The Virus formed in February 1998, with Mike Virus on vocals, Chris on lead guitar, Fat Dave on guitar, Jarrod on drums, and Geoff on bass. The band played their first concert a month later. During the band's first six months, they performed several concerts, including one in Philadelphia with the band Special Duties, and a another at the now-closed Coney Island High in New York City.
In July 1998, they recorded two songs for a split CD with New York band The Manix (with members of The Devotchkas and The Casualties). Only 130 copies of the CD were made, and they sold out quickly. Shortly thereafter, original bass player Geoff was asked to leave the band. After trying out several bass players, it was decided that Fat Dave’s longtime friend Paul would join.
In February 1999, the band recorded five songs for their first 7", called Global Crisis, and for the Punx Unite 2 compilation on Charged Records. The 7" sold out fairly quickly, and they started getting a lot more gig offers. In May, lead guitar player Chris and the band had a falling out, with Chris leaving the band. The band continued to perform regularly all over the east coast United States as a quartet.
In September, the band added a new member, Mike Authority of local Philadelphia band, No Authority. In March 2000, the band recorded 12 songs for their first full-length CD/LP, Still Fighting For A Future, on Charged Records. After the album was recorded, singer Mike Virus left the band and Paul took over vocals. The band then recruited Tim from the Jersey band the Oi Scouts.
In June, the band left for a six-week USA tour with The Casualties, Endless Struggle, Antidote and Funeral Dress. After returning from the tour, Tim informed the band that the road life wasn’t for him, but he agreed to help out until the band replaced him. In December the band brought in Josh, who was a fan of the band. In March 2001, the band recorded four new songs for a limited picture disc 7" to be released on Charged Records. Punk Core Records bought the rights to release the picture disc from Charged Records, and released the 7" in October 2001, along with a Singles & Rarities CD .
In June 2000, the band played the Promote Chaos festival in Atlanta, Georgia alongside bands like: Anti-Nowhere League, The Crack, and Peter and the Test Tube Babies. A month later they went to to Morecambe, England to play at the Holidays In The Sun festival alongside bands like The Exploited, The Partisans, GBH, UK Subs, Resistance 77, Threats and Cock Sparrer.
Late August saw the band on a short East Coast US tour with Antidote from Holland. After the tour, the band took five months off to write and record their second 12-song CD/LP titled Nowhere To Hide on Punk Core Records. During those five months, Fat Dave left the band. In February 2002, the band recorded their second full-length album. Drew joined the band on bass, and Josh moved to guitar On February 15, the band played in Philadelphia with Slaughter & The Dogs.
After that, they were back to playing regular weekend gigs all over the American east coast. In April, the Nowhere To Hide CD & LP was released. In July, the band again played at the Holidays In The Sun festival in England. They then went on a short west coast US tour with The Riffs from Portland. Then the band played the HITS fest in Asbury Park, New Jersey in early September. A highlight of the festival for the band was having Wattie Buchan of the Exploited join the band onstage to sing The Exploited song I Believe In Anarchy. The band returned to California at the end of the year to play three concerts in Hollywood, Pomona and San Diego with the Riffs & The Voids. Shortly thereafter, however, the band split up entirely.
They Lie
The Virus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The activists and pacifists - they lie, they lie
The Media and their social cliques - they lie, they lie
In Education and politics - they lie, they lie
They force to obey the laws and then they break the rules
They lie about the wars, about the names, about the places
They lie about our country and they lie right to our faces
Leaders and religious fools - they lie, they lie
Preachers and the know it alls - they lie, they lie
Police and military rule - they lie, they lie
Conservatives and liberals too - they lie, they lie
They hold us down as children and they force into schools
They force to obey the laws and then they break the rules
They lie about the wars, about the names, about the places
They lie about our country and they lie right to our faces
The pigs that live in Washington - they lie, they lie
Wasting time in the U.N. - they lie, they lie
The shows you watch the books you read - they lie, they lie
Controlling everything you need - they lie
The song "They Lie" by The Virus is a powerful critique of the many institutions and authority figures in society that hold power over the individual and yet, in the estimation of the song's lyrics, do not have the best interests of ordinary people at heart. The song cites a litany of examples, from capitalists and communists, to leaders and religious figures, to police and military rule, to media and social cliques. All of these forces are said to "lie" to the people they claim to serve, either by withholding information, manipulating it, or outright twisting the truth to fit their own agendas.
The song offers a blistering indictment of the way that authority figures are able to control and manipulate the masses through schools, laws, and propaganda that often hides the darker realities of war and other injustices. The lyrics play off the cognitive dissonance of traditional narratives of patriotism and heroism, suggesting that even those in power who claim to have the best interests of the nation at heart are, in fact, lying right to our faces.
Line by Line Meaning
The capitalists and communists - they lie, they lie
Both sides of the political spectrum distort and manipulate the truth.
The activists and pacifists - they lie, they lie
Even those who claim to be pursuing peace and social justice may be dishonest.
The Media and their social cliques - they lie, they lie
Media organizations and their affiliated groups push their own narratives and may not report objective facts.
In Education and politics - they lie, they lie
Even formal institutions like schools and governments may be deceptive.
They hold us down as children and they force into schools
Society has structures that begin to indoctrinate us from our earliest days, and it's not always voluntary.
They force to obey the laws and then they break the rules
Expectations of compliance with rules and laws can be hypocritical, with authorities sometimes using their own power to circumvent those same regulations.
They lie about the wars, about the names, about the places
Governments and military leaders may conceal or misrepresent information related to military conflicts.
They lie about our country and they lie right to our faces
Even national leaders may not be fully honest about the state of the nation and its policies.
Leaders and religious fools - they lie, they lie
Even spiritual leaders and those in positions of authority may not be truthful.
Preachers and the know it alls - they lie, they lie
Those who claim to have special knowledge may not be telling the whole truth.
Police and military rule - they lie, they lie
Authority figures enforcing law and order may not always operate with transparency.
Conservatives and liberals too - they lie, they lie
Both sides of the political aisle engage in political manipulation and deception.
The pigs that live in Washington - they lie, they lie
Those who hold positions of power in influential government agencies may be dishonest.
Wasting time in the U.N. - they lie, they lie
Even the United Nations, an entity focused on peace and collaboration, may be corrupt.
The shows you watch, the books you read - they lie, they lie
Even entertainment and literature can be biased or push certain agendas.
Controlling everything you need - they lie
Those with power can manipulate availability of resources and information to fit their own narrative.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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