War Is My Destiny
Ill Bill Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Ill Bill]
They killed my entire family, murdered and tortured, raped and pillaged
I was only five and I was the only survivor witness
My entire village burnt to the ground, he wore a serpent in his crown
While happily committing murder with a frown
And an army of black hooded fiery skulled generals
And a sorcerer that could cast spells that'd change your genitals
Held me in slavery till I turned eighteen
Killed my slave master five years later, became King
And I slain dragons and ate steaks during famine
Had the seeds of war planted in the dirty tavern
Had the seeds of presidents killed in a burst of anger
And had their parents bleed to death on the floor of a dirty bathroom
I watched the palaces burn
And seen the ashes of my comrades return to their family in an urn
While the proud child remembers his father that died
The cycle continues with vengeance, alive in his mind

[Max Cavalera]
Refuse, resist, War Is My Destiny
Disorder, unleashed, War Is My Destiny
Chaos A.D, War Is My Destiny
Under a pale grey sky, War Is My Destiny

[Immortal Technique]
I was an angel before a third of the stars fell,
Cast with the sternum from Satan into the pit of Hell
Our beloved leader forced to be a bottom feeder
The great deceiver that promised victory over the monkey lovers
We took a vulturous structure and traitor, fell upon 'em
We ripped his skin off and crowned a new son of the morning
A new president to lead our corporation
The vengeance on god and heaven’s domination
But I seduced the daughters of man and made the Nephilim
I demanded human sacrifice from the rest of 'em
I became the spirit that tortured and protected 'em
And I built them the tower of language that connected them
And then the lord cried, water falling out from his eyes
And my children died drowning in the tears from the sky
And it was then that Satan crawled back to me with a plan
A design for the ultimate corruption of man
See back then we used to set the chosen ones on fire
You really think God only sent a single messiah
And so we allowed the birth of many prophets on Earth
And since the followers were human they were born with a curse
They began to claim superiority to their brothers
And for eighty-five thousand years conquered each other
And when they prayed before battle they were praying to me
Killing in God’s name cause War Is My Destiny

[Max Cavalera]
Refuse, resist, War Is My Destiny
Disorder, unleashed, War Is My Destiny




Chaos A.D, War Is My Destiny
Under a pale grey sky, War Is My Destiny

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ill Bill’s “War Is My Destiny” are filled with vivid imagery and a haunting narrative that describes the brutality of war and the cycle of vengeance that it creates. The song appears to be narrated by three different characters, each with their own perspective on the topic of war.


Ill Bill’s verse features a narrator who has suffered tremendous loss and has had to endure slavery and oppression. He seems to have channeled his anger and hatred into becoming a conqueror and a king, seeking revenge against his enemies and planting the seeds of war in dirty taverns. His description of eating steaks during famines and killing slave masters adds a layer of brutality to his character. He seems to have accepted the inevitability of violence and the cyclical nature of revenge.


Max Cavalera’s chorus provides a mantra for those who refuse to accept the forces that seek to oppress them. The phrase, “Refuse, resist, War Is My Destiny” seems to be a call to arms for those who want to fight back against their oppressors. The repetition of the phrase adds to its power and urgency.


Immortal Technique’s verse tells the story of an angel who was cast out of heaven and became a being of pure evil. He seduced the daughters of man and demanded human sacrifice from them. He created the tower of language that connected mankind and led them to war against each other. He claims that people pray to him before battles, killing in the name of God. The imagery in this verse is particularly striking, with the idea of the angel becoming a spirit that tortures and protects mankind being particularly haunting.


Overall, the song is a powerful commentary on the destructive nature of war and the way it consumes those who engage in it. The images created by the different narrators add depth and complexity to the topic, and the repetition of the chorus drives home the message of resistance.


Line by Line Meaning

They killed my entire family, murdered and tortured, raped and pillaged
Ill Bill is recounting the traumatic event of his entire family being killed, tortured, and sexually assaulted.


I was only five and I was the only survivor witness
At the age of five, Ill Bill was the only one to survive the traumatic event and bear witness to the atrocities committed.


My entire village burnt to the ground, he wore a serpent in his crown
The perpetrator of the brutal attack wore a symbol of evil, possibly indicating his allegiance to a demonic force.


While happily committing murder with a frown
The murderer appeared to find pleasure in committing the acts of violence and destruction.


And an army of black hooded fiery skulled generals
The army responsible for the attack were armed with violent imagery, including black hooded fiery skulls.


And a sorcerer that could cast spells that'd change your genitals
The sorcerer possessed power over their victims, including the ability to alter their genitalia through magical spells.


Held me in slavery till I turned eighteen
Ill Bill was held captive and forced into slavery until he reached the age of eighteen.


Killed my slave master five years later, became King
Ill Bill was able to gain revenge by killing his slave master and eventually becoming a leader himself.


And I slain dragons and ate steaks during famine
As a leader, Ill Bill was able to overcome challenges, including fighting and defeating dragons while also providing food during times of famine.


Had the seeds of war planted in the dirty tavern
Ill Bill actively planned and initiated conflict, using a tavern as the setting to stir up tensions and divide society.


Had the seeds of presidents killed in a burst of anger
Ill Bill was responsible for the assassination of presidents, fueled by his anger and desire for power.


