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
Tragedy
The Casualties Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
no chance for what you wanted to do
its cause youre marked for death
didnt know you were born to lose
you didnt see it coming
you couldnt see it coming
you couldnt start running
born to lose - born to die too soon
born to lose - life cut short
the devils looking for you
born to lose - born to die too soon
born to lose - life cut short
the devils looking for you
punk rock tragedy - oh oh
you live your life too fast
doing too many drugs and booze
you didnt hink youd die
but now you die too soon
you got your life cut short
no chance for what you wanted to do
its cause youre marked for death
didnt know you were born to lose
- what you gonna do
- your end had come too soon
- with music in your heart
- you exploded from the start
- the future is looking up
- now all thats left is dust
- what are we gonna do
- your end had come too fucking soon
The Casualties's song Tragedy is a punk rock song that serves as an anthem for those who have died too soon. The lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness and inevitability that death will come for those who are always in a rush and don't stop to appreciate life. The lyrics "you got your life cut short, no chance for what you wanted to do, it's cause you're marked for death, didn't know you were born to lose" highlight how death is often unexpected and can take away the aspirations and desires one had in life.
The chorus "born to lose, born to die too soon, born to lose, life cut short, the devil's looking for you" reiterates the theme of death being inevitable and unavoidable, and that no matter how one tries to escape it, it will ultimately catch up with them. The lyrics "punk rock tragedy, oh oh" seem to be a nod to the punk rock culture and how it often glorifies youthful rebellion but also the dangers associated with it, such as drug abuse and stunted growth.
The second verse addresses drug abuse and excessive consumption of alcohol, with the lyrics "you live your life too fast, doing too many drugs and booze, you didn't think you'd die, but now you die too soon." The tone of the song is melancholic, and the lyrics "with music in your heart, you exploded from the start, the future is looking up, now all that's left is dust" highlight the sadness of the loss of life and what could have been if death had not intervened. The song ends on a note of despair with the lyrics "what are we gonna do, your end had come too fucking soon," which seems to suggest that there is no answer or solution to the problem of premature death.
Line by Line Meaning
you got your life cut short
Your life ended abruptly and prematurely.
no chance for what you wanted to do
You didn't get to fulfill your dreams and aspirations.
its cause youre marked for death
Your fate was already decided.
didnt know you were born to lose
You were destined for failure from the very beginning, and you didn't even realize it.
you didnt see it coming
You were caught off guard by your sudden demise.
you couldnt see it coming
You were completely unaware that your time was up.
you couldnt start running
You were powerless to change your fate.
you should have started running
You should have done everything in your power to avoid your tragic end.
born to lose - born to die too soon
Your existence was always going to be plagued with failure and it was always going to be cut short.
born to lose - life cut short
You were destined for defeat and didn't have the chance to reach your full potential.
the devils looking for you
You were being sought after by evil forces.
punk rock tragedy - oh oh
This is the sad story of a punk rocker whose life ended tragically.
you live your life too fast
You didn't live a long life because you lived too recklessly.
doing too many drugs and booze
Your excessive drug and alcohol consumption contributed to your early death.
you didnt hink youd die
You were in denial about your own mortality.
but now you die too soon
Your death was untimely and unexpected.
what you gonna do
Your fate has been sealed; there's nothing you can do to change it.
your end had come too soon
You were taken from this world far too early.
with music in your heart
Music was a huge part of your life; it was always in your soul.
you exploded from the start
You lived life with a spark and energy that was unparalleled from the very beginning.
the future is looking up
There was so much promise in your future, but it was cut short.
now all thats left is dust
Your untimely death has reduced you to a mere memory.
what are we gonna do
Your death has left us feeling lost and unsure.
your end had come too fucking soon
You were taken from this world far too early, and it feels unfair and unjust.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind