The tenth studio album Megadeth, released under the name The System Has Failed (2004), was the first work of the famous thrash metal band after the band’s reunion.
In this article, we will talk about the history of the creation of the song Of Mice and Men (“About mice and people”), the words and music of which were composed by the founder and leader of the band, Dave Mustaine.
The history of the song “Of Mice and Men”
The Megadeth frontman named the song after the novel of the same name by John Steinbeck, who, in turn, borrowed the phrase from the famous poem “To the field mouse ruined by my plow.”
Steinbeck based his work on a personal experience of working on a farm during the Great Depression.
The meaning of the song Of Mice and Men
Mustaine’s song is also autobiographical. The text deals with his life from the age of seventeen to twenty-five. In this very short period of time, he managed to become famous as part of Metallica, “fly out” from the team, having quarreled with the rest of the group, and achieve worldwide success with Megadeth, becoming a real legend of rock music.
But in Of Mice and Men, Dave does not talk about a creative career, but recalls how in his youth he could not stand the test of copper pipes, how he killed himself with alcohol and drugs, how he made and lost friends and ended up alone. At the end of the song, he urges listeners not to repeat his mistakes and live the years allotted to them with dignity.
The track was released as the second single from The System Has Failed (the first being Die Dead Enough).
Clip of Mice and Men
The music video for the song was filmed in Los Angeles. Let’s watch the clip O Mice and Men by Megadeth.
Of Mice and Men Lyrics
chorus:
The fire burns on and on
That drives me on till all is gone
Except the simple plans
Of mice and men
Back when I was just seventeen
I thought that I knew everything
I could make it in this scene
To be a rising star that only gleamed
But all the answers disagreed
With the questions held for me
I was legal now at twenty-one
I knew the way the world should run
My God just look what I had done
Simply drunk and having fun
Looked for friends, but I found none
All alone at twenty-one
At twenty-five I was surprised
That I was still even half alive
Somehow I managed to survive
I felt my body’s doing time
And in my back a hundred knives
From friends at twenty-five
And now as Gabriel sounds my warning bell
I’d buy your life, if you would sell
A year or two, if less compelled
So live your life and live it well
There’s not much left of me to tell
I just got back up each time I fell
Of Mice and Men Lyrics
Chorus:
The fire keeps burning and burning
He supports me until the end of everything
Beyond simple plans
Mice and people
In the days when I was only seventeen
I thought I knew everything
I could succeed
And become a rising star that only twinkled
But all the answers didn’t match.
With questions in store for me
At twenty-one I came of age
I knew how the world should be
God, just look what I did:
Just drinking and partying
I was looking for friends, but I did not find any –
Alone at twenty-one
At twenty-five I was surprised
That he was still at least half alive
I somehow managed to survive
I felt like my body was just serving time
And in the back stuck a hundred knives,
That friends left by the age of twenty-five
And now, my signal bell is ringing like Gabriel
I would buy your life if you were selling
A year or two, if not so needed
So live on and live right
I have very little left to tell
I just got up again after every fall
