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)
The Cleansing
Overkill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I said I loose my mind.
Cool muthafucka in through what I see,
I said that I don't mind.
He said walk on through, we been waitin' for you,
There's a place set at the table
Welcome, home is where the heart is,
Your return among the strangest see,
Your life's gone through some changes,
Don't recognize you
Don't don't don't don't don't recognize
Down home to the cool cool water
Down home to the cleansing water
Cool muthafucka said I know your name,
But do ya know your god?
Cool muthafucka said I had your pain,
Ya, then I blew my wad.
My god made love and my god made pain,
I feel at home among the insane,
I see sunshine in the pourin' rain,
Welcome home oh yes I recognize you
See ya been rearranged to suit,
And you know we'll never change,
What they put ya through
What they put, what they put, what they put 'ya
Move it to the right now.
Jesus cleanse me, can you hear him?
Jesus cleanse me now
The song "The Cleansing" by Overkill is a deeply introspective and spiritual exploration of one's place in the world and the feelings of displacement that come with self-discovery. The first verse speaks of a "cool muthafucka in a deep blue sea," which sounds like someone who is calm and collected, but also lost in thought. The singer mentions losing their mind and not minding what they see or experience, perhaps indicating a willingness to let go of old habits or beliefs in favor of personal growth. The second verse introduces a new character who greets the singer and invites them back into a place they once called home. However, the singer notes that things have changed, and they no longer recognize themselves or the world around them. The chorus talks about returning to the "cool, cool water" for a "cleansing," implying that the singer is seeking renewal or purification.
The third verse introduces a spiritual element, with the "cool muthafucka" asking the singer if they know their god and then claiming to have experienced their pain before "blowing their wad." This could refer to a sexual experience or release of some kind, but could also be metaphorical for a moment of self-realization or enlightenment. The singer responds by saying they feel at home among the insane, possibly meaning that they are comfortable with the idea of embracing their own eccentricities or unconventional beliefs. The final lines of the song ask for Jesus to cleanse the singer, which could be interpreted as a desire to achieve a state of grace or forgiveness.
Overall, "The Cleansing" is a complex and poetic meditation on the human need for spiritual and emotional renewal in a world that can be overwhelming and confusing.
Line by Line Meaning
Cool muthafucka in a deep blue sea,
Confident and collected even in difficult circumstances.
I said I loose my mind.
I lose control of my thoughts and emotions.
Cool muthafucka in through what I see,
Still cool and collected despite what I witness.
I said that I don't mind.
I am unfazed by the situation at hand.
He said walk on through, we been waitin' for you,
Someone is welcoming me and wants me to proceed.
There's a place set at the table
A space has been reserved for me to be a part of something.
Welcome, home is where the heart is,
I am being welcomed and made to feel at home.
And since ya been gone my heart's been broke in two.
The person speaking has been heartbroken since I've been away.
Your return among the strangest see,
My return is unusual or unexpected.
Your life's gone through some changes,
My life has experienced a lot of alterations.
Don't recognize you
The person speaking doesn’t know me anymore.
Down home to the cool cool water
Coming back to a place that is familiar and refreshing.
Down home to the cleansing water
Returning to a place that can purify the singer in some way.
Cool muthafucka said I know your name,
The person speaking knows my name.
But do ya know your god?
The person speaking seems to doubt my faith or religious beliefs.
Cool muthafucka said I had your pain,
The person speaking claims to have experienced some of my past pain.
Ya, then I blew my wad.
They shared too much at once and now regret it.
My god made love and my god made pain,
Despite pain, there is still love and goodness in the world.
I feel at home among the insane,
The singer is comfortable and content with people who are usually considered crazy or unstable.
I see sunshine in the pourin' rain,
The artist can see the bright side even in tough situations.
Welcome home oh yes I recognize you
I am being welcomed back and recognized for who I am.
See ya been rearranged to suit,
I have had to change to fit into the situation or environment.
And you know we'll never change,
Things will never be different; they will always stay the same.
What they put ya through
The adversity or trouble that I have faced.
Jesus cleanse me, can you hear him?
A plea for religious purification from Jesus.
Jesus cleanse me now
The request for immediate divine intervention to cleanse the singer's soul.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CARLO VERNI, ROBERT ELLSWORTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LivingForTheKill
I hope it turned out well. While creating it I realized how the lyrics to this song can be interpreted in many different ways and I hope I found a happy medium with it. I labored on it for like 10 hours... but learned some new shortcuts with the challenges of this song. Thanx for the request!
@PowerMadHeadBanger
The guitar solos, the singing, the lyrics and the video editing, everything is superb. Now what I liked about this particular lyric video is that you accompanied the change of pace from the song on the video by changing the font of the letters in the best part of the lyrics, "Move to the Right Now" that means to say that people being incapable of dealing with the nowness escape to past or the future. Good lyrics.
@rawkitrawn6320
you made the conversation between bobby and jesus more distinct and this makes a huge difference. was kinda puzzling before just reading the lyrics off a website...this song stands alone and it leaves me breathless and i am not a christian
@jqrn
Best song on the album. And one of the best in overkill's repetoire.
And I love the added lyrics
@billvrabel1502
Agreed, this one rarely gets the respect but it's so damn good.
@dkyelak
This and Mourning After are the highlights of the album. Very dark and heavy and different from anything they did prior.
@IMMORTALIFTING138
Yes indeed Battle is powerful, but God-like is God-like :) The opening riff is a blitzkrieg massacre :) The whole Killing Kind is a killer album :)
@jozek8337
this album is so the coolest thing that i have ever heard
@polskiziemniak9776
Zgadzam się, Józek.
@skullkrusher381
One of my favorite songs off that album