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.
Gunned Down
GBH Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But how could they stop me with this magnum in my hand ?
Just a kid now he always will be.
Gunned down gunned down.
Fell like a stone in a war of his own.
It can blow a hole in a steel door it can blow a hole in you.
The blood is spilt it burns my eyes a pain I cannot bear.
I'm lying in the gutter crying in despair.
So I've failed in my quest of crime my one and only vice.
Gunned down by a sniper, for trying to improve my life.
The song "Gunned Down" by GBH explores the narration of a character that had been engaged in a criminal activity. The individual is armed with a magnum and the job seems to be an easy one. However, the situation turns for the worse and the character is unable to comprehend what went wrong. The character reflects on the power of the gun in their hand and how it can create a hole in a steel door or even take down a police officer. Despite the warning signs, the character still engages in criminal activity that ultimately results in their demise. The lyrics explain the pain, desperation, and guilt the character who has been shot feels as they lie in the gutter.
The song's message is about the consequences of engaging in criminal activity and how it has a ripple effect. The consequences may not only affect the individual engaged in the activity, but also those who surround them. A once-young character has lost their life due to the destructive nature of gun violence, leaving behind a trail of devastation. The track can be interpreted in different ways by different people but ultimately, it's message speaks to the need to avoid crime and the consequences that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
An easy job but it went wrong, I could not understand.
I thought it was going to be an easy job, but it didn't go as planned, and I'm not sure why.
But how could they stop me with this magnum in my hand ?
I had a powerful gun, so how could anyone stop me?
Just a kid now he always will be.
The victim was just a kid, and he will never grow up because he was killed.
Gunned down gunned down.
He was killed by gunfire.
Fell like a stone in a war of his own.
He fell like a heavy object, as if he was in his own battle.
It can blow a hole in a steel door it can blow a hole in you.
The gun was so powerful that it could penetrate a steel door or hurt someone severely.
It can blow the guts out of any cop, but then what would I do ?
The gun could kill a police officer, but then the criminal wouldn't have anyone left to fight against.
The blood is spilt it burns my eyes a pain I cannot bear.
The sight of the victim's blood is overwhelming and causes a pain that is unbearable.
I'm lying in the gutter crying in despair.
The criminal is lying in the street and feeling hopeless and defeated.
So I've failed in my quest of crime my one and only vice.
The criminal accepts that his life of crime was a mistake.
Gunned down by a sniper, for trying to improve my life.
He was killed by a sniper because he was trying to make his life better, but he went about it the wrong way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW PAUL WILLIAMS, COLIN DEREK ABRAHALL, COLIN ROBERT BLYTH, ROSS ANDREW LOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dominon92
An easy job but it went wrong, I could not understand
But how could they stop me with this magnum in my hand ?
[Chorus]
Just a kid now he always will be
Gunned down, gunned down
Fell like a stone in a war of his own
Gunned down, gunned down
It can blow a hole in a steel door it can blow a hole in you
It can blow the guts out of any cop, but then what would I do ?
[Chorus]
The blood is spilt it burns my eyes a pain I cannot bear
I'm lying in the gutter crying in despair
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
[Chorus]
So I've failed in my quest of crime my one and only vice
Gunned down by a sniper, for trying to improve my life
[Chorus]
Dominon92
An easy job but it went wrong, I could not understand
But how could they stop me with this magnum in my hand ?
[Chorus]
Just a kid now he always will be
Gunned down, gunned down
Fell like a stone in a war of his own
Gunned down, gunned down
It can blow a hole in a steel door it can blow a hole in you
It can blow the guts out of any cop, but then what would I do ?
[Chorus]
The blood is spilt it burns my eyes a pain I cannot bear
I'm lying in the gutter crying in despair
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
[Chorus]
So I've failed in my quest of crime my one and only vice
Gunned down by a sniper, for trying to improve my life
[Chorus]
lior cnc
25 years of listening to this song and its still a killa
Κουλης Κωνσταντοπουλος
ABSOLUTELY C O R R E C T
Jason Angel
Badass song from a badass band. It spills the blood everytime I listen to it (no pun intended). Somewhat reminds me of good ol Marvin heemeyers story aka the killdozer. RIP marv....Valhalla awaits you!
Lightning gaming
Ahhhhh.....this is music....since early 80's been listening to LBNS and CBABR...classic albums...great live too.
APAL880
Either I'm crazy or the drum sound on this album is unbelievable. It's a travesty that more rock doesn't have a drum sound like this. It's so bouncy and punchy. (This video's audio sucks though obviously)
Luke Holloway
Word punk sounds better when the quality is worse makes the drums sound like a gun
Jason K
Absolutely awsome.
Ferzanguy667
Punk is super underrated.
Gamers against Lean Alberta 2007
HC is extremely underrated and often has its thunder stolen by MetAliCuH aNd SlAyRrR and random 90s Alt Shit which wasnt nearly as important,as much as I do love some Thrash Metal (Sodom are very good as are Megadeth) and some Grunge. 77 Punk is middle rated which is probably about correct and fair. Australian Pub Rock,Power Pop,"German Prog"/"Krautrock",and 60s-70s American Garage did most if not all the same things sooner between them. Pop-Punk is cartoonists overrated. Couple of bands I can respect and enjoy like Alkaline Trio but overall Pop-Punk is terrible.