Never the Machine Forever

Soundgarden

I can't live when it lives
It won't live if I die
Machine has no heart to give
Heart it takes could be mine

Come on
Come down
Come out from where you hide

Follows me down the river
Shadows me through the sky
A sideways glance in the mirror
Stalemate machine in a tie

Come on
Come down
Come out from where you hide
Get up
Get off
Get on with your life

Forever means all is not seen
Never means forever brings everything

I fashion will and desire
Always I and I survive
Mercurial mind the fire
Fervorous direction and drive

Come on
Come down
Come out from where you hide
Get up
Get off
Get on with your life

Forever means all is not seen
Never means forever brings everything

Get up
Get off
Get on with your life

Now I see myself clearer
Why time I visualize
I spy device in the mirror
Checkmate watch machine die


Lyrics submitted by jt, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Never The Machine Forever Lyrics as written by Kim A. Thayil

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Never the Machine Forever song meanings
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16 Comments

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  • +4
    General CommentFor some reason I had a "memory" that this song was inspired by a novel but that's probably wrong.

    It's based on Kim's personal experiences and according to him, "it's about a life-and-death match between an individual and a less specifically defined entity" - KERRANG!, March 16, 1996. The lyrics suggest that the voice in the song is the victor in the end, presumably due to their ambition, creativity, resourcefulness, and heart, all of which the machine lacks.

    The machine is probably a metaphor. Kim stated that "It's not about computers" - CMJ New Music Monthly, July 1996.

    In any case, this is one of Soundgarden's most interesting songs.
    spiderbabyon May 27, 2007   Link
  • +4
    General CommentNo clue what Kim actually meant but I like to interpret it as fighting some unbeatable machine......and WINNING. The machine can be symbolic of whatever you want it to be, and whatever you chose the machine to be YOU CONQUERED.
    cosmicatomicon October 04, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General CommentThis is the best song in the wolrd ever
    ...and that is my generous input to the world.
    Alphabet Poon October 04, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Commentone of the very few lyrics of kim, and a cryptic one for sure!
    aldeayeahon March 31, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Commentgreat cryptic lyrics. but there's two lines i can't decipher:

    Forever means all is not seen
    Never means forever brings everything

    What do you guys think it means?
    krzyzewski5on November 19, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General CommentIt seems like this song could have been in the soundtrack for the original "Matrix" movie.
    I especially like the imagery of the lines "Sideways glance in the mirror/Stalemate machine in a tie" and "I spy device in the mirror/Checkmate/Watch machine Die"...as well as "Forever means all is not seen/Never means forever brings everything"
    soundjonon February 09, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Commentseems to be about a battle with some kind of killing robot machine...
    treestumpon May 10, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Commenti think this is about the battle u have with yourself over the way u r when you dont wanna be cold like a machine so you fight the machine in you
    TIMMAY!on May 28, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General CommentIs it about that crazy show they air at 2am called 'robot wars', where college students battle their home made robots?
    Oh Peaon July 02, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Commenti doubt it, but they should adopt it as their theme song....i'd watch it...no, thats a lie...i'd watch the beginning just for the song...
    RedRavenon March 02, 2005   Link

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