The… Read Full Bio ↴Fucked Up is a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The band formed and played their first shows in early 2001. The initial practicing lineup consisted of 10,000 Marbles (Guitar), Concentration Camp (Vocals), and Mustard Gas (Bass Guitar). Just prior to recording their demo tape, Concentration Camp moved to guitar and vocal duties were taken over by Pink Eyes (also known as Mr. Damian). Drums are played by Mr. Jo (also credited as G. Beat or J. Falco) and Young Governor was added as a third guitarist in 2007.
Following the release of the demo, the band embarked on a long series of 7" vinyl 45 rpms. Unlike many of their contemporaries, the band shunned full length LP or CD formats, preferring to output their music two songs at a time. While some record distributors refused to carry the singles, they were generally released to broad appeal, receiving glowing reviews in many punk fanzines. The artwork and feel of the records was a tribute to the Dangerhouse Records era of punk vinyl.
The band released the "No Pasaran" 7" in May of 2002. The records aesthetic and philosophy was greatly influenced by anarchism and the participation of anarchists in the Spanish Civil War in particular. The cover and insert featured anarchist propaganda posters and portraits of Spanish farmers and peasant soldiers.
The Police 7" was released on March of 2003, quickly followed by what is considered the bands most significant recording, the Baiting the Public 7" in May of 2003. This single was in tribute to the Viennese Actionism, a far left art movement during the 1960s, and the Situationist International. The record featured one song spread over two sides, and illegible liner notes, meant to shock and annoy the buyer.
Two more 7"'s followed in 2004, the Dance of Death single, and the Litany 4-song EP. The vinyl releases to this point were collected on 2004's Epics in Minutes CD.
The band's use of imagery and symbolism took a decided turn after the release of Epics in Minutes, as it was followed by two obscure and limited 12"s, the Looking for Gold 12", and the live Let Likes be Cured by Likes 12". Many felt at this point the band's message became esoteric to the point of confusion, while others felt the turn towards a more convoluted approach was ultimately more rewarding. The Looking for Gold 12" contained no liner notes or credits, no song titles, and a hidden track. It was self-released by the band in 2004 in a limited run of 600 copies and immediately became one of the most infamous and sought-after modern hardcore punk releases, selling for over $100 on internet auction sites like ebay. The title track was 17 minutes long, used 19 guitar tracks, had a three minute drum solo and contained 4 minutes of whistling, all unconventional by punk rock song-writing standards.
Following a lengthy and rumoured self-written interview in Maximum Rock and Roll, that discussed some of the band's politics and identity, many people became suspicious of the band's intentions, based on their allusions to mind control, fascism, early 20th centruy occultism, and Nazi mysticism. The release of a split 7" in 2004 with the band Haymaker did little to allay these concerns as it contained a picture of Hitler addressing a Hitler Youth Rally in 1938. A public clarification followed in late 2004 after the band was attacked onstage at a concert in Toronto.
In the summer of 2004 the band returned to form with the release of the Generation 7" and 12" EPs. The record contained the trademark sound the band had developed with their earlier releases. The record would go onto sell more than 6000 copies in that year and would represent the definitive Fucked Up release of the later period. The live performance of "Generation" had at this point become a focal point of most shows and saw hundreds of people dance and mosh in a mad frenzy of violence and aggression, and would result in many injuries.
After touring for most of 2005 the band took on David Eliade as a quasi-full time manager/promoter, and released a new UK-only 7", Triumph of Life, on VICE records. The band is currently signed to Jade Tree, on which they released the double album Hidden World in 2006. Hidden World was generally well received in the music community, although many traditional punk fans who once glorified Fucked Up for their "short and fast" older songs couldn't quite grasp Hidden World, which was 74 minutes long. Owen Pallett (commonly known as Final Fantasy) did the strings for the album, and Alexisonfire's vocalist George Pettit made an appearance as a guest vocalist on the final track. The album served as Fucked Up's "major label debut", receiving positive reviews from Pitchfork Media, SPIN magazine, and NOW magazine. The albums was also picked as "#1 punk album of the year" by the Canadian magazine Exclaim!.
After Hidden World, Fucked Up began their yearly record series based off of the Chinese calendar. They released the Year of the Dog 12" in late 2006. Fucked Up also appeared on MTV Live Canada in January 2007. Fans in attendance reportedly caused $2000 worth of damages during the recording. After a European tour in the spring and an early summer U.S Tour that took the band to the U.S Southeast for the first time ever, Fucked Up proceeded to play several major music festivals including South by Southwest, Tales of the Jackalope, Oshesga Fest, and POP Montreal. In July of 2007, the band released the second album in the Chinese calendar series "Year of the Pig". The 12" is technically a single, featuring the song Year of the Pig and it's b-side Black Hats. Year of the Pig is over 18 minutes long, and is about the treatment of sex workers in Canada.
