Machine Head's first four albums earned the band a growing fan base in Europe, however the band would not have success in their native United States until later releases. The band drew controversy with its fourth album, Supercharger (2001), released three weeks after the September 11 attacks, which resulted in the album's only single, "Crashing Around You", and its music video (which featured burning buildings) being pulled from all media outlets. The band nearly disbanded in 2002 after negotiating off its label Roadrunner Records as a result of the controversy, however the band would eventually re-sign with the label.
Having experimented with elements of groove metal and nu metal in its early releases, Machine Head changed to a more traditional thrash metal sound and longer songs with its sixth album, The Blackening (2007), which drew critical acclaim and was chosen as Album of the Decade by Metal Hammer in 2010; the album's first single, "Aesthetics of Hate", also earned the band its first Grammy Award nomination. The band achieved similar success with its following two albums, Unto the Locust (2011) and Bloodstone & Diamonds (2014), before returning to its nu metal roots with the release of its ninth album, Catharsis (2018).
Machine Head has released nine studio albums, two live albums, one video album, 13 singles and 15 music videos. Four of the band's studio albums have been certified silver in the United Kingdom, and the band's highest peak on the Billboard 200 came with Bloodstone & Diamonds at number 21. To date, the band has sold over three million records worldwide.
Studio albums
Burn My Eyes (1994)
The More Things Change... (1997)
The Burning Red (1999)
Supercharger (2001)
Through the Ashes of Empires (2003)
The Blackening (2007)
Unto the Locust (2011)
Bloodstone & Diamonds (2014)
Catharsis (2018)
Game Over
Machine Head Lyrics
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Oh your sweet little lies
I can hear when I hold you close to me
When I look in your eyes
I see through your disguise
What I see is an only lonely void
And I can see hell in your eyes
Those fake tears that you cried
As I claw my way from your tragedy
Emptiness is your bride
Arrogance is your pride
I won't drown in another's misery
And you won't pull me down to die
No!
Stuck in this prison with a brother I loved
Stuck in this prison with the memories of...
Another time, when music's all that we had
Bonded by anger and addictions, so glad
Always together but no words are spoken
This is the sound of a friendship broken
Trapped and climbing up the walls
How the fuck do I get out of these pitfalls?
And you say that life is just a game and
Everyone who plays is just a pawn
And shame on me it went so long
How could I've been so wrong?
I've forever gone, colder
If life is just a game then
Game over
Dreaming of choking someone I used to know
Strangling the negativity that they sow
Resent has now become the face in the mask
That plays upon a bitter two-man cast
Go find somebody else to blame your problems
Trying to fuck me, because you can't solve them
Stop! You never gave a shit
We almost fucking quit, because how much you hated it
And you say that life is just a game and
Everyone who plays is just a pawn
And shame on me it went so long
How could I've been so wrong?
I've forever gone, colder
If life is just a game then
Game over
For as long as you're alive
I'll curse your worthless name
On the day
On the day of your demise
Unburied and left for the flies
Believe me that I will piss upon your grave
Forgiveness may greet me on someday
But I'll never forget all this pain
Let there be no mistake
This is not a game!
Oh your sweet little lies
Oh your sweet little lies
I can hear when I hold you close to me
When I look in your eyes
I see through your disguise
What I see is an only lonely void
'Cause you're drowning inside
Those fake tears that you cried
As I claw my way from your tragedy
Emptiness is your bride
Arrogance is your pride
I won't drown in another's misery
Forever this friendship has died
No!
And you say that life is just a game and
Everyone who plays is just a pawn
And shame on me it went so long
How could I've been so wrong?
I've forever gone, colder
If life is just a game then
Game over
Game over
(Game over)
The song "Game Over" by Machine Head is about betrayal and the end of a friendship. The opening lines "Oh your sweet little lies, I can hear when I hold you close to me" suggest that the singer is aware of the deceit of the person they are close to. They see through the facade and are witnessing the loneliness and emptiness hidden beneath the lies. The chorus "And you say that life is just a game and everyone who plays is just a pawn" is a response to the lies, indicating that the friendship was only a game to the other person. The singer feels anger and betrayal, unable to forgive and curse their name for as long as they are alive. The song is filled with rage and frustration towards a person who they once trusted and loved, but who has now become an enemy.
The second half of the song shifts to a reflection on their time as friends, reminiscing about a time when they were "bonded by anger and addictions." They were once trapped together in a different type of prison, but now the friendship is broken and the singer is climbing up walls to get out of the pitfalls. The song concludes with a message that forgiveness may come, but the pain and hurt will never be forgotten. The line "Let there be no mistake, this is not a game" is a final warning that the singer will not be played like a pawn in someone else's game again.
Overall, "Game Over" is a powerful and raw reflection on the end of a friendship and the betrayal that caused it. The lyrics are filled with emotion and frustration, and the music has a heavy and intense energy that reflects the anger and pain of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh your sweet little lies
Addressing the deceitful nature of the person being addressed
I can hear when I hold you close to me
Suggesting that the deceptive nature of the person is palpable through physical contact
When I look in your eyes
Stating that their visual interaction implies that the person is hiding something
I see through your disguise
Acknowledging that the person is indeed hiding something
What I see is an only lonely void
Interpreting the disguised motive behind the person's actions as something that will lead to their own mental emptiness
And I can see hell in your eyes
Claiming that there is an inferno within the hidden intent of the addressed person
'Cause you're drowning inside
Assuming that the person is trapped within their own deceitful web
Those fake tears that you cried
Referring to the insincere, dishonest behaviors of the person
As I claw my way from your tragedy
Escaping the sticky situation or putative sorrow that the person creates, suggested by the metaphor of being trapped in a situation
Emptiness is your bride
Imagining emptiness, sadness, or void as an element the person embraces, that the person is now married to them
Arrogance is your pride
Stating the arrogance is what the person is proud of and represents something that they would not let go of
I won't drown in another's misery
Refusing to be sucked into the person's problematic, unhappy life
And you won't pull me down to die
Stating that the person's intention is to bring others down, and the singer won't allow that
Stuck in this prison with a brother I loved
Being stuck metaphorically in the past when the relationship with the brother was loving
Stuck in this prison with the memories of...
Still caught up in the past, reliving memories
Another time, when music's all that we had
Reminding the listeners of the simpler time when music was the only thing that mattered
Bonded by anger and addictions, so glad
Suggesting that the person in question bonded with someone based on anger and addictions rather than anything else, and thinks they are better off because of it
Always together but no words are spoken
Highlighting the lack of genuine communication between two people who are always together
This is the sound of a friendship broken
Outlining the current state of the broken relationship
Trapped and climbing up the walls
Feeling like being trapped in a situation that has no exit
How the fuck do I get out of these pitfalls?
Expressing the frustration of feeling trapped and uncertain how to move forward
And you say that life is just a game and
Pointing out the perspective of the person being addressed in life's meaning
Everyone who plays is just a pawn
Querying or rejecting the idea that everyone in life merely serves as a pawn of someone else
And shame on me it went so long
Regretting the time wasted by staying with the person being addressed for too long
How could I've been so wrong?
Questioning their own judgment or intuition during the time spent with the addressed person
I've forever gone, colder
Acknowledging that there is a significant change in terms of feeling, emotionally switching off
If life is just a game then
Distancing oneself from the philosophy the person in question has towards life
Game over
Taken as a reply or response to the perspective of life and as a metaphor to signal the end of the relationship
Dreaming of choking someone I used to know
Expressing a difficult time processing the past and still processing trauma or regret
Strangling the negativity that they sow
Refusing to let negative thoughts override positivity or take precedence in the present
Resent has now become the face in the mask
Illustrating the transition of emotions as resentment has been forefronted in the relationship
That plays upon a bitter two-man cast
Alluding to the bitter and toxic relationship as something that affects only the two men involved
Go find somebody else to blame your problems
Talking about the tendency of the addressed person to put their issues onto others and suggesting they no longer do that
Trying to fuck me, because you can't solve them
Highlighting the malicious, retaliatory intentions of the person being addressed
Stop! You never gave a shit
Pointing out the lack of genuine caring from the person in question
We almost fucking quit, because how much you hated it
Recalling the verge of ending the relationship because of the hatred and negativity responsible for it
On the day of your demise
Referring to the day that the person being addressed will cease to exist
Unburied and left for the flies
Visualize the unpleasant consequences of the addressed person's death
Believe me that I will piss upon your grave
Vowing to express disrespect to the person even after they die
Forgiveness may greet me on someday
Anticipation of the day where the artist may forgive the jerk character
But I'll never forget all this pain
Saying that there has been an extreme amount of pain caused by the other person's behavior and stating that they will always remember it
Let there be no mistake
Stating that there is no illusion or misconception about their intentions
This is not a game!
Stressing the point that the situation is serious
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: PHILIP JOHN DEMMEL, ROBERT CONRAD FLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind