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Tremble you weaklings, cower in fear I am your ruler, land, sea and air Immense in my girth, erect, I stand tall I am a nuclear murderer, I am Polaris
Ready to pounce at the touch of a button My systems locked in on military gluttons I rule on land, air, and sea Pass judgment on humanity Winds blow from the bowels of hell Will we get warning? Only time will tell Satan rears his ugly head to spit into the wind
I spread disease like a dog Discharge my payload a mile high Rotten egg air of death wrestles your nostrils Launch the Polaris, the end doesn't scare us When will this cease? The warheads will all rust in peace!
Bomb shelters filled to the brim Survival such a silly whim World leaders sell missiles cheap Your stomach turns, your flesh creeps
High priest of holocaust, fire from the sea Nuclear winter spreading disease The day of final conflict all will pay the price The third world war rapes peace, takes life
Back to the start, talk of the part When the earth was cold as ice Total dismay as the sun passed away And the days were black as night
Eradication of Earth's population loves Polaris
"I was driving home from Elsanon... um, Lake Elsanon. I was tailgating somebody, racing down the freeway, and I saw this bumper sticker on their car and it said... you know, this tongue in cheek stuff like, 'One nuclear bomb could ruin your whole day,' and then I looked on the other side and it said, 'May all your nuclear weapons rust in peace,' and I'm goin', ''Rust in Peace.' Damn, that's a good title.' And I'm thinkin' like, 'What do they mean, rust in peace?' I could just see it now - all these warheads sittin' there, stockpiled somewhere like seal beach, you know, all covered with rust 'n' stuff with kids out there spray-painting the stuff, you know." (Mustaine, 1991)
"The title track 'Rust in Peace' was written prior to my being in Metallica." (Mustaine, 1991)
"This was my fave tune on the record at the time. [Mike] Clink was also excited about it. The main riff in 'Rust...' is like no other in rock. Absolutely unique!" (Friedman, 2002)
This song is a protest of nuclear war, mocking and provoking a nuclear attack throughout with lines like, "Launch the Polaris, the end doesn't scare us," but ultimately predicts peace with the now-familiar aphorism, "The warheads will all rust in peace."
Polaris is a nuclear, submarine-launched, ballistic missile developed by the United States Navy in 1957, with the first being fired in 1960. The Polaris has since been replaced by the Trident missile. However, the British Royal Naval has several nuclear submarines still carrying them.
