The Unseen formed in Boston 1993 and released the demo EP Too Young To Know...Too Reckless To Care in 1994. Two other 7" EPs followed, before the release of their debut full-length, Lower Class Crucifixion on A-F Records. Another two albums followed on the same label before they signed to BYO Records, and then, Hellcat Records. Each of their albums have sold moderately better than previous releases.
The quintet also released a best-of compilation for the European market in June 2000 titled Totally Unseen: The Best Of The Unseen, which contained two previously unreleased tracks.
For the release of their 2001 album The Anger And the Truth, "Chainsaw" re-accompanied the band in the studio to record the song No Evacuation, a song he originally wrote.
After being a member of the band for nearly ten years and writing most of the material on Lower Class Crucifixion, So This is Freedom?, and The Anger and the Truth, Paul Russo left the band after only contributing vocals to one track on their fourth album Explode. Citing differences in direction, he is now the leader of The Strings, an indie rock/folk band. He remains friends with his former bandmates.
Mark Unseen, the lead singer, formed and currently runs ADD Records. He also briefly joined the Maine street punk group A Global Threat as a second singer, and recorded the full-length What the Fuck Will Change? and Until We Die before deciding to concentrate on his duties with The Unseen.
There has been some controversy concerning the band, including allegations that in recent years they have "sold out". Most widely cited is the fact that The Unseen have produced music videos to air on commercial music video channels such as MTV2, an avenue looked-down upon in the underground streetpunk scene. The band reacted to this perception with the song "So Sick of You."
They have toured Europe, North America, Australia, Japan, and Mexico with many punk heavyweights from The Bouncing Souls and Rancid to decidedly more hardcore outfits like Hatebreed and Sick Of It All. Since the departure of Paul, the band has used many replacements on tour such as members from The Virus, Strike Anywhere, and F-Minus, however, recently, on their MySpace page The Unseen have included a fifth band member, Jonny, an ex-guitarist of A Global Threat who was in the band at the same time as Mark.
2006 also saw the release of Tripp's book So This Is Readin'?, which details the life and hardships of being in an underground band with dry comedy. It started as a lengthy band history on the band's website, but after a few amusing "chapters" he was contacted by a publishing company to release it in book form.
In May 2006, The Unseen announced on their official website that they would begin writing their sixth studio full-length album during the summer of that year. The album, titled Internal Salvation, came out on July 10, 2007. The first song released from that album is a track titled "Right Before Your Eyes". In support of the new album, the band has joined the thirteenth Warped Tour.
Beat It
The Unseen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They Told Him Don't You Ever Come Around Here
Don't Wanna See Your Face, You Better Disappear
The Fire's In Their Eyes And Their Words Are Fucking Clear
So Beat It, Just Beat It
You Better Run, You Better Do What You Can
You Wanna Be Tough, Better Do What You Can
So Beat It,
But You Wanna Be Bad
Beat It,
Beat It,
No One Wants To Be Defeated
Showin' How Fuckin Strong Is Your Arm
It Doesn't Matter Who's Wrong Or Right
Just Beat It
They're Out To Get You, Better Leave While You Can
Don't Wanna Be A Boy, You Wanna Be A Man
You Wanna Stay Alive, Better Do What You Can
So Beat It,
Just Beat It
You Have To Show Them That You're Really Not Scared
You're Playin' With Your Life, This Ain't No Truth Or Dare
They'll Kick You and They'll Beat You,
Then They'll Tell You It's Fair
So Beat It,
But You Wanna Be Bad
Beat It,
Beat It,
No One Wants To Be Defeated
Showin' How Fuckin Strong Is Your Arm
It Doesn't Matter Who's Wrong Or Right
Just Beat It,
Beat It,
No One Wants To Be Defeated
Showin' How Fuckin Strong Is Your Arm
It Doesn't Matter Who's Wrong Or Right
Just Beat It
The Unseen's cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" is a powerful punk rock version of the classic song. The lyrics of the song describe a situation where the singer is being threatened by a group of people who want to harm him. The lines "They Told Him Don't You Ever Come Around Here/Don't Wanna See Your Face, You Better Disappear/The Fire's In Their Eyes And Their Words Are Fucking Clear/So Beat It, Just Beat It" describe how the singer is being warned by the group to stay away from them.
The lyrics also suggest that the singer is outnumbered and is being asked to leave the place to save himself from trouble. The line "They're Out To Get You, Better Leave While You Can/Don't Wanna Be A Boy, You Wanna Be A Man/You Wanna Stay Alive, Better Do What You Can/So Beat It, Just Beat It" suggests that the singer is being asked to be brave and fight back, but also to be smart and avoid getting hurt. The overall message of the song seems to be one of standing up for oneself and not being intimidated by others.
Line by Line Meaning
They Told Him Don't You Ever Come Around Here
He was warned not to return to the place he was in.
Don't Wanna See Your Face, You Better Disappear
The people there do not want to see him again and prefer he leaves.
The Fire's In Their Eyes And Their Words Are Fucking Clear
The crowd is furious and their words are alarming and direct.
So Beat It, Just Beat It
His best bet is to simply leave the scene as quickly as possible.
You Better Run, You Better Do What You Can
He is advised to flee and do whatever he is capable of doing.
Don't Wanna See No Blood, Don't Be A Macho Man
The people there do not want violence or aggression from him.
You Wanna Be Tough, Better Do What You Can
If he wants to prove how tough he is, he should do his best.
So Beat It,
His only option is to leave and move away from the hostile crowd.
But You Wanna Be Bad
He may be tempted to stay and fight due to his desire to be seen as defiant and tough.
Beat It, Beat It,
The phrase is repeated to emphasize his need to leave urgently.
No One Wants To Be Defeated
Retreating from a fight or confrontation is seen as a loss or defeat.
Showin' How Fuckin Strong Is Your Arm
Fighting shows how physically powerful and strong he is.
It Doesn't Matter Who's Wrong Or Right
The reasons for the conflict are irrelevant.
Just Beat It
He should retreat, avoiding further conflict.
They're Out To Get You, Better Leave While You Can
The crowd is targeting him, thus it is advisable to escape while he still can.
Don't Wanna Be A Boy, You Wanna Be A Man
He should prove he is mature and handle the situation tactfully.
You Wanna Stay Alive, Better Do What You Can
If he wants to survive, he should make the necessary wise decisions.
You Have To Show Them That You're Really Not Scared
He has to prove to the crowd he is not frightened.
You're Playin' With Your Life, This Ain't No Truth Or Dare
This is a serious matter not to be taken lightly, and his life is at risk.
They'll Kick You and They'll Beat You, Then They'll Tell You It's Fair
He will be harmed, and it will be presented as justified and fair by the crowd.
So Beat It, But You Wanna Be Bad
He should depart from the scene to deescalate the situation, but he may be tempted to stay and fight due to his desire to seem rebellious.
Beat It, Beat It,
Repetition to emphasize the urgency of his departure.
No One Wants To Be Defeated
Nobody wants to back down or retreat.
Showin' How Fuckin Strong Is Your Arm
Being physically powerful can help him win the fight.
It Doesn't Matter Who's Wrong Or Right
The justness of the cause is immaterial; what matters is winning the fight.
Just Beat It,
The best course of action is to leave and avoid further confrontation.
Contributed by Joshua L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Greg
MJ would be proud!
Carl Gustav
I remember giving my computer AIDS to get this on my mp3 player
Arise Beats
....and another one
Arise Beats
And another one
Arise Beats
A comment
4 Seasons BBQ
I can see why there's only five comments, this sucked.