No Use for a Name (often abbreviated NUFAN) was a punk rock band from San J… Read Full Bio ↴No Use for a Name (often abbreviated NUFAN) was a punk rock band from San Jose, California. They were formed in 1987 by Tony Sly and Rory Koff. The band is highly praised in the skate punk and hardcore scenes, though their sound has evolved considerably through the years, taking on a much lighter and poppier brand of melodic punk.

NUFAN's debut album, Incognito, was released in 1990 through New Red Archives. The band has released a single and one more full-length on this label, until signing up with Fat Mike's label, Fat Wreck Chords, on 1993. At that year, No Use For a Name released its first record on Fat, The Daily Grind, which turned to be a highly successful album.

In 1995, After the release of Leche Con Carne, their fourth full-length, Chris Shiflett (now in the Foo Fighters and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes) and Matt Riddle (also in Pulley) joined the band to play Guitar and Bass, respectively. In 1997, after the success of Making Friends, the band went on a worldwide tour through U.S., Europe, Australia, Canada, and Japan.

Chris left the band to play in the Foo Fighters, so now they have Dave Nassie playing guitar

The band released their 8th full-length album, titled Keep Them Confused, on June 14th, 2005. It takes a more political, philosophical and religious position than earlier releases.

A greatest hits collection titled All the Best Songs was released on July 10, 2007.

A new fourteen song full-length studio album entitled The Feel Good Record of the Year was released on April 1, 2008. In 2009, when promoting the album in Europe, Dave Nassie left the band to join the ranks of Bleeding Through. In August 2009 the band announced, that they replaced Nassie with Lagwagon's guitarist and founding member of RKL, Chris Rest.

In December of 2010, Rory Koff announced to the band he would need time off from touring to go full time with his snowplow business and eventually was replaced by new full-time drummer Boz Rivera (of King City, RKL, and The Mad Caddies.). Koff was the last remaining member of the original 1987 No Use for a Name line up.

Since 2010, No Use for a Name has been working on a new album.
Tony Sly tragically passed away on August 1, 2012.

Killing Time
No Use for a Name Lyrics

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Not Knowing what he had got into, only following the sheep
The message sent for his deployment at only twenty-three
Promised to be there for a short time
His mother looks at photos
Passed down from a family tradition;
Her head lies on her lap...

I'll never be sure exactly what it means

To serve and protect us from "enemies"
They make sure we're scared
To justify this ugly, bloody mess
It's less than your pride, it's suicide at best

The waiting fills her with delusion and memories gone by
"How could I give life to my baby and then let him go die?"
But with this joke administration where no one is exempt
It's not your fault and never will be.
Don't hold love in contempt...

I feel like I'm lost, drowning out at sea
Surrounded by space with no regard for sympathy
She sees the parade of victory and war that wasn't won
"I'm not coming home." "He's my only son."

If an angel earns its wings every time somebody dies
Then today's the angels black out the blue sky

Overall Meaning

The song Killing Time by No Use For A Name depicts the melancholic reality of a mother whose son, only twenty-three years old, was deployed and lost his life while serving for his country. The first verse introduces the son who, oblivious to the dangers of war, follows the path that society has paved for him. He enlists in the military only to be promised a short deployment. The second verse highlights the struggles of war that are often hidden behind the facade of patriotism. The singer reflects on how the government instills fear in society to justify the war and make people accept the idea of young men dying needlessly. The third verse is the most poignant one as the mother thinks of her son and wonders how she could allow him to die. She questions the administration and the policies that allow people to lose loved ones, no matter how young they are. She grapples with the idea that she gave life to her son only to see him lose it on the battlefield. The last sentence emphasizes the looming grief and despair which these wars bring upon those who lose their loved ones. The song paints the picture of the sad reality that young men and women face when on the front lines and the constant struggles that their families endure to cope with their loss.

Line by Line Meaning

Not Knowing what he had got into, only following the sheep
He did not understand the gravity of the situation, and just did what everyone else was doing.

The message sent for his deployment at only twenty-three
He received his orders to go fight in the war at the age of twenty-three.

Promised to be there for a short time
He was promised that it would be a brief stint, but that ended up not being the case.

His mother looks at photos
She is reminiscing about the past by looking at old family photos.

Passed down from a family tradition;
The photos were handed down from previous generations in the family.

Her head lies on her lap...
She is feeling sad and defeated, with her head lying on her lap.

I'll never be sure exactly what it means
The true meaning of going to war will always be unknown to him.

To serve and protect us from "enemies"
The reason for going to war is to protect citizens from enemies of the country.

They make sure we're scared
The military propaganda is to terrorize people so that they are in constant fear.

To justify this ugly, bloody mess
Governments make up reasons to justify going to war, even though it leads to death and destruction.

It's less than your pride, it's suicide at best
Going to war is not worth sacrificing your pride, and it's a dangerous suicide mission.

The waiting fills her with delusion and memories gone by
The mother is filled with anxiety, memories from the past, and an illusion of hope.

"How could I give life to my baby and then let him go die?"
She is questioning why she gave birth to her child only to have him sent to war and potentially die.

But with this joke administration where no one is exempt
The leadership of the country is not competent, and everyone is subject to being sent to war.

It's not your fault and never will be.
The mother should not feel guilty for her son being at war, as it's not her fault.

Don't hold love in contempt...
The mother should not resent loving her child or him going to war, as love should always be cherished.

I feel like I'm lost, drowning out at sea
He feels lost and hopeless, as if he is drowning in the vastness of war.

Surrounded by space with no regard for sympathy
The war is a vast, cold void with no empathy or compassion for the soldiers sent to fight.

She sees the parade of victory and war that wasn't won
The mother sees the celebratory parade for winning the war, but in reality, it wasn't truly won.

"I'm not coming home." "He's my only son."
The soldier is not coming home, and the mother has lost her only son in the war.

If an angel earns its wings every time somebody dies
If a religious belief about angels earning their wings is true, then today there will be a lot of angels from all the people who died in the war.

Then today's the angels black out the blue sky
There will be so many angels for the people who died in the war today that they will block out the sky and cast a shadow.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

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