Metallica: Battery Meaning

Song Released: 1986

Battery Lyrics

Lashing out the action, returning the reaction
Weak are ripped and torn away
Hypnotizing power, crushing all that cower
Battery is here to stay

Smashing through the boundaries
Lunacy has found me
Cannot stop the battery
Pounding out...

1. anonymous

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   Feb 16th 2010 !⃝

   The word "Battery" in this song would most likely refer to violence and aggression, and the song is describing this as an uncontrollable entity in human beings ("cannot stop the battery...battery is found in me") that they themselves create ("whipping up a fury, dominating flurry, we create the battery"), which would also draw some metaphorical comparisons to a literal battery.
2. segpatrol94

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   Apr 9th 2009 !⃝

   It's about a killer he goes off one day and goes on a killing spree.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
3. anonymous

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   Feb 20th 2009 !⃝

   When Metallica was starting to get well known in the metal circut, they used to play alot of clubs and bars on a street called Battery Street. And I think that street was special to James Hetfield hince the part that goes "BATTERY IS FOUND IN ME..." Any way you look at it, it's an awsome song
4. anonymous

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   Feb 15th 2009 !⃝

   Battery is about James' time hanging out on battery street in SF during his early days in the band.
5. unkown

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   Jan 22nd 2008 !⃝

   Battery is about an artillery battery in WW2, it has to be World War 2. It is also about the guy trying to destroy it "cannot kill the battery" come on man it could be about any force any time, it's probably not though.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
6. anonymous

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   Nov 20th 2007 !⃝

   I believe that the actual meaning is not quite so farfetched as you may think.
   
   Battery can mean an act of violence. I think that this song is about fighting in general. "Lashing out the action, returning the reaction" Person A punches Person B, B punches back. Ta-Da! We have a brawl breaking out.
   
   Fairly simple really.
7. anonymous

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   Dec 15th 2006 !⃝

   I think it's more about domestic violence..."Cannot kill the family." It's the rage and unnecessary violence that occurs in an American household.
   
   Z
8. anonymous

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   Nov 18th 2006 !⃝

   This was actually a pitch to the Duracell battery company for an ad campaign.
   
   Nope.
   
   The word "Battery" in this song could pretty much sum up the feelings and ideas behind thrash metal.
   
   Lashing out the action, returning the reaction
   Weak are ripped and torn away
   Hypnotizing power, crushing all that cower
   Battery is here to stay
   
   Smashing through the boundaries
   lunacy has found me
   cannot stop the Battery
   Pounding out aggression
   turns into obsession
   cannot kill the Battery
   
   Cannot kill the family
   Battery is found in me
   
   Battery
   
   It's like such a rush of energy, a release, contained in such a small space, a battery.
   Or its used in the sense of being battered, the song is constantly bombarding you, the "Hammer comes crushing", it's "Pounding out aggression".
   Circle of Destruction, Hammer comes crushing
   Powerhouse of energy
   Whipping up a fury, Dominating flurry
   We create the Battery
   
   Metallica creates the "Battery", the song is a "Powerhouse of energy", heavy metal is a "Circle of Destruction".
9. anonymous

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   Nov 12th 2006 !⃝

   It's about a street called battery in San Fransisco where they played at a lot of clubs

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
10. specialk2319

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    Mar 21st 2006 !⃝

    About the act of a battery, the hitting of another person and how a lot of people are good at kicking peoples asses as opposed to a self-defense battery.

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