And had their parents bleed to death on the floor of a dirty bathroom
Ill Bill's violence extended beyond his enemies, as he also killed the parents of presidents in a gruesome fashion.


I watched the palaces burn
Ill Bill has witnessed the destruction of palaces and society as a result of war and conflict.


And seen the ashes of my comrades return to their family in an urn
Ill Bill has witnessed the death and aftermath of war, including the return of the remains of fallen comrades to their families in urns.


While the proud child remembers his father that died
The children of fallen soldiers and comrades carry on the memory of their lost loved ones with pride.


The cycle continues with vengeance, alive in his mind
The cycle of war and violence continues to plague Ill Bill's mind, with a desire for vengeance and retaliation ingrained in him.


I was an angel before a third of the stars fell,
Immortal Technique is referencing his past as an angel in heaven, before being cast out along with a third of the other angels.


Cast with the sternum from Satan into the pit of Hell
Immortal Technique was cast out of heaven and into hell due to his connection with Satan.


Our beloved leader forced to be a bottom feeder
The angels who followed Satan were led by a fallen angel who was forced to be a subordinate in hell.


The great deceiver that promised victory over the monkey lovers
Satan is depicted as the 'great deceiver' who convinced his followers that they would achieve victory over humanity (referred to as 'monkey lovers').


We took a vulturous structure and traitor, fell upon 'em
The angels overthrow a structure and a traitor (potentially another fallen angel), suggesting a rebellion within Hell.


We ripped his skin off and crowned a new son of the morning
The angels violently overthrow the traitor, who is replaced by a new leader referred to as the 'son of the morning.'


A new president to lead our corporation
The new leader is put in charge of the angels' operation, in a similar fashion to a corporation being run by a president.


The vengeance on god and heaven’s domination
The angels seek vengeance against God and his rule over heaven.


But I seduced the daughters of man and made the Nephilim
Immortal Technique tempted and seduced human women, resulting in the creation of the Nephilim (a race of giants and angels).


I demanded human sacrifice from the rest of 'em
As a spiritual entity, Immortal Technique demanded human sacrifice from those who worshipped him.


I became the spirit that tortured and protected 'em
Immortal Technique is depicted as both a protector and torturer of his followers, suggesting his complex and conflicting nature.


And I built them the tower of language that connected them
Immortal Technique provided his followers with a tower of language that allowed them to communicate and work together.


And then the lord cried, water falling out from his eyes
God is depicted as shedding tears in response to the actions of Immortal Technique and his followers.


And my children died drowning in the tears from the sky
God's tears bring death to Immortal Technique's creation, the Nephilim.


And it was then that Satan crawled back to me with a plan
After witnessing the devastation wrought by God, Satan approaches Immortal Technique with a plan for human corruption.


A design for the ultimate corruption of man
Satan's plan aims to corrupt humanity on an unprecedented scale.


See back then we used to set the chosen ones on fire
In the past, God and the angels would burn chosen humans as a form of sacrifice or punishment.


You really think God only sent a single messiah
Immortal Technique questions the idea of God sending a single messiah to Earth, implying a possibility of multiple saviors.


And so we allowed the birth of many prophets on Earth
Immortal Technique and Satan allowed the birth of many prophets on Earth to spread their message of corruption.


And when they prayed before battle they were praying to me
As a spiritual entity, Immortal Technique was worshipped by those who prayed before battle, indicating his influence over warfare.


Killing in God’s name cause War Is My Destiny
Immortal Technique links the concept of killing in God's name to the overarching theme of war and violence being an inevitable fate.


Refuse, resist, War Is My Destiny
Max Cavalera's first phrase serves as a rallying cry to reject and resist war as our ultimate destiny.


Disorder, unleashed, War Is My Destiny
Max Cavalera's second phrase suggests that disorder is unleashed when war becomes our fate, emphasizing the catastrophic consequences that follow.


Chaos A.D, War Is My Destiny
Max Cavalera's reference to 'Chaos A.D' implies that war and destruction have become ingrained in society and the world as a whole.


Under a pale grey sky, War Is My Destiny
Max Cavalera's final phrase paints a bleak picture of the sky, suggesting that even the heavens have been affected by humanity's obsession with war and violence.




Contributed by Cooper R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@finishhim6663

All these years later and I'm still wondering why we don't get more metal vocalists on rap tracks! Bring so much power!

@ActAccordinglyNow

Who would be next? I would love to hear Tom Araya, Corey Taylor,

@EricDTrejo

I'm all for it! Where it at? Playlist?

@user-gx5mq5yj5y

blame Limp Bizkit & the likes for that

@iprogamer2947

“And then the Lord cried, water falling out from his eyes
And my children died drowning in the tears from the sky” Jesus christ 🤯

@azmanabdula

See back then we used to set the chosen ones on fire
You really think god only sent a single messiah!?

@PerJohanHalsli

2022 and this shit still rocks - The Hour of reprisal is still one of my fav albums - and I'm a metal head - but Ill Bill and Vinnie Paz kicks ass and make you think.

@MySqueezingArm

This came out when I was in high school. I'm glad this survived to meet the next generation.

@gemmamiddleton4394

Same

@ImmynimmyX

mark my word...this video will reach over a million...the real hip hop is beginning to rise...

More Comments

More Versions