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)
March r Die
Motörhead Lyrics
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The day has come, the day has come,
We march to Armageddon, hungry for the war
I see the hated enemy, I see what I was taught to see
And one of us will bend the knee
We understand the law
Fife and drum, fife and drum
Our eyes are fixed and fearless
Searching for the war
Our statesmen deal in blood and lies
A hundred million stifled cries, a hundred million wasted lives
Already gone before
So march or die, march or die
The stench of death is in the sky
We never fail to satisfy
We rend with tooth and claw
Sword and shield and jackboot heel
We love to kill, we love to kill
We love to taste our own blood
Squirm in our own gore
Children weep and widows wail,
Our education systems fail,
To hide our guilt we build more jails,
And we shall build still more
Our forests die, the stranglehold
That we put on the earth for gold
Will yet increase ten thousand fold
And no one knows what for
March and die, march and die
Defecate, despoil and lie
Cheat, dissemble, preach & spy
Build your house of straw
Laugh and cry, laugh and cry
Bloody sunset drowns the sky
For earth the heal then we must die
No-one deserves it more
I tell you we are doomed my friends
Our time is come, our time is come
We live within a charnel house
Rotten to the core
We glorify lust, greed & pain
We drown our hope in poison rain
We point the finger, shift the blame
Ambition makes us whores
March or croak, march or croak
All your lives a cosmic joke
Fill your days with piss and smoke
The wolf waits at your door
Burn and dance, burn and dance
Sex, death, torture, false romance
Whoop and howl, you have no chance
Burn and rise no more
The lyrics to Motörhead's song "March or Die" are a scathing commentary on the destructive nature of humanity. The song opens with the line "The beast behind our eyes is loose," suggesting that we are all complicit in the atrocities committed by our species. The chorus urges us to "march or die," emphasizing the choice we have in facing our own mortality. The verses describe the bloodthirsty nature of those in power, who deal in "blood and lies" and leave "a hundred million wasted lives" in their wake.
The second verse shifts the focus to the environment, as the band laments the destruction of our natural world for the sake of profit. They warn that "no one knows what for" we are destroying the planet, but the consequences will inevitably be dire. The final verse ends on a note of despair, as they declare that "our time is come" and that we are all "whores" to our own ambition.
Overall, the lyrics to "March or Die" paint a bleak picture of humanity's collective fate. They emphasize the importance of acknowledging our role in perpetuating violence and destruction, and the need to take responsibility for our actions before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
The beast behind our eyes is loose,
The darkest parts of our nature have been set free and cannot be tamed.
The day has come, the day has come,
The long-awaited time to engage in bloodshed has arrived.
We march to Armageddon, hungry for the war
We crave the destruction and devastation that war brings.
I see the hated enemy, I see what I was taught to see
Our perception of the enemy is based solely on what we have been told to believe.
And one of us will bend the knee
One of us will ultimately be defeated and forced to surrender.
We understand the law
We have accepted that there are rules that govern war and we abide by them.
The blood lust jerks our legs to march,
Our uncontainable thirst for blood motivates us to keep moving forward.
Fife and drum, fife and drum
The sound of war drums and fifes fill our ears and guide us through the fighting.
Our eyes are fixed and fearless
We are not afraid to confront and engage in battle with the enemy.
Searching for the war
We are not content until we find a battle to fight and win.
Our statesmen deal in blood and lies
Our leaders use violence and deception to gain power and control.
A hundred million stifled cries, a hundred million wasted lives
Countless people have died and suffered due to war and violence.
Already gone before
These people have already been lost and cannot be saved.
So march or die, march or die
We have no choice but to keep fighting or to face certain death.
The stench of death is in the sky
Death and destruction are all around us and we cannot escape them.
We never fail to satisfy
The satisfaction of destroying our enemies drives us to continue fighting.
We rend with tooth and claw
We use any means necessary, no matter how brutal, to defeat our enemies.
Sword and shield and jackboot heel
We use weapons and intimidation to dominate and control our enemies.
We love to kill, we love to kill
We take pleasure in killing and harming others.
We love to taste our own blood
The thrill of the fight is so intoxicating that we don't mind being injured ourselves.
Squirm in our own gore
The sight of our own blood and carnage excites us.
Children weep and widows wail,
Innocent people suffer and die as a result of the war.
Our education systems fail,
We fail to teach future generations the consequences of war and violence.
To hide our guilt we build more jails,
We try to cover up our atrocities by punishing those who speak out against them.
And we shall build still more
We will continue to deny our wrongdoing and justify our actions through more violence.
Our forests die, the stranglehold
We are killing the natural environment and resources that sustain us.
That we put on the earth for gold
We exploit and destroy our planet's natural resources solely for profit.
Will yet increase ten thousand fold
We will continue to perpetuate these destructive actions, leading to even greater devastation.
And no one knows what for
We have lost sight of the reasons for our actions and continue to act recklessly.
March and die, march and die
We must fight to the death or face annihilation.
Defecate, despoil and lie
We are willing to engage in any vile action necessary to achieve victory.
Cheat, dissemble, preach & spy
We are willing to deceive and betray anyone to gain an advantage.
Build your house of straw
Our achievements and progress are tenuous and can be destroyed easily.
Laugh and cry, laugh and cry
The paradox of war is that it is simultaneously a source of joy and sorrow.
Bloody sunset drowns the sky
The sight of the aftermath of war is a grim and brutal one.
For earth the heal then we must die
We must ultimately face the consequences of our actions, even if it leads to our own demise.
No-one deserves it more
Our willingness to engage in violence and depravity highlights our lack of humanity and compassion.
I tell you we are doomed my friends
We are headed towards certain destruction as a result of our own actions.
Our time is come, our time is come
We have reached a point where the consequences of our actions are unavoidable.
We live within a charnel house
Our world is a place of death, decay and destruction.
Rotten to the core
Our society is fundamentally flawed and corrupt, and cannot be fixed.
We glorify lust, greed & pain
Our values and priorities are distorted, valuing personal gain and pleasure over anything else.
We drown our hope in poison rain
Our optimism and faith for a better future has been replaced with cynicism and despair due to our own actions.
We point the finger, shift the blame
We refuse to take responsibility for our actions and instead try to place the blame on others.
Ambition makes us whores
Our insatiable desire for power and success cheapens our values and morality.
March or croak, march or croak
We must fight until the bitter end, even if it means our own death.
All your lives a cosmic joke
Our existence and actions are ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
Fill your days with piss and smoke
We waste our lives pursuing empty and harmful pleasures.
The wolf waits at your door
Death and destruction are inevitable and waiting right around the corner for each of us.
Burn and dance, burn and dance
We revel in the destruction and violence that surround us.
Sex, death, torture, false romance
We pursue and celebrate those things which cause us the most pain and suffering.
Whoop and howl, you have no chance
Our fate is sealed and we cannot escape our own self-destruction.
Burn and rise no more
Our actions will ultimately lead to our own destruction and extinction.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN FRASER KILMISTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind