After performing in a number of metal bands in high school, Townsend was discovered by a record label in 1993 and was asked to perform lead vocals on Steve Vai's album Sex & Religion. After recording and touring with Vai, Townsend was discouraged by what he found in the music industry, and vented his anger on a solo album released under the pseudonym Strapping Young Lad. He soon assembled a band under the name, and released the critically acclaimed City in 1997. Since then, he has released three more studio albums with Strapping Young Lad, along with solo material released under his own independent record label, HevyDevy Records. Townsend's solo albums, a diverse mix of hard rock and progressive metal, have featured a varying lineup of supporting musicians. In 2002 he formed The Devin Townsend Band, a dedicated lineup which recorded and toured for two of his solo releases.
In 2007, Townsend disbanded both Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band, taking a break from touring to spend more time with his family. After a two-year hiatus, he began work on a four-album series called The Devin Townsend Project, with each album written in a different style. The first two entries in the series, Ki and Addicted, were released in 2009. Townsend scheduled tours throughout Australia and North America in 2010 in support of the albums, and released the next two, Deconstruction and Ghost, in 2011.
Townsend's trademark production style, featuring a heavily multitracked wall of sound, has been compared to the styles of Phil Spector and Frank Zappa. His versatile vocal delivery ranges from screaming to an opera-esque singing, and his songwriting is similarly diverse. Townsend's musical style is rooted in metal, and his albums are written to express different aspects of his personality.
Death
Devin Townsend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Help me
Save me from myself...
I'm feeling older
I feel it all
Opened up to love
I never want it to stop
I'm riding the red line
..I know...
I want to go faster
Why can't it go faster?
..oh God, why can't it move faster...
..slow...slow
What's your hurry?
..home grown Surrey weed!!!
Devin Townsend's song Death is a powerful and introspective track that delves into the fear of death and the desire for self-destruction. The lyrics describe a feeling of being trapped and overwhelmed, with the singer pleading for help to save them from themselves. The line "I'm feeling older, I feel it all" connotes a sense of weariness and a recognition of the weight of past experiences. However, despite this, the singer also expresses a deep desire for love and connection, proclaiming that they "never want it to stop."
The lyrics also contain a sense of urgency and a desperation to escape, as evidenced by the repeated lines "why can't it go faster?" and "oh God, why can't it move faster?" The line "riding the red line" may refer to riding on the edge and hovering dangerously close to death, while also representing a desire for intense experiences. The final line, "home-grown Surrey weed," may seem like an out-of-place non-sequitur but could be interpreted as a final rebellion against the fear of death and an embrace of life in the face of mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
Help me
Expressing a desperate need for assistance.
Help me
Repeating the plea for help to emphasize its urgency.
Save me from myself...
Asking for help to avoid personal destruction or self-sabotage.
I'm feeling older
Noticing the passage of time and its effects on the body and mind.
I feel it all
Intensely experiencing every emotion and sensation.
Opened up to love
Allowing oneself to be vulnerable and receptive to romantic affection.
I never want it to stop
Expressing a longing for continued love and affection.
I'm riding the red line
Metaphorically describing a high-speed, reckless emotional state.
Why can't you stop this thing?
Questioning the inability to control or calm overwhelming emotions.
..I know...
Acknowledging a personal truth or fact.
I want to go faster
Expressing a desire for even more intense feelings or experiences.
Why can't it go faster?
Questioning why the current emotional state is not accelerating or intensifying.
..oh God, why can't it move faster...
Crying out to a higher power, expressing desperation for increased intensity or relief from the current emotional state.
..slow...slow
Describing a frustrating lack of speed or progress.
What's your hurry?
Rhetorically questioning the rush or urgency behind wanting faster progress or intensity.
..home grown Surrey weed!!!
An abrupt, nonsensical exclamation with possible sarcasm to break the tension or seriousness of the previous lines.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DEVIN GARRETT TOWNSEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind