Their first release was a 7" EP on Porcell's label Schism (which he ran along with Side By Side/Gorilla Biscuits guitar player Alex Brown) entitled New York Crew. The record featured five songs, one of which was a cover of "Warriors" by the British oi!/punk band Blitz. On this recording, the band was merely a two-piece, featuring Porcelly on bass and guitar, and Ferraro on vocals and drums. But with the addition of bass-player Jimmy Yu (of Mike's former band Death Before Dishonor, which eventually evolved into Supertouch) and drummer "Lukey" Luke Abbey (Warzone/Gorilla Biscuits), they got together a fully functional live line-up.
The band received much criticism due to their militant Straight Edge lyrics, especially from fanzines like San Francisco's Maximum Rock'N'Roll. The militant lyrics were a conscious move on the band's part, as they were sick of seeing bands like Youth Of Today, who in reality had a very positive message, get slagged for being too militant. So they decided to give the nay-sayers exactly what they wanted – the most militant Straight Edge band imaginable. Mike Ferraro has later on admitted that provocation was an important aim for the band.
Judge was not just heavy in message, the music had very metal-influenced riffing, but remained close to its hardcore roots, without going all out metal, such as bands like Agnostic Front and DRI.
With a new line-up of Sammy Siegler (Side By Side/Youth Of Today/Project X etc.) on drums and Matt Pincus on bass, the band proceeded to record their full-length LP Bringin' It Down for Revelation Records at Chung King Studios in New York City. The recording was finished, but the band were so unhappy with the result that they decided to scrap it and re-record it at Normandy Sound in Rhode Island, where The Cro-Mags had recorded their Best Wishes album. Revelation did however put out a limited pressing of the original recording, fittingly titled Chung King Can Suck It (LP). It was given to people who had pre-ordered the record, and with only 110 copies pressed (all on white vinyl), it is one of the most sought-after hardcore records in existence, going for as much as $6,600 USD on online auction sites such as eBay. Eventually, Bringin' It Down was released in 1989. Judge continued touring up until 1991, and even released another 7" EP, There Will Be Quiet, featuring "The Storm" and "Forget This Time" (the CD-version also contains a cover-version of "When the Levee Breaks", originally by Led Zeppelin).
In May 2013 Judge have reunited and played two sold out shows in NYC. In 2014 and 2015 the band have continued to play shows in United States as well as in South America and Europe.
Hear Me
Judge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
IT'S ON MY HEELS AND I'M RUNNING ON MY OWN
CAREREE DAYS, MAN I NEVER KNEW
THEY COULD CATCH ME AND STICK TO ME LIKE GLUE
IT WAS SO FUNNY, REMEMBER HOW WE LAUGHED
GROWING COLD, I can't GET AWAY FROM THE PAST
IT GOES RIGHT FOR MY THROAT
IT CRUSHES ME, BUT I WON'T LET IT SHOW
I WANT TO RUN, BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE
ONCE AGAIN MY FISTS HIDE MY FEAR
EACH BLOW IS FOLLOWED BY A TEAR
IT WAS SO FUNNY, REMEMBER HOW WE LAUGHED
GROWING COLD, I CAN'T GET AWAY FROM THE PAST!
I CAN'T GET AWAY FROM ThE PAST!
CAN YOU HEAR ME? HEAR WHEN I SCREAM
YOU HEAR MY WORDS, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
I'M TIRED, OF THE GAMES WE PLAY
I'M THROUGH FIGHTING, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW
WHAT I WANTED TO SAY
The lyrics to Judge's song "Hear Me" chronicle the struggle of the singer as they confront the traumas from their past. The song begins with nostalgic and even idyllic imagery of carefree days, but quickly takes a darker turn as the singer realizes that these memories are inextricably linked to the pain and fear that haunt them in the present. The lyrics suggest that the singer is constantly on the run, metaphorically and perhaps even literally, from the feelings that threaten to engulf them. The use of the phrase "stick to me like glue" and the image of the past "going right for my throat" emphasize the sense of suffocation that the singer experiences.
One of the most striking aspects of the song is the way in which the singer's fear is juxtaposed with their attempts to hide it. The line "once again my fists hide my fear" suggests that the singer is accustomed to putting up a tough exterior in the face of adversity. Indeed, the entire song can be interpreted as a plea for acknowledgement and understanding. The repetition of the phrase "can you hear me?" in the chorus underscores the singer's desperation to communicate their pain and frustration to someone else. Their weariness and disillusionment is palpable in the lines "I'm tired, of the games we play / I'm through fighting, you'll never know what I wanted to say." Ultimately, the song seems to suggest that true healing can only come from confronting and processing one's emotions, rather than running from them.
Line by Line Meaning
I USED TO THINK THE DAY WOULD NEVER COME
There was a time when I believed this moment would never arrive
IT'S ON MY HEELS AND I'M RUNNING ON MY OWN
Now, it's coming at me fast and I'm trying to escape it alone
CAREREE DAYS, MAN I NEVER KNEW
Back then, I did not realize how carefree my days were
THEY COULD CATCH ME AND STICK TO ME LIKE GLUE
Now, those carefree days haunt me relentlessly and refuse to let go
IT WAS SO FUNNY, REMEMBER HOW WE LAUGHED
There was a time when I laughed at the things that now distress me
GROWING COLD, I can't GET AWAY FROM THE PAST
But now, I feel myself growing colder as I struggle to escape from the grasp of the past
IT GOES RIGHT FOR MY THROAT
The memories of my past strike a deep, painful chord in my being
IT CRUSHES ME, BUT I WON'T LET IT SHOW
The weight of my past is overwhelming, but I hide my pain from the world
IF I DO, YOU MIGHT SEE THAT I'M SCARED
If I let my guard down, people might realize the fear that grips me
I WANT TO RUN, BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE
I desire to flee from my past, but I do not know where to go
ONCE AGAIN MY FISTS HIDE MY FEAR
As always, I mask my fear with anger and aggression
EACH BLOW IS FOLLOWED BY A TEAR
Every time I am hurt, I cry silently as I fight to hide my pain
IT WAS SO FUNNY, REMEMBER HOW WE LAUGHED
I used to laugh with joy, but now those memories make me feel lost and alone
GROWING COLD, I CAN'T GET AWAY FROM THE PAST!
My past continues to haunt me, leaving me feeling numb and alone
I CAN'T GET AWAY FROM ThE PAST!
No matter how hard I try, I cannot escape the pain and sorrow of my past
CAN YOU HEAR ME? HEAR WHEN I SCREAM
I wonder if anyone can hear me when I cry out loud in agony
YOU HEAR MY WORDS, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
People might hear my pain, but they do not truly understand the depth of my despair
I'M TIRED, OF THE GAMES WE PLAY
I am tired of pretending everything is okay and the games we play to escape our pasts
I'M THROUGH FIGHTING, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW
I give up the fight to escape my past and no one will ever know the pain that lies within me
WHAT I WANTED TO SAY
All the things I wanted to say, all my pain and hurt, will remain unspoken and locked away
Lyrics © KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, Songtrust Ave
Written by: MICHAEL FERRARO, JOHN PORCELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind