Frontman John Kay's mother escaped with him at age 4 from Soviet occupied East Germany, an event recounted in the song "Renegade" on the album Steppenwolf Seven. His family resettled in Hannover, West Germany, before moving to Canada in 1958. Kay is partially blind, hence the use of dark glasses
In 1968, Nick St. Nicholas replaced Moreve as bass player.
Steppenwolf had its origins in the Toronto blues band Sparrow, which was formed in 1964 and played coffeehouses in Yorkville. By 1967 they had settled in San Francisco.
Steppenwolf rocketed to fame after their third single, "Born to Be Wild" was used in the movie Easy Rider, as well as "The Pusher". The former song may have coined the term "heavy metal". This was followed by several more hits, including "Magic Carpet Ride" from Steppenwolf the Second, and "Rock Me" from At Your Birthday Party. Many fans consider their double album Steppenwolf Live [an extended single album in the UK] the best of Steppenwolf's releases. Monster and For Ladies Only were the band's most political albums, and are still fondly remembered by fans as two of the best rock & roll snapshots of the attitudes of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The band broke up in 1971, and Kay pursued a solo career. Steppenwolf reformed in 1974 with the album Slow Flux, and disbanded in 1976. Afterwards, several versions of the band toured North America until Kay reformed the official version of the group in 1980.
John Kay released a solo album in 2001.
Justice Don't Be Slow
Steppenwolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It came as a chock to us all
You know that we have always read
There's no way that you'd ever fall
Well, I grant you, it looks good on paper
But lately you've dropped out of sight
And we feel it's gone quite far enough
Don't you think that it's time now to light?
Everyone's here but you
You haven't got far to go
Now they make your life worth leaving
When they covered your face with their dung
Then they laughed while you lay floundering
Just hoping you'd swallow your tongue
Their hatchetmen bungled your mansion
And throttled your sons in the night
Their foot soldiers pummeled your daughter
God dammit, your vengeance is right.
Well, now that you've caught your tormentor
He still won't admit to his sin.
He claims he was busily sleeping
While his henchmen were doing you in
But all of this high-ranking jesters
Have turned into sniveling louts
They're pleading for mercy and freedom
I say throw all those hooligans out!
The lyrics to Steppenwolf's "Justice Don't Be Slow" depict a situation in which a person is wronged by others, and justice must be served. The singer acknowledges that they have always thought that the person in question was invincible and would never fall, but recent events have proven otherwise. The person has suffered greatly, and those who have wronged them have covered their face with dung, laughed while they were in distress, and even harmed their family.
The singer argues that the time for justice has come, and it cannot be delayed any further. Everyone has gathered, except for the person at the center of the conflict. This person has not gone far, and the singer encourages them to come, as their tormentor has been caught. However, the person refuses to own up to their actions, claiming that they were sleeping while their underlings were committing the harm.
The singer has no sympathy for the person and their accomplices, who have turned from high-ranking jesters to sniveling louts, pleading for mercy and freedom. The singer calls for them all to be thrown out, stating that the person who was wronged deserves their vengeance.
Overall, the lyrics of this song call for justice to be swift and unrelenting, especially when others have been harmed. It highlights the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions and the consequences that may come from them.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sorry to hear 'bout your problems
I sympathize with your troubles
It came as a chock to us all
We were surprised by the news
You know that we have always read
We thought highly of you
There's no way that you'd ever fall
We believed you would never fail
Well, I grant you, it looks good on paper
In theory, it seemed plausible
But lately you've dropped out of sight
Your absence is noticeable
And we feel it's gone quite far enough
It has reached a point of no return
Don't you think that it's time now to light?
It's time to take action
Justice, don't be slow
Justice should not be delayed
Everyone's here but you
All the wrongdoers are present except you
You haven't got far to go
You're next to face justice
Now they make your life worth leaving
The wrongdoers have made your life unbearable
When they covered your face with their dung
When they humiliated you
Then they laughed while you lay floundering
They enjoyed seeing you suffer
Just hoping you'd swallow your tongue
Hoping you wouldn't speak out against them
Their hatchetmen bungled your mansion
Their hired criminals damaged your property
And throttled your sons in the night
They killed your sons in a violent manner
Their foot soldiers pummeled your daughter
They brutally attacked your daughter
God dammit, your vengeance is right.
Your desire for revenge is justified
Well, now that you've caught your tormentor
Now that you have captured the wrongdoer
He still won't admit to his sin.
He refuses to confess his wrongdoing
He claims he was busily sleeping
He denies responsibility and claims ignorance
While his henchmen were doing you in
While his accomplices committed the crime
But all of this high-ranking jesters
But all of these powerful individuals
Have turned into sniveling louts
Have become weak and cowardly
They're pleading for mercy and freedom
They're begging for forgiveness and release
I say throw all those hooligans out!
They should be punished and expelled
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J. KAY, J. RICHIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Move Over
A really great song.
Philip Kassabian
on It's Never Too Late
Yet another great Steppenwolf song.
Philip Kassabian
on Jupiter's Child
Wow what an excellent song.
Philip Kassabian
on Born to Be Wild
Wow a great song love it.
Scott
on Happy Birthday
It is I hope you read your story book NOT WRECK YOUR STORY BOOK.