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.
Seeing Red
Killing Joke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And they're doing it in your name
All the rational commentaries
In the papers that I read
Marmalade and buttered toast
And the smell of Sunday roast
Kiss the arse of uncle sam
When you hear the sound of warning
When the only color is
Red, red, red, red
When you hear the sound of warning
When the only color is
Red sky in the morning
Everywhere I'm seeing
Red, red, red, red
Dawn brings a day of hell
That we pawn and sell
A single magpie in a tree
One for sorrow, one for me
Kick it off the cliff I said
Now the line fucks up my head
Too late to change this mode
Break all my moral codes
When you hear the sound of warning
When the only color is
Red, red, red, red
When you hear the sound of warning
When the only color is
Red sky in the morning
Everywhere I'm seeing
Red, red, red, red
Running from myself again
And all I feel is shame
It doesn't matter where I go
Everywhere still looks the same
Wheee-ooo
This sense of emptiness
As we create this mess
Self-destructive tendencies
Of what you mean to me
When you hear the sound of warning
When the only color is
Red, red, red, red
When you hear the sound of warning
When the only color is
Red sky in the morning
Everywhere I'm seeing
Red, red, red, red, red, red, red, red
The lyrics to Killing Joke's "Seeing Red" paint a picture of a world consumed by war, destruction, and chaos. The opening lines address the dropping of bombs, attributing them to being done in the listener's name. The song goes on to criticize the media for their rational commentaries that fail to address the true horrors of war. The imagery shifts to a more domestic scene, with mentions of marmalade, buttered toast, and Sunday roast. However, this sense of comfort is quickly undermined with the lyric "kiss the arse of uncle sam, oh, to be an englishman," which suggests a sense of subjugation that is impossible to escape.
As the song continues, the imagery becomes increasingly bleak, with the dawn being described as "a day of hell" that is pawned and sold. The single magpie in the tree, traditionally a symbol of bad luck, is described as being "one for sorrow, one for me." The singer's sense of helplessness and despair culminates in the lines "running from myself again, and all I feel is shame. It doesn't matter where I go, everywhere still looks the same." The song recognizes the self-destructive tendencies that come with a world consumed by war and violence, and the resulting emptiness and chaos that follow.
Overall, "Seeing Red" is a scathing critique of modern society's willingness to engage in violence and its failure to address the horrors and consequences that come with it. The song's repeated use of the color red serves as a metaphor for this violence and destruction, with the lyrics suggesting that it is an all-encompassing force in the modern world.
Line by Line Meaning
They're dropping bombs again
The act of dropping bombs is being repeated
And they're doing it in your name
The bombs are being dropped in your name, as a result of your actions
All the rational commentaries
The reasonable opinions
In the papers that I read
That I read in the newspapers
Marmalade and buttered toast
Delicious breakfast foods
And the smell of Sunday roast
The aroma of a traditional Sunday meal
Kiss the arse of uncle sam
Showing loyalty to the American government
Oh, to be an englishman
To be a British person
When you hear the sound of warning
When you hear the alert signal
When the only color is
When the only color you see is
Red, red, red, red
The color red is symbolic of danger and warning
Red sky in the morning
A red sky in the morning can be a sign of approaching bad weather
Everywhere I'm seeing
Everywhere that I look
Dawn brings a day of hell
The beginning of the day brings dreadful events
That we pawn and sell
That we give up or sacrifice
A single magpie in a tree
A magpie is believed to be a sign of bad luck
One for sorrow, one for me
The superstitious belief that one magpie equals one sorrow for the observer
Kick it off the cliff I said
I want to get rid of this bad luck
Now the line fucks up my head
Now this act affects my mind or my thoughts
Too late to change this mode
It is too late to change this behavior or pattern
Break all my moral codes
To betray one's moral principles
Running from myself again
Avoiding or trying to escape from one's own problems
And all I feel is shame
A sense of embarrassment or disgrace
It doesn't matter where I go
No matter where I am
Everywhere still looks the same
Everything still appears to be similar
Wheee-ooo
A vocalization that expresses a sense of urgency or warning
This sense of emptiness
A feeling of hollowness or void
As we create this mess
As we cause or contribute to this situation
Self-destructive tendencies
Inclinations towards harming oneself
Of what you mean to me
Of the significance you hold in my life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WALKER KEVIN, ANDREW JAMES DALRYMPLE GILL, JEREMY COLEMAN, MARTIN GLOVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Moto Moshpit
They brought in Dave Grohl to do drums on one track....they were going to have a guest drummer for each song.....but Dave wanted to do the whole album! Good decision on both parties. This is one of the best start to finish albums of all times.
leftyzappa
You are Absolutely Correct. :D
T H
where was Big Paul then?
Fernan Koolman
So good, this song easily gets stuck in the head!!
Charlie Krew
instablaster.
Ardent Ice
Such a gem. A true stellar album.
Johana Žáčková
I listen that 5 Times and its still amazing...
jacqueline carmo
Música top 🔝
TheMiCk Griffin
The most powerful rock group on planet Earth . End of
MrStephen182
Yes. They started the whole industrial metal sub genre back in 79 long before the term industrial metal had even been coined. As much as I love the band Rammstein I can not help but admit they sound like the 1994 song Millenium by Killing Joke. They have influenced but to name a few, Nine Inch Nails, Godflesh, Rob Zombie, Ministry, Metallica. To say they are legends is but a supernova understatement.