Volbeat was formed in 2001 after frontman Michael Poulsen split up his former band, Dominus. Volbeat plays a fusion of heavy metal and rockabilly. They are inspired by the rock n' roll legends Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. No other Danish heavy rock band Volbeat has been able to get to position 18 at the Danish Top 100 for CD sales in over 10 years. This milestone was reached after their concert at the Roskilde Festival 2006.
Critics have generally been positive towards The Strength / The Sound / The Songs. The German hard rock magazine RockHard gave it 10/10 in a review.
Volbeat is also praised for its live performances. Their concert at Roskilde Festival 2006 received a 6/6 stars review in the Danish newspaper BT.
In week 8 of 2007, the record Rock The Rebel / Metal The Devil debuted as #1 in the Danish Top 40 for CD-sales and at the same time The Strength / The Sound / The Songs re-entered the chart at #21. Recently, the album achieved gold status for sales in Denmark.
Volbeat opened the Roskilde Festival in 2007. Volbeat also supported Metallica together with Mnemic at their concert on Denmark July 13 of that year.
More recently, Volbeat was announced to do a seven-date European spring tour and to support legendary speed metal act Megadeth in Finland and in their home town, Copenhagen. They have also already announced a few festival appearances for the summer 2008.
Volbeat has a large range of influences, which can be clearly heard in their music. On their official MySpace site Volbeat lists their influences in their own recognizable way:
"Everything from Elvis Presley to Napalm Death .. hail: Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Ramones, Social Distortion, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Dio, Megadeth, Metallica, Manic Street Preachers, Iron Maiden and bla bla bla bla..."
Volbeat's lyrics usually revolve around love, failed love or the power of a twisted mind. They thereby distance themselves from stereotypical heavy metal lyrics, although many of their most popular songs have very dark or sincere themes and plots.
Their first single was the cover version of Dusty Springfield's evergreen "I Only Wanna Be With You". The song doesn't differ much from the original with regard to the lyrics, but the accompanying music video is quite typical of Volbeat. In it, the band is seen with a classic microphone on top of a city roof.
Another popular feature of the band's lyrics are the returning "series" of songs. This is best represented with the songs "Danny & Lucy (11 pm)" and "Fire Song" from The Strength/The Sound/The Songs followed by "Mr. & Mrs. Ness" on Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil. The story is about the two desperate lovers, Danny and Lucy, who are killed in a car crash after Lucy runs away from her family.
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Ness, I'm so sorry to bring you this - We believe we found your girl in an old burning car way up the hill"
In the successor, "Mr. & Mrs. Ness", Lucy's mother commits suicide and the father is suspected for the murder:
"The old man is crying and he's lying - The blood on his hands' from his wife yeah"
The story is followed further by "Mary Ann's Place" from Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood, and was concluded with "You Will Know" off 2016's Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie.
Lineup
Michael Poulsen - Vocals, guitar (ex-Dominus)
Rob Caggiano - Guitar (ex-Anthrax)
Kaspar Boye Larsen - Bass
Jon Larsen - Drums
Former members:
Teddy Vang - Guitar
Franz Gottschalk - Guitar
Thomas Bredahl - Guitar
Anders Kjølholm - Bass
Official homepage : www.volbeat.dk
Light a Way
Volbeat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A boy was born poor and abandoned
And as he walk you could hear him yearning
For a home and he prays
And by the fields he sang for rising
All for his faith and memorizing
All of the songs his mother learned
Heaven light a way for a fallen
Let me ease the pain from my mother
But he feels the deception in his head
Another day was born and rising
And on the stool the boy was trying
To earn a coin for his mother, and hoping
That freedom will lead her away
Mr. Cadillac Blood: Dear little friend
I've heard your story
Please take my hand and I'll promise
We'll find a way and we'll be fighting
For your mother, and her wings
Heaven light a way for a fallen
Let me ease the pain from my mother
But he feels the deception in his head
Heaven light a way for another
Let me ease the pain for a fallen
We are on our way so much stronger
Heaven light the way for another
And he feels no deception in his head
The song "Light a Way" by Volbeat tells a story about a boy born in poverty, abandoned by his family and left in the care of his mother. The song opens with the boy walking by the lake of Mississippi, yearning for a home and praying for guidance. As the boy grows up, he sings in the fields and memorizes songs his mother learned from the lord himself, showing his strong faith and determination to overcome his difficult circumstances.
The chorus of the song speaks of a fallen individual seeking redemption and asking for guidance from heaven to ease his mother's pain, but feeling an underlying sense of deception in his head. The verse featuring Mr. Cadillac Blood represents a turning point in the story, where the boy meets someone who empathizes with his situation and offers to help him find a way to fight for his mother and her wings. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, but with an added sense of empowerment and strength, as the fallen character feels no deception in his head and is on his way to a better future.
