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)
Don't Waste Your Time
Motörhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Think you might choke on your final breath,
Wanna go to Heaven, scared of Hell
Scared of the Devil and his tail as well,
Ain't no insurance for the final ride,
No photo finish, nobody to bribe,
Baby, I know only you can live your life,
And there is only you can do it right.
Don't waste your time,
Don't waste your time,
Don't waste a minute listen here,
Don't waste your time,
Don't waste your time,
Everybody going, standing in the line,
Don't you worry, baby,
Worse things than death around here.
Don't chase after money, you are gonna lose your soul,
Same for religion, out of control,
Don't fall for money, or heroine again,
Needles for your enemies, bullshit for your friends,
The way we're going, same as we came,
Bought the fucking picture and we're playing for the frame.
Everybody asking you when they gonna die,
I think that they should be askin' why.
Don't waste your time,
Don't waste your time,
Don't waste an hour of your life,
Don't waste your time,
Don't waste your time,
The ghost walk beside us, been there all the time,
You damn well there is worse things than death to fear.
Don't waste your time,
Don't waste your time,
Don't be staring at the wall,
Don't waste your time,
Don't waste your time,
You better find a reason why you should be alive.
If you're just a taker, then you might as well check out, that's all
Motörhead's "Don't Waste Your Time" is a cautionary tale to the listener, advising them to live their life to the fullest and not get caught up in the fear of death or the pursuit of material possessions. The song highlights the common anxieties people have regarding death and the afterlife, but argues that it's important to focus on the present moment and make the most of life while we have it. The lyrics encourage the listener to make their own choices and not waste time chasing after societal expectations or temporary pleasures.
The song's chorus serves as a reminder to not waste time, to not get caught up in the illusion of material possessions or societal expectations, and to focus on the things that truly matter in life. The verses explore various themes, including the fear of death, the pursuit of wealth, and the dangers of addiction. One significant aspect of the song is its rejection of traditional religion, which it portrays as out of control and a potential source of corruption or manipulation.
Overall, "Don't Waste Your Time" is a powerful and inspiring call to live life to the fullest and not waste time on things that won't bring true happiness or fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
Bet you're scared of dying, scared of death,
You're probably afraid of dying and the prospect of death.
Think you might choke on your final breath,
The idea that you might choke on your final breath has crossed your mind.
Wanna go to Heaven, scared of Hell
You want to go to Heaven, but you're also scared of the possibility of going to Hell.
Scared of the Devil and his tail as well,
You're scared of the Devil and his tail, which is a common symbol of evil.
Ain't no insurance for the final ride,
There isn't any way to ensure a safe and smooth journey to the afterlife.
No photo finish, nobody to bribe,
There's no way to influence or bribe anyone after you die.
Baby, I know only you can live your life,
You are the only one who can live your life and make your own decisions.
And there is only you can do it right.
Only you can determine what's right for you.
Don't waste your time,
You shouldn't waste your time.
Everybody going, standing in the line,
Everyone is eventually going to die and join the line of those who went before them.
Don't you worry, baby,
There's no need to worry.
Worse things than death around here.
There are things that are worse than death to worry about in life.
Don't chase after money, you are gonna lose your soul,
Pursuing money above all else can lead to losing oneself or one's soul.
Same for religion, out of control,
Religion can also lead to losing control and focus in one's life.
Don't fall for money, or heroine again,
Don't give in to the allure of money or drugs like heroin again.
Needles for your enemies, bullshit for your friends,
Using needles to hurt your enemies and dealing with insincere friends is pointless.
The way we're going, same as we came,
We're headed towards the same fate as everyone before us: death.
Bought the fucking picture and we're playing for the frame.
We've bought into a false image of what life should be and are striving for superficial things.
Everybody asking you when they gonna die,
People are curious about when they will die.
I think that they should be askin' why.
Rather than focusing on the when, people should focus on the why in life.
The ghost walk beside us, been there all the time,
We all have ghosts and past experiences that affect and influence us.
You damn well there is worse things than death to fear.
There are things in life that are worse to fear than death.
Don't be staring at the wall,
Don't waste time staring at a wall.
You better find a reason why you should be alive.
You need to find a reason or purpose for being alive.
If you're just a taker, then you might as well check out, that's all
If all you do is take from life without contributing or finding your purpose, then you might as well have already checked out of life.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN KILMISTER, IAN FRASER KILMISTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind