God Was Never on Your Side is one of the sharpest lyrics Lemmy Kilmister ever wrote.
Motorhead recorded it for the 2006 album Kiss of Death, the band’s eighteenth studio record.
The song runs four minutes and twenty seconds, built around a driving riff and a blunt anti war message.
Lemmy insisted the lyric was not about himself but a message aimed at leaders who claim God takes sides.
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⚡ Key Takeaways
- God Was Never on Your Side appears on Motorhead’s 2006 album Kiss of Death, released 29 August 2006.
- Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, and Mikkey Dee wrote the song together as Motorhead’s classic later era trio.
- Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille guests with a lead solo on the track.
- Kiss of Death peaked at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart on 9 September 2006.
- A 20th anniversary edition of Kiss of Death opened at number 27 on the UK Official Albums Sales Chart in July 2026, according to Forbes.
What Is God Was Never on Your Side About?
The lyric is a protest against leaders who invoke religion to justify war.
Lemmy said in a 2006 interview that the song was not about his own beliefs.
He described it instead as a message aimed at anyone who claims their god favors one side of a conflict.
The lyrics reject the idea of divine rescue entirely, arguing that people alone decide right from wrong.
Who Wrote God Was Never on Your Side?
Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, and Mikkey Dee wrote the song together in 2006.
This was Motorhead’s longest running stable lineup, active from 1995 until Lemmy’s death in 2015.
Lemmy handled the lyrics and lead vocals, while Campbell and Dee built the music around his words.
The credit reflects how collaborative Motorhead’s writing process had become by this stage of the band’s career.
What Album Is God Was Never on Your Side From?
The song is track six on Kiss of Death, Motorhead’s eighteenth studio album.
Sanctuary Records released Kiss of Death on 29 August 2006.
The album marked the band’s first new studio record since 2004’s Inferno.
Standout tracks on Kiss of Death include Sucker, Trigger, and this fan favorite.
Mikkey Dee co wrote the track for the 2006 album Kiss of Death.
Image Credit: Photo by Kaja Konarska, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Who Played Guitar on God Was Never on Your Side?
Yes, C.C. DeVille of Poison contributed the track’s guest guitar solo.
Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez also guested elsewhere on the Kiss of Death album.
Motorhead had a long habit of pulling in unexpected guests from outside heavy metal.
That same instinct later produced guest spots from Ozzy Osbourne and Slash on I Ain’t No Nice Guy.
How Did Kiss of Death Chart in 2006?
Kiss of Death entered the UK Albums Chart at number 37 on 9 September 2006, according to the Official Charts Company.
The album spent one week on the chart during its original release.
That modest chart run did not stop the song from becoming a live favorite.
Fans and critics alike still single it out as one of the strongest cuts on the record.
Why Did Kiss of Death Return to the Charts in 2026?
BMG released a 20th anniversary edition of Kiss of Death on 3 July 2026.
The reissue pairs the original album with a previously unreleased 2007 live recording from the Lowlands Festival in the Netherlands.
The expanded edition opened at number 27 on the UK Official Albums Sales Chart and number 7 on the Official Rock and Metal Albums Chart, according to Forbes.
Motorhead also released a new official lyric video for the track to mark the anniversary, according to Bravewords.
What Makes God Was Never on Your Side Endure?
The song endures because its target never really goes out of date.
Leaders still invoke religion to justify conflict two decades after Lemmy wrote the lyric.
The same guest collaboration spirit that brought in C.C. DeVille also shaped Born to Raise Hell, a track built around Ice-T’s guest vocal.
As of 2026, read the complete lineup history of the members of Motorhead across four decades of the band.
People Also Ask
What is God Was Never on Your Side by Motorhead about?
The song is a protest about leaders and religious figures who claim God favors their side of a war, built around Lemmy Kilmister’s argument that no divine force intervenes and people alone must decide right from wrong.
Lemmy said in 2006 that the song was a general message, not a statement of his own personal belief.
What album is God Was Never on Your Side on?
The song appears as track six on Motorhead’s 2006 album Kiss of Death, the band’s eighteenth studio record released on 29 August 2006 through Sanctuary Records.
A 20th anniversary expanded edition followed in July 2026 via BMG.
Who played the guitar solo on God Was Never on Your Side?
Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille played the guest guitar solo on the track.
Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez also appears elsewhere on the same Kiss of Death album.
Did Kiss of Death chart when it was released?
Kiss of Death peaked at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart on 9 September 2006, spending one week on the chart.
The album’s 20th anniversary edition performed far better commercially, opening at number 27 on the UK Official Albums Sales Chart in July 2026.
Who wrote God Was Never on Your Side?
Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, and Mikkey Dee wrote the song together in 2006 as Motorhead’s longest running stable lineup.
Lemmy wrote the lyrics while Campbell and Dee shaped the music around them.
Watch the Lyric Video and Shop Motorhead Albums
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Kiss of Death
2006, Digipak Edition
The album that houses this fan favorite lyric.
Features guest spots from C.C. DeVille and Mike Inez.
Inferno
2004
The studio album that came directly before Kiss of Death.
Shows the same lineup finding its late career stride.
Motorizer
2008
The album that followed Kiss of Death two years later.
Continues the same Campbell and Dee era lineup.
Hammered
2002
An earlier record from the same stable lineup era.
Shows the roots of the sound Kiss of Death refined.
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Motorhead Whiplash: The Grammy-Winning Metallica Cover
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Orgasmatron Motorhead: Lemmy’s Best Set of Lyrics
Another song where Lemmy takes aim at religion and power, years before this one.
The song still lands as one of Lemmy Kilmister’s bluntest arguments against blind faith in power. Motorhead Heroes shows the same willingness to step outside the band’s usual sound, this time through a David Bowie cover rather than an original lyric.
Two decades after Kiss of Death first appeared, the song’s target has not gone anywhere.
As of 2026, God Was Never on Your Side remains one of the most quietly biting tracks in Motorhead’s whole catalog.
Last updated: July 18, 2026