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)
Better Off Dead
Motörhead Lyrics
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I am death.
The hand is mine
Great honor comes to thee
Tonight in my reach
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
Your years all dust, speak my name.
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
We shall see, as before, you are marked, my heart is pure
Great honor 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 "Better Off Dead" speak from the perspective of an assassin who has been assigned to kill their target. It starts with the assassin confidently proclaiming that the time for their target to die has come and that they are the one tasked with carrying out the deed. They revel in the honor that comes with being an assassin and being able to command respect and fear from those who know their power.
The assassin warns their target to speak their name and accept their fate as they are marked for death. They assert that they are "death" and will not wait to carry out their mission. They believe that great armies will bow to them and that they hold the power of life and death. The assassin tantalizes their target, saying they have dreamed of their fear and that they will reach them no matter how far they run.
The tone of the song is dark and menacing as it speaks of assassination and death. It highlights the power dynamics at play in such situations where one person holds the power to take another's life. The certainty and confidence in the assassin's voice indicate that they have become numb to the act of killing and have embraced it as their identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Die now, no more time
I am death, and you must now face me. Your time on this earth is up.
I come tonight, the hand is mine
I am the one who will end your life. My hand will be the hand that takes your final breath.
Thy life be mine to take or save
I have the power to choose whether you live or die. Your fate is in my hands.
I am assassin
I am a skilled killer, and I have come to end your life.
Desert be thy grave
Your final resting place will be in the harsh, unforgiving desert.
Assassin, Assassin, Assassin, Assassin
I repeat this word to emphasize my deadly intent and my skills as a killer.
Great honor falls to me
By ending your life, I bring great honor to myself.
Your years all dust, speak my name
In the end, your life will mean nothing. You will be forgotten, while my name will be remembered as the one who ended you.
Desert be thy grave
Once again emphasizing that your final resting place will be in the harsh desert.
I taste thy death
As a skilled assassin, I savor the moment of your death, knowing that I have succeeded in my mission.
And many be thy sins
You are not blameless in this situation. Your sins have brought you to this moment.
All men shall tremble, their houses fall
Others will fear me and the power I possess. My actions will impact more than just you.
I smiled, I dreamed thy fear
I take enjoyment from knowing that you fear for your life, and that I hold the power over you in that moment.
My arm is long to reach thee here
Even if you attempt to flee, I have the skills and ability to find you and end your life.
Mine eye upon thee
I am watching you, and I will not lose sight of you until I have completed my mission.
Now blood, is satisfied
Once you are dead, my desire for blood and vengeance will be fulfilled.
Look well, see my face, I am death, I will not wait.
I want you to see me, see that I am the one who will bring your life to an end. I will not hesitate, and I will not wait any longer than necessary.
Great armies shall bow to me.
My skills are so great that entire armies would bow down to me in fear and respect.
Thy life be forfeit, the heart within, should flinch now dog
Your life is not worth saving, and even your heart should know that. You are a coward for trying to prolong your life.
And freeze thy spine, I want thy life, the hand is mine
You should be so filled with fear that your spine freezes. That fear only serves to strengthen my desire to end your life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SARA ELIZABETH ANN EKER, JEFFREY REAGAN TAYLOR, MARK TAYLOR, CHERYL PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind