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.
Millenium
Killing Joke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of man's effect upon the planet
Extinction seems to be a plausible risk
Whatever happens well I'm part of all this
My life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
Take the wealth of my years
Singing in the millennium with you
[Resolutions for show]
Old ways don't seem to know
Singing in the millennium with you
Fire burn all our uncertainties
Water wash away impurities
Contradictions and predictions abound
Yes i believe that we can turn it around
My life I've been waiting for this moment
My life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
The lyrics to Killing Joke's song "Millenium" are about the singer's reflections on humanity's impact on the planet and the potential for extinction. The first verse acknowledges the singer's knowledge of the two thousand years of human history and their effect on the planet, ultimately leading to a potential extinction. The singer then goes on to express their personal connection to this reality, stating that regardless of what happens, they are a part of it all.
The chorus reveals that the singer has been waiting for this moment, perhaps suggesting that they have seen the signs of humanity's impact throughout their life and have been anticipating the need for change. The second verse then goes on to suggest that change is possible through outlining the need to burn away uncertainties and wash away impurities. The singer expresses a belief in the potential for humanity to turn things around.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born to see two thousand years
I came into this world to witness the impact of humanity on the planet for two millennia
Of man's effect upon the planet
To observe the changes made to the earth by human activities
Extinction seems to be a plausible risk
It is possible that the earth could witness extinction due to human actions
Whatever happens well I'm part of all this
Regardless of what happens, I am a part of the human impact on the planet
My life I've been waiting for this moment
I've been anticipating this moment in my life
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
Throughout my entire life, I've been anticipating this moment
Taste the salt of my tears
Experience the pain and sadness that I have felt
Take the wealth of my years
Take the knowledge and experience I've gained over the years
Singing in the millennium with you
Celebrating the new millennium together
[Resolutions for show]
Making resolutions for show, without truly intending to follow through
Old ways don't seem to know
Traditional methods don't seem to be effective anymore
Singing in the millennium with you
Continuing to celebrate the new millennium together
Fire burn all our uncertainties
Letting go of all our doubts and fears
Water wash away impurities
Cleaning away all that is impure or corrupt
Contradictions and predictions abound
Conflicting ideas and forecasts are prevalent
Yes I believe that we can turn it around
Despite the challenges, I believe that we can make things better
My life I've been waiting for this moment
Reiterating how significant this moment is for me
All my life I've been waiting for this moment
Expressing how long I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
Reiterating the duration of my anticipation
Contributed by Noah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John LaStrada
@Randy D - And "Hampton's Boogie" isn't the dawn of rock n' roll.
Does it really matter? Is there a law in place? Jethro Tull won a Grammy for heavy metal and they weren't metal at all. It's all just a fog of tag lines.
OK let's get real technical then -- just about everything performed by 80s hair bands isn't rock n' roll. How can it be? None of that shit has the rock 'n roll ethic. It's all theater.
It's funny that 29 people gave me the thumbs up but none were so bothered by it not being "true metal" that they had to say something.
What is it then? It's not grunge. It's not hard rock. It's not techno. It's not straight rock. But if you look them up the tag heavy metal is used to describe them along with new wave & punk.
I have better things to worry about pal. My toilet is running and I have to fix it before there's a flood.
Vampiros Bajo El Sol
I was born to see two thousand years
Of man's effect upon the planet
Extinction seems to be a plausible risk
Whatever happens well I'm part of all this
My life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
Taste the salt of my tears
Take the wealth of my years
Singing in the millennium with you
Resolutions for show
Old ways don't seem to know
Singing in the millennium with you
Fire burn all our uncertainties
Water wash away impurities
Contradictions and predictions abound
Yes I believe that we can turn it around
My life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
Taste the salt of my tears
Take the wealth of my years
Singing in the millennium with you
Resolutions for show
Old ways don't seem to know
Singing in the millennium with you
My life I've been waiting for this moment
My life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
Taste the salt of my tears
Take the wealth of my years
Singing in the millennium with you
Resolutions for show
Old ways don't seem to know
Singing in the millennium with you
Taste the salt of my tears
Take the wealth of my years
Singing in the millennium with you
Resolutions for show
Old ways don't seem to know
Singing in the millennium with you
Straw Berry
I was born to see two thousand years
Of man's effect upon the planet
Extinction seems to be a plausible risk
Whatever happens well I'm part of all this
My life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
Taste the salt of my tears
Take the wealth of my years
Singing in the millennium with you
[Resolutions for show]
Old ways don't seem to know
Singing in the millennium with you
Fire burn all our uncertainties
Water wash away impurities
Contradictions and predictions abound
Yes I believe that we can turn it around
My life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
Taste the salt of my tears
Take the wealth of my years
Singing in the millennium with you
Old ways don't seem to know
Singing in the millennium with you
My life I've been waiting for this moment
My life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment
All my life I've been waiting for this moment to come
Taste the salt of my tears
Take the wealth of my years
Singing in the millennium with you
Old ways don't seem to know
Singing in the millennium with you [
John LaStrada
I'm not a big aggressive heavy metal music fan but this song is incredible. There's actually an arrangement to the music and the singing is intense. "Taste the salt of my tears...take the wealth of my years..." oh yeah.
Randy D
That’s good because it isn’t a metal song.
John LaStrada
@Randy D - And "Hampton's Boogie" isn't the dawn of rock n' roll.
Does it really matter? Is there a law in place? Jethro Tull won a Grammy for heavy metal and they weren't metal at all. It's all just a fog of tag lines.
OK let's get real technical then -- just about everything performed by 80s hair bands isn't rock n' roll. How can it be? None of that shit has the rock 'n roll ethic. It's all theater.
It's funny that 29 people gave me the thumbs up but none were so bothered by it not being "true metal" that they had to say something.
What is it then? It's not grunge. It's not hard rock. It's not techno. It's not straight rock. But if you look them up the tag heavy metal is used to describe them along with new wave & punk.
I have better things to worry about pal. My toilet is running and I have to fix it before there's a flood.
nancy hamilton
My old band did Killing Joke songs I was on bass hubby on guitar Man this still sends me I am 62yrs young and I still ROCK All My Life
Kala
1000 likes to you
Raven Williams
Gowan nancy
Michael Kennedy
what songs did you do?
Wat Tyler
Well,I'm 69 & this sounds as good as ever.
Andrew Higdon
Legendary stuff. Without Killing Joke there are TONS of bands that might never have been. NIN being one of them.
Maniac
One of the best songs ever written by one of the best bands ever formed.