By January of 2005, Roger Taylor admitted to German television that they would be touring Europe in the spring and summer of that year, under the name of "Queen + Paul Rodgers". The full line up included original "Queen" members May (guitar, vocals) and Taylor (drums, vocals) as well as former "The Pretenders" and "Brian May Band" member Jamie Moses (guitar, vocals), former "Blue Oyster Cult" bassist Danny Miranda (bass, vocals), Queen's 1986 tour keyboard player Spike Edney (keyboards, vocals) and Paul Rodgers (vocals, occasional guitar). Over the course of 2005, the band played in over a dozen European countries as well as the Aruba Festival, 4 dates in Japan, 2 shows in the U.S.A., and 1 show in South Africa The band embarked upon a large scale tour of Northern America during Spring 2006, hitting 22 venues in the U.S.A. and 2 in Canada.
Some controversy was caused within the "Queen" fan base over the use of the name. There was concern over the fact that Queen's legendary front man, Freddie Mercury, was seemingly being replaced. However, each band member has said this is not the case: Rodgers could never replace Freddie Mercury but brought his own talents to the band. Furthermore, the fact that retired former "Queen" bassist John Deacon was also missing caused some discontent. Yet despite this, by and large "Queen" fans were won over by the band's blues-tinted renditions of "Queen" classics. Additionally, Paul Rodgers' fans were happy with the inclusion of several Free and Bad Company anthems on the set list, providing super-powered versions of tunes such as "All Right Now" and "Can't Get Enough".
After the end of the Return of the Champions Tour, the band set out to and completed their first and heretofore only album The Cosmos Rocks which debuted to warm reviews by fans in September 2008. Consequently the band toured again in late 2008 throughout Europe, Asia, and South America to promote the album. The Rock the Cosmos Tour in all was seen by nearly 1 million people in almost two dozen nations. The tour was highlighted by its first performance, recorded for DVD and CD, where the band played before over 350,000 fans in Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine. Said show was in fact put together at the last moment to benefit HIV/AIDS awareness.
On 14th May 2009, Paul Rodgers announced that his collaboration with the surviving active members of "Queen" was at and end, and that the "Queen + Paul Rodgers" project was being placed on indefinite hiatus. While, the band members did not rule out working together again, each sought to pursue solo projects, or in the case of Paul Rodgers, a reunion with Bad Company. The band has not gotten back together since, but Rodgers has stated that he's open to the idea of doing more, specially for charity.
Hammer to Fall
Queen + Paul Rodgers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight
You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
Oh every night, and every day
A little piece of you is falling away
But lift your face the Western way
Build your muscles as your body decays, yeah
Tow the line and play their game
Yeah, let the anesthetic cover it all
'Til one day they call your name
You know it's time for the hammer to fall
Rich or poor or famous
For your truth it's all the same
(Oh no, oh no)
Oh, lock your door but rain is pouring
Through your window pane
(Oh no)
Hey yeah, baby, now your struggle's all in vain, yeah
For who grew up tall and proud
In the shadow of the Mushroom Cloud
Convinced our voices can't be heard
We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder
What the hell are we fighting for?
Ah, just surrender and it won't hurt at all
You just got time to say your prayers
Yeah, while you're waiting for the hammer to, hammer to fall
Hey, yes
Let's get on the floor, yeah
Hammer
You know
Hammer to fall
Yeah
Hey, woo hoo
Ha ha, ha ha
I've been waiting for the hammer to fall
Give it to me one more time
The lyrics to Queen + Paul Rodgers's song Hammer to Fall are a powerful commentary on the inevitability of death and the futility of trying to fight against it. The lines, "Here we stand or here we fall/History won't care at all/Make the bed, light the light/Lady Mercy won't be home tonight" speak to the idea that no matter what we do, we will all eventually die, and that death is a final, inevitable end that cannot be escaped.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of urgency and a feeling that time is running out, with lines like "A little piece of you is falling away" and "You know it's time for the hammer to fall." The lyrics also touch on themes of conformity ("Tow the line and play their game") and the struggle for personal freedom ("We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder").
