Stem
Anything that I want you to know
Anything that I want you to see
See the reason to which way to be
Anything that I wanted you to be
Damn good thing it isn't a crim
I've got a dirty dirty gun up against my head
Cleanse and purge the ill from the inside
A burning conscience severs the stem


Lyrics submitted by -L3tH4L-

Stem Lyrics as written by Kenneth Lacey Antonio Campos

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Stem song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

9 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    Personally, this is my favourite song by Static-X (that I have heard)... The whole kind of Rocking slowly between the two notes is cool, and the backing music to boot is just awesome :)

    random_monkeyon June 09, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think its abou thow you feel on the inside.. you feel dirty or jaded but you only let others see what you want them to so no one really knows anything about you.when it comes down to it and you get older and realize the difference between wrong and right the desire to kill yourself gets taken aaway by your conscience which it constantly battering you with whats right and whats wrong

    superfightingroboton October 27, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is about being guilty and it making you feel so dirty that you want to put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger to cleanse yourself...one of their best songs

    jjcechvaon December 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think you're ALL right: kinda :D

    It's about someone concealing and disguising himself from everybody. what he does, and who he is, and what he's feeling when he's alone: "anything that I want you to know anything that I want you to see" he acts, and "becomes" what is normal and customary to aid this deception: "see the reason to which way to be anything that I want you to be" when inside he's really suicidal because he feels guilty- possibly because of the deception itself, or the thing he was decieving people about - and feels filthy about himself and what he's done. "i've got a dirty gun up against my head cleanse and purge the ill from the inside" His burning conscience (for what ever he's done) severs the stem ie. the life source. he kills himself because of his conscience. or, metaphorically. he's dead inside because his guilt is eating him up.

    Gummyon September 04, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Well, the name of the song is Stem, which makes me think about Stem Cells, which are the first Cells made after conception, and have the potential to become anything.

    Which relates to the "Anything that I want you to be".

    Other than that... I have no idea.

    mikeykornsk8ron February 08, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Song is about stem cell research and how its not being used to cure diseases, but being used to cure the human disease - free will.

    TheMadBagon June 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Most of its pretty obvious once presented with this concept. A few lines that could use a bit of help:

    "damn good thing it isn't a crime i've got a dirty gun up against my head" It isn't a crime if the goverment is doing it. Proverbial gun against our heads of course. The gun is this research. With it they're going to force us to obey.

    "cleanse and purge the ill from the inside a burning conscience severs the stem " Cleanse and puge the ill - ill being our ability to act freely (maliciously or otherwise). From the inside meaning from our inside, from our DNA. A burning conscience would be a firey or action oriented conscience, a deep 'burning' feeling that this is the right way to save the world. Severing the stem is severing us from our stem cells, severing us from our means to decide, severing us from our core, our most important element.

    Both of these comments reflect a personal opinion, I have no references.

    TheMadBagon June 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think the "stem" reference is about our brain stem being severed from our spinal chord.

    Androgyneon November 11, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    This is a song about colonic irrigation (“cleanse and purge the ill from the inside”). If you havent tried it, I would definitely recommend

    Manateeron August 30, 2022   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.