Badass Creed / Music

• No Surrender by Bruce Springsteen: No retreat, no surrender
• The Stan Rogers song "Mary Ellen Carter", which actually saved the life of a shipwreck victim who sang it to stay awake in the icy water.
  All you to whom adversity has dealt a mortal blow,
  With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go,
  Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain,
  Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!
  Rise again! Rise again!
  Though your heart may be broken, and life about to end,
  No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend,
  Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!
• Die Gedanken Sind Frei, German for "My Thoughts are Free." An old folksong sung by WWII prisoners, Cold War protestors, and modern freethinkers.
  Die Gedanken Sind Frei, my thoughts freely flower
  Die Gedanken Sind Frei, my thoughts give me power
  No scholar can map them, no hunter can trap them,
  No man can deny, Die Gedanken Sind Frei!

  I think as I please, and this gives me pleasure
  My conscience decrees this right I must treasure
  My thoughts do not cater to duke or dictator,
  No man can deny, Die Gedanken Sind Frei!

  And should tyrants take me, and cast me in prison,
  My thoughts shall burst free, like blossoms in season
  Foundations will crumble, and structures will tumble,
  and free men will cry, Die Gedanken Sind Frei!
• Heather Alexander's March of Cambreadth
  Midnight mare and blood-red roan
  Fight to keep these lands your own
  Sound the horn and call the cry
  How many of them can we make die?
• Slipknot on (sic) has "You can't kill me cause I'm already INSIDE YOU!"
• The Switch and the Spur by The Raconteurs
  Any poor souls, who trespass against us
  Whether it be beast or man
  Will suffer the bite, or be stung dead on sight
  By those who inhabit this land
  For theirs is the power and this is their kingdom
  As sure as the sun does burn
  So enter this path, but heed these four words:
  You shall never return
• "Sophia" by the Cruxshadows
  Do not injustice to another
  Defend the weak and innocent
  Let truth and honor always guide you
  Let courage find a life within
  Stand up when no-one else is willing
  Act not in hatred or in spite
  Be to this world as a perfect knight
  Even if it means your life
• The Impossible Dream:
  To dream the impossible dream
  To fight the unbeatable foe
  To bear with unbearable sorrow
  To run where the brave dare not go
  • In fact, the whole song is his Badass Creed.
    • As are the opening and the finale.
    • One might say the whole musical is.
• It loses its rhyme in translation to English, but there's an old children's rhyme for the holiday of Hannukah:
  We have come to expel darkness.
  In our hands are light and flame.
  Every one of us is a small light.
  And all of us are a firm light.
  Fight darkness, drive back blackness!
  Fight for the cause of the light!
• The electronic dance song "Stop the Revolution" by D. Ramirez and Meat Katie:
  You cannot restrain or tame an idea with idle threats.
  Once it has crept into the mind, the mouth will not bite the tongue to keep it in silence.
  The sheer promise of bondage and whips will not be enough to apprehend a thought as it travels from ear to misinformed ear.
  We will protest, because you cannot tell a concept not to raise its fist in anger!
  You cannot censor that which only exists in theory!
  You cannot tell anarchy to stop in its tracks, when its feet only exist in the minds of the oppressed!
  There is a force out there, greater than the media, greater than right or left, greater than empty lies or promises!
  You can try all night to stop the noise... but you'll never stop the Revolution.
• "Prisoner of Our Time", "Branded and Exiled", "Chains and Leather"... Like many old school metal bands, Running Wild had many of these on it's earlier releases. Here's a example from "Branded and Exiled":
  Many relocated all across the land
  Together we've got the power in our hands
  We are strong enough to fight mendacious laws
  We've got the wrath, 'cause we are
  Branded and exiled
  Together, we can stand the night!
  Branded and exiled
  Together, we can stand the night!

• The Incredible String Band — My Name is Death
  I am the question that cannot be answered,
  I am the lover that cannot be lost,
  Yet small are the gifts of my servant; the soldier,
  For time is my offspring; pray, what is my name?

  My name is Death.
  • Justifying note: Far from being a harsh metal song, this is a rather unsettling Folk song.

