The current members of Tourniquet are Ted Kirkpatrick (drums), Luke Easter (vocals), and Aaron Guerra (guitar, vocals).
Former members include Gary Lenaire, Guy Ritter, Victor Macias, Erik Mendez, Steve Andino (bass) and Vince Dennis.
The band is named after a tourniquet which is a surgical device for arresting hemorrhage by compression of a blood vessel. According to the band, tourniquet is a metaphor for "a lifelong spiritual process by which a personal God, through the atoning blood, death, and resurrection of His only Son—Jesus Christ—can begin to stop the flow of going through life without knowing and serving our Creator. He is our Tourniquet."
Tourniquet was formed as a christianthrash metal band. The group was one of many bands who were, at the time, affiliated with a church group called Sanctuary - the rock and roll refuge in Los Angeles. They started out with Ted Kirkpatrick(drums), Guy Ritter (vocals) and Gary Lennaire (guitaris/vocalist).
Their first record Stop the Bleeding was produced in 1990, by Bill Metoyer of Metal Blade Records, and released by Intense Records. While it was mostly distributed to Christian bookstores, Stop the Bleeding was a notable Christian thrash metal album in its time. Tourniquet's characteristic style broke new ground and quickly gained them fans all over the world. In their early line up, Guy Ritter sang the more melodic vocal parts while Gary Lenaire did the aggressive, thrash metal shouts. The band brought forth their first single Ark of Suffering, which received some minor airplay on MTV, but was pulled down due to video shots of animal abuse. Because of the song and it's subsequent video, the band became known for its stance on animal rights.
In 1991, Tourniquet abandoned most of its 1980's metal influences and recorded a more modern album titled Psycho Surgery. On the song Spineless the band experimented with rap rock in the vein of Anthrax and Faith No More long before the style became popular later in the 1990's. Psycho Surgery showcased the classical music influences more clearly than on 'Stop The Bleeding', and the drummer’s background in the pharmaceutical industry became more apparent: many of the songs utilized medical terminology as metaphors for social/spiritual issues. On Psycho Surgery. Tourniquet continued to work with producer Bill Metoyer, and eventually signed a distribution agreement with Metal Blade Records, which released Psycho Surgery to a far wider general market audience than the band was able to reach with Stop the Bleeding. However, Intense Records still released Psycho Surgery and distributed it to Christian retail
In 1993, Tourniquet recorded what is considered their most technical and dark album, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance. Guy Ritter left the band during the recording of Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance. Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance quickly became one of the most popular of the band's albums among Tourniquet fans, and it was voted Favourite Album of the 1990's by the readers of HM Magazine. As with the previous album, Metal Blade Records released Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance to the general market and Intense Records released it to the Christian market. Luke Easter, who had formerly sung in a more pop rock oriented group, replaced Ritter, joining Tourniquet for the Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance tour. On this tour, Tourniquet was scheduled to play the Milwaukee Metalfest in 1993, but professed satanist Glen Benton of Deicide, the festival headliner, refused to play with a Christian band. The festival was forced to cancel Tourniquet's performance. This brought more publicity and notoriety to Tourniquet.
The band's sound took a sharp turn from their early thrash metal days, following the departure of original vocalist Guy Ritter. In the interim, the band recorded a "live in studio" album with Les Carlsen of Bloodgood. The following album, Vanishing Lessons was much more hard rock, but no less technical. After another EP, Gary Lennaire left the band.
The band's latest release, Where Moth and Rust Destroy, features special guests Marty Friedman, formerly of Megadeth, and Bruce Franklin, formerly of Trouble, on lead guitar (tourniquet had previously covered Trouble's The Tempter on their live EP).
Going Going...Gone
Tourniquet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[This song is dedicated to the animals we share this planet with and the people who work to protect them]
[Solo: Aaron]
Is it greed or is it ignorance or is it both?
As the bulldozer trashes a thousand years growth
A burning desire to burn
If a tree falls and no one's around
The wildlife still hear it crashing down
[Chorus:]
You were gone before we even knew you
And there's no way to ever get you back
Gorilla seven days old
Ripped from his mothers dead arms
Her hand now an ashtray souvenir for a tourist's charms
[Chorus:]
Will I join the ranks of the photo gallery
It may be the only way left to see me
Thousand acres a day
Burning it all away
Extinction - the price to pay
A ton of rhino, a pound of horn
The Javan one cursed - the wheels of greed are born
Medicinal myth, smuggled to Hong-Kong
Ancient superstition - reality gone wrong
[Chorus:]
I joined the ranks of the photo gallery
Its the only way left to ever see me
You were gone before we even knew you
And there's no way to ever get you back
The greatest land animal killed for a foot of ivory
Will your children live to see one
Or witness decimation by tyranny
Passenger pigeons blackened the sky
Never a chance we would say goodbye
Oh how I wish I could see one fly
[Chorus:]
You were gone before we even knew you
And there's no way to ever get you back
American symbol of freedom and power
Only for target practice by the hour
Buffalo sat on the brink of no more
[Chorus:]
Will I join the ranks of the photo gallery?
It may be the only way left to ever see me
The song "Going Going...Gone" by Tourniquet is a tribute to the animals that inhabit our planet, specifically those that have become endangered or extinct. Throughout the song, the lyrics reflect on the destruction of natural habitats, poaching, and the impact of human actions on the animal kingdom.
The opening lines of the song ask if the destruction of the natural environment is due to greed or ignorance. As the verses continue, clear-cutting and burning natural habitats are described, resulting in the extinction of many animals. The lyrics mention specific examples, such as a seven-day-old gorilla taken from its mother's dead arms, and a ton of rhino killed for a pound of horn.
The chorus repeats the line "you were gone before we even knew you, and there's no way to ever get you back," implying that many animals have become extinct before humans have even realized they exist. The bridge of the song speaks of the passenger pigeon, which was once so abundant that its flocks darkened the sky, but now they are gone forever.
In conclusion, "Going Going...Gone" is a powerful protest song that highlights the devastating impact of human actions on the natural world while also serving as a tribute to the many creatures who have been lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it greed or is it ignorance or is it both?
Are people destroying the environment from a place of wanting too much or not knowing better, or both?
As the bulldozer trashes a thousand years growth
The destruction of ancient forests and ecosystems by human construction and development.
Clear cutting with a clear conscience
People can feel okay with destroying nature if it makes sense financially or if they feel justified in some other way.
A burning desire to burn
A fire or passion to destroy, a sense of wanting to see things burn down or be razed.
If a tree falls and no one's around / The wildlife still hear it crashing down
Even if people aren't around to witness, the impact of environmental destruction is felt by animals who live in those destroyed areas.
You were gone before we even knew you / And there's no way to ever get you back
The loss of animals and species that have disappeared before humans even knew of their existence is a tragedy that can never be reversed.
Gorilla seven days old / Ripped from his mothers dead arms / Her hand now an ashtray souvenir for a tourist's charms
The suffering of animals that are taken from their families, often for human entertainment or profit, is cruel and heartless.
Thousand acres a day / Burning it all away / Extinction - the price to pay
The rapid destruction of habitats and environments without regard for the consequences or for the lives affected.
A ton of rhino, a pound of horn / The Javan one cursed - the wheels of greed are born / Medicinal myth, smuggled to Hong-Kong / Ancient superstition - reality gone wrong
The destruction and poaching of animals for their parts or supposed medicinal properties, based on false or outdated beliefs or myths.
The greatest land animal killed for a foot of ivory / Will your children live to see one / Or witness decimation by tyranny
The threat of extinction for many species, including iconic ones like elephants, is real and should be a concern for future generations.
Passenger pigeons blackened the sky / Never a chance we would say goodbye / Oh how I wish I could see one fly
The loss of species like the passenger pigeon, which were once plentiful and now extinct, is a tragedy that we can never undo.
American symbol of freedom and power / Only for target practice by the hour / Buffalo sat on the brink of no more
Even once-abundant animals like the buffalo, which served as an important symbol of power and freedom, now face extinction due to human actions.
Will I join the ranks of the photo gallery? / It may be the only way left to ever see me
As people continue to destroy the environment and the animals that live in it, the only way future generations may know them is through photos or memories.
Contributed by Kaitlyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.