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.
Extremities
Killing Joke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Affect me night and day
Fascinated, devastated
Critical decade
Vanishing greenery
Changing scenery
Yet somehow I accept
Yet somehow I accept
White heat (I watch a meltdown)
Cut the wood against the grain
Pleasure - pain (one word)
Extremities
I'm frightened
I'm excited
And I cannot differenciate between the two
(Can you?)
White heat (I watch a meltdown)
Cut the wood against the grain
Pleasure - pain (one word)
Extremities
Each and every one of us is watching for the signs
The days go by we count the moments
The moments of our lives
All the time all the time
The earthquakes came and the buildings all fell down
(And the waves I saw, I saw the people slowly drown)
Yes the sun grew hot and the children dehydrate
I saw the soldiers burn
I saw their skin just blister and break
Each and everyone of us is counting out the
Moments of our lives all the time
In Killing Joke's song "Extremities," the lyrics speak to the confusion and turmoil in society during the critical decade of the 1980s. The singer is both fascinated and devastated by the changing scenery around them, filled with vanishing greenery and environmental shifts. Despite the confusion, the singer somehow accepts the extremities of their environment and existence, acknowledging the pleasure and pain that coexist in life.
The chorus of the song speaks to the singer's fear and excitement as they watch a meltdown, suggesting that they are witnessing a societal or political breakdown in real-time. They cannot differentiate between these two intense emotions, and they question whether the listener can do so either. The message of the song is that each person is watching for the signs of societal collapse, counting the moments of their lives as they witness earthquakes, buildings falling down, and soldiers burning.
Overall, "Extremities" is a powerful commentary on the uncertain and tumultuous nature of society in the 1980s, where both environmental and political shifts were putting people's lives in jeopardy.
Line by Line Meaning
Extremities confusing me
I am perplexed by the complete opposites that surround me
Affect me night and day
It is affecting me constantly and without pause
Fascinated, devastated
I am both captivated and destroyed by what I see
Critical decade
This is a pivotal time in history
Vanishing greenery
The natural landscape is disappearing
Changing scenery
The world as we know it is transforming
Yet somehow I accept
Despite the chaos, I am resigned to the situation
White heat (I watch a meltdown)
I observe the collapse happening in front of me
Cut the wood against the grain
I am going against the norm and struggling to make sense of it
Pleasure - pain (one word)
I am experiencing both ecstasy and agony simultaneously
I'm frightened
I am scared of what's happening
I'm excited
I am also enamored by the changes taking place
And I cannot differenciate between the two
I am unable to tell these emotions apart
White heat (I watch a meltdown)
I continue to observe the destruction happening around me
Each and every one of us is watching for the signs
Everyone is on the lookout for what may come next
The days go by we count the moments
We are aware of the time slipping away as we wait for change
The moments of our lives
We are constantly aware of the precious gifts of time we possess
All the time all the time
This is a constant state of mind
The earthquakes came and the buildings all fell down
The world is literally falling apart
(And the waves I saw, I saw the people slowly drown)
I witnessed countless deaths from natural disasters
Yes the sun grew hot and the children dehydrate
There is also suffering due to man-made climate destruction
I saw the soldiers burn
There is war and violence happening at a global scale
I saw their skin just blister and break
The carnage and destruction is horrific
Each and everyone of us is counting out the
We are all waiting for the clock to tick down
Moments of our lives all the time
Our existence is constantly measured and evaluated
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jeremy Coleman, Kevin Walker, Martin Clive Atkins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
NebulusLabyrinth79
Time means nothing
Time means nothing to me anymore
Twenty years ago
Twenty years ago and yesterday
All the same to me all the same to me
Yes all the same
Time means nothing
Time means nothing to me anymore
I shut my eyes a second ago
And I was only eight years old
Lying on my back in the sun
Listening to the sound of children playing
And I remember all my thoughts
(thinking how beautiful life was)
So wonderful to be young
So beautiful to be young
Rememebring how, how to be young
One by one, all my friends died
And my body decayed
Time means nothing
Time means nothing to me anymore
I close my eyes, I was learning
A lesson somewhere else
I shut my eyes, I was learning
A lesson somewhere else
Time means nothing
Time means nothing to me anymore
Sean Balfour
This is one of the most important albums ever released
It maps the frustration despair rage
And outrage of being trapped in the matrix and trying to make sense of it
Let alone have some peace .
Killing joke do this terrifyingly good
If u feel uncomfortable listening to it ....u should
It’s like a music generator
Catharsis in order to make sense and then process the rapid changes In Technology/ warfare ,
The economics of starvation
Money /federal reserve fractional banking systems
Ifucking hate money , but how do I do without ???
Fuck money
NebulusLabyrinth79
By day we're dormant
Because it's too hot outside now
Nocturnal notions (as we leave our cocoons)
Antennae tuned to inhuman vibrations
Shading the cities of the world to comeI listen to the sound, the endless construction
Inside the termite moundI walked past the nursery
All the children have gone now
(The rules we taught them are what they've become)
Move past the people (they make me feel so indifferent)
Serving their purpose
It's their purpose to serve
A thousand… I walked past the nursery
All the children have gone now
(The rules we taught them are what they've become)
Move past the people (they make me feel so indifferent)
Serving their purpose
It's their purpose to serve
A thousand lights from this honeycombed labyrinth
These winding tunnels lead to my place of desire
Bars and bazaars of self-gratification
Live to consume
Live for momentary pleasuresI listen to the sound, the endless construction
Inside the termite mound.
Gore Stravinsky
In my personal opinion this is the best album by Killing Joke, I really love this album from beginning to end such a killer album!
DonSpinachyTheObscure
I highly recommend checking out Democracy, if you haven't already
DevilMaskMedia
Spot on. Top to bottom a brilliant effort.
uberalles2
It really was either their best or their second best after their first self titled album. While the other albums in between have some killer cuts, when you consider entire albums, this one rocks from end to end. I think it came together at the right time where they still had that early raw energy and some really fine production work and you can just feel that they wanted the album to be special. They exceeded their expectations.
DevilMaskMedia
I've seen KJ a handful of times, and the EXTREMITIES tour was the most intense the band ever was.
uberalles2
I've "seen" them 3 times, sort of, first time the drummer punched out a window at Tuts in Chicago, cut his hand, concert cancelled. Second time, friend got too drunk at the concert and they kicked us out, we came back to sneak back in and my friend got arrested. He couldn't run as fast as I could. I had to bail him out. Third time, had my wife with and we managed to see the whole concert (Extremities tour).
Golden Mean Music
A fraction of 1% of humans can appreciate this masterpiece. We are a rare breed, brothers and sisters.
Laurent Duvergne
🤙
MwA BaG
You know....... We will be the ones that FIGHT FOR what's RIGHT 🤛🏽 and this will be the music in my hears when it comes to it 😂
Wences Manzano
Here one of 1% 🙌 ⚜️