Currently, the band has made comments about several different projects, including a follow up full length to Hidden World, and a musical based off the song 'David Comes to Life' from the Hidden World album.
Ship Of Fools
Fucked Up Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stands a ring for the rivals for everyone to see.
They spar around the center of their own duality.
The audience is full and pressed against the ropes,
Chanting for the blood of the loser of the bout.
The fighters are their fears and symbolize their hope,
They want to escape but there is no way out.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
Like God asking Abraham to kill his only son,
He cries out for help, he stares at the sun.
He never gets an answer when the day finally comes.
When David fought Goliath he wasn't bound to lines.
Now he'll never hit his mark, his opponent makes the rules.
He's a servant to the story and a gallery's confines,
Drifting on a sea of words, trapped on a ship of fools.
The speaker and the spoke, the axle and the wheel.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
Sinking on the ship of fools. Sinking on the ship of fools.
Sinking on the ship of fools. Sinking on the ship of fools.
You clamor for an outcome, a candid dénouement.
The hunger for a resolution manifests the end.
It concludes with an ovation, clap the blood off of your hands.
He knows he couldn't help her when she needed him the most.
What he gave her won't undo the one thing that he took.
He was the vine around a flower, love in a fatal dose,
So his story won't endure, the losers never write the books.
The speaker and the spoke, the axle and the wheel.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
The fire and the smoke, the starved and the meal.
The head and the tail, the nut from the tree.
The wax and the seal, the dagger and the cloak.
The loss and the grief, the hammer and the nail.
The lyrics of "Ship of Fools" by Fucked Up are a metaphorical exploration of the human condition that employs various concepts such as duality, fear, hope, control, and power. The song describes the setting of a ship in the middle of the sea where rivals spar in a ring that symbolizes their struggle with themselves. The audience, which represents the society, cheers for the blood of the loser, reflecting the human fascination with violence and aggression. The fighters embodied their fears and symbolized their hopes, highlighting the role of struggle and conflict in shaping human identity. However, the song also acknowledges the sense of entrapment and futility that accompanies such struggle since the fighters are unable to escape the ship, which signifies life's limitations.
The song further explores the theme of power dynamics through the use of various oppositional pairs, such as the singer and the spoke, the teller and the tale, and the beast and the yoke. These pairs represent the interdependent and hierarchical relationship between different elements of existence, where one holds the dominance and the other the subservience. The song highlights the inherent conflict and tension in such relationships, where the subservient is bound by the dominant to an imposed narrative. The song also alludes to the idea of the losers being forgotten or suppressed by the dominant, indicating the subjective nature of power and the marginalization of those dispossessed.
Line by Line Meaning
In the guts of a ship in the middle of the sea
The fight is happening in a closed space which is somewhere in the sea.
Stands a ring for the rivals for everyone to see.
There is a ring at the center where the fighters showcase their skills.
They spar around the center of their own duality.
The fighters are fighting with their own fears and struggles within their mind.
The audience is full and pressed against the ropes,
The audience is eagerly watching and waiting for the outcome of the fight.
Chanting for the blood of the loser of the bout.
The audience wants the loser to get hurt badly or die.
The fighters are their fears and symbolize their hope,
The fighters represent the hopes and fears of the audience.
They want to escape but there is no way out.
The fighters want to escape the fight but they cannot as there is no way out.
The speaker and the spoke, the axle and the wheel.
The artist and the spoke are one and the same, just like the relation of an axle and wheel.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The teller tells the tale, just like the relation of a flower and a bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
Sword and steel are related, just as a beast and a yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
Fish cannot survive without the sea, just like a prisoner cannot be free without jail.
Like God asking Abraham to kill his only son,
This is an analogy to show how the fighter feels trapped and helpless in the situation.
He cries out for help, he stares at the sun.
The fighter cries out for help but nobody can hear him out, he feels powerless.
He never gets an answer when the day finally comes.
He never gets any support or answer for his distress when it is needed the most.
When David fought Goliath he wasn't bound to lines.
David is considered the underdog who fought against all odds and won, without any constraints.
Now he'll never hit his mark, his opponent makes the rules.
The fighter is now bound to the rules of the opponent and he cannot make any move without being harmed.
He's a servant to the story and a gallery's confines,
The fighter is now only serving the audience and is bound to the limited space.
Drifting on a sea of words, trapped on a ship of fools.
The fighter is lost in the sea of words and is trapped in the fight which is futile.
Sinking on the ship of fools. Sinking on the ship of fools.
The fighter is gradually sinking and losing the battle with no way out.
You clamor for an outcome, a candid dénouement.
The audience is eagerly waiting for the final outcome of the fight.
The hunger for a resolution manifests the end.
The resolve for the outcome leads to the end of the fight.
It concludes with an ovation, clap the blood off of your hands.
The fight ends with an applause from the audience leaving them feeling satisfied.
He knows he couldn't help her when she needed him the most.
The fighter was unable to help someone in need during the battle.
What he gave her won't undo the one thing that he took.
Though the fighter helped someone, but it cannot undo the damages that he has done.
He was the vine around a flower, love in a fatal dose,
The fighter's actions of love resulted in destroying things around him.
So his story won't endure, the losers never write the books.
The fighter's story may not be something popular as he is losing, but his actions may still have lasting effects.
The fire and the smoke, the starved and the meal.
Fire and smoke are related, just like the relation between starving and food as mean to end.
The head and the tail, the nut from the tree.
The head and tail are linked, just as a nut is linked to a tree.
The wax and the seal, the dagger and the cloak.
Wax and seal are related, as is dagger and cloak.
The loss and the grief, the hammer and the nail.
The feeling of loss and grief go together, like a hammer and nail.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Joshua Elliot Zucker, Sandy Miranda, Michael Ian Haliechuk, Paul Jonah Falco, Benjamin Peter Warden Cook, Damian Abraham
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
FOLK FORST
In the guts of a ship in the middle of the sea
Stands a ring for the rivals for everyone to see.
They spar around the center of their own duality.
The audience is full and pressed against the ropes,
Chanting for the blood of the loser of the bout.
The fighters are their fears and symbolize their hope,
They want to escape but there is no way out.
The speaker and the spoke, the axle and the wheel.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
Like God asking Abraham to kill his only son,
He cries out for help, he stares at the sun.
He never gets an answer when the day finally comes.
When David fought Goliath he wasn't bound to lines.
Now he'll never hit his mark, his opponent makes the rules.
He's a servant to the story and a gallery's confines,
Drifting on a sea of words, trapped on a ship of fools.
The speaker and the spoke, the axle and the wheel.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
Sinking on the ship of fools. Sinking on the ship of fools.
Sinking on the ship of fools. Sinking on the ship of fools.
You clamor for an outcome, a candid dénouement.
The hunger for a resolution manifests the end.
It concludes with an ovation, clap the blood off of your hands.
He knows he couldn't help her when she needed him the most.
What he gave her won't undo the one thing that he took.
He was the vine around a flower, love in a fatal dose,
So his story won't endure, the losers never write the books.
The speaker and the spoke, the axle and the wheel.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
The fire and the smoke, the starved and the meal.
The head and the tail, the nut from the tree.
The wax and the seal, the dagger and the cloak.
The loss and the grief, the hammer and the nail.
Corto Maltese
Wow what a song!! This is the best album for 2011 indeed!!
FOLK FORST
In the guts of a ship in the middle of the sea
Stands a ring for the rivals for everyone to see.
They spar around the center of their own duality.
The audience is full and pressed against the ropes,
Chanting for the blood of the loser of the bout.
The fighters are their fears and symbolize their hope,
They want to escape but there is no way out.
The speaker and the spoke, the axle and the wheel.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
Like God asking Abraham to kill his only son,
He cries out for help, he stares at the sun.
He never gets an answer when the day finally comes.
When David fought Goliath he wasn't bound to lines.
Now he'll never hit his mark, his opponent makes the rules.
He's a servant to the story and a gallery's confines,
Drifting on a sea of words, trapped on a ship of fools.
The speaker and the spoke, the axle and the wheel.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
Sinking on the ship of fools. Sinking on the ship of fools.
Sinking on the ship of fools. Sinking on the ship of fools.
You clamor for an outcome, a candid dénouement.
The hunger for a resolution manifests the end.
It concludes with an ovation, clap the blood off of your hands.
He knows he couldn't help her when she needed him the most.
What he gave her won't undo the one thing that he took.
He was the vine around a flower, love in a fatal dose,
So his story won't endure, the losers never write the books.
The speaker and the spoke, the axle and the wheel.
The teller and the tale, the flower and the bee.
The sword and the steel, the beast and the yoke.
The fish and the sea, the prisoner and the jail.
The fire and the smoke, the starved and the meal.
The head and the tail, the nut from the tree.
The wax and the seal, the dagger and the cloak.
The loss and the grief, the hammer and the nail.
Beja
one of the best tracks in the new lp. listen to those drums... man...
Dynamitrios
This song gives me SO MUCH energy...
smiley4pie
love this SO MUCH.
jfg434
that guitar riff tickles my tummy
Kookiekurre
Great song! Like a combination of AC/DC, Motörhead and hardcore, I guess.
fourzerofive
Not Hardcore but I like it. More original than most these days.
jvc929
This is THE JAM.
moon man
i heard this at kuma's corner an awesome metal bar in chicago, with damn tasty burgers and beers. plus a few pin-up ladies working behind the bar. These guys rock out for sure.