Joy of Labour

Album: Snake Bite Love (1998)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about an SS officer after the war, and about the things he did during the war against Jews, and how he "Was a young man then." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    John - Glasgow, Scotland

Comments: 1

  • Gandalf from LondonI once wrote in to an "ask Motörhead" forum to ask what this song is about... never got a reply. I don't see anything explicitly linking this song to the Holocaust, but then again given Lemmy's enormous knowledge of WW2 it's hard to imagine him writing the words "labour sets you free" (aka "Arbeit macht frei") by accident. Might just be a vague allusion or general inspiration though: there are plenty of Motörhead songs that contain references to all kinds of stuff without directly being a story about one particular thing or another. The man had a talent for churning out awesome lyrics at incredible speed.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Psychedelic Furs lead singer Richard Butler talks about their first album since 1991 and explains what's really going on in "Pretty In Pink."