Tankard were formed by three classmates, Andreas "Gerre" Geremia, Axel Katzmann and Frank Thorwarth. At the time, the band was known as Vortex and Avenger until the current name of Tankard was discovered by the band in a dictionary. Their first song written was called "Ray Death", a song about nuclear war and their first gig was played in a local classroom in 1983. As the band were not permitted to drink alcohol in the school, they smuggled their beer in with milk cartons. Soon after, band member Bernhard Rapprich left the band as his conservative father did not want him "hanging around with a bunch of drunks" and was replaced by Andy Bulgaropulos.
In 1984, Tankard signed to Noise Records after narrowly missing out on signing with Steamhammer during a gig where guitarist Andy Bulgaropulous made the mistake of wearing a blue sweatshirt with a deer on the front creating the wrong image and causing Steamhammer to retract their offer of a contract.
Members:
* Andreas "Gerre" Geremia (1982)- Vocals
* Frank Thorwarth (1982) - Bass
* Olaf Zissel (1994)- Drums
* Andy Gutjahr (1998)- Guitars
Former Members:
Guitars:
*Axel Katzmann (1982-1995)
*Andy Bulgaropulos (1982-1998)
*Bernhard Rapprich (1982)
Drums:
*Oliver Werner (1982-89)
*Arnulf Tunn (1989-1993)
Time Warp
Tankard Lyrics
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My life destroyed by gunshots
Lost my job, lost my girl
Frustration, fading memories
Black and white, black and white
The world appears in black and white
Dragged myself through subway stations
Neon sky, neon sky
I drowned beneath a neon sky
Then I heard of famous scientists
Who did look for volunteers
Time Warp again
I have to set things right
The next time no mistakes, my friend!
Time Warp tonight
Time Warp again
I have to set things right
The next time no mistakes, my friend!
Time Warp tonight
Travel back, travel back
I had the chance to travel back
Riding eight weeks down the timeline
Hyper jump into the past
Energy, Energy
My body filled with energy
I arrived but there's the problem
There is still my old-time-me
Time Warp again
I have to set things right
The next time no mistakes, my friend!
Time Warp tonight
Time Warp again
I have to set things right
The next time no mistakes, my friend!
Time Warp tonight
I brewed an evil plan
How to reclaim my world
How to get rid of me
How to regain my girl
Lay in ambush with a sniper
A bloody rifle on the roof
Fired once, fired twice
Shit I thought I shot myself
I brewed an evil plan
How to reclaim my world
How to get rid of me
How to regain my girl
Read the story in the paper
And now I realize
Caused a time-paradox, repeating
Old-time-me is still alive!
Time Warp again
I have to set things right
The next time no mistakes, my friend!
Time Warp tonight
Time Warp again
I have to set things right
The next time no mistakes, my friend!
Time Warp tonight
The lyrics to Tankard's song Time Warp describe the story of a man who is at a low point in his life. He has just come out of a month-long coma after being shot and has lost everything: his job, his girl, and his memories are fading away. The world around him seems colorless, and he is struggling to get by, using the subway to move around in poverty. However, hope arrives in the form of famous scientists who are recruiting volunteers to travel back in time. The singer sees this as an opportunity to set things right and travel back in time to reclaim his lost world and his girl.
The story takes a twist, however, when he discovers that his old self is still alive in the past, causing a time paradox. In his attempt to get back his girl, he lays in ambush with a sniper and ends up shooting himself, causing a loop in time that perpetuates his old self still being alive.
The lyrics explore the concept of time travel and the idea of going back in time to fix mistakes, but at the same time, warn against the consequences of altering the past. The song is also reflective of the German thrash metal genre that Tankard is associated with, with quick guitar riffs and raw vocals.
Line by Line Meaning
One month in full coma
I was in a coma for a whole month
My life destroyed by gunshots
Gunshots ruined my life
Lost my job, lost my girl
I lost my job and my girlfriend
Frustration, fading memories
I feel frustrated and my memories are fading
Black and white, black and white
The world seems colorless and bland
The world appears in black and white
Everything appears dull and lifeless
Dragged myself through subway stations
I had to struggle through subway stations
Ripped apart by poverty
I was torn apart by poverty
Neon sky, neon sky
The bright lights of the city are overwhelming
I drowned beneath a neon sky
I felt overwhelmed by the bright city lights
Then I heard of famous scientists
I heard about scientists who were famous
Who did look for volunteers
They were looking for volunteers to participate in experiments
Time Warp again
I need to time travel again
I have to set things right
I need to fix everything
The next time no mistakes, my friend!
I can't make any more mistakes
Time Warp tonight
I need to time travel tonight
Travel back, travel back
I traveled back in time
I had the chance to travel back
I was given the opportunity to time travel
Riding eight weeks down the timeline
I traveled back eight weeks into the past
Hyper jump into the past
I jumped into the past with great energy
My body filled with energy
I felt full of energy
I arrived but there's the problem
But I encountered a problem when I arrived
There is still my old-time-me
My past self is still there
I brewed an evil plan
I came up with a devious plan
How to reclaim my world
To take back control of my life
How to get rid of me
To get rid of my past self
How to regain my girl
To win back my ex-girlfriend
Lay in ambush with a sniper
I hid and waited with a sniper rifle
A bloody rifle on the roof
I had a bloody rifle on the roof
Fired once, fired twice
I fired the rifle twice
Shit I thought I shot myself
I thought I accidentally shot my past self
Read the story in the paper
I read about my own actions in the newspaper
And now I realize
I now understand
Caused a time-paradox, repeating
I caused a time paradox that keeps repeating
Old-time-me is still alive!
My past self is still alive
Contributed by Gianna F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.