Referring to their style of hardcore punk music, the band declared in Frontiers Newsmagazine, “We put the ‘core’ back in homocore”. Their first recording was the self-released demo Don't Knock It Till You Try It. This was followed by a single called “What’s Up With The Kids” and then the self-titled LP Limp Wrist. However, since band members lived in different states maintaining the group became difficult. After an interlude they resumed touring in 2004 and self-released a new CD, Thee Official Discography the same year. The song “Ode” from this recording pays tribute to pioneering gay hardcore musicians Gary Floyd of The Dicks, Randy “Biscuit” Turner of Big Boys and Joshua Plague of Mukilteo Fairies and Behead The Prophet, No Lord Shall Live, providing a historical context for Limp Wrist.
The band’s best known song is “I Love Hardcore Boys, I Love Boys Hardcore”, which received much attention from fans and press alike. Lead singer Martin Sorrondeguy appears in "Queercore: A Punk-u-mentary" by Scott Treleaven and addresses the issue implicit in these song titles, what some might view as the apparent struggles of being both queer and being involved in the punk scene.
In 2004 Sorrondeguy released his own documentary film, "Beyond The Screams: A U.S. Latino Hardcore Punk Documentary." He had begun the film while still a member of his former band Los Crudos.
The band continues to perform and self-release records including the Want Us Dead 7" in 2006, featuring the songs Fake Fags and Want us Dead and a one-sided 12" in 2008 featuring Spun, and Bought Out.
This Ain't no Cross on my Hand
Limp Wrist Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you´ve got your biblical vision
wanting to instill it on hardcore
with conservative precision
this ain´t no cross on my hand
this x on my hand is no dead mans stigmata
impressionable kids believe it but they haven´t lived enough to know
this ain´t no cross on my hand
underneath all the false promises and peace
is nothing but a bunch of lies and the end of you and me.
this ain´t no cross on my hand
In Limp Wrist's song, "This Ain't no Cross on my Hand," the lyrics describe the infiltration of Christian ideology in the hardcore scene with conservative precision. The singer refuses to conform to this religious vision and instead addresses the questionable methods employed by some religious groups to propagate their messages. The "x on [his] hand" represents the cross that is often drawn on the hand of religious followers, but for the singer, it carries no biblical significance. Rather, this x is a symbol of dissent, a rejection of the centuries of hate that have been disguised as religious pamphlets handed out at shows. The singer recognizes that impressionable kids may be susceptible to these false promises and believes that the end result of this religious propaganda is nothing but a bunch of lies, spelling the end of you and me.
The song is an anarchic response to the infiltration of conservative religious ideologies in underground hardcore scenes. It rails against the kind of dogma that masks itself in subcultures in order to infiltrate and convert, calling out religious organizations that use these tactics. The use of "x" on the hand also alludes to the straight-edge movement, a punk subculture that emerged in the 1980s and has often been associated with abstaining from drugs and alcohol, as well as promoting animal rights and social causes.
Line by Line Meaning
Cristian infiltration
Christianity creeping into hardcore music scene
you´ve got your biblical vision
Attempting to impose religious beliefs
wanting to instill it on hardcore
Trying to impose beliefs on the hardcore music scene
with conservative precision
Using conservative views and beliefs to do this
this ain´t no cross on my hand
I won't let you force your religious beliefs on me
this x on my hand is no dead mans stigmata
This X on my hand isn't a sign of death like stigmata
centuries of hate disguised on pamphlet at a show
Lots of hatred disguised as religious preaching on pamphlets at shows
impressionable kids believe it but they haven´t lived enough to know
Young and impressionable kids believe what they're being told, but haven't lived long enough to gain proper perspective
underneath all the false promises and peace
Beneath all the seemingly positive messages,
is nothing but a bunch of lies and the end of you and me.
Lies that will ultimately lead to our destruction
Contributed by Nathaniel T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lucas Domith
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