13
TH1RT3EN
2011
Duration: 5:53
Track number: 13
Writers
Lyrics by: Dave Mustaine, Johnny K
Music by: Dave Mustaine, Johnny K
Theme
The final track and title track is a deeply personal and reflective piece about Mustaine's relationship with the number **13**, which is significant because this is Megadeth's 13th studio album, and he started his career around the age of **13**. The song explores the idea that despite the bad luck and struggle (the **'thirteen times'** of strife), the number has ultimately been a source of resilience, allowing him to survive and persist through decades of music and personal hardship (**'I stood here thirteen times and I'm still alive'**).
Lyrics
**Thirteen times I went to the well**
To draw my thoughts, I’ll gather and tell
Like **bricks that I’ve laid to build my life**
Those that crumbled only caused me **strife**
Thoughts became words, cast into the **sea**
But they returned, always **haunting me**
Like a **severed arm washed up on the shore**
I just don’t think I can give anymore
Because I’ve **lived**, how many times do I have to **die**?
Because I’ve **lived**, how many **lives** do I have to **die**?
**Thirteen times** and it’s been **lucky for me**
After everything, you still want me to **bleed**
**Thirteen ways to see the devil in my eyes**
Because I stood here **thirteen times and I’m still alive**
At **thirteen I started down this path**
Fueled with **anger**, **music was my wrath**
Years of **clawing at scars that never healed**
**Drowning my mind**, the thoughts are too real
I can’t get out; I can’t jump out
Too much to face; I can’t erase.
