Malmsteen was born on June 30, 1963, as the first child of a musically tale… Read Full Bio ↴Malmsteen was born on June 30, 1963, as the first child of a musically talented family in Stockholm, Sweden. At age seven, he saw a television news report on the death of Jimi Hendrix. To quote his official website, "The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Malmsteen was born". At the age of 10 he took his mother's maiden name Malmsten as his surname, slightly changed it to Malmsteen, and Anglicised his given name Yngve to "Yngwie". Yngwie also created his first band "Track On Earth" at the age of 10, consisting of himself and a friend from school on drums. Malmsteen was a teenager when he first encountered the music of the 19th century violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, whom he cites as his biggest classical music influence.

Through his emulation of Paganini concerto pieces on guitar, Malmsteen developed a prodigious technical fluency. Malmsteen's guitar style includes a wide, violin-like vibrato inspired by classical violinists, and use of such minor scales as the Harmonic minor, and minor modes such as Phrygian, and Aeolian. Malmsteen also cites Brian May of Queen, Steve Hackett of Genesis, Uli Jon Roth, Alex Lifeson of Rush, and Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple as influences.

Devil in Disguise
Yngwie J. Malmsteen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't ever try to fool me
Cause I can see right through you
It's in your eyes
You are the devil in disguise
Hold me, feel me
Wound and heal me
Mend this broken heart
Though you're near me

You can't hear me
But you tear my soul apart
I can't beat you
Can't defeat you
You just make me cry inside
Don't even try to fool me
Cause I can see right through you
It's in your eyes
You are the devil in disguise
My rage is growing stronger
And I can't wait no longer
It's in your eyes
You are the devil in disguise
Never learning
Vengeance is burning
Deep inside your mind
Time will come to

When I'll make you
Stumbling like blind leading the blind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Yngwie J. Malmsteen's song Devil in Disguise depict the singer's realization that someone he once trusted and loved is actually a manipulative and destructive force in his life. He warns this person that he sees through their lies and deceit, and feels the pain that they cause him. Despite his protests and attempts to resist, the singer acknowledges that he cannot defeat this person, who tears him apart emotionally. The anger and frustration within him builds as he realizes that this person has not changed and is still causing him harm, and he vows to take revenge in the future.

The lyrics touch on themes of betrayal, heartbreak, and the struggle to overcome toxic relationships. The devil in disguise serves as a metaphor for those who appear harmless or even beneficial on the surface, but ultimately bring harm to those around them. The singer's journey in the song reflects the emotional turmoil and difficult decisions that many people face when confronted with toxic relationships, as they try to recognize the truth beneath the surface and work to break free.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't ever try to fool me
Do not attempt to deceive me in any way

Cause I can see right through you
As I possess an innate ability to easily identify your true intentions and motives

It's in your eyes
The evident manifestation of your lying is present through your eye expression

You are the devil in disguise
You are a misrepresentation of a human being and can be equated to actively working under evil

Hold me, feel me
Embrace me and attain comprehension of my emotions

Wound and heal me
Either cause or cure my distressing emotions

Mend this broken heart
Help me recover from the pain and hurt that I am experiencing

Though you're near me
Even if you are in my vicinity

You can't hear me
You cannot comprehend how I feel or listen to what I have to say

But you tear my soul apart
You continue to emotionally distress and heavily affect my core being

I can't beat you
I am incapable of defeating you

Can't defeat you
It is an unachievable goal to emerge victorious against you

You just make me cry inside
You induce such strong anguish in me that it leads to emotional breakdown and distress

My rage is growing stronger
My inner fury continues to increase in intensity

And I can't wait no longer
My boiling anger has escalated to a point of intolerability

Never learning
Despite any previous consequences of your actions, you persist in your evil ways

Vengeance is burning
A desire to seek retribution against you is glowing within me

Deep inside your mind
Within the innermost depths of your intellect

Time will come to
The day when

When I'll make you
The day when I inflict pain on you in response to your wickedness

Stumbling like blind leading the blind
You will lack direction and guidance as you will be in too much pain to function, just like a blind person leading another blind person

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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