Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
(Hey!)
Now every cheap hood strikes a bargain with the world
Ends up making payments on a sofa or a girl
"Love 'n' hate" tattooed across the knuckles of his hands
Hands that slap his kids around 'cause they don't understand how
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory becomes just another story
And every gimmick hungry yob digging gold from rock 'n' roll
Grabs the mike to tell us he'll die before he's sold
But I believe in this and it's been tested by research
He who fucks nuns will later join the church
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory becomes just another story
Fear in the gun sights
They say "lie low"
You say "okay"
Don't wanna play a show
No other thinking
Was it death or glory now?
Playing the blues of kings
Sure looks better now
Death or glory, just another story
Death or glory, just another story
In every dingy basement on every dingy street
Every dragging hand clap over every dragging beat
That's just the beat of time, beat that must go on
If you've been trying for years we already heard your song
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory, just another story
Gotta march a long way
Fight a long time
You got to travel over mountains
Got to travel over seas
We gonna fight your brother
We gonna fight 'til you loose
We gonna raise trouble
We gonna raise hell
We gonna fight your brother
Raise hell
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory, just another story
Death or glory becomes just another story
Now every cheap hood strikes a bargain with the world
Ends up making payments on a sofa or a girl
"Love 'n' hate" tattooed across the knuckles of his hands
Hands that slap his kids around 'cause they don't understand how
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory becomes just another story
And every gimmick hungry yob digging gold from rock 'n' roll
Grabs the mike to tell us he'll die before he's sold
But I believe in this and it's been tested by research
He who fucks nuns will later join the church
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory becomes just another story
Fear in the gun sights
They say "lie low"
You say "okay"
Don't wanna play a show
No other thinking
Was it death or glory now?
Playing the blues of kings
Sure looks better now
Death or glory, just another story
Death or glory, just another story
In every dingy basement on every dingy street
Every dragging hand clap over every dragging beat
That's just the beat of time, beat that must go on
If you've been trying for years we already heard your song
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory, just another story
Gotta march a long way
Fight a long time
You got to travel over mountains
Got to travel over seas
We gonna fight your brother
We gonna fight 'til you loose
We gonna raise trouble
We gonna raise hell
We gonna fight your brother
Raise hell
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory becomes just another story
Death or glory, just another story
Death or glory becomes just another story
Lyrics submitted by aebassist, edited by Mellow_Harsher, JimmyCarlBlack
Death Or Glory Lyrics as written by Mick Jones Joe Strummer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I don't think it's right to say anyone is right or wrong or dumb. I mean, the beautiful things about interpretting song lyrics is that anyone can get anything from it. I do, however, agree with cola bottle. The song seems to mean that, whether you obtain glory or end up dying for a cause, in the end, it becomes "just another story." All of the great things in life become "just another story." And the beat of time is what makes things move on.