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)
Them Not Me
Motörhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Funny how it makes you feel really, really good
It was them, it wasn´t me
It was them, it wasn´t me
Exactly like I knew it would
I can´t help it everytime anybody dies
I can´t help it if it brings a sparkle to my eyes
It was them, it wasn´t me
It was them, it wasn´t me
Every time a nice surprise
Them not me, them, not me,
I can still be, I can still be free
Them not me, them not me
Over and over and over
Streets are like a slaughterhouse, turn right on the red
Here come pedestrians, night of living dead
It was them, it wasn´t me
It was them, it wasn´t me
Guess they should have stood in bed
Them not me, them, not me
I can still be, I can still be free
Them not me, them not me
Over and over and over
Alive not Dead
Alive not Dead
Alive not Dead
Alive not Dead
Alive not Dead
Alive not Dead
When I see those flashing lights & hear those sirens moan
See the smile on my face, I grab my mobile phone
It was them, it wasn´t me
It was them, it wasn´t me
Murder in the Twighlight Zone
Them not me, them, not me
I can still be, I can still be free
Them not me, them not me
Over and over and over
Them not me, them, not me
I can still be, I can still be free
Them not me, them not me
Over and over and over
Them, not me
The lyrics of "Them Not Me" by Motörhead is a disturbingly cynical look at the human condition. The song begins with a simple observation: the road is red with blood from an accident. Instead of feeling uneasy or disturbed by the sight, the singer feels good. He finds joy in death and destruction, and even revels in the idea of it.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is both fascinated and repulsed by death. He cannot help feeling excited whenever anyone dies, and even enjoys seeing the flashing lights of emergency vehicles. He finds his own freedom in the notion that he is not responsible for the violence around him. The repeated phrase "them, not me" suggests a separation between the singer and the violence he is witnessing, as if to absolve himself from any sense of guilt or responsibility.
The final line of the song, "alive not dead," suggests that the singer sees life as a game between the living and the dead, and that he is content to remain alive no matter the cost. Overall, "Them Not Me" is a bleak and unsettling commentary on the human obsession with violence and death.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you see the accident, the road is red with blood
Have you witnessed the incident, where the road is now painted with blood?
Funny how it makes you feel really, really good
It's strange how it brings a sense of pleasure to you.
It was them, it wasn´t me
I had no responsibility for the accident, it was caused by someone else.
Exactly like I knew it would
As I expected, the tragedy occurred as per my prediction.
I can´t help it everytime anybody dies
I can't resist feeling excited whenever someone passes away.
I can´t help it if it brings a sparkle to my eyes
I can't control the gleaming of my eyes when it happens.
Every time a nice surprise
It's always a good feeling every time it happens.
Them not me, them, not me, I can still be, I can still be free
It's them who committed the fault, not me, I can still keep my freedom.
Streets are like a slaughterhouse, turn right on the red
The streets resemble a mass killing floor, and driving on red signals is permissible.
Here come pedestrians, night of living dead
As people walk by, they seem like zombies during the night.
Guess they should have stood in bed
They probably should have stayed in bed instead of walking on the streets.
Alive not Dead
Being alive is better than being dead.
When I see those flashing lights & hear those sirens moan
The glimpse of those flickering lights & howling sirens attracts me.
See the smile on my face, I grab my mobile phone
It brings a smile on my face, and I instantly capture it on my mobile phone.
Murder in the Twighlight Zone
There is a killing incident in the mystical zone of twilight.
Them not me, them, not me, I can still be, I can still be free
It's them who committed the murder, not me, I can still keep my freedom.
Over and over and over
Repeatedly, consistently
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN FRASER KILMISTER, MICAEL KIRIAKOS DELAOGLOU, MICHAEL KIRIAKOS DELAOGLOU, PHILIP ANTHONY CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind