A key influence on industrial rock, their early music was described by critics Stephen Thomas Erlewine and John Dougan as well as industrial metal and "quasi-metal, dancing to a tune of doom and gloom," which gradually evolved over the years, incorporating elements of electronic music, synth-pop, gothic rock, and alternative rock, though always emphasizing Coleman's "savagely strident vocals."
Finding modest commercial success, Killing Joke have influenced many later bands, such as Nirvana, Ministry, Amen, Lamb of God, Nine Inch Nails, Napalm Death, Amebix, Big Black, Godflesh, Tool, Prong, Metallica, Primus, Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, Faith No More, Blacklist, Shihad and Korn, all of whom have at some point cited some debt of gratitude to Killing Joke.
Adorations
Killing Joke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Welcomes of war and wounds, vigil and victory
Structures of atoms dance, sugar towards the taster
Prey to the predator, love as we're falling down
Through light and laughter flow, to dirge and death we go
Mindless processions move, lanterns of burning towns
Welcome to fray and feast, bliss in all sorrows found
Patterns I'm finding
As pain and joy and sorrow mingle
Patterns we're finding
Our faces raised in adorations
Deserts or paradise, awake to genocides
Delight and sufferings, these roles that we have found
Nourished by food we eat, hungered by waste excrete
From apes we're sons of gods, let every act be sacred
Patterns I'm finding
As pain and joy and sorrow mingle
Patterns we're finding
Our faces raised in adorations
Patterns I'm finding
As pain and joy and sorrow mingle
Patterns we're finding
Our faces raised in adorations
The lyrics to Killing Joke's "Adorations" are a deeply philosophical exploration of the contrasts and contradictions inherent in the human experience. The opening lines juxtapose courage and cowardice, war and victory, to suggest that these dualities are two sides of the same coin. The image of structures of atoms dancing towards the taster and prey to the predator suggests that even the most fundamental parts of our existence are subject to opposing forces.
Moving from macro to microcosm, the lyrics suggest that even the most transcendent aspects of our lives, such as love and light, are transitory and give way to the inevitable descent into darkness and death. The line "mindless processions move, lanterns of burning towns" is a hauntingly evocative image that suggests the inexorable march of time and the inevitability of destruction.
The final section of the song presents a vision of the world that is both starkly dystopian and transcendentally optimistic. The seemingly incompatible images of deserts and paradise, delight and suffering, suggest that even the harshest aspects of our existence are an integral part of the whole. The line "let every act be sacred" is a call to embrace the totality of life, to see the patterns in the pain and joy and to raise our faces in adoration.
Line by Line Meaning
Courage and cowards move heroes to ecstasy,
Heroes are exhilarated by both the bravery of themselves and others, as well as the cowardice of their enemies.
Welcomes of war and wounds, vigil and victory.
Military life brings both physical ailment and success as well as an emotional bond of trust and brotherhood.
Structures of atoms dance, sugar towards the taster,
Atomic structures move in a scientific 'dance,' and humans gravitate towards pleasure.
Prey to the predator, love as we're falling down.
Humans are victims to the natural instinct of survival of the fittest, even amidst love and vulnerability.
Through light and laughter flow, to dirge and death we go.
Life is always moving, either to happy moments or to sadness and mourning.
Mindless processions move, lanterns of burning towns.
Humanity can be capable of senseless violence and destruction, and can blindly follow harmful practices.
Welcome to fray and feast, bliss in all sorrows found.
In the midst of chaos and celebration, there is still happiness to be found.
Rhythm and random moves and waves of revelations.
Life is unpredictable, and there are sudden changes and learning experiences that come with the rhythm of everyday life.
Patterns I'm finding
As pain and joy and sorrow mingle.
Amidst the chaos of life, patterns can be identified in the mix of positive and negative emotions.
Patterns we're finding
Our faces raised in adoration.
The patterns we see can be beautiful and cause us to look up in admiration.
Deserts are paradise, awake to genocides.
Even the harshest of environments can be stunning, but also can be a witness to terrible acts of violence.
Delight and suffering, these roles that we have found.
Happiness and pain are two sides of the same coin of life that we all experience.
Nourished by food we eat, hungered by waste excrete.
We are sustained by the same things we discard, and the cycle of life continues.
From apes or sons of god, let every act be sacred.
Whether we believe in evolution or creation, each of us has the responsibility to treat life with reverence.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jeremy Coleman, Matthew Ferguson, Paul Vincent Raven, Kevin Walker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daria Loshadkina
Good song. Here is the lyrics:
Courage and Cowards move, heroes to ecstasy
Welcomes of war and wounds, vigil and victory
Structures of atoms dance, sugar towards the taster,
Prey to the predator, love as we're falling down
Through light and laughter flow, to dirge and death we go,
Mindless processions move, lanterns of burning towns,
Welcome to fray and feast, bliss in all sorrows found,
Rhythms and random moves and waves of adorations.
Patterns I'm finding
As pain and joy and sorrow mingle.
Patterns we're finding
Our faces raised in adorations.
Deserts are paradise, awake to genocides.
Delight and suffering, these roles that we have found
Nourished by food we eat, hungered by waste excrete
From apes or sons of god, let every act be sacred.
Patterns I'm finding
As pain and joy and sorrow mingle.
Patterns we're finding
Our faces raised in adorations.
Joe DeSimone
Still sounds majestic, deep, mesmerizing, hypnotic, transcendental and timeless in 2022. Fast forward 4 years and it's still pure poetry!
Clara Laclette
You mean 40 years... 😁
Joe DeSimone
@Clara Laclette 40 yes lol.
Clara Laclette
@Joe DeSimone 😄
Joe DeSimone
@Clara Laclette Early onset of dementia...I better get some more KJ in my ears before I forget!!!
ciao214Z
lmao
Leven
30 years later... and tears still run down my face when I hear this song.
Breno D
Ohh... I feel the same. This song is magic...
Wolfgang Kreft
Mir geht's genauso... Gruß Wolle
Tony Loader
Likewise!