To date, Overkill has released nineteen studio albums, an album of cover songs, two EPs, one demo tape and three live albums. They were one of the first thrash metal bands to sign to a major label (having signed to Atlantic Records in 1986), and rose to fame as part of the genre's movement of the mid-to-late 1980s, along with the "Big Four" (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) as well as Exodus and Testament. Overkill achieved their first mainstream success with its second studio album and Atlantic debut, Taking Over (1987), which peaked at number 191 on the Billboard 200. The band's next five studio albums—Under the Influence (1988), The Years of Decay (1989), Horrorscope (1991), I Hear Black (1993) and W.F.O. (1994)—were also successful on the Billboard charts, with the latter two cracking the top ten on the Top Heatseekers chart. Following their split from Atlantic in 1995, Overkill went through some label changes, but continued to enjoy moderate underground success, particularly in Europe and Japan. The band experienced a resurgence of popularity in the U.S. during the 2010s, with three of their studio albums released that decade—The Electric Age (2012), White Devil Armory (2014) and The Grinding Wheel (2017)—reaching the top 100 on the charts. Overkill has sold over 16 million records worldwide; they are also estimated to have sold more than 625,000 records in the United States since the beginning of the SoundScan era.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overkill_(band)
Studio albums
Feel the Fire (1985)
Taking Over (1987)
Under the Influence (1988)
The Years of Decay (1989)
Horrorscope (1991)
I Hear Black (1993)
W.F.O. (1994)
The Killing Kind (1996)
From the Underground and Below (1997)
Necroshine (1999)
Bloodletting (2000)
Killbox 13 (2003)
ReliXIV (2005)
Immortalis (2007)
Ironbound (2010)
The Electric Age (2012)
White Devil Armory (2014)
The Grinding Wheel (2017)
The Wings of War (2019)
Scorched (2023)
Cold Hard Fact
Overkill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I said here it comes.
Here it come.
I'm push n' pulln', back and forth and gain no ground.
A knockin' down n' pound pound pound! Huh.
a kickin' screamin', wac duct taped to make no sound.
A sittin still to take the pow
Going down hard with a bang bang bang shot!
Bring it!
Longer you live, you get what you give, what you're reaping
First out alive, is the one to survive, you are creeping
Cold hard fact gonna get ya in the back yeah!
Cold hard fact gonna put it in ya back yeah!
A spittin' blood and teeth and guts out on ya shoes.
A kiss my ass n' born to loose. Huh.
Like Mr. Blond, tap dancin' dali on P.D.
All tied up in misery, pow
Passing the buck as you run outta luck, you are weeping
Crossing the line, as you run out of time, are you creeping?
Cold hard fact gonna put it in ya back yeah!
Cold hard fact gonna stick it in ya back yeah!
Cold hard fact gonna put it in ya back yeah!
Said yea jerk gonna put it in ya put it in ya!
Cold hard fact gonna get ya in the back yeah!
Cold hard fact gonna put it in ya back yeah!
Cold hard fact gonna slip it in ya back yeah!
Said yea jerk gonna put it in ya put it in ya!
Going down hard with a bang bang bang shot!
The song "Cold Hard Fact" by Overkill is a heavy metal track that features intense instrumentation and aggressive vocals. The lyrics describe a violent and unforgiving reality in which the weak are destroyed and only the strong survive. The verses use vivid imagery to paint a picture of physical violence, with lines such as "A spittin' blood and teeth and guts out on ya shoes" and "A kickin' screamin', wac duct taped to make no sound." The chorus repeats the phrase "Cold hard fact gonna put it in ya back yeah!" as a declaration of this harsh reality.
The message of the song is a classic heavy metal trope: life is tough, but you have to be tougher. The lyrics convey a sense of nihilism and fatalism, suggesting that there is no escaping the violence and brutality of the world. The chorus reinforces this by repeatedly stating that the cold hard fact will "put it in ya back," implying that there is no avoiding the inevitable.
Overall, "Cold Hard Fact" is a hard-hitting heavy metal song that uses violent imagery and lyrics to convey a sense of the harsh reality of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Here it come.
The situation is about to happen.
I'm push n' pulln', back and forth and gain no ground.
I am struggling to make progress and cannot seem to get ahead.
A knockin' down n' pound pound pound! Huh. a kickin' screamin', wac duct taped to make no sound. A sittin still to take the pow
I am being beaten violently without any opportunity to escape or fight back.
Going down hard with a bang bang bang shot! Bring it!
I acknowledge that I am being defeated and will not give up despite the pain.
Longer you live, you get what you give, what you're reaping
The more time you spend on this earth, the more likely it is that you will receive consequences for your actions.
First out alive, is the one to survive, you are creeping
The person who can run away the fastest will be the one who survives this situation.
Cold hard fact gonna get ya in the back yeah!
The harsh reality of the situation will catch up to you.
A spittin' blood and teeth and guts out on ya shoes. A kiss my ass n' born to loose. Huh. Like Mr. Blond, tap dancin' dali on P.D. All tied up in misery, pow
My physical state is deteriorating rapidly and I feel hopeless and defeated like a character in the movie Reservoir Dogs.
Passing the buck as you run outta luck, you are weeping
As your fortune runs out, you will start looking for someone else to blame.
Crossing the line, as you run out of time, are you creeping?
As you approach the deadline, are you starting to feel anxious and afraid?
Said yea jerk gonna put it in ya put it in ya!
Addressing the person who has defeated me and warning them that they will receive karma.
Cold hard fact gonna get ya in the back yeah! Cold hard fact gonna put it in ya back yeah! Cold hard fact gonna slip it in ya back yeah! Said yea jerk gonna put it in ya put it in ya!
Reinforcing that the outcome of the situation will catch up to the other person and cause them pain.
Going down hard with a bang bang bang shot!
Acknowledging the painful defeat and the violent nature of the situation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CARLO VERNI, ROBERT ELLSWORTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
theMETALDOVE
another album where the mighty OVERKILL "re-invented" themselves, but unlike so many of their thrash contemporaries...OVERKILL never misses!
Louis Csanko
100% CORRECT
Nikola Spasojevic
This one is easily in my top 10 Overkill songs..
FLOPPY BACON
One of the many reasons I LOVE Overkill is because throughout the many years of their existence, they've always given us hard hitting, fast, in your face METAL!! They are one of the very few bands that get better with age. Overkill have always ran on all cylinders and knocked us down with some of the best thrash metal out there.
chroscielewski
Thx for this. Very unique song, even by the diverse Overkill standards, great track.
rawkit rawn
>>GOOD KILL<<
great visuals for a great overkill song; 'the killing kind' is the most entertaining heavy metal album ever made imo
Living For The Kill
+raw kit (thanksAmillion) Thanx. I keep experimenting as I go along. Some things work - some don't - but no one can say my vids are lazy or repetitive. >:D
oldmaninacave
Love it!!! You are getting better and better
JD Lee
I would have followed alot of the trebel on this one with the visuals. Tim killed it on this one!
Warlam Fam
After many many years, I heard this... Opening chords sound like Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box"