Dave Mustaine was an early member of the band Metallica, and helped pen tracks that wound up on their first two albums. In 1983, Mustaine was let go from the group by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield due to personal conflicts and substance abuse. He would be replaced by Kirk Hammett, guitarist for the Bay Area thrash band Exodus, who remains with the band to this day. Dave felt slighted and vowed to make his own band, which would be even faster and heavier than Metallica. Mustaine picked the name "Megadeth" from a pamphlet by California senator Alan Cranston that read: "The arsenal of megadeath can't be rid no matter what the peace treaties come to."
In 1985, Megadeth released their debut album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!, on the independent record label Combat Records, to moderate success. It caught the attention of bigger labels, which led to Megadeth signing with Capitol Records. Their first major-label album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, was released in 1986 and was a major hit with the underground metal scene. Band members' substance abuse issues and personal disputes had brought Megadeth negative publicity during the late 1980s. Nonetheless, the band went on to release a number of platinum-selling albums, including So Far, So Good... So What! (1988), Rust in Peace (1990), and Countdown to Extinction (1992). These albums, along with worldwide tours, brought them public recognition.
Megadeth has had numerous guitarists, drummers and bassists throughout its 39-year career, with Mustaine being the only remaining original member of the group. The band temporarily disbanded in 2002 when Mustaine suffered an arm injury and re-established in 2004 without longtime bassist David Ellefson, who had taken legal action against him. Ellefson settled out of court and rejoined the band in 2010, but was fired in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Megadeth's current lineup includes Mustaine, bassist James LoMenzo, guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren.
Megadeth earned platinum certifications in the United States for six of its sixteen studio albums, and has received twelve Grammy nominations. Megadeth won its first Grammy Award in 2017 for the song "Dystopia" in the Best Metal Performance category. The band's mascot, Vic Rattlehead, regularly appears on album artwork and live shows. Megadeth has hosted its own music festival, Gigantour, several times since July 2005, and held its first MegaCruise in October 2019.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megadeth
Studio albums
Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985)
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? (1986)
So Far, So Good... So What! (1988)
Rust in Peace (1990)
Countdown to Extinction (1992)
Youthanasia (1994)
Cryptic Writings (1997)
Risk (1999)
The World Needs a Hero (2001)
The System Has Failed (2004)
United Abominations (2007)
Endgame (2009)
Thirteen (2011)
Super Collider (2013)
Dystopia (2016)
The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! (2022)
Black Curtains
Megadeth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything's helter-skelter
Listen up... I warn you
Run for cover, run
Bang... it happened
Time's up, Armageddon
Fire... meltdown
The sky is crumbling in
Escape... you're joking
Can't find no place to run
Hair... is burning
My flesh is bubbling up
Blood... is boiling
Taste copper on my tongue
Fate... is coming
Welcome it with a smile
Black curtains... never ending, fall
Something's under my skin
Something's very strange
Playing with my mind
Tempting me to do you in
Am I dreaming? My heart pounds my chest
Held for ransom in a spider's web
Suffocating, no one hears my calls
Never ending, till the black curtain falls
Snakes... surround me
Offering their death kiss to me
Down... I'm drowning
How long, I hold my breath
Dogs... are chasing
My legs are paralyzed
Pray... don't find me
My life is fading fast
The lyrics of Megadeth's "Black Curtains" is an apocalyptic anthem that is both intense and deeply reflective. It is a song that portrays a world on the brink of destruction and all of its horrors. The lyrics warn that the end is near and there is no escape. The first stanza sets the tone for what’s to come, with the warning to look around and listen up as everything is in chaos. The next lines talk about the end of the world coming with fire and a meltdown. The black curtains mean that there is no escaping the inevitable, and something is going on under the skin.
As the song progresses, the quality of the lyrics continues to be intense, with Megadeth painting a vivid picture of Armageddon. The singer talks about suffocating, being held for ransom, drowning, and being hunted by dogs. The imagery is both thrilling and terrifying.
What is particularly interesting is the reference to snakes, and the way they offer a death kiss. This is an allusion to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where Eve was tempted by a snake to eat the forbidden fruit. The song reflects on how this episode changed the course of human history and implies that something similarly momentous is taking place here.
Overall, the song is a stunning portrayal of the apocalypse that effectively brings to life the chaos, terror, and confusion that would be a part of such an event.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey... look around you
Take a moment to observe your surroundings
Everything's helter-skelter
Everything is in chaos and disarray
Listen up... I warn you
Pay attention to what I'm about to say
Run for cover, run
Get out of harm's way as quickly as possible
Bang... it happened
An explosive event just occurred
Time's up, Armageddon
The end of the world is imminent
Fire... meltdown
There is a catastrophic nuclear meltdown happening
The sky is crumbling in
The atmosphere is collapsing
Black curtains... never ending
A sense of impending doom that will never subside
Escape... you're joking
There is no way to escape the danger
Can't find no place to run
There is nowhere to go to avoid the danger
Hair... is burning
The heat is so intense that even hair is catching on fire
My flesh is bubbling up
The skin is melting from the intense heat
Blood... is boiling
The blood in the body is literally boiling
Taste copper on my tongue
The sense of taste is so distorted that everything tastes metallic
Fate... is coming
Death, inescapable and looming
Welcome it with a smile
Accepting death with an attitude of resignation
Black curtains... never ending, fall
The final descent into darkness and death
Something's under my skin
A feeling of unease or anxiety that won't go away
Something's very strange
The situation is surreal and hard to process
Playing with my mind
The situation is causing psychological trauma
Tempting me to do you in
The situation is causing violent and aggressive thoughts
Am I dreaming? My heart pounds my chest
The situation feels unreal and is causing intense fear
Held for ransom in a spider's web
Feeling trapped and helpless like a fly caught in a spider's web
Suffocating, no one hears my calls
Feeling helpless and alone as life slips away
Never ending, till the black curtain falls
The situation is hopeless and will only end in death
Snakes... surround me
Metaphorically representing danger from all sides
Offering their death kiss to me
The danger is enticing and possibly even fatal
Down... I'm drowning
Feeling overwhelmed and suffocated by the situation
How long, I hold my breath
Desperately trying to hold on and survive
Dogs... are chasing
A relentless pursuit by enemies
My legs are paralyzed
Feeling powerless and unable to escape
Pray... don't find me
Hoping to avoid detection and certain death
My life is fading fast
The end is near and death is unavoidable
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVE ELLEFSON, DAVE MUSTAINE, DAVID ELLEFSON, MARTIN FRIEDMAN, MARTY FRIEDMAN, NICK MENZA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Grace Edwards
Hey... look around you
Everything's helter-skelter
Listen up... I warn you
Run for cover, run
Bang... it happened
Time's up, Armageddon
Fire... meltdown
The sky is crumbling in
Black curtains... never ending
Escape... you're joking
Can't find no place to run
Hair... is burning
My flesh is bubbling up
Blood... is boiling
Taste copper on my tongue
Fate... is coming
Welcome it with a smile
Black curtains... never ending, fall
Something's under my skin
Something's very strange
Playing with my mind
Tempting me to do you in
Am I dreaming? My heart pounds my chest
Held for ransom in a spider's web
Suffocating, no one hears my calls
Never ending, till the black curtain falls
Snakes... surround me
Offering their death kiss to me
Down... I'm drowning
How long, I hold my breath
Dogs... are chasing
My legs are paralyzed
Pray... don't find me
My life is fading fast
Mitzi73
Every time Dave announces he is working on a new album I want to tell him “you need to listen to Youthenasia for inspiration.”
D L88
@FLAME404 UA was insanely good
Brendan Hendee
@Rusty Kuntz I honestly really like all the records that have been put under the radar. Even Risk has some good songs on it imo. I really like the more mainstream, melodic approach they took in the mid 90s to early 2000s. No it's not exactly metal, but I still love the feel and everything of the songs. I guess my taste in music is more flexible than some other fans who don't care for metal albums like those.
FLAME404
@Rusty Kuntz not better than Endgame or Dystopia but United Abominations was pretty good too
Rusty Kuntz
Post Youthenasia the only Megadeth records I thought were really good were Endgame & Dystopia
evil monkey
That's and a mixture of peace sells
James Oertli
this whole record was so good
Dimebag Schuldiner
is
uncle ruckus
It's like a greatest hits compilation... Almost every song could be a single
kevin rodriguez
For real the whole album is great