• Iron Maiden has many:
  • One of note is "Die With Your Boots On,"
  No point asking when it is,
  No point asking who's to go,
  No point asking what's the game,
  No point asking who's to blame,
  'Cos if you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,
  'Cos if you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,
  If you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,
  If you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,
  If you're gonna die, die with your boots on,
  If you're gonna try, well stick around,
  Gonna cry, just move along,
  If you're gonna die, you're gonna die.
  • Then, from "Sun and Steel,"
  Sunlight, falling on your steel,
  Death in life is your ideal,
  Life is like a wheel.
  • And, from "Flash of the Blade,"
  You'll die as you lived
  In a flash of the blade
  In a corner forgotten by no-one
  You lived for the touch
  For the feel of the steel
  One man, and his Honour.
  • And of course The Trooper
  You'll take my life but I'll take yours too
  You'll fire your musket but I'll run you through
  So when you're waiting for the next attack
  You'd better stand there's no turning back

  The bugle sounds as the charge begins
  But on this battlefield no one wins
  The smell of acrid smoke and horses breath
  As you plunge into a certain death

  The horse he sweats with fear we break to run
  The mighty roar of the Russian guns
  And as we race towards the human wall
  The screams of pain as my comrades fall

  We hurdle bodies that lay on the ground
  And as the Russians fire another round
  We get so near yet so far away
  We won't live to fight another day

  We get so close near enough to fight
  When a Russian gets me in his sights
  He pulls the trigger and I feel the blow
  A burst of rounds takes my horse below

  And as I lay there gazing at the sky
  My body's numb and my throat is dry
  And as I lay forgotten and alone
  Without a tear I draw my parting groan

• Victory Song — Ensiferum
  Ei urhot kaukaisen pohjolan
  Uhan eessä taipuneet
  Jälleen pauhaa kansi taivahan
  Veri valuu maahan lumiseen
  Moni nähdä ei saa enää huomista
  Moni jää heitä kaipaamaan
  Jälkipolville jää maa rauhaisa
  Voiton laulut soi ainiaan

  Translated:
  The warriors of the north
  Stood strong against aggression
  Again the thunder rumbles
  Blood stains the snow
  Many will not see tomorrow
  Many will be missed
  But the land remains safe for our children
  And songs of victory will sound forever
  • For that matter, most Finnish marching music; The Jaeger March, The Pori Regiment's march, just to name a few.
• "The Show Must Go On", by Queen.
  The Show must go on!
  The Show must go on!
  Yeah, yeah!
  Ooh! Inside my heart is breaking!
  My make-up may be flaking...
  But my smile, still, stays on!
  Yeah! oh oh oh
  
  My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies,
  Fairy tales of yesterday, will grow but never die,
  I can fly, my friends!
  
  The Show must go on! Yeah!
  The Show must go on!
  I'll face it with a grin!
  I'm never giving in!
  On with the show!
  
  I'll top the bill!
  I'll overkill!
  I have to find the will to carry on!
  On with the,
  On with the show!
  
  The Show must go on.
  • And the kicker? Brian May wrote this for Freddie Mercury, when people questioned if he could 'go on', considering his health was failing because of his battle with AIDS. According to The Other Wiki, May wasn't sure that Freddie would be able to sing the song, his health was so bad. Freddie's response? He took a swig of vodka and said 'I'll fucking do it, darling!'. May says he considers this one of Mercury's best performances.

  • Also from that same album (Freddie went out Badass!), the song "Innuendo". The whole song was a Badass Creed, like "Show Must Go On". Just the first verse:
    While the sun hangs in the sky and the desert has sand,
    While the waves crash from the sea to meet the land,
    While there's the wind and the stars and the rainbow,
    'Til the mountains crumble into the plains,
    Yeah, we'll keep on trying,
    Tread that fine line
    Yeah, we'll keep on trying,
    Just passing our time.

• The Fire Dawn, by Oh Sleeper, exudes this trope. IN SPADES!
  Stand up, we'll be more than kings.
  Show no mercy when the gates swing.
  I've said it before but without accepting that my body
  Was the only thing keeping me from living.
  I wouldn't even let the surgeon touch me.
  Though facing death, I dined on flesh...
  But now I live to fight out-numbered.
  I live to fight out-numbered at the fire dawn to live in rebellious honor.
  I'll stand, you'll see me over all of your fallen.
  I'll be knee-deep, knee-deep in a sea of their organs.
  Send me all of hell and I'll face them,
  I'll face them one on one-thousand.

• Most, if not all, Professional Wrestling Theme Music.

• Enter Shikari's Badass Creed in "Juggernauts" also acts as a complete Moment of Awesome:
  We'll do what we've always done
  Shut our eyes and hope for the best...
  NO! We're gonna face this
  And step out onto the tracks
  Stare it right in the face
  THOU SHALL NOT PASS!

