1982 saw GBH's first LP, City Baby Attacked By Rats. The album was marked lyrically with harsh criticism of British and European culture, typical of UK punk. It was also full of 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, social anarchism, and generalised absurdity. However not political, the album's lyrics do seem remarkably socially aware. This kind of content would later follow up in later GBH releases. Musically, the album was loud, and fast, with most songs staying under three minutes, typical of the hardcore punk genre. This is also a trademark of future GBH releases.
In 1983 the band changed their name to simply GBH, arguably just because the word "Charged" in front of their name had dropped from the lingo of many of their fans. (The name change was announced at a gig in the now defunct 'Golden Eagle' public house, where GBH were playing along with ex-Hawkwind sax player Nik Turner's 'Inner City Unit').
GBH are known to be pioneers of the UK82 second wave of British punk rock in the 1980s, along with fellow pioneers Discharge, Broken Bones, The Exploited, The Varukers. and The Skeptix.
The band has, for the most part, kept true to its original punk rock roots since its formation, unlike many other former punk bands, especially hardcore bands, who later formed the Post-Punk genre of the mid to late 80s. However the band has experimented with, alongside many other hardcore punk bands, notably The Exploited, a bit of what is known as metal crossover. Metal Crossover is when punk bands use riffs of heavy metal in their music, usually just as a break in the monotony of the traditional two and three chord, punk rock sound. Some punk rock purists argue that when punk bands do this they break from the original punk sound, and therefore become simply metal bands. The band, though, maintains that they are, in fact, still a punk rock band. However, the band has done this quite a lot, especially experimenting with it heavily in their 1992 release Church of the Truly Warped. This sound carried over even into their latest LPs. However, they have been falling back more on their original punk rock sound roots recently.
The band is still active and touring, even among many circulating rumours about a break up. The band maintains a strong cult following both in England and the rest of Europe, as well as in America and Japan, where some say that punk is still in its elementary to mid-stages.
City Babys Revenge
GBH Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Their little teeth, they gnawed and hacked ..
He grew and he fought back ..
put those rats back in their traps.
City Babys .. Revenge
Survive he did, but only just.
No rats are safe, when he is there.
A Pied Piper .. with a grudge to bear.
The lyrics of GBH's "City Babys Revenge" describe the story of a person who was attacked by rats in the city. The first two lines describe the attack and the way the rats gnawed and hacked their teeth into the victim's body. The third line shows the victim's determination to fight back and put the rats back in their traps, thus seeking revenge for what they have done. The chorus, "City Babys .. Revenge," repeatedly emphasizes this desire for revenge.
In the second verse, the lyrics reveal that the victim has survived the attack but only just. As a result, the person now has a strong desire and lust for revenge against the rats. The final two lines of the verse set the tone for the rest of the song, implying that no rat is safe around this person, who is now a "Pied Piper" with a grudge to bear โ someone who now has an all-consuming desire for revenge against the rats that attacked them.
The lyrics of "City Babys Revenge" are a powerful and metaphorical commentary on the human desire for revenge. They portray how experiences of pain and trauma can create a thirst for revenge that is almost impossible to quench โ a desire that can become all-encompassing and can entirely consume a person's life. Overall, the song is a powerful expression of this dark and complex human emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a City Baby, Attacked By Rats.
A young person living in the city was attacked by rats.
Their little teeth, they gnawed and hacked ..
The rats used their small teeth to bite and chew on the person.
He grew and he fought back ..
The person survived and grew up, and decided to fight back against the rats.
put those rats back in their traps.
The person was successful in trapping the rats.
City Babys .. Revenge
The person seeks revenge against the rats for their earlier attack.
Survive he did, but only just.
The person barely survived the rat attack.
Now for revenge, he has a lust.
The person desires revenge against the rats.
No rats are safe, when he is there.
The person is determined to eliminate all rats in his presence.
A Pied Piper .. with a grudge to bear.
The person is like the Pied Piper who uses music to lure rats, but instead he seeks revenge against them for their attack and harm.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW PAUL WILLIAMS, COLIN DEREK ABRAHALL, COLIN ROBERT BLYTH, ROSS ANDREW LOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
leecooper9911
0:00- "Diplomatic Immunity"
2:16- "Drugs Party in 526"
4:53- "See the Man Run"
7:10- "Vietnamese Blues"
11:05- "Womb With a View"
14:03- "Forbidden Zone"
17:11- "Valley of Death"
20:23- "City Baby's Revenge"
24:03- "Pins and Needles"
27:37- "Christianized Cannibals"
30:21- "Faster Faster"
33:16- "High Octane Fuel"
36:32- "I Feel Alright"
40:12- "Skanga (Herby Weed)"
Extra: 28:51 Excellent bass solo from "Christianized Cannibals"
Greetings from Poland.
p fialho
There was a city baby, attacked by rats
Their little teeth, they gnawed and hacked
He grew and he fought back
Put those rats back in their traps
City baby's revenge
Survive he did, but only just
Now for revenge, he has a lust
No rats are safe, when he is there
A pied piper with a grudge to bear
Dexter Lee
1. Diplomatic Immunity
2. Drugs Party in 526
3. See the Man Run
4. Vietnamese Blues
5. Womb with a View
6. The Forbidden Zone
7. Valley of Death
8. City Baby's Revenge
9. Pins and Needles
10. Christianised Cannibals
jennifer harman
4 decades, GBH has kept me strong. Truth to power, I take the hits, lick my wounds, listen to City Babies Revenge, ready to do it again. Punk will not die so long as I'm alive. Mean while...Oh Yea!
Gamers against Lean Alberta 2007
Punk is rapidly aging but there will continue to be similar genres regardless of sales numbers or anything anyone in the internet says. Scandanavian Black Metal and Japanese Math Rock as well as "Desert Blues" are good examples. Niche forms of small scale rock music which people will be able to play in there houses will continue to exist.
chasmanian remakas
This is one of my all-time favorite albums.( When we used to listen to albums and tapes ) I first heard it back in the 80's and it still stands up to the test of time. AWESOME TUNES!
Thanks for putting this on :>)
Steve Tsitsos
Punks no bead gbh
Travis Crutchley Comin' Straight Atcha!!
Punks no bead right now?
Gabriel Oviedo Subias
DIS HARD CORE M8s !! Stooges sounding )??
Christopher Lewis
Best Punk band ever, and my favorite GBH album. Saw them when they toured to support this album.
Kevin Matthew Kettell
I love this album since the 80s. thanks for the upload ! Punk rock forever !
Collen Rung
Thanks for posting this, I love this album!!! I haven't heard this since the 80's .
Ivan Joseph Murray
Great stuff from GBH here, some of their most melodic tunes on this album.
Womb with a View, Forbidden Zone and so on.....class!