The band's membership has seen much turnover, including a revolving cast of drummers in the 1970s and the departure of singer Rob Halford in 1992. Tim "Ripper" Owens, formerly of Winter's Bane, replaced Halford in 1996 and recorded two albums with Judas Priest, before Halford returned to the band in 2003. The current line-up consists of Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis. The band's best-selling album is 1982's Screaming for Vengeance, with their most commercially successful line-up featuring Ian Hill, Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, guitarist K. K. Downing, and drummer Dave Holland. Tipton and Hill are the only two members of the band to appear on every album.
Halford's operatic vocal style and the twin guitar sound of Downing and Tipton have been a major influence on heavy metal bands. Judas Priest's image of leather, spikes, and other taboo articles of clothing were widely influential during the glam metal era of the 1980s. The Guardian referred to British Steel as the record that defines heavy metal. Despite a decline in exposure during the mid-1990s, the band has once again seen a resurgence, including worldwide tours, being inaugural inductees into the VH1 Rock Honors in 2006, receiving a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2010, and having their songs featured in video games such as Guitar Hero and the Rock Band series. In 2022, Judas Priest were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Priest
Studio albums
Rocka Rolla (1974)
Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
Sin After Sin (1977)
Stained Class (1978)
Killing Machine (1978)
British Steel (1980)
Point of Entry (1981)
Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
Defenders of the Faith (1984)
Turbo (1986)
Ram It Down (1988)
Painkiller (1990)
Jugulator (1997)
Demolition (2001)
Angel of Retribution (2005)
Nostradamus (2008)
Redeemer of Souls (2014)
Firepower (2018)
Invincible Shield (2024)
Better By You
Judas Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You listen to the blood flow in my veins
You hear the teaching of the wind
Tell her why I'm alive within
I can't find the words My mind is dead
It's better by you better than me
Guess you'll have to tell her how I tried
Tell her now I got to go
Out in the streets and down the shore
Tell her the world's not much living for
It's better by you better than me
Everybody
Everybody knows
Everybody
Everybody knows
Better by you better than me
You can tell what I want it to be
You can say what I only can see
It's better by you better than me
Guess I'll have to change my way of living
Don't wanna really know the way I feel
Guess I'll learn to fight and kill
Tell her not to wait until
They'll find my blood upon her windowsill?
It's better by you better than me
Everybody
Everybody knows
Everybody
Everybody knows
Better by you better than me
You can say what I only can see
You can tell what I want it to be
It's better by you better than me
Better by you better than me
You can tell what I want it to be
You can say way all they can see
Better by you better than me
Better by you better than me
You can say way all they can see
You can tell what I want it to be
The lyrics of Judas Priest's song “Better By You, Better Than Me” evoke a visceral and emotional response by conveying a message of desperation, isolation, and uncertainty. The song speaks to the struggle of trying to express oneself and be understood by others. The first stanza describes a person who is unable to articulate their thoughts and passions while feeling like their mind is dead. They yearn for someone to understand them, to listen to the blood flow in their veins and the teaching of the wind that tells why they are alive. The listener's empathy and understanding are what make life “better by you, better than me.”
The second stanza presents a sense of resignation; the singer acknowledges that they have failed to communicate their innermost feelings to someone special. They lament that life on the streets and the shore has turned bleak, that there is nothing left to live for. The chorus then repeats, seeking comfort from the knowledge that everyone else knows that life is better when there’s someone who understands you. The final stanza conveys a sense of defeat, as the singer writes off the previous efforts as futile. They resolve to change their way of living to avoid feeling disappointed again, even though it means turning to violence. The final call for empathy from the listener reinforces the earlier message of connectivity, something essential for a fulfilling and happy life.
Line by Line Meaning
You could find a way to ease my passion
As my partner, you have the ability to fulfill my desires and make me feel at ease.
You listen to the blood flow in my veins
You have the ability to understand my innermost feelings and emotions, even the ones that are difficult to express verbally.
You hear the teaching of the wind
You have the wisdom to listen and truly understand the hidden messages of nature, which speaks to us through the winds of change.
Tell her why I'm alive within
Communicate to my beloved partner that I am alive and have purpose within myself and within our relationship.
I can't find the words My mind is dead
I am experiencing difficulty putting my thoughts and emotions into words due to an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion and defeat.
It's better by you better than me
Being with you is an improvement to my previous state of being without you.
Guess you'll have to tell her how I tried
To speak up thoughts I've held so inside
In order to truly understand my innermost thoughts and feelings, please communicate to my partner my efforts to express them despite my internal struggles.
Tell her now I got to go
Out in the streets and down the shore
Communicate to my partner that I need to leave temporarily and explore the external world in order to better understand myself internally.
Tell her the world's not much living for
Communicate to my partner that I am finding it difficult to see the value in continuing to live in a world where things seem to be going downhill.
It's better by you better than me
Being with you is still an improvement to my previous state of being alone and lost in the world.
Everybody
Everybody knows
Everybody
Everybody knows
Better by you better than me
This is a general sentiment that everyone understands - being with someone you love is better than being alone.
You can tell what I want it to be
You can say what I only can see
You are able to communicate for me what are the outcomes that I aim for, and what I envision but cannot put into words.
Guess I'll have to change my way of living
Don't wanna really know the way I feel
Guess I'll learn to fight and kill
Tell her not to wait until
They'll find my blood upon her windowsill?
In order to survive in this world, I may need to change how I live and fight for what I want. However, I do not want my loved one to wait until I am gone to realize how much I meant to them.
Better by you better than me
No matter the struggles, being with my loved one will always be better than being alone.
You can say what I only can see
You can tell what I want it to be
It's better by you better than me
Better by you better than me
You can say way all they can see
Better by you better than me
Better by you better than me
The overall message is that being together with a loved one is better than being alone, and that they have the ability to understand and communicate for each other in a way that others cannot.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GARY WRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Single Malt Whisky Enthusiast
Text
You could find a way to ease my passion
You listen to the blood flow in my veins
You hear the teaching of the wind
Tell her why I'm alive within
I can't find the words My mind is dead
It's better by you better than me
Guess you'll have to tell her how I tried
To speak up thoughts I've held so inside
Tell her now I got to go
Out in the streets and down the shore
Tell her the world's not much living for
It's better by you better than me
Everybody
Everybody knows
Everybody
Everybody knows
Better by you better than me
You can tell what I want it to be
You can say what I only can see
It's better by you better than me
Guess I'll have to change my way of living
Don't wanna really know the way I feel
Guess I'll learn to fight and kill
Tell her not to wait until
They'll find my blood upon her windowsill?
It's better by you better than me
Everybody
Everybody knows
Everybody
Everybody knows
Better by you better than me
You can say what I only can see
You can tell what I want it to be
It's better by you better than me
Better by you better than me
You can tell what I want it to be
You can say way all they can see
Better by you better than me
Better by you better than me
You can say way all they can see
You can tell what I want it to be
Povilaz
Lyrics
You could find a way to ease my passion
You listen to the blood flow in my veins
You hear the teaching of the wind
Tell her why I'm alive within
I can't find the words
My mind is dead
It's better by you better than me
Guess you'll have to tell her how I tried
To speak up thoughts I've held so inside
Tell her now I got to go
Out in the streets and down the shore
Tell her the world's not much living for
It's better by you better than me
Everybody
Everybody knows
Everybody
Everybody knows
Better by you better than me (DO IT)
You can tell what I want it to be
You can say what I only can see ( faint do it)
It's better by you better than me
Guess I'll have to change my way of living
Don't wanna really know the way I feel
Guess I'll learn to fight and kill
Tell her not to wait until
They'll find my blood upon her windowsill
It's better by you better than me
Everybody
Everybody knows
Everybody
Everybody knows
Better by you better than me
You can say what I only can see (DO IT)
You can tell what I want it to be
It's better by you better than me ( faint again do it)
Better by you better than me
You can tell what I want it to be
You can say way all they can see
Better by you better than me
Lachlan Hamilton
Just listened to this twice and didn't even shoot myself once.....
Slidey
I asked her for a peppermint, I asked her to get me one!
Lachlan Hamilton
@Chris Gardiner exactly.
Chris Gardiner
@Lachlan Hamilton what?
Lachlan Hamilton
@Chris Gardiner yes. I cleverly stayed alive
Chris Gardiner
AND YOU THINK THAT IS CLEVER ? : (
WhatDidYouSay 145
What Rob really means with "do it" is to buy more records.
Arto
@Izaak Gokey it's at 02:35, nearly inaudible. Listen on the headphones. It's actually just a random breathe after the "can see"-line
noirevctn `
@Izaak Gokey we didn't hear it either but that's what his mom says
Great Lakes PowerstrokeFX4
Not tyler the other channel my bad