• Army of the Dead Part I/II and Odin by Manowar.
  Raise thy weapons on this day
  Ye shall not die alone

  Fight and die let Valkyries fly
  For they shall take thee home

  I promise thee that on this night
  Ye shall be by my side

  Asgard's halls await with heroes
  Brothers that have died

  For thee we wait at Asgard's gates
  Come join us by our side

  Valhalla waits so choose thy fate
  For all of us must die!

• This excerpt that appears in the Manowar songs The Warrior's Prayer and Glory, Majesty, Unity :
  Gods of war I call You. My sword is by my side.
  I seek a life of honor, free from all false pride.
  I will crack the whip with a bold mighty hail.
  Cover me with death if I should ever fail.

  Glory, Majesty, Unity
  Hail, Hail, Hail

• Pretty much any Manowar song, actually. Here's one from Sons of Odin :
  Glory and fame
  Blood is our name
  Souls full of thunder, hearts of steel

  Killers of men!
  A warrior's friend!
  Sworn to avenge our fallen brothers, to the end!
  • Even more to the point, the band itself has one: "Death to false metal".

• "Morituri", by Robin Wayne Bailey:
  Let us live short lives of glory
  Let us burn bright like a flame
  And when the gods call, let the poets remember our names!

• Level 70/80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, 'The Power of the Horde'
  Surrounded by the enemy
  The wolf among the hounds
  Thunder turns to silence, it took...
  A hundred to bring me down
  Wolf-brothers falling at my side
  With honor I will die
  Upon the altar of the storms
  I will be reborn
  • (Rest of the lyrics: [1] )
• All That Remains has several, but the song "Some of the People , All of the Time" exeplifies it:
  When all seems lost we count the cost
  We still remain connected
  We'll be made strong we are not wrong
  we will not be neglected
  Now Wake this doubt and cast it out
  Weakness will be rejected
  And through all wrongs we must stay strong
  We will not be neglected

• "The Gears" by Dethklok
  We fear not our mortality
  We'll serve to the best of our ability
  We give our lives to our masters
  We vow to smite our enemies

• Andrew W.K.'s "Get Ready to die" is one massive Badass Creed combined with a Badass Boast.
  This is your time to pay,
  This is your judgement day,
  We made a sacrifice,
  And now we get to take your life.

  We shoot without a gun,
  We'll take on anyone,
  It's really nothing new,
  It's just a thing we like to do.
  • Andrew gets another crazy-awesome one that encompasses the ending of "Totally Stupid". Might double as a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming for some.
  If we wait until tomorrow
  Will tomorrow ever come?
  This is where we're coming from
  And we're not the only ones

  When we find ourselves in trouble
  We can find outselves a way
  You can find a place to stay
  And the place is always safe

  If you have a heart that's in pain
  Don't be afraid
  You're not to blame
  There's a better world inside of us
  Where we always thought it was
  You don't need to hide
  You can open up your eyes
  And you'll discover
  That there is another world.

• “Indestructible” by Disturbed - the whole song is one big Badass Creed

• The Protomen provide one to Mega Man in "The Will of One". It gets a lot darker in "The Sons of Fate".
  And as I live
  There is no evil that will stand
  And I will finish
  What was started
  The fight of Protoman!

• One from Within Temptation: "Why Not Me."
  Some may call it a curse
  A life like mine
  But others, a blessing
  It's certainly a lonely life
  But a fulfilling one and the best
  It's my cross to bear
  And I'll bear it gladly
  Someone has to take a stand against evil
  Why should it not be me?
  • There's also the refrain from "Stand My Ground":
  Stand my ground
  I won't give in
  No more denying
  I've gotta face it
  Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
  If I don't make it, someone else will
  Stand my ground

• Clutch has many songs that qualify, but "High Caliber Consecrator" is a particularly straightforward example:
  We'll thresh the psyche, and till the pride
  Distill the blood, proclaim the gun divine
  Damn the foul ego, praise the promised swarm
  We are the ploughshare, and yet we are the sword

• The entire song of Otherwise's song 'Soldiers' could count, but especially the chorus:
  We are the one who will never be broken
  With our final breath, we'll fight to the death
  We are soldiers, we are soldiers
  
  • Especially:
  You can't erase us
  You'll just have to face us
• The Offspring has "Defy you":
  You may push me around
  But you cannot win
  You may throw me down
  But I'll rise again
  The more you say
  The more I defy you
  So get out of my face
  
  You cannot stop us
  You cannot bring us down
  Never give up
  We go on and on
  You'll never break us
  Never bring us down
  We are alive!
  
