The band is recognized as pioneers of the grindcore genre, blending elements of crust punk and death metal. They are known for their noise-filled sound, characterized by distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdrive bass, high-speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals consisting of incomprehensible growls or high-pitched shrieks. Their songs are exceptionally short, often featuring sociopolitical lyrics. Napalm Death gained substantial influence in the global metal community with the release of their debut album "Scum" in 1987, which was issued by Earache Records. Notably, their track "You Suffer" holds the Guinness World Record for the shortest recorded song, lasting a mere 1.316 seconds.
Over the years, Napalm Death has released sixteen studio albums and is recognized by Nielsen SoundScan as the seventh-best-selling death metal band in the United States.
Studio albums
Scum (1987)
From Enslavement to Obliteration (1988)
Harmony Corruption (1990)
Utopia Banished (1992)
Fear, Emptiness, Despair (1994)
Diatribes (1996)
Inside the Torn Apart (1997)
Words from the Exit Wound (1998)
Enemy of the Music Business (2000)
Order of the Leech (2002)
The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code (2005)
Smear Campaign (2006)
Time Waits for No Slave (2009)
Utilitarian (2012)
Apex Predator - Easy Meat (2015)
Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (2020)
The World Keeps Turning
Napalm Death Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life cycle is an automation, instinctively, we race to get ahead?
And now our virgin minds are raped
Another insignificance to join the rat race
Self indulgence within our grasp, we're taught but torn
The sanctity of life, so vulnerable, the world keeps turning
We spin out of control
Guided, or could this mean misguided, no time for questions
Preoccupied with pressing on, the world keeps turning
We overdose on overdrive
Superior species with inferior ideas, we overload our bodies and minds
Respect this world while committing suicide, poison trait
We're the cause not the cure, our methods [Incomprehensible]
Will surely drag us down
Guided, or could this mean misguided, our virgin minds are raped
The world keeps turning, we overdose on overdrive
We spin out of control
In stalemate, we stagnate
The lyrics of Napalm Death's The World Keeps Turning address the idea that humans are trapped in a cycle of self-destruction. The opening lines suggest that humanity is at a stalemate, unable to progress or regress, and that this lack of movement is leading to stagnation. The song then explores the notion that life is an automated process, with human beings instinctively trying to get ahead at any cost.
The reference to 'virgin minds' being raped is a powerful metaphor for the way in which society indoctrinates young people to accept the status quo and become part of the 'rat race'. The lyrics suggest that self-indulgence is within our grasp, but this comes at a cost to the sanctity of life, which is portrayed as being vulnerable.
The overall message of the song is that humanity needs to take responsibility for its actions and that we are both the cause and the cure to our own problems. However, our current methods are likely to 'drag us down', and we need to respect the world we live in before we commit certain suicide.
Line by Line Meaning
No way forward or back, in stalemate, we stagnate
We are stuck in a position with no way out, and we are not moving forward or backwards
Life cycle is an automation, instinctively, we race to get ahead?
Our life follows a pattern that is instinctual, and we are always in a rush to get ahead
And now our virgin minds are raped
Our minds are being corrupted with new information that we may not necessarily want or need
Another insignificance to join the rat race
We are just another person in a race to get ahead, and in the grand scheme of things, we are not important
Self indulgence within our grasp, we're taught but torn
We are taught to indulge ourselves, but we are conflicted about whether we should or not
The sanctity of life, so vulnerable, the world keeps turning
Life is fragile and vulnerable, and the world keeps moving regardless of what happens to us
We spin out of control
We are moving too fast and are not in control of what is happening to us
Guided, or could this mean misguided, no time for questions
We are being guided but we may not know if it is the right guidance, and we are not taking the time to question it
Preoccupied with pressing on, the world keeps turning
We are too focused on moving forward, and life around us keeps moving regardless
We overdose on overdrive
We are going too fast and pushing ourselves too hard
Superior species with inferior ideas, we overload our bodies and minds
Our species is superior but we have bad ideas and we put too much stress on our bodies and minds
Respect this world while committing suicide, poison trait
We are hurting the world while also hurting ourselves, and this is a negative characteristic
We're the cause not the cure, our methods [Incomprehensible], will surely drag us down
We are causing the problems and not finding a cure, and our methods may not be helpful in solving these problems, and will eventually lead to our downfall
Our virgin minds are raped
Our minds are being corrupted with new information that we may not necessarily want or need
We overdose on overdrive
We are going too fast and pushing ourselves too hard
We spin out of control
We are moving too fast and are not in control of what is happening to us
In stalemate, we stagnate
We are stuck in a position with no way out, and we are not moving forward or backwards
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOBBY FLAX, LANNY LAMBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RobertWeingher
One off their best songs, this song was played a lot at the headbangers ball show in the early nineties.
@emiliomoreno9431
Utopia Banished 🍻🤘🏾😵
@247tagsdotcom
Definetly milestone piece of art of modern times. Utopia is banished.🤌
@JAWA721
Слава ЗСУ !
@marcjeanlys5963
1992's Best album
@user-wx8kh6bx3s
героям сало @@JAWA721
@JAWA721
@@user-wx8kh6bx3s блатуешь... плесень ? )
@metalhd4life
Forever a Napalm Death fan!!!!!!🇺🇸
@midnightcassettelibrary5171
Message is so damn crucial…especially now. Thank you ND for eternity.
@andrewmeyer4466
We're the cause Not the cure!