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  1. Tracks
  2. Machine Head
  3. Catharsis
  4. Bastards

TRACK

Machine Head

Bastards

Release date: 11th January 2018

From Catharsis
Spotify
More on Machine Head

About This Track

'Bastards' began without a plan. Rob Flynn wrote the song as a rallying cry against political division and hatred, and it became the emotional centrepiece of the album, a track in which he addresses his sons directly, urging them to resist fear and hold fast to their values. The chorus is a mantra: stand your ground, be bold, be strange, do not let fear dictate who you are. The song moves from the personal to the political. Flynn surveys a landscape of moral compromise, corporate manipulation, and the weaponisation of language by those in power. Yet the track refuses despair. It pivots toward an act of radical inclusion, insisting that love and solidarity across difference are the only answer to division. The message is simple and unshakeable: we are better together.

"Bastards" is a track by Machine Head, from the album Catharsis, released 11th January 2018. Full lyrics are available below.

About the Artist

Machine Head

Machine Head

Lyrics

Bastards

[Verse 1]

Yesterday, I told my sons

"Sometimes, the bad guys win"

And that it made me scared

About the world that we live in

But I had to reassure them

That it wouldn't be for long

"Sons, we have to be ourselves

We have to be strong"

I said, "Boys you are the future

So, let this be a lesson

There may come a day

You have to fight off their aggression"

'Cause fear and hatred won today

The darkness ate the light

But both of you look in my eyes

It'll be all right

In every step you take

I'm with you all the way

'Cause I would die for you

To do what's right for you

In hopes that when I'm gone

You'll carry on

These words I wrote for you

[Pre-Chorus]

Till then... I'll sing

[Chorus]

"Stand your ground

Don't let the bastards grind you down

Be bold, be strange

Don't let their fears make you afraid

There's hope they'll change"

[Verse 2]

Well, I looked out to the world today

Thought, "What a bloody mess!"

They stripped our morals from us

Put 'em under house arrest

And "liberty" and "country"

Are the words they need to speak

A little "God," a little "freedom"

If we don't agree, we're weak

And every politician stood there

Idle and so smug

Empowering the racists

And Second Amendment thugs

Wall Street and the billionaires

Convinced us they're so smart

Saying, "Vote with your wallet

Instead of with your hearts!"

But we won't go away!

You won't forget our name!

The pussy generation

The PC and the brave

The protesters that slink along

The streets of misery

[Pre-Chorus]

And so... I'll sing

[Chorus]

"Stand your ground

Don't let the bastards grind you down

Be bold, be strange

Don't let their fears make you afraid

There's hope they'll change

We'll change

Change"

[Bridge]

No, no, no, no, no (Fuck, no!)

No, no, no, no, no (Fuck, no!)

No, no, no, no, no (Fuck, no!)

[Verse 3]

So, give us all your faggots

And your niggas, and your spics

Give us all your Muslims

The so-called terrorists

We'll welcome 'em with open arms

And put 'em in our mix

We're better off together now

Embrace our difference

Remember there is love!

Our words can stop their guns

Forget the rednecks

Living in the past

We're never going back now

We've reached critical mass

[Pre-Chorus]

And so... I'll sing

[Chorus]

"Stand my ground

Won't let the bastards grind me down

I'm bold, I'm strange

Won't let their fears make me afraid

There's hope... we'll change"

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Catharsis

2018
Listen
Album
Catharsis
Catharsis
Machine Head
Release year
2018
  1. —California Bleeding
  2. —Grind You Down
  3. —Screaming at the Sun
  4. —Razorblade Smile
  5. —Triple Beam
  6. —Eulogy
  7. —Catharsis
  8. —Behind a Mask
  9. —Psychotic
  10. —Hope Begets Hope
  11. —Heavy Lies the Crown
  12. —Volatile
  13. —Bastards
  14. —Beyond the Pale
  15. —Kaleidoscope

More from Machine Head

Albums & EPs

Is There Anybody out There?
Is There Anybody out There?
The Blackening
The Blackening
Supercharger
Supercharger
Through the Ashes of Empires
Through the Ashes of Empires
Burn My Eyes
Burn My Eyes
The Burning Red
The Burning Red

Explore

More tracks by Machine Head

  1. A Thousand Lies (live in the studio 2019)
  2. BØNESCRAPER
  3. CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE
  4. Circle the Drain
  5. Circle the Drain (acoustic)
  6. Davidian (Live in the Studio 2019)
  7. Death Church (Live in the Studio 2019)
  8. Die Young (acoustic)
  9. Do or Die
  10. I’m Your God Now (Live‐in‐the‐Studio 2019)

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Credits

Production & Engineering

Writer
Robb Flynn
Lyricist
Robb Flynn
Composer
Robb Flynn
Producer
Robb Flynn, Zack Ohren
Drums
Dave McClain
Guitar
Phil Demmel, Robb Flynn
Vocals
Robb Flynn
Background Vocals
Jared MacEachern
Bass Guitar
Jared MacEachern
Mastering Engineer
Ted Jensen
Mixing Engineer
Robb Flynn, Zack Ohren
Recording Engineer
Robb Flynn, Zach Ohren
READ MORE ABOUT MACHINE HEADREAD MORE ABOUT MACHINE HEAD
READ MORE ABOUT MACHINE HEADREAD MORE ABOUT MACHINE HEAD

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