Devil Inside
INXS Lyrics


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Here come the woman
With the look in her eye
Raised on leather
With flesh on her mind

Words as weapons
Sharper than knives
Makes you wonder how the other half die
How the other half die
Makes you wonder, wonder, wonder

Here come the man with the look in his eye
Fed on nothing but full of pride
Look at them go, look at them kick
Makes you wonder how the other half live

Devil inside
The devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside

Devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside

Here come the world
With the look in its eye
Future uncertain but certainly slight
Look at the faces listen to the bells
It's hard to believe we need a place called hell
A place called hell

The devil inside
The devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside

Devil inside
The devil inside
Every single one of us

Here comes the woman
With the look in her eye
She's raised on leather
With flesh on her mind
Words are weapons sharper than knives
Makes you wonder how the other half die

Devil inside
The devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside

Devil inside
Devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside

Devil inside
Devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside

Devil inside
Devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside

The devil inside
Yeah, yeah, yeah




The devil inside
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Devil Inside by INXS tackle the idea of the “devil” residing within every person, manifesting itself in different ways. The opening lines describe a woman who appears to be sexually aggressive, or perhaps even promiscuous, while a man is full of pride and power. The chorus repeats the idea that everyone, every single one of us, has the devil inside. The song comments on society’s dualistic nature, the idea that there is often a dichotomy in the way people live their lives, and suggests that both sides, both the good and the bad, are part of the same entity. The song suggests that we can all be potentially destructive, with our words being as sharp as knives, and this is what ultimately determines who we become.


The second verse broadens the scope to the world as a whole, with the future uncertain, and the possibility of a place called “hell” being necessary. The third and final verse repeats the first verse in terms of the “woman” again coming forward with her leather and flesh, but this time commenting on the idea that words are weapons, and the other half of society still suffering. The song ends with the repetition of the main point, that regardless of circumstances, we all have the devil inside.


Line by Line Meaning

Here come the woman
A woman is approaching


With the look in her eye
She has a fierce or intense gaze


Raised on leather
She grew up around leather, maybe as a biker or a rock fan


With flesh on her mind
She has carnal desires on her mind


Words as weapons
Her words are sharp and can be hurtful


Sharper than knives
Her words can cut deep


Makes you wonder how the other half die
Her words are so sharp that you wonder how people survive them


How the other half die
Continuing the metaphor of her sharp words, it's like the other half is dying from her attacks


Makes you wonder, wonder, wonder
The persistent thought of how harsh she is can make you wonder


Here come the man with the look in his eye
A confident man is approaching


Fed on nothing but full of pride
He has been brought up with no lack and is proud of himself


Look at them go, look at them kick
He and the woman are successful and doing well


Makes you wonder how the other half live
Their success makes you think about how other people are struggling comparatively


Devil inside
A metaphor for evil thoughts and impulses people have inside them


The devil inside
Emphasizes the previous line


Every single one of us
Everyone has these thoughts and desires


Here come the world
The future is uncertain


With the look in its eye
Life or the world in general has a foreboding quality to it


Future uncertain but certainly slight
The future doesn't look good


Look at the faces listen to the bells
Observing life in general and its significance


It's hard to believe we need a place called hell
The world is already like hell and seems unnecessary to have it as a separate place


Yeah, yeah, yeah
Repeating phrase, maybe emphasizing the idea of the devil being inside everyone




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Michael Hutchence, Andrew Farriss

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

WaywardWitch69

★ Lyrics ★

Here come the woman
With the look in her eye
Raised on leather
With flesh on her mind
Words as weapons
Sharper than knives
Makes you wonder how the other half die
How the other half die
Makes you wonder, wonder, wonder
Here come the man with the look in his eye
Fed on nothing but full of pride
Look at them go, look at them kick
Makes you wonder how the other half live
Devil inside
The devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside
Devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside
Here come the world
With the look in its eye
Future uncertain but certainly slight
Look at the faces listen to the bells
It's hard to believe we need a place called hell
A place called hell
The devil inside
The devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside
Devil inside
The devil inside
Every single one of us
Here comes the woman
With the look in her eye
She's raised on leather
With flesh on her mind
Words are weapons sharper than knives
Makes you wonder how the other half die
Devil inside
The devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside
Devil inside
Devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside
Devil inside
Devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside
Devil inside
Devil inside
Every single one of us
The devil inside
The devil inside
Yeah, yeah, yeah
The devil inside
Yeah, yeah, yeah



All comments from YouTube:

Dylan Wurfel

I come from the metal world, I love Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Sabbath etc and I gotta admit I find myself loving INXS songs. I am late to the party but man, they were so good. Michael Hutchence had the "it" factor in spades. He just had it, like very few have

Nostra Fn Damus

The Australian Jim Morrisson

Amy Dopson

Don't forget Zebra....wich surely led you here....😎

Snowy Hoffa

You are not alone sir

MrSunturion

I'm a Metal Head too and I love 80s Pop. Growing up that was all that I would listen to, until I got into Metal in the late 80s. 🤘

81 More Replies...

brewer9565

What more can you say - this song is beyond perfection - great separation of the instruments in the recording - the drums crack, the bassline is killer and locked with the drums, the guitars are crystal in the mix and the lead at the break is inspired and that’s an understatement...and then there’s Michael’s vocal. Great lyrics, great melody, great groove - you don’t hear this anymore. This song is truly incredible and grabs you from the start and doesn’t let you up until the fade.

delo1960

One of the best guitar leads........brilliant

Thomas Grum

Hi, could you explain me why it's for the first "here come the woman" and later "here comes the woman"? AFAIK it must be "here comes the woman"

Fátima Caldas

It’s an explosion of sensations ❤😱😋

Ronald Stuck

I definitely agree with you

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