After a line-up change and new albums in 1980, 1983, and 1984, the band faded away due to lack of interest until former band members reunited in 2001. Since then, the band have played at many events and festivals throughout the UK, Europe and America.
Their back-catalogue has been re-released on CD.
Discography:
* Give 'Em Hell (1979)
* Stagefright (1980)
* Cloak and Dagger (1983)
* Lords Of Sin (1984)
* The Best Of Witchfynde (1996)
* Cloak and Dagger (reissue) (2000)
* The Witching Hour (2004)
* Give 'Em Hell (reissue) (2004)
* Stagefright (reissue) (2005)
* Play It to Death (2008)
* Royal William Live Sacrifice (live album) (2011)
Give 'Em Hell
Witchfynde Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There never were three wise men
Then you'd better believe it's true
They won't ask you to come again.
In the cage the ringmaster cracks
He puts you through all your tricks
Then the lions are on your back
Shout it out, give 'em Hell
Shout it out, give 'em Hell
Happy sat in the back seat
But the manager shows you the door
Then you're picked up for walkin' the street
It's too much you can't take anymore
Shout it out, give 'em Hell
Shout it out, give 'em Hell
These lyrics are from the song Give 'Em Hell by the British heavy metal band Witchfynde. The song is a powerful anthem that speaks to those who have been oppressed and mistreated and encourages them to fight back against their oppressors. The song's lyrics are concerned with exposing the lies and manipulation of those in power, and encouraging people to stand up for themselves and their beliefs.
The first verse of the song is particularly interesting. The line "If the powers that be tell you there never were three wise men" is a reference to the story of the Three Wise Men who visited Jesus at his birth. The implication here is that those in power are lying to us about this story (and perhaps other stories) in order to control us. The second line of the verse is a warning that if we believe these lies, we will not be invited back into the fold of those in power. In other words, we will be cast out or ostracized if we question or challenge the official narratives.
The second verse of the song is more concrete in its imagery. It describes a situation in which someone is performing in a circus, doing tricks to entertain the audience. But then the lions are let out of their cages and attack the performer. The metaphor here is clear: the performer is like an ordinary person who is just trying to get by in the world, but is constantly being attacked and oppressed by those in power. The chorus of the song, which encourages us to "give 'em Hell" and fight back, is a call to arms for those who are tired of being victimized and want to take control of their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
If the powers that be tell you
When those in authority inform you
There never were three wise men
that the existence of the three wise men is a falsehood
Then you'd better believe it's true
You must accept it as accurate information
They won't ask you to come again.
or else you will receive some form of negative consequence.
In the cage the ringmaster cracks
When you are in captivity and the one in control decides to exert their authority over you
He puts you through all your tricks
They make you perform all the things you know how to do
Then the lions are on your back
At this point, danger becomes imminent
You're runnin' out but then you slip
Even though freedom is a possibility, it still remains out of reach
Shout it out, give 'em Hell
The way to fight back against oppressive forces is to show defiance and make it known that you are not to be overlooked.
Shout it out, give 'em Hell
Happy sat in the back seat
One can be content and not realize they are being taken advantage of
But the manager shows you the door
When it is time for you to go, those in charge will be the ones deciding whether or not you stay
Then you're picked up for walkin' the street
Those who are down are often kicked when they're already down.
It's too much you can't take anymore
The bottom has been reached, and you can go no further
Shout it out, give 'em Hell
Rise up! Fight back! Make your voice heard while it still can be!
Shout it out, give 'em Hell
Contributed by Grace R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John Mortimer
This is one of the genuine classics of the NWOBHM.
Nigel Fortune
I'll never forget seeing Wychfynde blow Def Leppard off stage at Cheltenham Town Hall in early 1980. By far the better band!
MasterBait
Nigel Fortune Lucky to be around for back then, now everything is shit
MasterBait
Gen Mo'kai it has an actual feeling that goes with the music, old school isnt undeveloped either as most the modern metal players claim. There is theory that is applied to the music but the atmosphere that's attached to this style and even just this song is something none of the new stuff can capture. Music should not be something that you just hear, it should be something you can see as well.
el bib
saw them do the same in ayr scotland,blew leppard clean off the stage,they were forced to give witchfynde 2 encores
Jan Kangur
Oh this is really old-fart grumpy talk. I mean yes, we have internet. We have everything. We have underground clubs. You have the oldies and tones of new stuff to check. And it most of the genres, doesn't matter if it's metal, punk, techno, drum'n'bass, hip-hop, jazz or whatever you can still find good things. They perhaps may be underground, but it's even better. Also: some genres died in natural proces, evolved in to other genres, and it's for the better. NOBHM belongs in 80s. It's still a good listen, but it doesn't matter it should remain the main subgenre of metal music in XXI century. There's tones of stuff from 80s to dig, and it all sounds right: so 80s, so dirty, and a little cheesy, plus without the over the to production values. It's great. But it would sound idfferent theese days... I like that it stayed in the past. And just because today's stuff is tottaly different, doesn't mean it's all bad. My friends (in their 30s) say "now music shit, we had REAL hip-hop, REAL punk, REAL d'n'b", my father, when i was listening to rap or punk music as a teenager, was saying that it's not music, he loved black sabbath as a youngster. His dad in the 70s was saying that metal is not music, only classical music is worth anything. And i'm pretty sure that today's kids, who listen to trap or sth, will be wining about their children's music in 20 year from now for sure. It's just the natural order. It's nice to have some nostalgia in you, but you should use it to enjoy oldies, not to be so bitchy about younger generation's music.
PonchoPelvis
There's plenty of 'em... The problem, is how unknown all of them are... So many of them go unnoticed, it's criminal how underrated these bands are.
Snaggletooth
thats why i look for more fwobm than the current bm bands. It helps me also to understand how the genre developed and know its prototype form.
MarioZD
My favorite nwobhm band is Diamond Head, Jaguar is second best, then Angelwitch, Tank, Savage, Tigers of Pan Tang, Blitzkrieg
Shado902
@Snaggletooth fwobm?