coming" LP, plus numerous compilation tracks. Most of this material has been re-released on the "Death-R-Us" CD available on Taang! Records. The line-up with Terry Bones put out one EP and the "Cuts" CD also available on Taang! Records.
-www.myspace.com/battalionofsaints
No Time
Battalion of Saints Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The tightrope of life
Someday he'll shake that rope
And fall out of life
Without
Thinking of tomorrow
Or the future to come
For the rush that does kill
The needle in his vein
That takes away all his pain
For now
As he sits
Alone at home
The monkey that's on his back
Is screaming for more
All he wants
Is to blow out his mind so he tries so hard
He loves the drug
He also hates the drug for the things that he does
There's a hole
In his arm, that keeps calling his name
He has the spoon
And the rig
He clips the balloon
And pours it all in
Then it starts
The sweat starts to pour
When the target is finally made
The warm rush that starts
To fill in his brain with fear
He thinks he's won
The final game
But it comes short
So he'll try it again
The song "No Time" by Battalion of Saints explores the life of a drug addict living on the edge. The first verse describes the addict as someone who is living his life on a tightrope and will someday fall out of life. This implies that he is constantly in danger and his addiction will eventually lead to his downfall. The addict is portrayed as someone who only cares about the present and the rush he gets from stealing and taking drugs. The pain he is trying to escape is unbearable, and the needle in his vein is portrayed as the only thing that takes away his pain for now.
The second verse takes us deeper into the addict's life as he sits alone at home with the monkey on his back screaming for more. He is depicted as someone who wants to blow out his mind and tries so hard to do so. His love for drugs is juxtaposed with the hate he has for them because of the things he does while under their influence. The hole in his arm is referred to as something that keeps calling his name. The chorus of the song grapples with the addict's constant battle with himself as he tries to quit the drug but the craving always pulls him back.
Overall, the song provides a poignant and bleak portrayal of the life of a drug addict, highlighting the harsh realities of addiction, and the negative impact it has on not just the addict, but also those who care about them.
Line by Line Meaning
He lives on a tightrope
He lives a dangerous and risky life
The tightrope of life
The dangerous path he has chosen in life
Someday he'll shake that rope
Someday his risky lifestyle will catch up to him
And fall out of life
And he will lose his life because of his lifestyle
Without
Living without
Thinking of tomorrow
Not considering the consequences of his actions
Or the future to come
Not considering how his actions will impact his future
The things that he steals
The things he steals to support his addiction
For the rush that does kill
For the temporary high that is slowly killing him
The needle in his vein
Injecting drugs into his bloodstream
That takes away all his pain
That numbs him to the pain he is trying to escape from
For now
For the time being, until he needs another fix
As he sits
While he is alone
Alone at home
Being alone in his place of residence
The monkey that's on his back
The addiction that he cannot escape from
Is screaming for more
His addiction is demanding another fix
All he wants
He is only looking for
Is to blow out his mind so he tries so hard
To completely numb himself from reality, so he desperately looks for ways to get high
He loves the drug
He has an intense emotional connection to the drug
He also hates the drug for the things that he does
He hates the consequences of his addiction but cannot quit
There's a hole
There is an open wound
In his arm, that keeps calling his name
His addiction is constantly calling out to him and he has an injection site on his arm
He has the spoon
He has the equipment to prepare the drugs
And the rig
And a needle to inject the drugs
He clips the balloon
He ties a tourniquet to make his veins more prominent
And pours it all in
He injects the drugs into his system
Then it starts
Then the process of getting high starts
The sweat starts to pour
He begins to sweat profusely
When the target is finally made
When he successfully injects the drugs into his bloodstream
The warm rush that starts
The initial feeling of getting high
To fill in his brain with fear
His high is causing him to feel scared and anxious
He thinks he's won
He believes he has successfully gotten high
The final game
The challenge of getting high
But it comes short
But his high is not as strong as he wanted it to be
So he'll try it again
He will continue to chase that perfect high and try to get there again
Contributed by Isabella N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.