Produ… Read Full Bio ↴Written by Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook & Stephen Morris
Produced by Martin Hannett
Recorded April 1979, Strawberry Studios, Stockport, UK
Released 15 June 1979 on Unknown Pleasures
Personnel Vocals by Ian Curtis. Guitar & synthesiser by Bernard Sumner. Bass & backing vocals by Peter Hook. Drums by Stephen Morris.
Day of the Lords
Joy Division Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No portrait so fine, only sheets on the wall
I've seen the nights, filled with bloodsport and pain
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained
Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?
These are your friends from childhood, through youth
Who goaded you on, demanded more proof
Withdrawal pain is hard, it can do you right in
So distorted and thin, distorted and thin
Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?
This is the car at the edge of the road
There's nothing disturbed, all the windows are closed
I guess you were right when we talked in the heat
There's no room for the weak, no room for the weak
Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?
This is the room, the start of it all
Through childhood, through youth, I remember it all
Oh, I've seen the nights filled with bloodsport and pain
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained
Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?
The lyrics to Joy Division's song Day of the Lords are poetic, but also quite cryptic. The song starts with a description of a room, where it all began. There is no fine portrait, only sheets on the wall. What "it" is exactly, is not clear, but we get a sense that this room is significant in some way. The next verse talks about nights filled with bloodsport and pain, and the bodies obtained. This is a reference to violence and possibly war, and suggests that the events that took place in the room of the first verse may have been a catalyst for these violent acts.
The chorus is a repeated question, "Where will it end?" which suggests a feeling of hopelessness. It's almost as if the singer is asking if there is any way to stop or change the cycle of violence and pain that they have seen.
The second verse suggests that the singer's friends from their childhood and youth are also involved in this violence, and that they have pushed the singer to prove themselves. The reference to withdrawal pain suggests addiction or some kind of dependency, which could be related to drugs or other vices.
The third verse talks about a car at the edge of the road, and implies that there was a conversation that took place there between the singer and another person. The line "There's no room for the weak" suggests a sense of survival of the fittest, where only the strong can survive.
The song ends with a repetition of the first verse, suggesting that the cycle of violence and pain that began in that room will continue indefinitely. Overall, the lyrics paint a bleak picture of a world consumed by violence and addiction, with no hope for change.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the room, the start of it all
The room where it all began, the origin of all our troubles.
No portrait so fine, only sheets on the wall
There are no decorations, no signs of luxury or refinement, only bare sheets on the walls.
I've seen the nights, filled with bloodsport and pain
The singer has witnessed horrific scenes of violence and agony.
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained
The result of the violence is dead bodies, which have been obtained by someone for some purpose.
Where will it end? Where will it end?
The artist is asking where this cycle of violence and pain will eventually stop.
These are your friends from childhood, through youth
The people involved in this violence are not strangers, but friends the singer has known since childhood.
Who goaded you on, demanded more proof
These friends have encouraged the singer to engage in this violence, pushing for more and more extreme actions.
Withdrawal pain is hard, it can do you right in
The physical and emotional pain of attempting to break away from this cycle of violence is intense and could break a person.
So distorted and thin, distorted and thin
The artist is describing themselves as physically and mentally warped by this experience, a mere shell of their former self.
This is the car at the edge of the road
The artist is describing a car parked up at the side of the road.
There's nothing disturbed, all the windows are closed
The car appears undisturbed, and all windows are shut tight.
I guess you were right when we talked in the heat
Someone the artist spoke to previously was correct about something that was discussed during an intense conversation.
There's no room for the weak, no room for the weak
In this ruthless and violent world, there is no place for people who are considered weak.
Through childhood, through youth, I remember it all
The singer is reflecting on their past, and how this violence has been present since their earliest memories.
Oh, I've seen the nights filled with bloodsport and pain
The singer has observed terrible acts of violence and unspeakable suffering.
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained
The result of the violence is always the same: dead bodies.
Where will it end? Where will it end?
The cycle of violence and pain seems unending, leading the artist to question if it will ever truly come to a close.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bernard Sumner, Ian Kevin Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Paul David Morris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@deanhatch8153
This is the room, the start of it all,
No portrait so fine, only sheets on the wall,
I've seen the nights, filled with bloodsport and pain,
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained.
Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?
These are your friends from childhood, through youth,
Who goaded you on, demanded more proof,
Withdrawal pain is hard, it can do you right in,
So distorted and thin, distorted and thin.
Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?
This is the car at the edge of the road,
There's nothing disturbed, all the windows are closed,
I guess you were right, when we talked in the heat,
There's no room for the weak, no room for the weak,
Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end?
This is the room, the start of it all,
Through childhood, thorugh youth, I remember it all,
Oh, I've seen the nights filled with bloodsport and pain.
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained.
Where will it end? Where will it end?
Where will it end? Where will it end
@TweedSuit
If there ever was a band that DIDN’T need videos, JD is certainly that band.
@Wedneswere
Natürlich, bien sur... But they are also that band to spark creativity with so many fascinating videos for many of its greatest songs.
@frankprince7247
absultely agreee
@snot-iw4ni
CONFIRMOOOOOOOOO
@FreshDeath1385
🖤🖤🖤💯💯💯💯
@user-yr2up2tb2i
I imagine a totally different scene when I listen to this song, just a working man in his empty home with bleak white walls, or a therapist's office with someone devastated sitting on a couch in the middle of the room
@lyrebird9749
I think your imagination is far closer to what Ian Curtis was living and thinking when he wrote the song.
@atypicalist6508
I can imagine Hitler, Nazi, German troops and tiger tanks while listening this song.
@solidifiedmilk571
I think something like a lone soldier alternating between walking through a frozen battlefield and his empty hometown, but I quite like your ideas. Tbh, a monkey in a clown costume doing erotic dances for 5 minutes would be better than this video
@andrewmeyer169
@@atypicalist6508 definitely a tank column firing off. or maybe some vietnam bomb bay footage