One of the three singles from the album “The System Has Failed” by the American thrash metal band Megadeth was the ballad “The Scorpion” (“Scorpion”), the history of which and the meaning of which we will discuss below. The composition is notable for its ambiguous text, which gave rise to various variants of its interpretation.
There is an opinion among Megadeth fans that the theme of Mustaine’s conversion to Christianity is revealed in the song. Allegedly, in the form of a scorpion, Dave imagined the devil tempting a person. This version is the first one that comes to mind as soon as you read the final line of the last verse. Of course, there were also fans of the band who saw references to drug use in the track.
However, the author of the words and music of the composition explained his intention differently. He said that he wrote “The Scorpion” based on the famous Aesop’s fable about the scorpion and the frog. For those who are not familiar with this creation of the ancient Greek poet, we will briefly retell the content.
The scorpion had to cross to the other side of the stream. He asked the frog to carry him on his back. She initially refused, because she did not trust the poisonous insect. But the scorpion convinced her, saying that he would not bite her, because in this case they would both die. While the characters were in the middle of the stream, the treacherous passenger stung his ferryman. To the question of the frog “why?”, he replied that such was his nature.
Consequently, the song is a free interpretation of an ancient fable, the meaning of which everyone is free to understand in their own way. We will be glad to know your opinion about the main idea of the parable and, accordingly, the composition.
“The Scorpion” was released as the third single from “The System Has Failed” (2004). She did not achieve much success in the popular charts, but still became one of the most famous Megadeth tracks.
A music video was filmed for the song The Scorpion.
Lyrics of The Scorpion The Scorpion LyricsMy life is everything
That feeds my thirst, that causes sin
My wants, are all I care
No shame and guilt, there’s nothing there
Look deep into my face
I sell deceit, without a trace
Fear not what I can do
Unless you, want it done to you
What quenches my thirst, what leads to sin
My desires are all that worries me
No shame, no guilt – they are not known to me
look into my face
I sow lies without leaving a trace
Don’t be afraid what I can do
As I climb onto your back, I will promise not to sting
I will, tell you what you want to hear and not mean anything
Then I, treat you like a dog, as I shoot my venom in
You pretend you didn’t know that I am a scorpion
I’ll say whatever you want to hear, but I’ll be insincere
Then I’ll treat you meanly, sting you with poison
You’ll pretend you didn’t know I’m a scorpion My self, I’m centered in
There’s nothing else, there’s never been
And I dream to be left alone
With the sadness, the madness of my own
Look deep into my soul
It’s black as coal, like a bullet hole
Fear not, get off your knees
There’s no defense, you’ll do what I please
There is nothing else and there never was
And I dream of being alone
With your sadness, your madness
Look into my soul
She’s black as coal, like a bullet hole
Don’t be afraid, get up off your knees
There is no escape, you do what I want My lies, to reach the shore
I aggrandize, and nothing more
My hopes to steal away
All that you love, I’ll soon betray
Look deep into my past
The pain I feel, is unsurpassed
I’m not, a lowly scorpion
I’m so much worse, I’m the fall of man
I hope to deprive you
All that you love, I will soon betray you
Look into my past
My pain is irresistible
I am not a pathetic scorpion
I’m something much worse, I’m the fall of man
