The Casualties are a hardcore punk band formed in New York City in 1990. It… Read Full Bio ↴The Casualties are a hardcore punk band formed in New York City in 1990. It was formed by vocalist Jorge Herrera, Hank (guitar), Colin Wolf (vocals), Mark Yoshitomi (bass) and Yureesh Hooker (drums). Hank's last name of several is unknown. Jorge Herrera is the only remaining member of the originals. During the early years of the band, the members were very fluid.

Early years
The Casualties were formed in 1990, with original members Jorge Herrera (vocals) Hank (guitar), Colin Wolf (vocals), Mark Yoshitomi (bass) and Yureesh Hooker (drums). The members aimed to return to what they viewed as the "golden era" of street punk, embodied by bands such as The Exploited and Charged GBH which they believed had disappeared by 1985.[3] During the early years, the lineup was fluid, with several changes. That first year, Colin stepped out for several months to finish his education while Rachel, TheRivits' singer, took his place.[3]
In 1991, Hank left the band, to be replaced by Fred (last name unknown) on guitar. Colin, Jorge, Yureesh, Hank and Mark put together a demo, titled Political Sin, for the Benefit for Beer compilation.[4] After making this recording, Fred left to go to school and Steve, from Distraught, fills in for a short time, until Fred returns to the band full-time. The 4 song EP, 40 Oz. Casualty was recorded at the end of 1991 and self-released.[3] 1992 saw the band touring and building up a fan base in NYC. In 1993, Mark and Fred left the band and were replaced by Mike (last name unknown) on bass and Jake Kolatis on the guitar, followed by the departure of Yureesh and Colin in 1994, to be replaced on drums by Shawn, while the band went down to a single vocalist.[3][4] 1994 sees the recording of the 4 song EP, Drinking Is Our Way Of Life, however it would not be released. The songs would later appear on the Casualties "early years 1990-1995" CD in 1999.[4] In 1995, the band's second release, the 4 track A Fuckin' Way Of Life E.P. was released on Eyeball Records. After recording A Fuckin' Way of Life, Shawn left the band, and Marc Eggers (nicknamed Meggers) of the Rivits became the regular drummer. The line-up of Jorge, Jake, Mike and Meggers continued until 1997.
In 1996 the Casualties became the first American band to appear at the "Holidays in the Sun" Festival in London. 1997 saw the release of the band's debut album, For the Pun is released on Tribal War Records, and the band embarks on its first American tour with The Varukers. Mike (the bassist) left the band in 1998, to be replaced with Johnny Rosado, from The Krays.[4][5] They released their second LP that year, Underground Army, and begin a world tour. Jon leaves the band during the European leg of the tour, to be temporarily replaced by Dave Punk Core.
Present lineup
After the world tour, Dave would be replaced by Rick Lopez from the band, Manix. The line-up was now solidified for the band and would continue to the present day.[6] The end of the millennium, 1999, saw the band produce a compilation album, Early Years 1990-1995, which included tracks which appeared on earlier ED's, as well as never before released songs, such as the four songs they had recorded on the never released EP Drinking is Our Way of Life back in 1994.
The 2000s have seen the band continue to tour[3][6] and produce albums (an album list can be seen below). They have toured with several other bands, such as The Exploited, GBH, Cockney Rejects, Slaughter & the Dogs,[4] and the English Dogs.[6] In December 2009, The Casualties toured alongside Hatebreed, The Acacia Strain, Crowbar, and Thy Will Be Done as part of the Stillborn Fest.[3] In the summer of 2012, The Casualties co-headlined the Tonight We Unite tour along with Nekromantix, where they played For The Punx in its entirety, the first time they had played the album through since its release in 1997.[3] Later that year, The Casualties released their new album titled Resistance through Season of Mist.[7][8] In 2013, The Casualties played at the largest Punk Rock festival in the world,[9] the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, England, where they shared the stage with The Exploited, Special Duties, Chron Gen and Anti-Establishment, and others

Criminal Class
The Casualties Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Criminal Class - What you make me out to be
Criminal Class - The jails you build for me

On the streets getting picked up for a crime
For being different I am guilty from the start
fighting back seems a senseless thing to do
working men now you're fucking behind bars

Criminal Class - What you make me out to be
Criminal Class - The jails you build for me

On the streets we are getting organized
fight the system and their fucking corruption
fight the law and there's no fucking turning back
the boys are back and they're back to take a stand

Criminal Class - What you make me out to be
Criminal Class - The jails you build for me

On the streets law and order there is none
the boys in blue can arrest anyone
control the streets like a mafia rules the town
protect and serve only when they do the crime

Criminal Class - What you make me out to be
Criminal Class - The jails you build for me

Judges make sure you don't really have a chance
making bails only the wealthy can afford
creating cells all over across this fucking land
where the rich won't go in and the poor won't come out

Criminal Class - What you make me out to be
Criminal Class - The jails you build for me
Criminal Class

Criminal Class - What you make me out to be
Criminal Class - The jails you build for me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Casualties's song Criminal Class are a commentary on the corrupt justice system in society. The singer is a member of the "criminal class," an individual who is targeted and punished for simply being different, for being part of a group that is ostracized and marginalized by mainstream society. The jails that the authorities build for them, as well as the bias and prejudice that they face at the hands of the law enforcement, perpetuate a cycle of injustice in which they are trapped.

The song presents a defiant message of resistance against this system, with the singer and their fellow "criminals" organizing to fight back against the system's corruption and oppression. The singer acknowledges the risks and challenges of this fight, but asserts that they are willing to take a stand against the system in order to achieve justice and equality.

Overall, the song is a powerful critique of a society that unfairly condemns and punishes those who are different, and a call to action to resist and challenge that inequality.

Line by Line Meaning

Criminal Class - What you make me out to be
Being unjustly identified as part of a criminal group by society

Criminal Class - The jails you build for me
Prison systems built by those in power to oppress and control individuals deemed as criminals

On the streets getting picked up for a crime
Being arrested for a crime on the streets

For being different I am guilty from the start
Being automatically labeled guilty due to being different from societal norms

fighting back seems a senseless thing to do
Feeling hopeless and powerless to fight back against an oppressive system

working men now you're fucking behind bars
Working-class individuals being incarcerated unfairly

On the streets we are getting organized
Organizing to challenge the corrupt system and fight for justice

fight the system and their fucking corruption
Challenging the corrupt system and its injustice

fight the law and there's no fucking turning back
Defying the unjust laws and facing the consequences

the boys are back and they're back to take a stand
Uniting to take a strong stance against oppression and injustice

On the streets law and order there is none
Absence of law and order on the streets, lack of protection for individuals

the boys in blue can arrest anyone
Corrupt law enforcement has the power to arrest anyone they choose

control the streets like a mafia rules the town
Law enforcement controlling the streets with the same tactics as a criminal gang

protect and serve only when they do the crime
Law enforcement protecting and serving only those in power and committing crimes of their own

Judges make sure you don't really have a chance
Judges ensuring that individuals do not have a fair chance in the criminal justice system

making bails only the wealthy can afford
Creating monetary barriers for individuals seeking bail, only benefiting the wealthy

creating cells all over across this fucking land
Building prisons across the country to incarcerate individuals deemed as criminals

where the rich won't go in and the poor won't come out
Prisons designed to oppress and control the poor, while providing benefit and exemption to the wealthy

Criminal Class
Reinforcing the label placed on individuals deemed as criminals

Criminal Class - What you make me out to be
Being unjustly identified as part of a criminal group by society

Criminal Class - The jails you build for me
Prison systems built by those in power to oppress and control individuals deemed as criminals

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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