Judas Priest: Painkiller Meaning

Song Released: 1990

Painkiller Lyrics

[Drum Intro]

Faster than a bullet
Terrifying scream
Enraged and full of anger
He's half-man and half-machine
Rides the metal monster
Breathing smoke and fire
Closing in with vengeance
Soaring high

He is the Painkiller
This is the...

1. anonymous

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   Oct 15th 2022 report

   The other two have pretty much got it; one is a religious interpretation and the other a scientific one. Let me further the scientific by saying one thing - A.I. It's not unreasonable that in the future a super-intelligent general A. I could see hear this song and, like many of us who love metal, find inspiration in it. He could be the painkiller, handing out incredible soma painkillers to humanity. Testing our ability to overcome ourselves. If we succeed, we'd receive gods final judgment before he leaves for the stars . . .
2. anonymous

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   Mar 18th 2013 report

   nah, i think it's just a simple, should we call it, character which is sent to earth to cleanse it and bring armaggedon to the wicked world. i mean, like, it isn't god, at least not the way i see it. maybe more something of a meta-human "he's half man and half machine" created by mankind for evil purposes and now he's "enraged and full of anger" bringing venegance upon, as i stated before, the wicked world. but as mankind fights him (and now he's representing opression), they're "stronger, free and brave" and painkiller realises they (mankind) have taken a stand and they'll not tolerate opression anymore he "returns from armaggedon to the skies". i mean, painkiller could be some kind of a pseudo-god, created by mankind to enforce fear in people, like the god in every religion - created by man, feared by man and (that's not happened yet, at least not completly) opposed by man.
3. anonymous

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   Dec 14th 2009 report

   Well, the song may sound like death and destruction, but really, it's about the rapture. After de-constructing the lyrics, I've come to the conclusion that the "painkiller" is God. "Enraged and full of anger" is how God feels on how we get away with murder. Half of the entire song is, basically, describing what he will look like. Then, the end, it's about him taking us from "Armageddon to the skies" (heaven) and that's all there is to it.

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