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)
Locomotive
Motörhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hear me howlin', catchin' up on you
Station to station, beating up the track
Check on your time, 'cause I ain't never coming back
You know I'm loaded, railroaded
I'm explosive, I'm a locomotive
Stoke up your fire babe, burning up your nerve
You know the story, know that I can't fail
Power and glory, burning up the rails
You know I'm loaded, railroaded
I'm explosive, I'm a locomotive
Roll you all night babe, drive you round the bend
Broke down engine fired up again
Ain't got no brakeman, got no mail to drop
Rollin' forever, never gonna stop
"Locomotive" is a high energy, hard rock song that in true Motörhead style, pays homage to the power and might of trains. Lemmy growls his way through the lyrics, painting pictures of the unstoppable force of the locomotive. He declares that he is rolling, coming through and howling as he catches up to the listener. He provides vivid imagery of the train speeding through stations, beating up the tracks, and urging listeners to check their time because he's never coming back again.
The chorus ramps up the energy, with Lemmy declaring himself explosive, loaded, and a locomotive. He is the engineer, looping up curves and stoking the fire, bringing the train to full speed. He invokes the idea of power and glory while burning up the rails. The verse has a flirtatious tone, with Lemmy declaring that he'll roll listeners all night and drive them around the bend. He claims to have no brakeman, no mail to drop and rolls forever, never stopping.
Line by Line Meaning
You know I'm rollin', know I'm coming through
You know that I am unstoppable, and I am making my way towards you
Hear me howlin', catchin' up on you
Listen to the roar of my engine, as I am getting closer to you
Station to station, beating up the track
I am moving fast and steady from one station to the next, leaving my mark
Check on your time, 'cause I ain't never coming back
Be sure to check your clock, because once I pass, I am never stopping here again
You know I'm loaded, railroaded
I am full of energy and power, and nothing can stop me
I'm explosive, I'm a locomotive
I am intense and unstoppable, like a powerful train engine
I'm your engineer, looping up the curve
I am in control, steering the path of my journey with skill and precision
Stoke up your fire babe, burning up your nerve
Prepare yourself for the ride, as my high speed and fierce energy may intimidate you
You know the story, know that I can't fail
This is a familiar tale of my power and inevitability, as I always succeed
Power and glory, burning up the rails
My strength and might are on display, as I blaze a trail on the tracks
Roll you all night babe, drive you round the bend
I can keep going on and on all night, taking you on a wild and exhilarating ride
Broke down engine fired up again
Even if I suffer temporary setbacks or difficulties, I always come back strong and fierce
Ain't got no brakeman, got no mail to drop
I have no time for anything or anyone that would slow me down, as I am on a mission to move forward
Rollin' forever, never gonna stop
I will keep moving forward, unstoppable and unbreakable, for eternity
Contributed by John H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.