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)
Insomnia
Megadeth Lyrics
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Something's haunting me
The guilty past I've buried
My mind won't let me sleep
I'll do anything for peace, I keep waking up
A solemn oath I make
Cross my heart please let me sleep I keep waking up
My head is talking to me
I don't know what it needs
But the loudest voice
Is the one I heed
Insomnia, my swollen bloodshot eyes
Insomnia, awake till morning light
Insomnia, stirring deep inside
Insomnia, somebody turn out the lights
I, I, I can't sleep
I, I, I insomnia
I'm twisting and turning, I keep waking up
The madness I must tame
My candle is burning, I keep waking up
Both ends again today
The whole house is creaking
I know they're out there
The things kept from sight
I beg to the shadows
I can't sleep
Insomnia, footsteps on the walk
Insomnia, I hear someone knock
Insomnia, I wish it was a dream
Insomnia, can you hear me scream
I can't sleep
Insomnia, my swollen bloodshot eyes
Insomnia, awake till morning light
Insomnia, stirring deep inside
Insomnia, somebody turn out the lights
(I keep waking up) insomnia, insomnia, insomnia
Insomnia I, I, I
Insomnia I can't sleep, I can't sleep
Insomnia I, insomina
I can't sleep,I can't sleep,I can't sleep
The lyrics of Megadeth’s “Insomnia” talk about the fear, anxiety and paranoia that come with the inability to sleep, a condition that is medically referred to as insomnia. Desperate for peace, the singer of the song has buried his guilty past, but his mind won’t let him go. He’s struggling to keep his oath for rest and is uneasy with how much longer he can take it. He feels like his head is talking to him, but he does not understand what it needs, yet he cannot help but heed the loudest voice. The singer portrays insomnia as a terrifying experience that leaves him vulnerable and surrounded by shadows, footsteps, and knocking, which he wishes were all in his dream.
In each verse, the singer describes his feelings and the sensations that accompany his insomnia, using different imagery of haunting and lack of control. There is a sense of urgency and desperation in the chorus, as the singer implores someone to turn out the lights and help him overcome his insomnia. The repetition of the phrase “I can’t sleep” at the end of the song drives home the message that the singer is indeed suffering from insomnia and cannot find a way to overcome it.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm running in quicksand
I feel like I'm stuck and unable to move forward in life
Something's haunting me
I'm troubled by something from my past that won't let me go
The guilty past I've buried
I've tried to forget and move on from my past mistakes, but they still weigh heavily on my mind
My mind won't let me sleep
I'm tormented by my thoughts and can't find peace enough to fall asleep
I'll do anything for peace, I keep waking up
I'm desperate for rest and willing to do whatever it takes to get it, but my sleeplessness persists
A solemn oath I make
I promise myself that I'll do better, that I'll find a way to sleep and put my troubles behind me
Cross my heart please let me sleep I keep waking up
I'm begging for some relief from my insomnia, but my pleas go unanswered
How much more do I take
I'm at the end of my rope and don't know how much longer I can handle this sleeplessness
My head is talking to me
My own thoughts are driving me crazy, and I can't find a way to silence them
I don't know what it needs
I'm so overwhelmed and confused that I can't even identify what I'm missing
But the loudest voice
My fears and worries are so loud that I can't hear anything else
Is the one I heed
I'm unable to ignore my racing thoughts and anxious feelings
Insomnia, my swollen bloodshot eyes
I'm physically suffering from my sleeplessness, with my eyes feeling sore and puffy
Insomnia, awake till morning light
I'm unable to rest, even as the night wears on, and stay up until dawn
Insomnia, stirring deep inside
My insomnia is causing me great distress, affecting me on a deep level
Insomnia, somebody turn out the lights
I'm so desperate for relief that I'll do anything to escape my wakefulness
I, I, I can't sleep
I'm feeling frustrated, angry, and defeated because I can't rest
I'm twisting and turning, I keep waking up
I'm physically restless, unable to lie still, and repeatedly waking throughout the night
The madness I must tame
I need to get a handle on my emotions and find peace in order to sleep
My candle is burning, I keep waking up
I'm burning the candle at both ends, working too hard and stressing myself out, making sleep impossible
Both ends again today
I'm working just as hard as before, and my insomnia persists with no relief in sight
The whole house is creaking
Even the walls around me seem to be mocking me, reminding me of my inability to sleep
I know they're out there
I'm tormented by imagined threats, both real and imagined
The things kept from sight
I'm overwhelmed by my own secrets and hidden anxieties
I beg to the shadows
I'm desperate for any kind of solace, even if it means turning to the darkness
I can't sleep
My insomnia continues to torment me, night after sleepless night
Insomnia, footsteps on the walk
Even the slightest sounds outside unsettle me and keep me up at night
Insomnia, I hear someone knock
I'm so disturbed that I'm hearing things that aren't there, as my insomnia grows worse
Insomnia, I wish it was a dream
I'm so troubled that I'd rather be lost in a nightmare than aware in reality
Insomnia, can you hear me scream
I'm feeling alone and abandoned, with no one to hear my cries for help as my insomnia worsens
Insomnia I, I, I
I'm so consumed by my insomnia that it's become my defining characteristic
Insomnia I can't sleep, I can't sleep
I'm stuck in a vicious cycle, with my lack of sleep causing more anxiety and making it even harder to rest
Insomnia I, insomina
My insomnia is all-consuming, dominating my thoughts and wrecking my life
I can't sleep,I can't sleep,I can't sleep
I'm so stuck in my own head that I can't escape my insomnia, no matter how hard I try
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVE MUSTAINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind