Labeled as one of the "big six" of the 1980s Bay Area thrash metal scene (along with Exodus, Death Angel, Lååz Rockit, Forbidden and Vio-lence), Testament is often credited as one of the most popular and influential bands of the thrash metal scene, as well as one of the leaders of the second wave of the genre in the late 1980s. They have also been referred to as one of the "big eight" of thrash metal, along with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Overkill and Death Angel. The band has sold over 1.4 million albums in the United States since the beginning of the SoundScan era and over 14 million copies worldwide. To date, Testament has released thirteen studio albums (one of which is a collection of re-recorded songs), four live albums, five compilation albums, twelve singles and three DVDs.
After signing to Atlantic Records in 1986, and changing its name from Legacy to Testament, the band released their debut album The Legacy in 1987, followed a year later by The New Order (1988); both albums were acclaimed by critics and the press, including heavy metal-related publications. The band achieved mainstream popularity with its third album Practice What You Preach (1989), which was Testament's first album to climb up the Top 100 on the Billboard 200 chart. A string of more successful albums were released during the early-to-mid-1990s, including Souls of Black (1990), The Ritual (1992) and Low (1994), with the first two also entering the Top 100 on the Billboard 200 chart. After Atlantic dropped the band in 1995, Testament (who had at this point had begun to experiment with a death metal-influenced sound) continued to record and perform until their temporary hiatus in 2001, when Billy was diagnosed with cancer. By 2005, his cancer was in remission and Testament had resumed activity, which saw a brief reunion of The Legacy lineup, resulting in the live album Live in London. Since then, Testament has experienced a resurgence of popularity, with four of their studio albums—The Formation of Damnation (2008), Dark Roots of Earth (2012), Brotherhood of the Snake (2016) and Titans of Creation (2020)—all entering the Top 100 on the Billboard 200, and they have continued to tour consistently.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testament_(band)
Studio albums
The Legacy (1987)
The New Order (1988)
Practice What You Preach (1989)
Souls of Black (1990)
The Ritual (1992)
Low (1994)
Demonic (1997)
The Gathering (1999)
First Strike Still Deadly (2001)
The Formation of Damnation (2008)
Dark Roots of Earth (2012)
Brotherhood of the Snake (2016)
Titans of Creation (2020)
Ballad
Testament Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where my feelings are going when they wither away
I pray to see another day
My heart's feeling like a needle lost in the hay
Restrained to meet again
My friend do you think that we ever will
I know we are free
Some lose, you win if you keep on trying
I don't mind doing the time, I'm happier being alive
Now I know the truth is your own most sacred lesson I've ever learned
I know we are free
I've been robbed, I've been fooled
I intent now to make my own rules
Dagger's edge cut the life, I've been down that road
Too many times
What's to fear. fear no more,
Show my conscience what fear's for
Now I know this is so real
What's done is done so do as you will!
I'm keeping alive! Go on, no don't look back
Just realise where you've gone.
Where are you going to, no life's not done wit you
You've only just begun, to live your life, for you...
The lyrics of Testament's song Ballad speak about personal struggles, finding inner strength, and living life on one's terms. The opening lines describe the confusion one might feel when one's emotions start to fade away. The singer prays for strength to face another day and talks about his heart feeling lost, like a needle in the hay. He wonders if he will ever meet his friend again, indicating a sense of loneliness and uncertainty about the future.
The middle section of the song talks about the games that are played in life, with some people losing while others win by persevering. The singer talks about not minding the struggle, as it makes him happier to be alive. He mentions that the most sacred lesson he has learned is that the truth is one's own, implying that we must learn to recognize our own inner voice to find our path.
The final section of the song talks about personal empowerment, with the singer declaring his intent to make his own rules and leave the past behind. He acknowledges the dangers of life but speaks of fearing no more and facing his fears. He encourages the listener to live for themselves and not to be afraid to begin anew.
Overall, the song speaks to the struggles of life, the power of inner strength, and finding the courage to live one's life on one's own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not one to say
I'm not someone who easily expresses myself
Where my feelings are going when they wither away
I don't understand what happens to my emotions when they fade
I pray to see another day
I hope to live to see the next day
My heart's feeling like a needle lost in the hay
My heart feels like it's been lost in confusion and chaos
Restrained to meet again
Forced to wait until we meet again
My friend do you think that we ever will
Do you think we will meet again?
I know we are free
I know that we have the power to make our own choices
The games are played with your life on the line
Life is like a game where the stakes can be high
Some lose, you win if you keep on trying
Some people fail, but you can succeed if you persist
I don't mind doing the time, I'm happier being alive
I don't mind working hard, as long as I'm alive to enjoy it
Now I know the truth is your own most sacred lesson I've ever learned
The lesson that you learn from your own experience is the most important one
I've been robbed, I've been fooled
I've experienced betrayal and deception
I intent now to make my own rules
I plan to live life on my own terms
Dagger's edge cut the life, I've been down that road
I've been in life-threatening situations
Too many times
It's happened to me more than once
What's to fear. fear no more,
There's nothing to be afraid of, so stop being afraid
Show my conscience what fear's for
I want to understand why I'm afraid
Now I know this is so real
I understand the reality of the situation now
What's done is done so do as you will!
The past is in the past, so make your own choices now
I'm keeping alive! Go on, no don't look back
I'm still alive and moving forward, without looking back
Just realise where you've gone.
Take a moment to reflect on your past experiences
Where are you going to, no life's not done wit you
Where are you headed next? Your life is not over yet
You've only just begun, to live your life, for you...
You've only just started to live your life, so make it your own
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEXANDER NATHAN SKOLNICK, CHARLES BILLY, ERIC STANLEY PETERSON, GREG CHRISTIAN, LUCIANO ANGELO CLEMENTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thedamned6181
I'm not one to say
Where my feelings are going when they wither away
I pray to see another day
My heart's feeling like a needle lost in the hay
Restrained to meet again
My friend do you think that we ever will
I know we are free...
The games are played with your life on the line
Some lose, you win if you keep on trying
I don't mind doing the time, I'm happier being alive
Now I know the means to my opression were all lies
The only truth is your own most sacred lesson I've ever learned
I know we are free...
Yeah,
Don't go,
No,
Don't look back,
Just realize
I've been robbed, I've been fooled
I intent now to make my own rules
Dagger's edge cut the life, I've been down that road too many times
What's to fear, fear no more,
Show my conscience what fear's for
Now I know this is so real
What's done is done so do as you will!
I'm keeping alive! Go on, no don't look back
Just realise where you've gone.
Where are you going to, no life's not done wit you
You're only just begun, to live your life, for you...
@UniversoAlterEgo
I'm not one to say
Where my feelings are going when they wither away
I pray to see another day
My heart's feeling like a needle lost in the hay
Restrained to meet again
My friend do you think that we ever will
I know we are free
The games are played with your life on the line
Some lose, you win if you keep on trying
I don't mind doing the time, I'm happier being alive
Now I know the truth is your own most sacred lesson I've ever learned
I know we are free
I've been robbed, I've been fooled
I intent now to make my own rules
Dagger's edge cut the life, I've been down that road
Too many times
What's to fear. fear no more,
Show my conscience what fear's for
Now I know this is so real
What's done is done so do as you will!
I'm keeping alive! Go on, no don't look back
Just realise where you've gone.
Where are you going to, no life's not done wit you
You've only just begun, to live your life, for you...
@potatolew4495
As crazy as this story might sound I am going to share anyway. Testament broke out when I was about 12, when I heard the Practice album I was totally taken by the guitar techniques of Alex Skolinck. Being a young metal head guitar player from Jersey I basically spent all my free time trying to learn every song ever made by this band. The one thing I wanted to share is that listening to this song probably 5,000 times it kept me from ending my existence in this world. Yes these lyrics is why I am 43, married for 17 years with a 9 year old son, a dog and a happy life. Thank you Testament for saving me, I would have been a statistics without this song. Anyone suffering from a mental issue please talk it out with someone, trust me it is soooo worth it. Thanks for reading, love and respect to all!!!
@desert4wheeling209
Thanks for sharing your story
@TheCorrectViews
I did the same but somehow ended up with none of that.
@chrisdupler1954
Alex jams forever
@bigvince1545
Dude mosh pit SLAYER SLAYER
@jimweiss
Everyone has a song that saved their life and thank you for sharing your song with us. I am so glad you are doing better rock on 🤘🏽 brother!!!!!
@JayAldred
Testament have always been so tight and on point, they deserved much greater recognition and respect.
@scottdenja6896
True same for death angel. Overkill. Motorhead. Megadeath. Sheavy ? Mmm
@OblivionZXZ
This is not a live performance.
@Paradiselost316
Yeah, I think respect for them has grown more in recent years. Think my first album I bought by them was The Gathering. It’s a good album, DNR is a classic, and a bold move to put out a thrash album in ‘99 when they could have easily succumbed/compromised to fit into the wave of Nu metal which was pretty much at it’s peak at the time. Even possibly all of the big 4 adapted in a way to the scene, don’t know if it benefitted them or not.