For the past several days, I’ve been all ears on all of Motörhead’s studio albums in chronological order, and last Saturday, March 28, I finally reached the last album Lemmy ever recorded with his long-time bandmates (released in 2015), Bad Magic. One song that hit me harder than their usual fast-paced ones was the slow-tempo yet still heavy track “Till The End.”
Last week was a heavy, personal one because of what happened seven years ago, though, fortunately, it turned out better than I expected. But last Saturday, when I heard the introspective lyrics of “Till the End,” it hit harder than usual. It brought me back into a reflective mood; it reminded me of my own mortality and of my friends who are there through thick and thin. Thankfully, as ironic as this sounds, the hard rock sound paired with the introspective lyrics softened my reflection.
My favorite two lines from “Till The End” that live rent-free in my mind:
Your memories are yours alone
They’re yours until your dust and bones
“Til the End” is the ninth song on Motörhead’s Bad Magic, and the album has 13 songs overall. After hearing the entire record, I believe the song would’ve been a perfect closing track because it sounded like Lemmy’s haunting last message before he passed away on December 28, 2015. (Hats off still to them for choosing their spectacularly heavy cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” as the last song.)
Slow-tempo songs are rare gems in Motörhead’s catalogue, but when they hit just as hard as their ferocious ones. That fact, plus the moving, haunting lyrics that reminded me of death, long-lasting friendships, and one of my personal heroes, is the reason “Till the End” by Motörhead is my Song of the Moment.
Rest in power, Lemmy. I’m pretty sure you’re still playing that loud bass up in the heavens.
See you in the next post.
Header image: Ellie Burgin of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.
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