You’re playing DOOM Eternal. The screen is a blur of orange fire and visceral gore. Suddenly, the industrial synth kicks in, that heavy, distorted "djent" riff drops, and you feel like you could punch through a brick wall. Most people call this track by its name, but if you go looking for the only thing they fear is you lyrics, you’re going to run into a bit of a weird problem.
There aren't any. Not really.
Mick Gordon, the mastermind behind the DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal soundtracks, didn't write a traditional song with verses and a chorus for this specific masterpiece. Instead, he crafted a sonic environment. It’s a common misconception that there’s some hidden demonic chanting or a secret set of lines buried under the heavy bass. In reality, the "lyrics" are the sound of a chainsaw revving and the rhythmic thud of a Super Shotgun.
The Myth of the "Hidden" Lyrics
People love a mystery. Since the game launched in 2020, forums on Reddit and Steam have been filled with players claiming they can hear faint whispering or rhythmic chanting during the bridge of the song. Some fans have even gone as far as "transcribing" what they think the Doom Slayer is thinking. They’ll post things like "Rip and Tear" or "Kar En Tuk" (the Argent D'Nur battle cry meaning "Rip and Tear") as if they are official the only thing they fear is you lyrics.
They aren't.
What you’re actually hearing is a combination of highly processed synthesizers and vocal layers used as instruments. Mick Gordon is famous for his "Screaming Sine Wave" technique. He takes a pure, boring tone and runs it through a chain of analog gear until it sounds like a dying god. It mimics the human voice. It has that visceral, throat-tearing quality that makes your brain think it’s hearing words, but it’s actually just pure, unadulterated aggression.
Honestly, adding traditional lyrics would have probably ruined the vibe. The Doom Slayer is a protagonist of few words. Having a vocalist scream about demons while you're trying to manage your cooldowns would feel a bit "on the nose," wouldn't it? The music acts as the Slayer’s internal monologue. It's loud, it's frantic, and it doesn't need a dictionary.
👉 See also: Wordle Answers July 29: Why Today’s Word Is Giving Everyone a Headache
Why the Title Itself Is the Only Lyric That Matters
The phrase "The Only Thing They Fear Is You" doesn't actually appear in the song's audio, but it’s arguably the most important "lyric" in gaming history. It comes from the "King Novik" speech at the start of the game.
"Against all the evil that Hell can conjure, all the wickedness that mankind can produce, we will send unto them... only you. Rip and tear, until it is done."
That sets the stage. When the track hits, you don't need a singer to tell you what's happening. The title does the heavy lifting for the the only thing they fear is you lyrics by establishing the power dynamic. You aren't trapped in a room with demons; they are trapped in a room with you.
The music is structured to react to how you play. This is what developers call "dynamic music." If you’re just wandering around, the track stays in a low-intensity loop. The moment you engage a Mancubus or a Tyrant, the game’s engine stitches in the heavy riffs. This is why a static lyric sheet doesn't exist—the song literally changes length and structure every time you play. It’s a living piece of media.
The Mick Gordon Style: Composition Over Vocalization
To understand why there aren't traditional the only thing they fear is you lyrics, you have to look at how Mick Gordon works. For the 2016 DOOM, he famously used a "Heavy Metal Choir"—a group of vocalists from various metal bands (including members of Static-X and Aborted) to chant in a made-up language.
He didn't do that for this specific track in Eternal.
✨ Don't miss: Why the Pokemon Gen 1 Weakness Chart Is Still So Confusing
Instead, he focused on the "Ohm" or the "Pulse." The track is written in a time signature that feels like it’s constantly pushing forward. It’s designed to trigger a flow state. If you had to focus on catchy lyrics, you might lose the rhythm of the combat loop—dash, shoot, chainsaw, repeat.
