This song is about humans' physical frailty, aging and death. The song ends with the dying entering Hell.
Hellfire
BLACK MIDI Lyrics
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An odd twitch, hearing loss, a ringing noise, new flesh
A new bump, a weightlessness
A headache, a sore limb, an itchy gash, a mirage, a tumor, a scare
And when one is fixed another breaks, when some destroyed, the more await
When it is time, no-one comes, when you have time, it is up
And even from without, there is nothing you will find running at full speed
Always, always dust
Always, always, always no such thing as luck
Only chance and rot, inevitable loss
Running low, almost empty, almost always gone
Going going, gone, each day quicker, each day gone lost
The more, the less, the less useless, that's that
No more, meet me at the door
It's open, come in, wash away the sin
No more lazy sloth, this sad pig has had enough
No nail grows yet, all toes now green
Both eyes blank screens, eyeballs opaque
Robot ear gone, ringing silence
Back again, mate, a tick tick, a shiver
A lick lips, a stiffness, a click limb, a limp useless prick
Gone no need
When stiff useless, when needed limp
Rid me of the hideous thing
Gets it right in the classroom
But wrong in the examination hall
What use is that? Damn it all, useless thing
All machines designed after it
All worse, none better, IE all shit
And none work forever, none work a minute
Worse with every use, always chasing the first
Always chasing the free, always chasing decency
Never adequate enough, enough, enough
Come in, come in, thank you
The lyrics to Black Midi's song "Hellfire" are deeply philosophical and introspective. The song seems to delve into the inevitability of decay and the fragility of the human body and mind. The opening lines describe various physical maladies that afflict us throughout life, often with no apparent rhyme or reason. These afflictions seem to symbolize the broader theme of death and decay that permeates the entire song.
The idea that one problem is fixed only to be replaced by another is a universal truth, and Black Midi captures it perfectly in these lines. The song seems to be saying that no matter how hard we try, we cannot escape the slow march of entropy, and we are ultimately helpless in the face of our own mortality.
The song's final lines are perhaps the most poignant, as they describe a sense of resignation in the face of death. The singer invites someone to come in and "wash away the sin," implying that they are seeking some kind of metaphorical absolution before passing on. The final line, "come in, come in, thank you," seems to gesture towards death as a form of release, and a way of escaping the endless cycle of decay and renewal that we are all caught up in.
Line by Line Meaning
There's always something
There's always some new ailment or issue to deal with
An odd twitch, hearing loss, a ringing noise, new flesh
Symptoms ranging from minor movements, loss of hearing, phantom sounds, or new health conditions are common
A new bump, a weightlessness
Discovering new parts of the body or experiencing a bodily sensation that is unusual
A headache, a sore limb, an itchy gash, a mirage, a tumor, a scare
Pain or distress in various parts of the body, including sensations that may not actually exist or potential signs of a more serious ailment
And when one is fixed another breaks, when some destroyed, the more await
Fixing one issue only leads to another replacing it and there are always more issues on the horizon
When it is time, no-one comes, when you have time, it is up
You can never get help when you need it and often it's too late when you finally have the time to address an issue
And even from without, there is nothing you will find running at full speed
Even things that seem to work on the surface are not functioning properly
Without a dent, factory-shine, always slightly out of time
Things may look pristine, but they are just as flawed as anything else and often out of sync
Always, always dust
Everything eventually succumbs to decay and becomes useless
Always, always, always no such thing as luck
Life is unpredictable and there is no such thing as pure luck or chance
Only chance and rot, inevitable loss
Things degrade over time and eventually fall apart, nothing is permanent
Running low, almost empty, almost always gone
There is always a scarcity of things that are needed and they frequently disappear quickly
Going going, gone, each day quicker, each day gone lost
Time moves faster every day and we can never get it back
The more, the less, the less useless, that's that
More is not always better, in fact, it is often the opposite
No more, meet me at the door
The situation has reached a breaking point and it's time to take action
It's open, come in, wash away the sin
The solution is available, come and address the issue and make amends
No more lazy sloth, this sad pig has had enough
It's time to stop being unproductive and lazy and take action
No nail grows yet, all toes now green
There is no progress being made, efforts are futile
Both eyes blank screens, eyeballs opaque
Unable to see or comprehend the situation
Robot ear gone, ringing silence
Unable to hear, even silence is a burden
Back again, mate, a tick tick, a shiver
The problems return time and again, causing anxiety and stress
A lick lips, a stiffness, a click limb, a limp useless prick
The body is not functioning at its best and is causing problems
Gone no need
The issue has finally disappeared, but there was never any need for it in the first place
When stiff useless, when needed limp
When it's needed the most, it fails to function properly and when it's not needed it is an obstacle
Rid me of the hideous thing
Get rid of the problem that is causing so much trouble
Gets it right in the classroom
Being able to perform well in theory, not in practice
But wrong in the examination hall
Unable to perform when faced with real-world challenges
What use is that? Damn it all, useless thing
What good is something that can only function in a controlled environment and not in real-world situations?
All machines designed after it
The issues and problems are replicated in other machines and systems that are built after it
All worse, none better, IE all shit
Everything that follows is worse, no improvements are made
And none work forever, none work a minute
Nothing works consistently, whether it's for an extended period or only for a short time
Worse with every use, always chasing the first
Things deteriorate even faster with each use and none are ever as good as the original
Always chasing the free, always chasing decency
People are always pursuing the cheapest option and the most ethical, but sometimes this is not possible and results in further issues
Never adequate enough, enough, enough
Nothing is ever truly satisfactory, no matter how much is attained
Come in, come in, thank you
The solution has been reached, come in and solve the problem
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Cameron Overeynder, Geordie Wade Greep, Morgann George Simpson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind