Originally known simply as GBH (inspired by then-bassist Sean McCarthy’s trial for grievous bodily harm), their name was changed to Charged G.B.H in order to differentiate themselves from another band of the same name. Founding members were Colin ‘Col’ Abrahall (vocals), Colin ‘Jock’ Blyth (guitar), Sean McCarthy (bass) and Andrew Williams (drums).
Charged G.B.H embarked on several English and mainland US tours during the early 1980s, including several gigs at the 100 Club. 1982 saw G.B.H’s first LP, City Baby Attacked By Rats. Lyrically, the album dealt with criticism of British and European culture, violence, morbidity (especially in reference to the song “Passenger On The Menu”, which describes in graphic detail the experiences of the passengers on the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571), atheism, nihilism and general absurdity. Musically, the album was loud and fast, with few songs exceeding three minutes. In 1983 the band changed their name to G.B.H.
Unlike many early punk bands who evolved towards a more post-punk sound, G.B.H have stayed fairly faithful to their original UK82 sound in subsequent releases. However, the band have experimented to some degree with a more metal-inflected sound, notably with their 1992 release Church of the Truly Warped, although they have since returned to a more purist punk sound. The band is still active and touring and maintain a strong following both in England and the rest of Europe, as well as in America and Japan.
Mantrap
Charged G.B.H Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Earl has to make his final stand
Build a device to catch them all
I don't give a damn if they say they're poop
Chorus
If you get caught there's no going back
It's a man trap
The jaws of his baby tightly snap
He's old and mean and he hates the world
He's wicked as sin, his mind is narled
He's got plenty but he doesn't share
And to ask for help they wouldn't dare
A wall heath man with wife to keep
Did his duty and stole a sheep
Refused to grovel he refused to beg
Stepped on the trigger and lost his leg
Deported abroad and is long since dead
The gamekeeper's found without his head
His body was torn like tissue paper
a hidden peg-leg found years later
The lyrics of Charged G.B.H's song Mantrap depict the story of an Earl who is tired of people stealing off his land and decides to take matters into his own hands. He builds a device to catch all the thieves and warns them that if they get caught, there's no going back. The chorus repeats the words "It's a man trap" multiple times to emphasize the serious consequences of getting caught. The second verse introduces a man who stole a sheep and lost his leg as a result of stepping on the trigger of the man trap. Another character, the gamekeeper, is found decapitated, with his body torn apart like tissue paper. These gruesome events depict the severity of the Earl's intentions and the lengths he is willing to go to protect his land.
Overall, the song serves as a warning against theft and the consequences that come with it. It also highlights the extreme measures that some people might take when they feel that their property is being stolen from them.
Line by Line Meaning
They're always stealing off the land
People are constantly stealing from the land
The Earl has to make his final stand
The Earl has decided to take action against the thieves
Build a device to catch them all
A tool was created to catch all the thieves
I don't give a damn if they say they're poop
Author doesn't care about the thieves' excuses
If you get caught there's no going back
Getting caught will have serious consequences
It's a man trap
The tool was specifically designed to trap humans
The jaws of his baby tightly snap
The mechanism of the trap operates swiftly and efficiently
He's old and mean and he hates the world
The person responsible for the device is a bitter and angry individual
He's wicked as sin, his mind is narled
The person who created the tool is corrupt and twisted
He's got plenty but he doesn't share
The creator is wealthy but selfish
And to ask for help they wouldn't dare
People are too afraid to ask for help from the creator
A wall heath man with wife to keep
A poor man was trying to support his family
Did his duty and stole a sheep
He stole a sheep to provide for his family
Refused to grovel he refused to beg
He didn't beg for mercy or forgiveness
Stepped on the trigger and lost his leg
He accidentally triggered the man trap and lost his leg as a result
Deported abroad and is long since dead
He was punished severely and eventually died
The gamekeeper's found without his head
Another victim was found decapitated
His body was torn like tissue paper
The victim's body was mutilated
a hidden peg-leg found years later
Evidence of the first victim's injury was found years later
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW PAUL WILLIAMS, COLIN DEREK ABRAHALL, COLIN ROBERT BLYTH, ROSS ANDREW LOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MrBarlow1
A hidden peg-leg found years later......genius. Waited years for this version to be uploaded. Thank you IntoTheHellfire.
Jose Reyes
MrBarlow1
THX1138
Man, thanks for this. Their best song. Static and all!
Kenpachi Zaraki
@megadeth8612 I'm a metalhead too as well, but I was a punk first because I love punk music and it's first type of genre of music I ever heard and punk music also got me into metal, i was a punk and I still am one now.
Kenpachi Zaraki
@megadeth8612 Either talented or genius, we all should be grateful to get the chance to enjoy listening to their music that they created
DasBootII
HIGH SCHOOL memories 83 to 84 living in the OC!
Baby Irene
basically perfect.
Gouki420
If you get caught there's no going back! Mantrap! The jaws of his baby tightly snap! Mantrap!
Kenpachi Zaraki
@megadeth8612 lol, I plan to take music classes at college next year. I do agree and Beethove is brilliant because he was able to sound the notes in his head and wrote down the notes to create the beautiful music.
Kenpachi Zaraki
@megadeth8612 That's fucking great man, and I love classical and Opera, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven is my fav, interesting thing about Beethoven is that he's deaf and I'm born deaf as well now i'm hearing impaired with hearing devices i have and i have huge passion for music. Music is pretty much 99% of my life lol