The lyrics of "Light a Way" reflect themes of perseverance, redemption, and the power of faith and community. The story of the boy's struggle and eventual triumph resonates with many people who have also faced obstacles and setbacks in their lives. The song's uplifting message of hope and the importance of supporting each other through difficult times is a reminder to listeners that they are not alone in their struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Down by the lake of Mississippi
The song starts off by setting the location by the lake of Mississippi.
A boy was born poor and abandoned
A boy was born into poverty and abandonment.
And as he walk you could hear him yearning
As he walks, you can tell he yearns for something more.
For a home and he prays
He prays for a home.
And by the fields he sang for rising
He would sing by the fields as the sun rose.
All for his faith and memorizing
He sings all for his faith, memorizing songs his mother taught him from the lord himself.
All of the songs his mother learned
All the songs he sings are ones his mother learned.
From the lord himself
The songs his mother learned were from God.
Heaven light a way for a fallen
He prays for guidance from heaven.
Let me ease the pain from my mother
He prays to ease the pain his mother feels.
But he feels the deception in his head
Despite his prayers, he still feels doubt or deception.
Another day was born and rising
Time moves on as another day begins.
And on the stool the boy was trying
The boy is trying to earn money for his mother by working on a stool.
To earn a coin for his mother, and hoping
He hopes to earn enough money to help his mother in some way.
That freedom will lead her away
He believes that earning enough money will allow his mother to leave their situation.
Mr. Cadillac Blood: Dear little friend
A character called Mr. Cadillac Blood appears and addresses the boy.
I've heard your story
He acknowledges that he's heard the boy's story.
Please take my hand and I'll promise
Mr. Cadillac Blood offers to help the boy.
We'll find a way and we'll be fighting
He promises to help and fight with the boy.
For your mother, and her wings
He clarifies that they'll be fighting for the boy's mother and her freedom.
Heaven light a way for another
The song returns to asking for guidance from heaven.
Let me ease the pain for a fallen
He prays to ease the pain of others.
We are on our way so much stronger
He's confident that with their combined strength, they can succeed.
Heaven light the way for another
He continues to pray for guidance from heaven.
And he feels no deception in his head
This time, he feels at peace and trusts in their mission.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MICHAEL POULSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@motivatedforChrist
Down by the lake of Mississippi
A boy was born poor and abandoned
And as he walk you could hear him yearning
For a home and he prays
And by the fields he sang for rising
All for his faith and memorizing
All of the songs his mother learned
From the lord himself
Heaven light a way for a fallen
Let me ease the pain from my mother
But he feels the deception in his head
Another day was born and rising
And on the stool the boy was trying
To earn a coin for his mother, and hoping
That freedom will lead her away
Mr. Cadillac Blood: Dear little friend
I've heard your story
Please take my hand and I'll promise
We'll find a way and we'll be fighting
For your mother, and her wings
Heaven light a way for a fallen
Let me ease the pain from my mother
But he feels the deception in his head
Heaven light a way for another
Let me ease the pain for a fallen
We are on our way so much stronger
Heaven light the way for another
And he feels no deception in his head
@thegolfghoul
Who's still listening to this gem 😁
@jademoonphoenix
Definitely Volbeat's most heart-wrenching song. The story of Cadillac Blood and the little boy drives me to tears every time.
@ghostgamenorway7820
was Driving home in the middle of the night from hospital when i lost my dad in hospital due to Blood poisoning after a bad operation in Norway and whole world collapsed , then this comes on local radio , so this lighted up the road a bit , and this song is so beautiful So may this song please continue to light a way for our fallen and people affected by horrible losses ,Cheers
@thekid8932
I feel for you I found this song after my mom died in my arms after a car accident I dragged her out of a swampy ditch all because of a semi swerved to avoid a moose and jacked knifed into our lane
@thekid8932
May the fallen Rest In Peace
@TimKleingarnBioladenWurzelWerk
God bless you all! We are the Ones we have been waiting for to clean up all the mess here on Earth! Hell is empty - they are all here. May the Heavenly Father be with us to help to set our beloved Mother Earth free.
@G0UDMAN
There's no band like these guys. The lyrics are so good.
@Jayhoyt32
How long has it been since a band came along and had countries across the globe bowing their heads in respect and catching the attention of people from all genres of music? Volbeat. Reminding people of the power of music.
@vladimirlegrand2917
Absolutely
@deshanabissell5826
i heard them last for the first time last summer. my boyfriend introduced me to them, right before he passed away. It was his favorite band and we were going to see them in Detroit. This song is one that i hold dear to me. Prayers for the person(s) to come forward who killed him in a hit-and-run when he was crossing telegraph on foot. Volbeat rocks!!