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
Down & Out
The Casualties Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A man roaming the streets
The one with raggedy clothes
The one you ignore to see
I'll tell you a little story
A man I used to know
Smelling oh so bad
Down and out
Call him what you'd like
Penniless and broke
Destitute for life
Down and out
Without a roof tonight
Wandering around
His life is in a rut
I once knew a man
Who's life was doing fine
Got himself a degree
And a fine looking wife
I once knew a man
Put a mortgage on a house
Bought a nice car
And friends were all around
Cloudy days will come
Getting laid of is all part of life
Losing, first your house
Your wife is next line
Cloudy days will come
No friends are to be found
The life you once had
Is taken just like that!
Down and out
He was once one of us
Life can take a turn
Life can be unkind
Who's concern
How about you and me
Think for a minute
It can happen to anyone
The song 'Down and Out' by The Casualties tells the story of two different men who were both financially stable at one time but ended up homeless on the streets. The first man mentioned is someone who the singer used to know- he wears raggedy clothes and smells unpleasant, which causes people to laugh and ignore him. The second man, who was once successful after earning a degree and having a wife, lost everything including his home and wife when he was laid off. The song reminds listeners that anyone can become homeless, regardless of their previous social status or level of education. It also sheds light on society's tendency to ignore and judge homeless people, overlooking the fact that they may have once been successful individuals.
The lyrics of 'Down and Out' raise an important issue of the increasing number of homeless people in society. The song advocates for empathy and understanding towards the homeless population- instead of ridiculing them, people should recognize that homelessness can happen to anyone. The message is especially significant considering the stigmas surrounding homelessness and the lack of support often experienced by those in need.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll tell you a little story
The singer wants to share a story with the listener.
A man roaming the streets
The man being referred to is homeless and wanders the streets.
The one with raggedy clothes
The man's clothes are old and in poor condition.
The one you ignore to see
Those who see him, choose to ignore him.
Down and out
The phrase refers to someone who is homeless, poor or in a difficult situation.
Call him what you'd like
The homeless man is judged and labeled by society.
Penniless and broke
The homeless man has no money or resources.
Destitute for life
The man's situation is permanent and he has no hope of changing it.
Without a roof tonight
The homeless man has nowhere to sleep or safe place to stay.
Wandering around
The homeless man has no destination and roams aimlessly.
His life is in a rut
The man's life is stagnant and he feels stuck.
Cloudy days will come
Difficult times will eventually arrive for everyone.
Getting laid of is all part of life
Losing your job is a common occurrence in life.
Losing, first your house
Losing your home is often the beginning of more difficult times.
Your wife is next line
Losing your spouse is often the next hardship to come with continued struggle.
No friends are to be found
When times are tough, people tend to distance themselves from you.
The life you once had
The life you had before experiencing tough times is no longer attainable.
Is taken just like that!
Life can change rapidly and unexpectedly.
He was once one of us
The homeless man was once a part of society like anyone else.
Life can take a turn
Life can change drastically and unexpectedly.
Life can be unkind
Life can be harsh and unforgiving.
Who's concern
The singer is asking who cares about the homeless man's situation.
How about you and me
The singer is asking the listener to consider their role in helping the homeless man.
Think for a minute
The singer is asking the listener to take a moment to reflect on the man's situation.
It can happen to anyone
The singer is reminding the listener that anyone can experience homelessness or difficult times in life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jorge Herrera
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sergio Sánchez
EXTRAÑO MUCHO A JORGE, JAMAS SERA LO MISMO CON ESE NUEVO CANTANTE
Blake Suman
this has to be one of their best albums in my opinion lol.. i love all of the songs from Under Attack
AZWIN90
i dont know why this hardly has any views ! this is one of my favorite songs by them !
juan
one of their best albums and my favorite.
alexthepunk84
One of beautiful songs of the casualties
Uk Subs
agree looks like city street manific !
Nono saez
Magnifique !!!
Baron Bass Cover
Nice bass line!!!
apokalypse91
we played this song yesterday with our band i love this fucking bassline!
goldchainnoname
Awesome Punk ! ! !