Some fans have tried to "fix" this by creating vocal covers. You can find dozens of them on YouTube where people add growls or rap verses over the beat. While some are technically impressive, they often miss the point of why the original works so well. The absence of words is an intentional design choice. It leaves a void that the player fills with their own adrenaline.
The Cultural Impact of a "Silent" Song
It’s rare for an instrumental track to become a meme. Usually, songs need a "hook" or a "line" to go viral. Yet, this track is everywhere. It’s used in gym motivation videos, cooking tutorials (ironically), and TikToks of cats looking intense.
The "lyrics" have become the memes themselves.
- "The music doesn't start when you enter Hell; the music starts when Hell realizes you're there."
- "This song makes me want to suplex a train."
- "I played this while doing my taxes and now the IRS owes me money."
These jokes are the social currency of the DOOM community. They represent the feeling the song evokes, which is far more powerful than any rhyming couplet could ever be. When people search for the only thing they fear is you lyrics, they are usually looking for a way to express that feeling of absolute, unstoppable power.
Technical Nuance: The Nine-String Guitar
Part of why people think there are lyrics is because the guitar work is so "vocal." Mick Gordon used a nine-string guitar for this soundtrack. The strings are so thick and the tuning is so low that the instrument starts to growl.
🔗 Read more: Why the Connections Hint December 1 Puzzle is Driving Everyone Crazy
When you hear those "wubs" and "growls" in the track, that's often just the guitar being manipulated through a series of pedals. It mimics the human glottal stop. It sounds like someone is trying to speak through a throat full of gravel. This is a deliberate psychoacoustic trick. Our brains are hardwired to look for human voices in noise—it’s called pareidolia. You want there to be the only thing they fear is you lyrics, so your brain invents them out of the distortion.
How to Actually "Read" the Song
If you want to understand the "story" of the song without lyrics, you have to look at the tempo changes.
- The Intro: Low-frequency humming. This is the calm before the storm. It represents the Slayer’s focus.
- The Drop: The main riff. This is the "hook." It’s the musical equivalent of a punch to the face.
- The Breakdown: About halfway through, the percussion gets more complex. This mirrors the escalating difficulty of a "Slayer Gate" or a heavy combat encounter.
- The Outro: A fading mechanical hum. The job is done.
There’s a narrative here, but it’s told through frequencies, not phonics.
Actionable Takeaways for DOOM Fans
If you're looking for the high of this track or trying to find similar "lyrical" experiences in gaming, here’s how to dive deeper:
- Listen to the "Heavy Metal Choir" documentary: If you actually want to hear Mick Gordon working with vocalists and "lyrics" (even if they are in a fictional language), search for the DOOM Eternal behind-the-scenes footage. It’s fascinating to see how he treats the human voice like a synthesizer.
- Check out the "Rip & Tear" transcriptions: While they aren't for this specific song, the Argent D'Nur chants found in other parts of the game provide the "lore" you might be craving.
- Use the "DOOM Radio" playlists on Spotify: There are curated lists that capture the same "lyricless" aggression, featuring artists like Geoffplaymetalguitar or Andrew Hulshult, who took over for the DLC.
- Don't get fooled by "Lyric Videos": Any video on YouTube claiming to have the official lyrics for this track is either parody or "fan-canon." Enjoy them for what they are, but know they aren't part of the official game files.
The brilliance of the track is that it doesn't need words to tell you exactly who you are and what you're supposed to do. You are the weapon. The music is the trigger.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
To get the most out of the DOOM Eternal soundscape, listen to the 2016 DOOM soundtrack back-to-back with the Eternal OST. You’ll notice how the "vocal" elements evolved from actual human chanting in the first game to purely mechanical, industrial screams in the second. This transition mirrors the Slayer's own journey from a resurrected warrior to a near-mythical, unstoppable force of nature. If you’re a musician, try looking up "Djent" tutorials—it's the subgenre that defines this sound, characterized by high-gain, palm-muted, low-pitch guitar work that provides the rhythmic backbone the song is famous for.