Hell Bent for Leather – English Lyrics

• By: Judas Priest

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw power of Judas Priest's "Hell Bent for Leather," a quintessential heavy metal anthem that offers an electrifying way to engage with English. Through its direct and impactful lyrics, you can explore dynamic vocabulary related to speed, power, and defiance, while immersing yourself in the song's iconic imagery of a relentless, mysterious rider. This track is not just a metal classic; it's a linguistic thrill ride.

[English]

Seek him here, seek him on the highway

Never knowing when he'll appear

All await, engine is ticking over

Hear the roar as they sense the fear

Wheels! a glint of steel and a flash of light!

Screams! from a streak of fire as he strikes!

Hell bent, hell bent for leather

Hell bent, hell bent for leather

Black as night, faster than a shadow

crimson flare from a raging sun

An exhibition, of sheer precision

Yet no one knows from where he comes

Fools! self destruct cannot take that crown

Dreams! crash one by one to the ground

Hell bent, hell bent for leather

...

Hell bent, hell bent for leather

There's many who tried to prove that they're faster

But they didn't last and they died as they tried

...

There's many who tried to prove that they're faster

But they didn't last and they died as they tried

Hell bent, hell bent for leather

...

Hell bent, hell bent for leather

Hell bent, hell bent for leather

Hell bent, hell bent for leather

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
seek /siːk/ A2	verb - to search for something or someone
appear /əˈpɪr/ A2	verb - to come into sight
await /əˈweɪt/ B1	verb - to wait for something or someone
roar /rɔːr/ A2	verb - to make a loud, deep sound noun - a loud, deep sound
strike /straɪk/ A2	verb - to hit something or someone forcefully
hell /hɛl/ A1	noun - the place of eternal punishment in some religions
bent /bɛnt/ B1	adjective - strongly determined to do something
leather /ˈlɛðər/ A1	noun - a material made from animal skin
black /blæk/ A1	adjective - the darkest color
crimson /ˈkrɪmzən/ B2	adjective - a deep red color
flare /flɛər/ B1	verb - to burn brightly with flames noun - a sudden bright flame or light
precision /prɪˈsɪʒən/ B2	noun - the quality of being exact
crown /kraʊn/ A2	noun - a symbol of royalty
faster /ˈfæstər/ A1	adjective - moving or happening quickly
prove /pruːv/ A2	verb - to demonstrate the truth of something

Key Grammar Structures

• Seek him here, seek him on the highway

  ➔ Imperative sentence

  ➔ The verb "Seek" is in its base form, giving a direct command to the listener.

• Never knowing when he'll appear

  ➔ Present‑participle (non‑finite) clause

  ➔ The gerund "knowing" functions as a modifier, expressing a continuous state without a finite verb.

• All await, engine is ticking over

  ➔ Simple present + present progressive

  ➔ "All" is the subject of the simple‑present verb "await"; "engine" is the subject of the progressive verb "is ticking".

• Hear the roar as they sense the fear

  ➔ Imperative + adverbial clause of time (as)

  ➔ "Hear" is an imperative verb; the clause "as they sense the fear" uses "as" to show the timing of the action.

• Wheels! a glint of steel and a flash of light!

  ➔ Exclamatory noun phrase

  ➔ "Wheels!" and the following noun phrases are presented as exclamations, lacking a finite verb.

• Hell bent, hell bent for leather

  ➔ Past participle used adjectivally (compound adjective)

  ➔ "Hell bent" uses the past participle "bent" as an adjective meaning "determined".

• Black as night, faster than a shadow

  ➔ Comparative constructions (as … as, than)

  ➔ "Black **as** night" uses the "as … as" pattern; "faster **than** a shadow" uses the "than" comparative.

• There's many who tried to prove that they're faster

  ➔ Existential there + plural noun + relative clause

  ➔ "There's" introduces the existence of "many"; the relative clause "who tried to prove that they're faster" describes them.

• But they didn't last and they died as they tried

  ➔ Past simple with coordinating conjunction "and" + adverbial clause "as"

  ➔ "didn't" is the negative past of "do"; "and" links two past actions, and "as they tried" gives the circumstance of the second action.