The original line-up consisted of Dave Chandler (guitar), Mark Adams (bass), Armando Acosta (drums) and Scott Reagers (vocals). They recorded their first two albums before Scott Weinrich replaced Reagers in 1986. The line-up of Chandler, Adams, Acosta and Weinrich is the longest-lasting. The third album Born Too Late (1986) is generally acknowledged as their best release.[3]
After breaking up in 1996 and briefly reforming in 2003, Saint Vitus reunited again in 2008 with the band's "classic" line-up, featuring Weinrich, Chandler, Adams and Acosta, and embarked on a successful tour. However, after 30 years in the band, Acosta left Saint Vitus in 2009 due to worsening health, and was replaced by Henry Vasquez. By 2016, both Weinrich and Adams had left Saint Vitus and were replaced by Reagers and Patrick Bruders respectively, leaving Chandler as the only constant member of the band and reuniting two-fourths of the original lineup.
Shooting Gallery
Saint Vitus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Last night I went to Hell
The tenement, it smelled
Of the stench of death
The shooting gallery's breath
I saw women and men
Kill themselves again and again
They make their own disease
Yesterday I had a girl
To me, she meant all the world
Until the needle filled her arm
Now she fills me with alarm
Tombstone graves fill her eyes
She looks at me with mad despise
I pity her destiny
Now she's only hating me
They say that they don't care at all
The world is fucking sad
On that point I agree with them
But nothing is that bad
Poison disease, eating through their minds
They will never see the end of the line
I will never understand why they do it to themselves
Why they choose a life that so resembles Hell
Now I stand in pouring rain
At a friend's funeral again
Tears fill my eyes
He lived a tortured life
And as I walk away
I see another stray
Stumbling down the street
It seems so sad to me
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Saint Vitus's "Shooting Gallery" depict a horrifying yet realistic view of drug addiction and its fatal consequences. The chorus describes the singer's experience of visiting a dilapidated and dangerous tenement where the air is thick with the stench of death, and people shoot themselves to death repeatedly in a shooting gallery. The lyrics use vivid imagery to portray the self-destructive nature of addiction and the despair that surrounds it. The singer sees women and men repeatedly kill themselves, making their own disease worse with every hit. The chorus ends with a bleak declaration that these people will never see the end of their addiction, and they will never escape their fate.
The lyrics then shift focus to the singer's personal experience with addiction. He had a girl who meant the world to him until drugs consumed her, and now she fills him with alarm every time he sees her. Her eyes resemble tombstones, filled with madness and despise toward him. He pities her destiny, as she can only hate him now. The lyrics continue to describe the sickness that eats away at addicts, poisoning their minds and ravaging their bodies. The singer expresses his frustration with their inability to understand why they would choose a life that resembles hell.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I went to Hell
The singer visited a place that could only be described as Hell.
The tenement, it smelled
The location had a repulsive and sickening odour.
Of the stench of death
The stench is indicative of an association with death.
The shooting gallery's breath
The pervasive atmosphere of the shooting gallery produced an overwhelming sense of decay.
I saw women and men
The artist observed men and women.
Kill themselves again and again
Those at the shooting gallery repeated the self-destructive action.
They make their own disease
By them continually subjecting themselves to risk, they are complicit in their own destruction.
And the end they will not see
The individuals at the shooting gallery are unable to perceive the severe consequences that will eventually arise.
Yesterday I had a girl
The artist had a girlfriend.
To me, she meant all the world
The woman was deeply significant to the artist.
Until the needle filled her arm
Her addiction took over.
Now she fills me with alarm
The artist is now highly alarmed and concerned about her wellbeing.
Tombstone graves fill her eyes
Her eyes take on a zombie-like appearance, seeming to be full of graves.
She looks at me with mad despise
She seems to regard the singer with a vitriolic hatred.
I pity her destiny
The singer has a sense of compassion for her bleak future.
Now she's only hating me
The woman has come to detest the artist.
They say they don't care at all
Others claim not to care.
The world is fucking sad
They feel that the world is unbearable and saddening.
On that point I agree with them
The singer agrees that the world is very depressing.
But nothing is that bad
Despite the state of the world, nothing is worth resorting to such self-destructive habits.
Poison disease, eating through their minds
The destructive behaviour is slowly eroding their mental health.
They will never see the end of the line
They are too far gone to perceive that their self-destructive habits are leading them to a tragic end.
I will never understand why they do it to themselves
The singer is perplexed as to why people would elect to engage in such harmful behaviour to themselves.
Why they choose a life that so resembles Hell
The artist cannot fathom why these individuals would be willing to live such lives, comparable to the dismal reality of Hell.
Now I stand in pouring rain
The singer stands amidst rain.
At a friend's funeral again
The singer is attending yet another friend's funeral.
Tears fill my eyes
The singer is overwhelmed with sadness and is crying.
He lived a tortured life
The deceased had a very difficult existence.
And as I walk away
As the artist is leaving.
I see another stray
The singer observes another individual who appears to be on a self-destructive path.
Stumbling down the street
The individual seems to be struggling with their physical movements.
It seems so sad to me
The artist is filled with a sense of sorrow and helplessness upon witnessing these tragedies again and again.
[Chorus]
Repeating the prior chorus, emphasizing the sense of despair.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brea Jones
Saint Vitus is one of the best doom metal bands to ever exist.
Tomas Caminos
Vitus 4 ever
JS Wissman
Man I was listening to Black Sabbath's Technical Ecstasy and the opening riff of the second track reminded me of THIS amazingly cool SONG with its slow and swinging groove and somber lyrics.
Now I know what you're thinking: Technical Fucking Ecstasy, Dude? Really??
All I can say is I feel there is some good stuff on that album, though I do normally chill with one of the first six.
Metalhead1990
love the way goes for dark tone
Reverendo Blizaro
Last night I went to Hell
Of the stench of death
The tenement, it smelled
The shooting gallerie's breath
I saw women and men
Kill themselves again and again
They make their own disease
And the end they will not see
Yesterday I had a girl
To me, she meant all the world
Until the needle filled her arm
Now she fills me with alarm
Tombstone graves fill her eyes
She looks at me with mad despise
I pitty her destiny
Now she's only hating me
They say that they don't care at all
The world is fucking sad
On that point I agree with them
But nothing is that bad
Poison disease, eating through their minds
They will never see the end of the line
I will never understand why they do it to themselves
Why they choose a life that so resembles Hell
Now I stand in pouring rain
At a friend's funeral again
Tears fill my eyes
He lived a tortured life
And as I walk away
I see another stray
It seems so sad to me
Stumbling down the street
Witchfinder Nielsen
It's always raining in Seattle.
vitusdoom
V