The End of the Line
Metallica Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Need more and more
Tainted misery
Bleed, battle scars
Chemical affinity

Reign, legacy
Innocence corrode
Stain, rot away
Catatonic overload

Choke, asphyxia
Snuff reality
Scorch, kill the light
Incinerate celebrity

Reaper, butchery
Karma amputee
Bloodline breeding fine
Death contagious deity

Hooked into this deceiver
Need more and more
Into the endless fever
Need more and more

New consequence machine
Burned through all your gasoline
Asylum overtime, never mind
You've reached the end of the line

Time, choke the clock
Steal another day
Die faithfully
Narcissistic fade away

Twisted, jump the rail
Shout at the crowd below
Breaker, chase the ghost
From latest high to all time low

Hooked into this deceiver
Need more and more
Into the endless fever
Need more and more

New consequence machine
Burned through all your gasoline
Asylum overtime, never mind
You've reached the end of the line

Drop the hourglass of time
Spinning sand we will not find
As we gather here today
We bid farewell

The slave becomes the master
The slave becomes the master
The slave becomes the master, yeah

The slave becomes the master
Need more and more
Right now and ever after
Need more and more

New consequence machine
Burned through all your gasoline
Asylum overtime, never mind

Dead hourglass of time
Sand we will not ever find
We gather here today, say goodbye
'Cause you've reached the end of the line

The end of the line
The end of the line




The end of the line
You've reached the end of the line

Overall Meaning

"The End of the Line" by Metallica is a song that explores themes of addiction, self-destruction, and the inevitability of death. The opening lines, "Need more and more, Tainted misery," convey a sense of desperation and a desire to escape from the pain and suffering of life. The verses describe the destructive consequences of addiction and the toll it takes on the body and mind: "Bleed battle scars, Chemical affinity, Reign legacy, Innocence corrode." The repeated phrases, "Hooked into this deceiver, Need more and more" emphasize the addictive nature of the behaviors being described.


The middle of the song shifts focus to the inevitability of death and the need to make the most of the time we have: "Time, Choke the clock, Steal another day, Die faithfully, Narcissistic fade away." The lines "Drop the hourglass of time, Spinning sand we will not find" suggests that our time on this earth is limited and that we should make the most of it before it slips away. The repeated phrase "The slave becomes the master" emphasizes the importance of taking charge of our lives and making the most of the time we have.


In the final chorus, the phrase "Dead hourglass of time" serves as a reminder that our time on this earth is finite and that we should make the most of it: "Sand we will not ever find, We gather here today, Say goodbye, 'Cause you've reached the end of the line." The song ends on a somber note, emphasizing the importance of making the most of our time on this earth.


Line by Line Meaning

Need
Desire and crave for something


More and more
Increasing urge or hunger for something


Tainted misery
Sorrow and pain that have been damaged or corrupted


Bleed
Suffer and endure pain


Battle scars
Wounds and marks from previous struggles and fights


Chemical affinity
Strong attraction or bond between two elements or substances


Reign
Exercise power and authority over something


Legacy
Something passed down from the past, often of great significance


Innocence corrode
Harm and erode purity and naivety


Stain
Leave a lasting mark or blemish on something


Rot away
Decay and disintegrate over time


Catatonic overload
Excessive shock or stimulation that causes someone to become lethargic and unresponsive


Choke
Suffocate and block airways


Asphyxia
Lack of oxygen that causes unconsciousness or death


Snuff reality
Put out or extinguish the truth or real world


Scorch
Burn and char violently


Kill the light
Extinguish and bring an end to brightness and hope


Incinerate celebrity
Destroy and consume famous figures and icons


Reaper
Bringer of death and destruction


Butchery
Savage and violent killing or slaughter


Karma amputee
One who is cut off from the natural laws of cause and effect


Bloodline
Ancestral heritage and lineage


Breeding fine
Producing offspring of high quality and excellence


Death contagious deity
A god or divine force that spreads death and destruction


Hooked into this deceiver
Trapped and ensnared by a liar and cheat


Into the endless fever
Entering a never-ending frenzy or obsession


New consequence machine
A new device or system that brings about significant change or effect


Burn through all your gasoline
Use up all your energy and resources


Asylum overtime
Working long hours in a madhouse or chaotic place


Never mind
Ignore or forget it


You reach the end of the line
You have come to the final destination, the last stop


Choke the clock
Attempt to stop the flow of time or make it go slower


Steal another day
Take or gain an additional period of time


Die
Pass away, cease to exist


Faithfully
Loyal and devotedly


Narcissistic fade away
Slowly disappear due to excessive self-interest or admiration


Twisted
Distorted and abnormal


Jump the rail
Depart from the normal or expected path


Shout at the crowd below
Call out to those who are observing and judging from below


Breaker
Someone who breaks or overturns existing conventions or systems


Chase the ghost
Pursue something that is elusive or unattainable


The latest high to all time low
The most recent achievement followed by a devastating defeat or failure


Drop the hourglass of time
Release or discard the instrument that measures the passage of time


Spinning sand we will not find
The grains of sand that seem impossible to collect or retrieve


We gather here today
We come together in this moment


Say goodbye
Bid farewell, part ways


The slave becomes the master
The oppressed rises up and takes control


Dead hourglass of time
The hourglass that no longer measures or signifies the passage of time


Sand we will not ever find
The grains of sand that are lost and untraceable


'Cause you've reached the end of the line
Because you have arrived at the final destination, the last stop


The end of the line
The final destination, the last stop




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: James Alan Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk L. Hammett, Robert Augustine Trujillo

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Nino Amora


on No Remorse

im a dieharn fan of metalica

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