slicing jaws a way of life
brought up to waste mankind
loki's pets his little children
deadly eyery time

trapped in swamps by gates of hell

don't ever: let them out
for if you do and they escape
you'll fight a bloody bout

piranha kill in a pack - you'll run
piranha start to attack - you'll done
if you think you can beat - deadly school
if you think you can live - vou're a fool

gates of hell are old and cracked
they tumble and they fall
out rush a bloody wall of death
to kill anything at all
their sole mission is t0 kill
strip your bones and flesh
rip out your eyes tear off your face
an agonizing death

piranha kill in a pack - you'll run
piranha start to attack - you're done
if you think you can beat - deadly school
if you think you can live - you're a fool


Lyrics submitted by KrudeDuse

Piranha song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    I honestly am not sure if Exodus cared enough to craft a metaphor such as this, but I think the school of piranhas is comperable to certain metal scenes at the time. The metalheads were often at war with the punk rockers, and each stuck to their own kind. Since I was born in 88 I couldn't tell you what it was really like, but I'm led to believe that if you pissed off one metalhead you had a whole pack of them after you soon enough, especially in the San Fransisco Bay Area.

    The part that throws me off is the reference to Loki. I don't know where that would fit in there.

    But this song kicks enough ass for it not to matter anyway.

    emmerderon May 29, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'm not sure they'd make such a metaphor for this song, but you could be right. Either way, it's a great song! There's also a great cover by Sepultura.

    Shadowbitchon May 31, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "This song ain't about no goldfish, and it ain't about no tuna fish, and it ain't about no trout!" - Paul Baloff, 1985

    MetalSmasher86on March 20, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song rules. I wouldn't try and look very far into Exodus' lyrics, you're not going to find much. This song is simply about a school of piranhas eatin' some poor bastard. Thrash is largely based around violence and fury and bands would just write about stuff in that vein, because that's what the scene was calling for. So, don't really put that much thought into the lyrics; just sit back and enjoy the riffs.

    olio16on February 08, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It ain't about no goldfish, it ain't about no tuna fish, and it AIN'T ABOUT NO TROUT!

    Droogie83on September 04, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    If violence is a common theme in thrash metal, it's possible that this song is an extended metaphor for such. I've always seen the line "If you think you can live - you're a fool" as a reference to teenage boys joining gangs or wars, thinking that it would be cool and not a fucking thing could destroy them when they really end up getting wounded, killed or traumatized by the horrors of battle. Loki is a Viking god and the Vikings were notorious throughout the Middle Ages for terrorizing and pillaging.

    kylekrazeon January 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    This song is about hell ,evil and violence.

    Wicked god Loki and his demons (in this case the piranhas) and other evil creatures from hell which will cause a slaughter if escape.

    MeanThrasheron July 10, 2013   Link

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