• Coheed and Cambria's "The Crowing" has:
  I fought the decisions that called and lost.
  My mark is the relevant piece in this,
  I will come reformed.
  In short, for the murders of those I court,
  I bless the hour that holds your fall.
  I will kill you all!

• Shinedown has a pretty good one at the beginning of their music video for "Unity"
  We will not fall
  Because we have each other,
  We will not fall
  Because we are brothers.
  We will not fall
  Because we have love,
  We will not fall,
  Because we will rise above.

• Slayer's Jihad is frighteningly inspiring.
  Be optomistic, happy, and calm
  show no fear, or anxiety
  smile at the face of God
  and your reward will be eternity
  Holy Warriors, your patience will be justified
  Everything is for Him
  You must not comfort the animal before you kill it
  Strike as champions at the heart of the non-believers!
  Strike above the neck, and at all extremities!
  For it is the point of no return for Almighty God!
  GOD will give victory to his faithful!
  When you reach Ground Zero, you will have KILLED the enemy:
  THE GREAT SATAN!!!

• Power Metal band Bloodbound has one in their song, Together we Fight
  I pledge allegiance,
  To goblins and heathens,
  March by my side,
  Together we fight.
  Join my battalion,
  And serve the medallion,
  Slay by my side,
  Together we fight.

• Through the fire and the flames we carry onnnn!!!!!!

• Blue Öyster Cult did one for the Tarachian warriors in Heavy Metal the Movie:
  To defend, this is the Pact!
  But when life's scorned, and damage done
  To avenge, this is the Pact!

• The badass opening to "The Devil's Deadly Weapon" by British heavy metallers Hell:
  Who live by the sword shall likewise die, and in their bloody beds shall lie
  I pledge myself to slay this beast, and when this deed is done shall I
  In noble death or glory rest, when breath has fled its savage breast
  This loathsome task I must perform, and thus my earthly fate is sworn
  God's hideous carnage wrought upon - The Devil's Deadly Weapon!

• American metal band Oteps song 'Run for Cover'
  Even Jesus worships me
  I bow down to none
  Your little light is like a candle
  trying to outshine the sun

• Otherwise's "Soldiers" is one in total.
  We are the ones who will never be broken
  With our final breath
  We'll fight to the death
  We are soldiers, we are soldiers
  We are the ones who will not go unspoken
  No, we will not sleep
  We are not sheep
  We are soldiers, we are soldiers

• Petra adapted the Apostles' Creed to Christian Rock, giving the stodgy old statement a much harder feel. Then they added this chorus for an extra Badass Boast:
  This is my creed, the witness I have heard,
  The faith that has endured, this truth is assured.
  Through the darkest ages past
  Though persecuted, it will last
  And I will hold steadfast to this creed!

• Christian metal band POD with The Messenjah:
  This I pledge and I'll take it to my death
  I'll lay my life down for you and die over again
  I and I, I'm not ashamed of the Most High
  Even if I die tonight, if I die TONIGHT!
  This I pledge and I'll take it to my death
  You bet your life on my words and everything I say
  You can't take away my love for this sacrifice
  Even if I die tonight, if I die TONIGHT!
  MAKE WAY!!!

• "The Herald's Creed" by Mercedes Lackey. Although it's never quoted in the actual prose of the Heralds of Valdemar books, it is about them and captures very well the ideals that Heralds live and die by:
  I pledge this day my sword, my heart to build and help preserve;
  Although I live my life apart from those that I must serve.
  The laws of truth I will obey in every thought and deed,
  Stand fast while others turn away, upon The Herald's Creed.

  I vow to heal the wrongs I see as long as I shall live.
  My heart will guide me faithfully and teach me how to give,
  I'll render aid as best I can to those who are in pain
  And by the strength of my own hand restore the peace again.

  The deeds of those who lived before, have bound my life to theirs.
  Their legends opened up the door and taught me how to care
  The touch of my Companion's thoughts bring friendship, song and joy.
  It is a bond that love has wrought and time cannot destroy.

  I swear to guard and keep the Crown defending all that's just,
  No force will ever bring it down, this is our sacred trust.
  My path is clear before me now, my choices all are made
  In Honor's name I take a vow to face life unafraid.
  Upon my soul I make a vow this light will never fade.