Only
Anthrax[www.illutrix.com] Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything is sick, that's it
You can't tell me to stop it
You can't tell me not to quit, that's it
Revolve around yourself
It's you and no one else
Hard for me to stay
From calmness to deranged
Unpredictable, unpredictable
You would see if
Only
You hadn't taken things out of my hands
Only
You never wanted to understand
Clashing ways to live here
Compromise for me
I'm at both ends of the spectrum
You're somewhere in the between
Ah, come clean
Revolve around yourself
It's you and no one else
Hard for me to stay
Swinging moods that change
From calmness to deranged
Unpredictable, unpredictable
You would see if
Only
You hadn't taken things out of my hands
Only
You never wanted to understand
Only
You hadn't taken things out of my hands
Only
You never wanted to understand
Only
You hadn't taken things out of my hands
Only
You never wanted to understand
Crucified, terrified, sacrifice, my whole life
My whole life, my whole life, my whole life
My whole life
If only
I can't contain myself
I can't contain myself
I just can't take myself
The lyrics of Anthrax's song "Only" paint a picture of a person who feels like they have control over everything in their life, yet they are struggling to find balance and cannot contain themselves. The opening verses suggest that everything seems to be perfect and sick at the same time, but the person cannot quit or stop themselves, indicating that they may be trapped in a cycle of behavior they cannot escape. The chorus repeats the word "only," hinting that the person may feel misunderstood or ignored by those around them, as if nobody is paying attention to their inner turmoil. The verses also describe the person's swinging moods, which go from calmness to derangement, showing that they are prone to unpredictable behavior.
The line "revolve around yourself, it's you and no one else" speaks to the idea that the person is self-centered and only thinks about themselves, which makes it hard for others around them to stay, as they can't compromise. The verses then describe how the person is at both ends of the spectrum, while the others are somewhere in between. The phrase "come clean" indicates that there might be some secrets or hidden truths between them that need to be revealed to understand each other better.
The last few lines talk about being crucified, terrified, sacrifice, and my whole life, suggesting that the person may have faced difficulties and hardships, leading them to be unable to contain themselves or take themselves anymore. The song ends with the repetition of "if only," indicating that things might have been different if they had been understood better, or if the person had come clean about their emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything is perfect
I am pretending to be perfect to mask my true feelings
Everything is sick, that's it
I know that something is wrong, but I can't quite figure out what it is
You can't tell me to stop it
I am in control of my own actions and can't be told what to do
You can't tell me not to quit, that's it
I have already made a decision to leave and no one can change my mind
Revolve around yourself
I am self-absorbed and only care about myself
It's you and no one else
I am alone in my own world and don't care about others
Hard for me to stay
I am struggling with my emotions and am having a hard time staying calm
Swinging moods that change
I have unpredictable mood swings that can change at any moment
From calmness to deranged
My moods can go from calm and collected to completely out of control and irrational
Unpredictable, unpredictable
My behavior is unpredictable and can't be controlled
You would see if
If you had experienced what I had, you would understand
Only
The outcome would have been different if certain events had not happened
You never wanted to understand
You didn't care enough to listen and try to understand my perspective
Clashing ways to live here
We have different ways of living and it's causing conflict
Compromise for me
I am not willing to compromise and expect others to do it for me
I'm at both ends of the spectrum
I have extreme and opposing views that don't align with others
You're somewhere in the between
You are more flexible and open to compromise
Ah, come clean
Be honest about your intentions and feelings
Crucified, terrified, sacrifice, my whole life
I feel like I've been punished, scared and have given up everything I had
If only
I wish certain things had been different
I can't contain myself
I am overwhelmed by my own emotions and can't control them
I just can't take myself
I am struggling to deal with my own issues and emotions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLIE L. BENANTE, DANIEL ALAN SPITZ, FRANK JOSEPH BELLO, JOHN ROBERT BUSH, SCOTT IAN ROSENFELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Samurai
Everything is perfect
Everything is sick, that's it
You can't tell me to stop it
You can't tell me not to quit, that's it
Revolve around yourself
It's you and no one else
Hard for me to stay
Swinging moods that change
From calmness to deranged
Unpredictable, unpredictable
You would see if
Only
You hadn't taken things out of my hands
Only
You never wanted to understand
Clashing ways to live here
Compromise for me
I'm at both ends of the spectrum
You're somewhere in the between
Ah, come clean
Revolve around yourself
It's you and no one else
Hard for me to stay
Swinging moods that change
From calmness to deranged
Unpredictable, unpredictable
You would see if
Only
You hadn't taken things out of my hands
Only
You never wanted to understand
Only
You hadn't taken things out of my hands
Only
You never wanted to understand
Only
You hadn't taken things out of my hands
Only
You never wanted to understand
Crucified, terrified, sacrifice, my whole life
My whole life, my whole life, my whole life
My whole life
If only
I can't contain myself
I can't contain myself
I just can't take myself
Godflesh - Jesu
Whoever gave John Bush the go ahead to join Anthrax, I salute you solidly.
David Baltazar
A long time ago he got offered the SINGER spot with METALLICA but at the time he was the SINGER for ARMORED SAINT
He said when ANTHRAX offered him the spot he said he wasn't going to let the same thing happen again
Cody Ringer
You mean going from Thrash to soft rock?
Jon Pugh
Hell yeah...I always loved Anthrax but John Bush made them a totally different animal.
Cody Ringer
@Jon Pugh John bush made the band weak. They went from thrash to trash. Metal to grunge. They literally had to slow the tempo down so John could keep up. Greater of two evils proves it. Joey Belladonna is by far the superior vocalist and lyricist. He has better range, rhythm and tone. John could not sing Medusa, Lone Justice, I am the Law, ect. Even Joey's newest two albums with anthrax were better than "the sound of white noise" and "we've come for you all." "Breath Lightning", "Blood Eagle Wings" "The Devil that You know" are far superior to "Only"
Jon Pugh
@Cody Ringer I would have to disagree, and not because I think that Bush a the greatest singer, but because he took the sound away from the rap type stuff that I was getting tired of. Not an argument but personal opinion and taste. Don't get me wrong, I almost bought a shirt today that I had in 1987 from the among the living album.
Fuck it , I think I'll just go ahead and purchase another Pantera shirt, and then I know who the band really is.!!!
hemipirate
One of the best metal songs ever made!!!!
Spec1
I agree this and Painkiller are probably my favorite metal songs of all time.
Dayna Webb
This was my Anthrax. This came out while I was in high school and it was amazing. Loved their previous albums, but this still remains my favorite.
Alex Farley's Variety Channel
One of the most recognizable intro drum beats in all of heavy metal music. Once you hear it, you know it's this song...in a very Judas Priest - "Painkiller" kind of way.