Having started as a glam metal band, Pantera released three albums in the mid-1980s with lead vocalist Terry Glaze (Metal Magic, Projects in the Jungle, and I Am the Night), with little success. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera recruited Anselmo in 1986 and released Power Metal in 1988. They secured a record deal with major label Atco the following year. Their fifth album (which the band has since declared to be their official debut album), 1990's Cowboys from Hell, popularized the groove metal genre, while its 1992 follow-up Vulgar Display of Power achieved an even heavier sound and increased their popularity. The subsequent album Far Beyond Driven (1994) then debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
Tensions began to surface among the band members when Anselmo became addicted to heroin in 1995; he almost died from an overdose in 1996. These tensions resulted in the recording sessions for The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) being held separately. The ongoing tension lasted for another seven years, during which only one studio album, Reinventing the Steel (2000), was recorded. Pantera went on hiatus in 2001 but lingering disputes led to the band breaking up in 2003. The Abbott brothers went on to form Damageplan while Anselmo continued to work on several side projects, including Down, which Brown joined as well.
On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage by a mentally unstable fan during a Damageplan concert in Columbus, Ohio. Vinnie Paul went on to form Hellyeah after his brother's death, and died of heart failure in 2018, leaving Brown and Anselmo as the only surviving members of the band's best-known lineup. In July 2022, it was announced that Brown and Anselmo were reuniting in 2023 for Pantera's first tour in 22 years, with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante filling in for the Abbott brothers on guitar and drums, respectively. The new lineup played its first show in 21 years at the Hell and Heaven festival in Mexico on December 2, 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantera
Studio albums
Metal Magic (1983)
Projects in the Jungle (1984)
I Am the Night (1985)
Power Metal (1988)
Cowboys from Hell (1990)
Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
Far Beyond Driven (1994)
The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)
Reinventing the Steel (2000)
Takin' My Life
Pantera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know it was meant to be
You can be what you want to be
Just set yourself free
Oh my life
Been trying so hard to get it right
Been searching in the night
Now I can�t turn my back and walk out the door
Now that I know found out what I�m living for
I'm taking my life into my own hands
Got to be strong got to be a man
Takin' my life
No No No
No more no more living in a mystery
I�m not going to let it get the best of me
Takin' my life
I can see
I know it was meant to be
You can be what you want to be
Just set yourself free
Now I can�t turn my back and walk out the door
Now that I know found out what I�m living for
I�m taking my life into my own hands
Got to be strong got to be a man
Takin' my life
No No No
No more no more living in a mystery
I�m not going to let it get the best of me
Takin' my life
In Pantera's song Takin' My Life, the lyrics talk about the singer taking control of his life and deciding to be who he wants to be. He knows that it was meant to be and is now setting himself free. Throughout his life, he has been trying hard to get everything right, searching in the night for answers to his questions. Now that he has found out what he's living for, he can't turn his back and walk out the door. The singer is tired of living in a mystery and not knowing what his purpose is. He's not going to let it get the best of him and is taking his life into his own hands. He knows he has to be strong and be a man.
Line by Line Meaning
I can see
I have a clear vision of what I want in life
I know it was meant to be
I have a strong belief that my destiny is to achieve what I desire
You can be what you want to be
You have the power to choose your own path in life
Just set yourself free
Don't let anything hold you back from pursuing your dreams
Oh my life
Reflecting on my life so far
Been trying so hard to get it right
I have been making an effort to reach my goals and be successful
Been searching in the night
I have been exploring my options and brainstorming ways to achieve my dreams
Trying to set myself free
I'm striving for independence and freedom in my life
Now I can't turn my back and walk out the door
I can't give up on my dreams and abandon my goals
Now that I know found out what I'm living for
I have discovered my purpose in life and my reason for living
I'm taking my life into my own hands
I'm taking control of my life and making my own decisions
Got to be strong got to be a man
I need to be resilient and determined to overcome obstacles and succeed
No No No
I refuse to continue living in a state of confusion or dissatisfaction
No more no more living in a mystery
I'm done with living without a clear direction or purpose
I'm not going to let it get the best of me
I refuse to let any negative influence or circumstance control or ruin my life
Takin' my life
I'm taking responsibility for my life and destiny
Contributed by Charlotte D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Παναγιώτης Καραγκούνης
I can see
I know it was meant to be
You can be what you want to be
Just set yourself free
Oh my life
Been trying so hard to get it right
Been searching in the night
Trying to set myself free
Now I can't turn my back and walk out the door
Now that I know found out what I'm living for
I'm taking my life into my own hands
Got to be strong got to be a man
Takin' my life
No No No
No more no more living in a mystery
I'm not going to let it get the best of me
Takin' my life
I can see
I know it was meant to be
You can be what you want to be
Just set yourself free
Now I can't turn my back and walk out the door
Now that I know found out what I'm living for
I'm taking my life into my own hands
Got to be strong got to be a man
Takin' my life
No No No
No more no more living in a mystery
I'm not going to let it get the best of me
Takin' my life
dwk67
It's amazing to me how these guys never got signed onto a major label in the mid 80's glam heyday. Their first 3 indie albums with Terry Glaze on vocals stand up to anything else that was coming out on the major labels back then. Truly unheralded music that should've been all over MTV circa 84-85.
Joey Lyons
Couldn’t agree more with that statement. I’m just discovering this Version of pantera. It rivals that of any 80s hard rock/melodic metal
Daniel Tull
Dime or as he was known on this album Diamond Darrell kicks EVH ASS. In my opinion
Aaron Trainor
@Dan Maler that album still has traces from the Terry Era
Smitty
@Nathaniel Knapp nothing past cowboys from hell would be missed much by me lol. they got boring
Giantsfan88
dwk67 omg im so f with you...to me even more about the melody than the agression of thrash metal...with a few exceptions of a few anthrax and metallica songs everythings too rough and aggressive woth thrash and i hate that...thats why i love the 80s better...bands like icon,steeler,80s pantera were awesome and theres hundreds more but 90s pantera was mainly crap to me with some exceptions from “cfh” and walk from “vulgar” which was pretty dope but other than that 80s ALLDAWAYYY HEAVY BUT MELODICCC
InTheArmsOfGod
Terry Glaze!! Pantera fans appreciate your work with the band. Always!
Rattmaster86
Honestly can't get enough of this song, it's so sexy and defines the 80's for me. Love it.
Bhaskar Yadav
Yes Rattmaster you and me have very similar taste in music
Marko Zeko
I could listen to this song whole day on repeat. Don Johnson must've listen to that when driving his white Testarossa through the streets of Miami :)