The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Each day my shortcomings pick my pockets
My faults were letters carved in stone
As meaningful to you as words written in water
I'm left to walk this world alone
In a broken mold they made me
The black sheep of the family
Worth less than zero my opinion
And room temperature IQ
I did something, now I'm nothing
Always wrong with this or that
Poisoned with fear watch it twist
My measly brain mad
Talk about me when my bac is turned
Next time we meet it will be to late
The memory burned in my ears of what you said
And now I've got a recipe for hate. Taste it
Dark clouds on the horizon
Make it hard to breathe
A walking mistake but every time
I run away, I just come back for more
The choice is clear I can quit
And fall on my sword or light a fire
To see who runs or stays
And plays the confidence game
Warhorse
I'm feeling quite invisible
I feel just like thin air
The truth taunts me
I see the earth below me
I watch it spinning there
Does someone, somewhere
Out there hear me?
Sentenced to walk in Purgatory
My life is running down
I can't believe what they've done to me
I'm left riding a Warhorse
A man without a country
My faults were letters carved in stone
As meaningful to you as words written in water
I'm left to walk this world alone
In a broken mold they made me
The black sheep of the family
Worth less than zero my opinion
And room temperature IQ
I did something, now I'm nothing
Always wrong with this or that
Poisoned with fear watch it twist
My measly brain mad
Talk about me when my bac is turned
Next time we meet it will be to late
The memory burned in my ears of what you said
And now I've got a recipe for hate. Taste it
Dark clouds on the horizon
Make it hard to breathe
A walking mistake but every time
I run away, I just come back for more
The choice is clear I can quit
And fall on my sword or light a fire
To see who runs or stays
And plays the confidence game
Warhorse
I'm feeling quite invisible
I feel just like thin air
The truth taunts me
I see the earth below me
I watch it spinning there
Does someone, somewhere
Out there hear me?
Sentenced to walk in Purgatory
My life is running down
I can't believe what they've done to me
I'm left riding a Warhorse
A man without a country
Lyrics submitted by elmoz, edited by Richardkiwi
Recipe for Hate...Warhorse Lyrics as written by Dave Mustaine
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I find it frustrating when artists omit parts of the lyric from the printed version. "That nobody wants me" should follow "the truth taunts me."
Anyhow, Recipe For Hate...Warhorse is right up there with my favorite songs from TWNAH.
This song is about Mustaine's disdain for Capital Records. Mustaine explained in 2001: "By the time I wrote this I didn't care if the fucking Capitol tower fell on its side and rolled into the ocean with everyone it in. I have never seen such a display of hateful, selfish, self-centered, fucks in my life. Thank God, all of the people that were there when we were there are gone. I feel sorry for the bands that are there. I hope the artist left there will get treated better than we were, because there were some good artists there. But I doubt it."
Ahhh, the fucked up world of copyright laws.
This song is about the loneliness some people can feel when they're put out to pasture. It's the same thing with war animals. Once the war is over, what do you do with them? You kill them.
Don't you think that's kind of hypocritical? If he hated Capitol Records so much, why did he release the remasters under that label?
Because of contract obligations and copyright laws. It's very apparent that Dave does not like Capitol.