The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Kill for gain or shoot to maim
But we don't need a reason
The Golden Goose is on the loose
And never out of season
Blackened pride still burns inside
This shell of bloody treason
Here's my gun for a barrel of fun
For the love of living death
The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
Don't you pray for my soul anymore
Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb
The blind men shout, "Let the creatures out
We'll show the unbelievers"
Napalm screams of human flames
For a prime time Belsen feast, yeah!
As the reasons for the carnage cut their meat and lick the gravy
We oil the jaws of the war machine and feed it with our babies
The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
Don't you pray for my soul anymore
Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb
The body bags and little rags of children torn in two
And the jellied brains of those who remain to put the finger right on you
As the madmen play on words and make us all dance to their song
To the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun
The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
Don't you pray for my soul anymore
Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb
Midnight
Midnight
Midnight
It's all night
Midnight
Midnight
Midnight
It's all night
Midnight, all night
But we don't need a reason
The Golden Goose is on the loose
And never out of season
Blackened pride still burns inside
This shell of bloody treason
Here's my gun for a barrel of fun
For the love of living death
The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
Don't you pray for my soul anymore
Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb
The blind men shout, "Let the creatures out
We'll show the unbelievers"
Napalm screams of human flames
For a prime time Belsen feast, yeah!
As the reasons for the carnage cut their meat and lick the gravy
We oil the jaws of the war machine and feed it with our babies
The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
Don't you pray for my soul anymore
Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb
The body bags and little rags of children torn in two
And the jellied brains of those who remain to put the finger right on you
As the madmen play on words and make us all dance to their song
To the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun
The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
Don't you pray for my soul anymore
Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb
Midnight
Midnight
Midnight
It's all night
Midnight
Midnight
Midnight
It's all night
Midnight, all night
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dont know wat its about other than the fact that 2 minutes to midnight refers to the cuban missile crisis, and when we were at 2 minutes to midnight on the dooms day clock
ive never heard the actual song so i cant explain the details of each line, but the main idea is about the "war" we waged at that time