Pack up your things
Your work here is done
A slave to the beast
No mercy with time
No mercy with time

They brand you with the fire,
Then push you into the sun.
They want the free land to expire,
They want everyone to be numb.
The worlds drinking from a cup that no one wants to share
Words from the king that no one wants to hear

Don't be running late are you on time today (x4)

Retrench me because of machines
Kids trading roses for guns
Track mark under the sleeve
I can't talk I need to run
Loves thrown away the ring
Not knowing what to say
Mama won't you sing
It's like you're cut by the blade

Don't be running late are you on time today (x4)

Don't be running late are you on time today (x4)
(Don't be running late)

Don't be running late (till the end)



Lyrics submitted by viginti_tres

Track duration: 03:53

"The Beast" as written by Talay Riley, Peter Parker, Kyle James, Jamaal Fyffe, Loick Essien

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


The Beast song meanings
Add your thoughts

16 Comments

sort form View by:
  • -1
    General Comment:I think it is about END DAYS and how we got there.

    Pack Up your things - get ready to die
    Your work here is done - you did enough damage
    Slave to the beast - your now a slave to the antichrist
    No Mercy with time - eternity of torture
    Brand you with the fire - mark of the beast
    push you into the sun - pit of hell
    Free land to expire - Earth to end
    Every one to be numb - loss of spirituality
    Drinking from the cup - you had plenty..cup of plenty but no one shares
    words from the king - Gods word that no one wants to hear
    Dont be running late - get your soul sorted before you die

    Then it goes on to state why its coming.. we killed jobs (machines) Drugs, Children fighting in wars, No time for families, adultery (stowing away the ring) blasphemy (not knowing what to say)
    Flag Zouk72on January 13, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I see a lot of connections between this song and William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Like, a lot-a lot. Like, go read the book.
    Flag whencomposurereturnson October 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Pack up your things This Whole paragraph explains how society has succumbed to "The
    Your work here is done Beast"(666 is the number of "The Beast" which is the devil)
    A slave to the beast and packing up things is what the mother is telling her child(moving out)
    No mercy with time while she is explaining that time wont show any mercy to them in case
    No mercy with time things went wrong for her child.(things done cannot be undone)


    Words from mother:
    They brand you with the fire,----->Society causes you to sin, branding you with "fire"(marked for hell)
    Then push you into the sun. ------------> The sun here resembles Hell due to it's heat.
    They want the free land to expire,------> They want the world to end.
    They want everyone to be numb.----------> Numb resembles the sensation after continuous pain/drugs
    The worlds drinking from a cup ---------v
    that no one wants to share--------------> You Will Share My Cup! - Mark 10:39 (Read bible for more info)
    Words from the king that no one wants to hear ---> King refers to Jesus (King of Kings) that nobody wants
    to hear.

    Don't be running late are you on time today-----> The mother worrying about her young child

    What the youngster experiences after going out.

    Retrench me because of machines------> Retrench used as a pun(Not finding work)
    Kids trading roses for guns----> Roses as in life, guns as in death
    Track marks under the sleeve----> Drugs (heroine)
    I can't talk I need to run-----> Something urgent happened, i gotta go.
    Loves thrown away the ring-----> Parents have divorced
    Not knowing what to say--------> Self explanatory
    Mama won't you sing------------> His mother is no longer showing signs of joy.(can also be seen as in not singing in church)
    It's like you're cut by the blade---> Cut by the blade refers to the degree his mother is hurt.

    Don't be running late are you on time today ---> mother worrying about her child.
    Flag Kookidon February 24, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i believe that this song is commenting on contemporary society. the beast being a metaphore for society's corruption/injustic/oppression. the first stanza "your work here is done" represents giving up on changing the world and being overcome by 'the beast' and exposed to the torture of the real world- loss of individuality, injustice, oppression. "The worlds drinking from a cup that no one wants to share
    Words from the king that no one wants to hear" encapsulates the selfishness and greed of society, ans the unwillingness to listen to those who want peace and change. i believe the chorus "Don’t be running late are you on time today" is reffering to the fact that if we act now, we can still change the world, but if we leave it any longer, the problems are going to amplify. "Retrench me because of machines. Kids trading roses for guns. Track marks under the sleeve" talks about industrial revolution and the destructivness of urbanisation, childrem being educated to fight and be violent and not to make love and peace, while the track marks refer to taking drugs to escape these problems.
    :)

    Flag annelisehollyon November 02, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the "kids trading roses for guns" lyric is quite a powerful
    great song
    Flag musicluva1on July 25, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the "kids trading roses for guns" lyric is quite a powerful
    great song
    Flag musicluva1on July 25, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:i think this song could also be about self injury?
    "Track mark under the sleeve" and "It's like you're cut by the blade" seem to suggest this. and being a slave to the beast is like the addiction.
    Flag dottedon July 21, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Oh yes i also just love this song!

    Yeah, I think that this could refer to drugs or becoming a slave to society.

    The song plainly says "track marks under the sleeve", which is quite obvious.

    If you interpret it as becoming a slave to society, then i associate it with the novel 1984.
    Becoming controlled by a higher power, and having no control over it.
    Flag courts93on February 06, 2009   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:i percieved this song as slavery- i had to read ROOTS by alex haley for ap history and escape from slavery by francis bok and, this song reminded me of those book as soon as i heard "brand you with the fire" (slave owners did this as a "claiming" of ownership over the slave.)

    "retrench me because of machines"-- there was a time during the 1800s where the jobs for slaves were cut down due to the production of machines, especially on farmlands in the south

    "Pack up your things
    Your work here is done" - refer to the constant slave trading and auctioning
    Flag celam92on April 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:First off. Amazing song. Great opener to the album.

    I think this song is about becoming a slave to corporations, "the man". Just the whole idea that corporations are an evil, living breathing thing: "the beast".
    And working for it, you couldn't be "late". It's demanding.
    Just how money driven our world has become and the evil things in the world.
    Flag Imahollowplayon April 11, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain