The band's over-the-top lyrical style and high-pitched (which were based on the vocals of the band The Winter Massacre), Rob Halford meets Udo Dirkschneider -esque vocals, combined with their appearance in official photos, which owes more to modern "scene" fashion and clothing labels such as Atticus, have lead some to dub them as a parody of the classic heavy metal acts they claim to seek to give tribute to. When questioned on this, vocalist Cam Pipes gave the following statement: "Just because we're a bunch of young guys singing about the greatness of heavy metal doesn't mean we're some joke band." .
Interestingly, when performing live, the band dresses far more in the manner you would expect a heavy metal band.
Fear On The Bridge
3 Inches of Blood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A ship upon the waves
Racing swift as death
Torment from the pits of hell
In seas where pirates dwell
The armada sets its course
Shadowed by skull and cross-boned force
The crow's nest spots the flag
With your lives, defend the gold
In a fire fight yet to unfold
Opposing ships steered side by side
Fear on the bridge is realized
Cannons blaze in wood they blast
The Spanish ship is sinking fast
Raiders board the ship
Plunder all their gold
As they're lunging for the kill
Their riches will be ours
Take no prisoners
Leave no man alive
For the ransacking awaits
The decks awash with blood
Fight to the death
There is no other way
Honor will say
Kill
That captain's duel on the plank
When all are dead and all is won
There's riches here to steal
Bodies scattered by the waves
For sharks do make their meal in flesh
Flesh
Rain begins to fall
Their gold becomes out wealth
As they sink into the sea
No mercy for the rich
We wash their blood
From out bounty gold
We feast tonight
We're heading due west
For the secret island port
The plunder divides
But give a piece to the sea
When madness of the fever grips and greed is taking hold
Nothing can ever cure your thirst except for rum and gold
Nothing can quench the thirst except for rum and gold
The song "Fear On The Bridge" by 3 Inches of Blood tells a story of a pirate ship in hot pursuit of a Spanish vessel, with the intent of stealing their gold. The Spanish ship is sinking fast and the pirates board it to claim the riches as their own. In the midst of the raid, a captain's duel takes place on the plank. The pirate ship eventually overcomes the Spanish vessel and the pirates celebrate their victory, but there's a twist - the song suggests that their greed may ultimately be their undoing, as the madness of the fever grips them and nothing can quench their thirst for rum and gold.
Symbolically, the ship represents a human being on a journey through life, with the gold representing the material and worldly possessions we may covet. The pirates' greed can be seen as a cautionary tale - while the pursuit of wealth may lead to temporary triumphs and pleasures, it can ultimately consume and destroy us. The lyrics also touch on themes of violence, honor, and the harsh realities of life at sea.
Overall, "Fear On The Bridge" is a fast-paced and intense song that showcases 3 Inches of Blood's heavy metal sound and storytelling abilities.
Line by Line Meaning
Behold a speeding shape
The pirates see a ship approaching quickly
A ship upon the waves
The ship is sailing on the sea
Racing swift as death
The ship is moving very fast
Torment from the pits of hell
The pirates are seen as evil and causing torment
In seas where pirates dwell
The ship is in an area where pirates are known to be
The armada sets its course
The pirates make a plan of attack
Shadowed by skull and cross-boned force
The pirates are identified by their flag
The crow's nest spots the flag
The lookout on the pirate ship sees the other ship's flag
The captain's plans have hit a snag
The pirate captain encounters a problem
With your lives, defend the gold
The pirates order their crew to protect the treasure
In a fire fight yet to unfold
A battle is about to happen
Opposing ships steered side by side
The ships are in close proximity
Fear on the bridge is realized
The pirates realize the danger they are in
Cannons blaze in wood they blast
The pirates fire their cannons at the other ship
The Spanish ship is sinking fast
The other ship is quickly sinking
Raiders board the ship
The pirates board the sinking ship
Plunder all their gold
The pirates take all the treasure they can find
As they're lunging for the kill
The pirates are attacking the crew of the other ship
Their riches will be ours
The pirates plan to take the treasure as their own
Take no prisoners
The pirates do not want to take captives
Leave no man alive
The pirates plan to kill everyone on the ship
For the ransacking awaits
The pirates are looking forward to the looting
The decks awash with blood
The ship is covered in blood from the battle
Fight to the death
Both sides are fighting until the end
There is no other way
There is no alternative way to resolve the conflict
Honor will say
The pirates believe it is honorable to fight for treasure
Kill
The pirates continue to fight and kill the other crew
That captain's duel on the plank
The pirate captain fights the other ship's captain on the plank of the ship
When all are dead and all is won
The battle is over and the pirates have won
There's riches here to steal
The pirates have a lot of treasure to take
Bodies scattered by the waves
The dead bodies are in the water
For sharks do make their meal in flesh
The sharks are eating the dead bodies
Rain begins to fall
It starts to rain
Their gold becomes out wealth
The pirates now have the other ship's treasure
As they sink into the sea
The other ship is sinking to the bottom of the ocean
No mercy for the rich
The pirates do not have any sympathy for the other crew
We wash their blood
The pirates clean the blood off the treasure
From out bounty gold
The pirates are celebrating their successful raid
We feast tonight
The pirates are having a celebratory feast
We're heading due west
The pirates are sailing in the direction of the setting sun
For the secret island port
The pirates have a secret place to hide their treasure
The plunder divides
The pirates divide the treasure amongst themselves
But give a piece to the sea
The pirates give a portion of their treasure to the ocean as a tribute
When madness of the fever grips and greed is taking hold
When the pirates become obsessed with treasure and lose their senses
Nothing can ever cure your thirst except for rum and gold
Only alcohol and treasure can satisfy the pirates' desires
Contributed by Joshua N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.