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)
Sacrifice
Motörhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have not lied, even for this,
Now no-one can conceive
The lie becomes the loving kiss,
But I would not,
Fall in love,
Like this.
The children murder all the world,
If only you believe,
Then only you will die,
How can you not,
See the stars,
In your eyes.
Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice,
Sacrifice, pay the price, blood like ice, sacrifice.
The pain is on you now,
Do not consider flight for gain,
In you the poison breeds,
Crawling with the mark of Cain,
And no-one shall,
Set you free,
Again.
Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice,
Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice.
The lyrics of the song Sacrifice by Motörhead can be interpreted in multiple ways based on one's perspective. The song starts with the lead singer asking why people do not believe him when he says he has not lied. This could be seen as a person feeling misunderstood and not believed even when they are telling the truth. But then he sings, "The lie becomes the loving kiss, But I would not, Fall in love, Like this." It could be viewed as trying to avoid falling in love with something or someone that is not worth it. This could be related to drugs, addiction, or negative habits.
The second stanza talks about a woman stitching shrouds and children murdering the world, emphasizing the chaos and destruction that is often caused by human beings. The singer encourages people to believe, implying that faith or a sense of purpose in life is necessary for survival. "The pain is on you now, Do not consider flight for gain, In you the poison breeds, Crawling with the mark of Cain." These lines depict how one can never escape the consequences of their actions and must face them head-on.
Overall, Sacrifice is a song that portrays the harsh realities of life, including deceit, pain, death, and consequences. It highlights the importance of being true to oneself, having faith, and never running away from one's mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do they not believe
I have been telling the truth but nobody seems to believe me.
I have not lied, even for this,
I have always been honest, even about this situation.
Now no-one can conceive
Nobody can understand the situation like I do.
The lie becomes the loving kiss,
The deception is disguised as an act of love.
But I would not,
I would not want to fall in love in this deceitful way.
Fall in love,
I don't want to be in love with someone who has lied to me like this.
Like this.
I wouldn't want to experience this kind of affection.
The woman stitches the shrouds,
The woman is preparing the burial clothes for those who will die.
The children murder all the world,
The children represent a destructive force that will lead to the world's downfall.
If only you believe,
If you have faith, you can be saved from the impending disaster.
Then only you will die,
If you do not believe, you will succumb to your fate.
How can you not,
Why can't you understand?
See the stars,
Open your eyes to the hope and potential for a better future.
In your eyes.
It's within your power to make a positive change.
Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice,
Emphasizes that sacrifice is necessary and must be repeated.
Sacrifice, pay the price, blood like ice, sacrifice.
Sacrifice is the only way to bring about change, and it will require extreme personal cost.
The pain is on you now,
You are experiencing the negative consequences of your actions.
Do not consider flight for gain,
Don't try to run away from your problems, as it won't help you in the long run.
In you the poison breeds,
There is a deep rot within your soul that is festering.
Crawling with the mark of Cain,
You are cursed to carry the burden of wrongdoing with you.
And no-one shall,
There is no escape.
Set you free,
You will always be haunted by the consequences of your actions.
Again.
This will not be the last time you face the consequences.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN KILMISTER, IAN FRASER KILMISTER, MICHAEL BURSTON, MICHAEL DELAOGLOU, MICHAEL KIRIAKOS DELAOGLOU, PHILIP CAMPBELL, PHILIP ANTHONY CAMPBELL, RICHARD BURSTON MICHAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hjärnans Järn
0:00-3:14 Sacrifice
3:17-5:19 Sex and Death
5:20-8:38 Over Your Shoulder
8:39-11:48 War for War
11:48-15:52 Order/Fade to Black
15:52-19:17 Dog-Face Boy
19:19-23:00 All Gone to Hell
23:00-27:26 Make 'Em Blind
27:27-30:00 Don't Waste Your Time
30:02-33:11 In Another Time
33:11-36:57 Out of the Sun
RnRSoldier
Sacrifice 00:00
Sex & Death 03:18
Over Your Shoulder 05:21
War For War 08:42
Order/Fade To Black 11:49
Dog-Face Boy 15:53
All Gone To Hell 19:19
Make 'Em Blind 23:02
Don't Waste Your Time 27:30
In Another Time 30:03
Out Of The Sun 33:12
Viking Eagle
Sacrifice: 0:00
Sex & Death: 3:16
Over Your Shoulder: 5:20
War For War: 8:40
Order/Fade to Black: 11:49
Dog Face Boy: 15:53
All Gone To Hell: 19:19
Make 'em Blind: 23:01
Don't Waste Your Time: 27:29
In Another Time: 30:03
Out Of The Sun: 33:11
markknife1
As a classical music enthusiast, I have no idea how I went from P. I. Tchaikovsy(piano concerto #1), to Motorhead's(sacrifice) today.
Motorhead, feels viseral, and to the point, without reservation, or care of the minders.
"I did the work, they put me down,
I sacrifice, while they play around,
They whisper fear, while playing fool,
Mind my life, while excusing theirs
Burned my childhood, with education,
Struck me down with the fear of god, if i didn't act by the code of man"
"Burn me out? You'll burn with me!"
~sacrifice
megatonmetal25
Man, sounding like this in the mid 90’s when other bands were either splitting apart or softening their sound confirms the caliber of a band Motörhead was! Long live Motörhead!!!
Erik Gutierrez
Well fucking said, brother. Motorhead transcended time, trends and trash 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Ur Maw
The reason heavy metal took a nose dive in the 90s was because the bands thought they had to change their sound to stay relevant, but by doing that they lost their original fans and nobody accepted them. Motörhead knew to do what would make them happy, not what was popular.
derksquad666
I just got done listening to their bomber album in 1979, straight to sacrifice from 1995 almost 20 years later and it just got heavier and harder.
sdjslkdjls skldjslkdjsl
There's definitely signs of the band moving with 90s trends on this album. That deep scooped guitar tone sounds like they were trying to compete with Helmet or Pantera. They weren't 100% leaning into groove metal like Priest etc. were, though, so Sacrifice has aged better than most of that stuff.
speed kingLTHL1882
Motorhead and pantera didn't care about trends
Nico 82
My first Motorhead album, I got it when I was 14.. blew my mind forever. RIP bass master Lemmy!
Hjärnans Järn
0:00-3:14 Sacrifice
3:17-5:19 Sex and Death
5:20-8:38 Over Your Shoulder
8:39-11:48 War for War
11:48-15:52 Order/Fade to Black
15:52-19:17 Dog-Face Boy
19:19-23:00 All Gone to Hell
23:00-27:26 Make 'Em Blind
27:27-30:00 Don't Waste Your Time
30:02-33:11 In Another Time
33:11-36:57 Out of the Sun
Burgher
Always appreciate it when someone does this. Thanks! 🤘
Phil Lynott
@Burgher me too...
I am shocked at how fucking great every song is. Is this you favorite Motorhead album? It's at the top of my list 🙂