There goes the neighborhood
And somehow you knew it would
'cause you understand armageddon's right around the bend
You got your fortune right in your hands
You do what you gotta do
'cause you got that attitude
And you say goodbye as easy as most people tell a lie
You choose no options you do or die
Goddamn the torpedoes
It's time to run away with the sideshow
Full speed right ahead
Don't stop you can sleep when you're dead
That's just the way it goes
That's how the river flows
If you stay stone cold chances are your options will unfold
All that glitters turns into gold
Be proud to deviate
It's time to instigate
Dictate your own fate
You're about to detonate
And somehow you knew it would
'cause you understand armageddon's right around the bend
You got your fortune right in your hands
'cause you got that attitude
And you say goodbye as easy as most people tell a lie
You choose no options you do or die
It's time to run away with the sideshow
Full speed right ahead
Don't stop you can sleep when you're dead
That's how the river flows
If you stay stone cold chances are your options will unfold
All that glitters turns into gold
It's time to instigate
Dictate your own fate
You're about to detonate
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This song could be about U-Boat fleet's during WW2 fighting under contant pressure ad stress.
This song is my favorite song on this album, and one of my top 3 of kmfdm/mdfmk songs.
This song may take place in the early 1800s or the 1700s. Torpedoes were spear type explosives used on boats to sink them. This changes the meaning a bit from ww2 u-boats like norseflame described.
Hey Mr Obliteration, do you have AIM or anything i'd like to talk to you about KMFDM/MDFMK song meanings.
I can't really add much to what NorseFlame and Mr.Obliteration have written, but this is another good, catchy MDFMK song.
"Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead"
The original quotation was by U.S. Navy Admiral David Farragut during the Battle of Mobile Bay, during the American Civil War. Mobile, Alabama, at the time was the Confederacy's last major port open on the Gulf of Mexico. The bay was heavily mined (tethered naval mines were known as torpedoes at the time). Farragut ordered his fleet to charge the bay. When one ship struck a mine the others began to pull back, but Farragut shouted the order, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" The bulk of the fleet succeeded in entering the bay and the heroic quotation became famous.
The last verses pretty much sum up everything. Be proud to deviate and dictate your own fate. To relate it to the Battle of Mobile Bay, basically you don't give up on a cause because of one minor setback.
"And you say goodbye as easy as most people tell a lie" I really identify with this, probably due to nomadic upbringing. Most people find it easier to lie to preserve their comforts, lie to others and especially to themselves. Some of us find it easier to abandon comforts, as we have more to gain by accepting the loss. The song suggests this is a rare attitude to have, probably because it is.
"You choose no options you do or die" -- Reject all ultimatums and follow your own determination.
"Dictate your own fate You're about to detonate" This suggests that a spectacular failure (demolished by explosion) is as good an outcome as spectacular success (reaching safe harbor and easy victories.)
I took it as kind of a diss track to Esch and maybe Schulz after the split of KMFDM. I don't know the details but it sounds like it was messy. Maybe he's calling their hangups and fights torpedoes, and says god damn them, it's time to run off with the sideshow (MDFMK).