Ultimately, the song is a call to live life to the fullest in the face of death and to resist the forces that seek to hold us down and stifle our voices. The repeated refrain of "Hammer to Fall" serves as a reminder that death is always looming, and that we must make the most of the time we have before the final hammer falls.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we stand or here we fall, History won't care at all
No matter what happens to us, history will not remember us or our actions.
Make the bed, light the light, Lady Mercy won't be home tonight
Tonight, we need to take care of ourselves because we won't receive help from anyone else.
Don't waste no time at all, Don't hear the bell but you answer the call, It comes to you as to us all, Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
We all have a calling that we don't always hear, and we're just waiting for something to happen, something that feels like the end of the world.
A little piece of you is falling away, But lift your face the Western way, Build your muscles as your body decays, yeah
As you get older, your body changes and you might lose parts of yourself, but you must keep your spirits up and persevere anyway.
Tow the line and play their game, Yeah, let the anesthetic cover it all, 'Til one day they call your name, You know it's time for the hammer to fall
We often have to conform to societal norms and just go with the flow, but eventually, we will face the consequences of our actions.
For your truth it's all the same, Rich or poor or famous, Oh no, oh no, Hey yeah, baby, now your struggle's all in vain, yeah
Regardless of your stature in life, the truth will prevail and if you're not on the right side of it, then all your struggles will be for nothing.
Convinced our voices can't be heard, We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder
Often times we feel like our words and actions fall on deaf ears, but we must keep shouting to get people to hear us.
Ah, just surrender and it won't hurt at all, You just got time to say your prayers, Yeah, while you're waiting for the hammer to, hammer to fall
Sometimes, it's better to just give up and accept our fate, and make peace with what's coming to us.
I've been waiting for the hammer to fall, Give it to me one more time
The artist is anticipating a catastrophic event that they know is coming, and they want to experience it again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian May
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rakapratama1242
Yeah
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight
You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah
Oh every night, and every day
A little piece of you is falling away
But lift your face the Western way
Build your muscles as your body decays, yeah
Tow the line and play their game
Yeah, let the anesthetic cover it all
'Til one day they call your name
You know it's time for the hammer to fall
Rich or poor or famous
For your truth it's all the same
(Oh no, oh no)
Oh, lock your door but rain is pouring
Through your window pane
(Oh no)
Hey yeah, baby, now your struggle's all in vain, yeah
For we who grew up tall and proud
In the shadow of the Mushroom Cloud
Convinced our voices can't be heard
We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder
What the hell are we fighting for?
Ah, just surrender and it won't hurt at all
You just got time to say your prayers
Yeah, while you're waiting for the hammer to, hammer to fall
Hey, yes
Let's get on the floor, yeah
Hammer
You know
Hammer to fall
Yeah
Hey, woo hoo
Ha ha, ha ha
I've been waiting for the hammer to fall
Give it to me one more time
@Optimus18
To be honest, as great as Queen are, they and their fans were VERY, VERY fuken lucky to get a legend like Paul singing for them in the first place — he is right up there with the very best like Ian Gillan, Robert Plant, David Coverdale etc
@trumsolon
Their voices just go together so beautifully. Fantastic version of a fantastic song.
@robbyrob125
This is my favorite song of Queen+Paul Rodgers.
@mikecheck7480
Best version of this Queen song, hands down!!!!!
@rogerleemeyzindi2979
Same for me
@daneph
My favorite queen song but I do love this version
@plantrev
i really love Paul Rodgers voice and lets face it if he wasnt doing this you wouldnt be able to enjoy the Queen experience at all. So he's done all you Queen fans a massive favour by stepping up so you can still relive those glory days when Freddie was still with us!! He always admitted he was no Freddie thats why he put his own spin on the songs! Enjoy but please dont diss Paul!!
@zebic300
He has a great voice on his own. And it really comes out on this version of the Hammer to Fall.
@AbleBodied
Freddie, openly admitted he was no Paul Rodgers, when the band was discussing his vocals during a rehearsal.
Freddie was looking at Paul as a mentor.
Full circle.
@johnd4788
It's a shame that Paul left the band, I like his style and voice