Flotsam and Jetsam has released fourteen studio albums in their career, with the latest being 2021's Blood in the Water. Despite not achieving similar levels of commercial success as some of their thrash metal contemporaries, the band emerged as part of the second wave of the genre in the mid-to-late 1980s (along with Sepultura, Testament and Death Angel), and has enjoyed some moderate success in the United States, with two of their albums (1988's No Place for Disgrace and 1990's When the Storm Comes Down) entering the Billboard 200 chart, and their fourth album Cuatro (1992) cracking the top 30 on the Heatseekers chart.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flotsam_and_Jetsam_(band)
Discography
Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986)
No Place for Disgrace (1988)
When the Storm Comes Down (1990)
Cuatro (1992)
Drift (1995)
High (1997)
Unnatural Selection (1999)
My God (2001)
Dreams of Death (2005)
The Cold (2010)
Ugly Noise (2012)
Flotsam and Jetsam (2016)
The End of Chaos (2019)
Blood in the Water (2021)
The Message
Flotsam and Jetsam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The full moon heart
Screams bloodless howls
And starves for the dawn
As teeth and jaw
Sink in like needles
There's no love lost
For a helpless pawn
Taking care of business
Selling rock candy and suicide
The message in the battle of the colors
Eyes for eyes, brothers for brothers
Taking care of business
Selling rock candy and suicide
Buying low and selling high
Business booms when cold lead flies
The message, delivered every day
The message, tribal, primal, criminal
Old men backing out of heart attacks
Send the young ones back to do a man's job
To the fire and water
The best man's daughter weds the wings of the dragonfly
Taking care of business
Selling rock candy and suicide
Buying low and selling high
Business booms when cold lead flies
The message, delivered every day
The message, tribal, primal, criminal
The message, delivered every day
The message, tribal, primal, criminal
The lyrics in Flotsam and Jetsam's song The Message tell a story of violence, greed, and survival. The opening lines speak of wolves devouring a heart, which one can interpret as a metaphor for a ruthless society where the weak are preyed upon by the strong. The lines "The message in the battle of the colors, eyes for eyes, brothers for brothers" refer to gang warfare and the belief that revenge is a necessary part of justice. This theme is continued in the lines "Business booms when cold lead flies," which suggests that violence is profitable for those who supply the weapons.
The chorus of the song, "The message, delivered every day, tribal, primal, criminal," reinforces the idea that this is a primal, violent world where might makes right. The lines "Old men backing out of heart attacks, send the young ones back to do a man's job" suggest that even those in power are willing to sacrifice the weak to achieve their goals. However, the lines "To the fire and water, the best man's daughter weds the wings of the dragonfly" add a sense of hope, suggesting that there is still beauty and love in this world, even amidst the violence and corruption.
Overall, The Message is a powerful commentary on the darker aspects of human nature, and the belief that violence is a necessary part of survival in a brutal world.
Line by Line Meaning
Wolves devour
Predatory animals consume their prey
The full moon heart
The moon is full and bright, shining on the hearts of all beings
Screams bloodless howls
Creatures scream silently for the arrival of daylight
And starves for the dawn
The darkness of night is long and hunger builds for the new day to begin
As teeth and jaw
Sharp teeth and strong jaws
Sink in like needles
Penetrating the flesh like a needle
There's no love lost
No sympathy for a helpless victim
For a helpless pawn
For someone who is vulnerable and easily taken advantage of
Taking care of business
Performing necessary tasks to maintain one's livelihood
Selling rock candy and suicide
Offering both pleasure and death to willing customers
The message in the battle of the colors
The underlying meaning in the conflict between different groups
Eyes for eyes, brothers for brothers
Retaliation for harm done; loyalty to one's own kind
Buying low and selling high
Making a profit by purchasing goods at a low price and selling them at a higher price
Business booms when cold lead flies
Violent conflict can lead to increased profits for certain individuals
The message, delivered every day
The underlying theme is present in daily life
The message, tribal, primal, criminal
The message is rooted in basic human instinct and often involves illegal activity
Old men backing out of heart attacks
Elderly individuals experiencing severe medical emergencies
Send the young ones back to do a man's job
Those deemed too young to participate in conflicts are sent to replace those who are injured or killed
To the fire and water
Extreme conditions faced by those in dangerous situations
The best man's daughter weds the wings of the dragonfly
The most desirable individuals are drawn to each other despite difficult circumstances
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ZOLANI MAHOLA, NEIL JOHN FRANCIS HAWKS, SIMON ATTWELL, JULIO SIGAUQUE, KYLA-ROSE SMITH, PETER COHEN, SEREDEAL SCHEEPERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind