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)
Joy of Labour
Motörhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me time to get it through my head
They hanged me by the neck, I heard the devil laugh
I was a nervous wreck, I was the first in line
Do you want to look right in the devil's face?
You must have seen the ground where we upheld the Law
I was a young man then, I was a young man then
Do as you would want to be
Joy of labour, sets you free
Woke up scared, you know I woke up scared
Give me time to show you, how I wound up there
They put me in a cell, I heard the ghost in there
I wasn't feeling well, I was the first in line
Do you want see right through the devil's eyes?
You must have seen the ground where they all stood before
I was a young man then, I was a young man then
Spending time on the killing floor
Be more than you seem to be
Joy of labour, sets you free
Woke up dead, you know I woke up dead
I was the only one, that saw the road ahead
They beat me with their fists
I did the devil's work
And I was on their list, I was the first in line
Do you even know what the devil does
He drives a man 'til he can't take no more
I was a young man then, I was a young man then
Spending time on the killing floor
The lyrics of Motörhead's song "Joy of Labour" describe the experience of waking up in a state of deathly fear, as the singer recounts the gruesome details of their own execution. They describe being hanged by the neck and hearing the devil's laughter, feeling nervous and scared as they were the first in line to die. The song also touches on themes of judgement, justice, and redemption, with the singer reflecting on the need to face the devil and look him in the eyes to truly understand the nature of evil. They speak of spending time on the killing floor, and how the joy of labor can set you free - implying that perhaps this experience has taught them the value of hard work and finding meaning in life.
Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on mortality and the inevitability of death, as well as the importance of facing one's fears in order to be truly free. The lyrics are powerful and haunting, with a sense of darkness and despair punctuated by moments of hope and introspection.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up dead, you know I woke up dead
Starting off by saying that he woke up dead. Referring to the death of his own soul and spirit or this can also indicate the transformation from being a good, innocent man into the bad and evil
Give me time to get it through my head
Asking for some time to recover from the shock and to fully realize the transformation that has taken place in him as a person
They hanged me by the neck, I heard the devil laugh
Referring to the punishments that he has been given and also how the devil loves to see people suffer
I was a nervous wreck, I was the first in line
A state of being anxious, uncertain, nervous due to punishment, and standing in the first line because he had done something great in the eyes of the devil
Do you want to look right in the devil's face?
Questioning the listeners if they are ready to see and face the devil as he has faced the same
You must have seen the ground where we upheld the Law
Talking about the dark side of fulfilling the desires of the devil and how the devil holds the law in his hand
I was a young man then, I was a young man then
Reminiscing his youth and how he used to think that he wouldn't fall into the trap of the devil
Spending time on the killing floor
His experience of the murderous and ruthless mindset in which he was put into and how he was trapped and made to work for the devil
Do as you would want to be
Encouraging the listeners to do good so that good is done to them in return
Joy of labour, sets you free
The feeling of doing something good and satisfying which can take away your regrets and pain and sets you free from guilt
Woke up scared, you know I woke up scared
Referring to how he feels scared after waking up due to the things that he has done
Give me time to show you, how I wound up there
Describing the transformation process from being a good man to falling into the hands of the devil and justifying the actions he made that led to his fall
They put me in a cell, I heard the ghost in there
Refering to the feelings of guilt and regrets that he has that follows him wherever he goes and haunts him
I wasn't feeling well, I was the first in line
His state of mind and how he is not feeling well because of the actions that he has to perform, plus always being caught up in the complications made by the devil
Do you want see right through the devil's eyes?
Asking the listener if they want to see the world in its true colors or how they want to see it through the devil's eyes like he has seen it
You must have seen the ground where they all stood before
Referring to the same ground as mentioned earlier, highlighting how everyone falls in its trap
Be more than you seem to be
Advising the listener to be more than what they seem outwardly and to always aim for doing something good
Joy of labour, sets you free
Reiterating the importance of doing good and the freedom it provides from any guilt or sorrows
Woke up dead, you know I woke up dead
The cycle repeats, as he keeps waking up and the feeling of his soul being dead reappears
I was the only one, that saw the road ahead
Emphasizing the fact that he was the only one who saw the path ahead but has fallen onto the wrong path
They beat me with their fists
Describing the punishment that he has to go through every time he doesn't follow the devil's orders
I did the devil's work
Confessing to the fact that he has done the devil's work and feels a sense of guilt and regret
And I was on their list, I was the first in line
Being on the list of the devil and being the first to be called out every time there is something to be done for him.
Do you even know what the devil does
Critically questioning the listeners, whether they even know what does the devil want from them
He drives a man 'til he can't take no more
Emphasizing the fact that the devil compels someone to do things beyond their limits and how he yokes his victims
Spending time on the killing floor
The kind of torture and punishment that he has to bear upon himself every time he goes to the killing floor
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN FRASER KILMISTER, MICAEL KIRIAKOS DELAOGLOU, MICHAEL KIRIAKOS DELAOGLOU, PHILIP ANTHONY CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind