Motörhead released 23 studio albums, 10 live recordings, 12 compilation albums and five EPs over a career spanning 40 years. Usually a power trio, they had particular success in the early 1980s with several successful singles in the UK Top 40 chart. The albums Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades and, particularly, the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith cemented Motörhead's reputation as a top-tier rock band. The band are ranked number 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. As of 2016, they have sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.
Most often classified as heavy metal, Motörhead has been credited with being part of and influencing numerous musical scenes, thrash metal and speed metal especially. Lemmy, however, always insisted that they were a rock and roll band. He said that they had more in common with punk bands, but with their own unique sound, Motörhead is embraced in both punk and metal scenes. Their lyrics typically covered such topics as war, good versus evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, substance abuse and, most famously, gambling, the latter theme being the focus of their hit song "Ace of Spades".
Lemmy died on 28 December 2015 from cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. The day after his death, drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell both confirmed that Motörhead had disbanded. By 2018, all three members of Motörhead's best-known line-up (Lemmy, Taylor and Clarke) had died.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motörhead
Discography
Motörhead (1977)
Overkill (1979)
Bomber (1979)
On Parole (1979)
Ace of Spades (1980)
Iron Fist (1982)
Another Perfect Day (1983)
Orgasmatron (1986)
Rock 'n' Roll (1987)
1916 (1991)
March ör Die (1992)
Bastards (1993)
Sacrifice (1995)
Overnight Sensation (1996)
Snake Bite Love (1998)
We Are Motörhead (2000)
Hammered (2002)
Inferno (2004)
Kiss of Death (2006)
Motörizer (2008)
The Wörld Is Yours (2010)
Aftershock (2013)
Bad Magic (2015)
Assassin
Motörhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am death. The hand is mine
Great honour comes to thee
Tonight in my reach
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
Your years all dust, speak my name.
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
Great honour falls to me. I come tonight, the hand is mine
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
Your years all dust, speak my name.
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
Desert be thy grave
Thy life be mine to take or save
Mine eye upon thee
I taste thy death
I am assassin
Look well, see my face, I am death, I will not wait.
Great armies shall bow to me. I come tonight, the hand is mine
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
Your years all dust, speak my name.
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
Desert be thy grave
Thy life be mine to take or save
Mine eye upon thee
I taste thy death
I am assassin
And many be thy sins
Thy life be forfeit, the heart within, should flinch now dog
And freeze thy spine, I want thy life, the hand is mine
Now blood, is satisfied
I ride by night, to make thee die
My hand upon thee, my heart is pure
I am assassin
I smiled, I dreamed thy fear
My arm is long to reach thee here
All men shall tremble, their houses fall
I am assassin
The lyrics to Motörhead's song "Assassin" can be interpreted as the singer assuming the role of an assassin who has been given the task of killing someone. The singer takes pride in their abilities as an assassin, believing that they hold power over life and death. They see this task as an opportunity for great honor and calmly state that the person they have been tasked with killing is as good as dead. The assassin speaks in a confident tone and seems to enjoy watching their target's fear before they strike the final blow.
The repeated phrase "Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin" emphasizes the power the singer holds and reinforces their control over the situation. The lyrics are written in a way that glorifies the act of killing, portraying the assassin as a strong, fearless and unbeatable force. Overall, the song's lyrics depict a dark and twisted portrayal of an assassin who seems to enjoy their job a little too much.
Line by Line Meaning
Die now, no more time
Your time has come to an end, and you must die.
I am death. The hand is mine
I am the bringer of death, and the hand that will take your life is mine.
Great honour comes to thee
You will experience great honor in the afterlife.
Tonight in my reach
Your death will occur tonight, and I am the one that will cause it.
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
I am an assassin, and this is my calling.
Your years all dust, speak my name.
Your years on Earth are now gone, and you must accept me as the cause of your death.
We shall see, as before, you are marked, my heart is pure
As before, you have been marked for death, and I am carrying out this sentence with pure intentions.
Great honour falls to me. I come tonight, the hand is mine
I will receive great honor for carrying out this assassination, and it will occur tonight by my hand.
Desert be thy grave
Your grave shall be in the desert, away from other people.
Thy life be mine to take or save
I have the power to end or save your life depending on my decision.
Mine eye upon thee
I have my eye locked onto you, and you cannot escape my gaze.
I taste thy death
I can already sense that your death is coming, and I will be the cause of it.
Look well, see my face, I am death, I will not wait.
You must recognize and face me, the bringer of death, and I will not hesitate to act.
Great armies shall bow to me. I come tonight, the hand is mine
I am so powerful that great armies will bow down to me, and I will cause your death tonight.
And many be thy sins
You have committed many sins in your life.
Thy life be forfeit, the heart within, should flinch now dog
You must understand that you will lose your life, and if you are afraid, that is a sign of weakness.
And freeze thy spine, I want thy life, the hand is mine
You will become paralyzed with fear, and I will take your life with my own hand.
Now blood, is satisfied
My desire for bloodshed has been fulfilled with your death.
I ride by night, to make thee die
I am coming to make you die by the cover of darkness.
My hand upon thee, my heart is pure
I will be the one to end your life, but it is done with pure intentions.
I smiled, I dreamed thy fear
I am pleased to see and imagine your fear in this moment.
My arm is long to reach thee here
I have the power and reach to take your life no matter where you may try to escape.
All men shall tremble, their houses fall
I am powerful enough to make even the bravest of men shake with fear, and their safe havens will crumble before me.
I am assassin
I am filled with the desire and skill to carry out assassinations.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN FRASER KILMISTER, MICAEL KIRIAKOS DELAOGLOU, MICHAEL KIRIAKOS DELAOGLOU, PHILIP ANTHONY CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind