This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Ants are in the sugar, muscles atrophied
We're on the other side, the screen is us, and we're TV
Spread me open, sticking to my pointy ribs
Are all your infants in abortion cribs
I was born into this, everything turns to shit
The boy that you loved is the man that you fear
Pray until your number
Asleep from all your pain
Your apple has been rotting
Tomorrow's turned up dead
I have it all and I have no choice but to
I'll make everyone pay and you will see
You can kill yourself now, because you're dead in my mind
The boy that you loved is the monster you fear
Peel off all those eyes
Crawl into the dark
You've poisoned all of your children
To camouflage your scars
Pray unto the splinters
Pray unto your fear
Pray your life was just a dream
The cut that never heals
Pray now, baby
Pray your life was just a dream
I am so tangled in my sins that I cannot escape
I am so tangled in my sins that I cannot escape
Pinch the head off, collapse me like a weed
Someone had to go this far
I was born into this, everything turns to shit
The boy that you loved is the man that you fear
Peel off all those eyes
Crawl into the dark
You've poisoned all your children
To camouflage your scars
Pray unto the splinters
Pray unto your fear
Pray your life was just a dream
The cut that never heals
Pray now, baby
Pray your life was just a dream
The world in my hands
There's no one left to hear you scream
No one left for you
When all of your wishes are granted
Many of your dreams will be destroyed
We're on the other side, the screen is us, and we're TV
Spread me open, sticking to my pointy ribs
Are all your infants in abortion cribs
I was born into this, everything turns to shit
The boy that you loved is the man that you fear
Pray until your number
Asleep from all your pain
Your apple has been rotting
Tomorrow's turned up dead
I have it all and I have no choice but to
I'll make everyone pay and you will see
You can kill yourself now, because you're dead in my mind
The boy that you loved is the monster you fear
Peel off all those eyes
Crawl into the dark
You've poisoned all of your children
To camouflage your scars
Pray unto the splinters
Pray unto your fear
Pray your life was just a dream
The cut that never heals
Pray now, baby
Pray your life was just a dream
I am so tangled in my sins that I cannot escape
I am so tangled in my sins that I cannot escape
Pinch the head off, collapse me like a weed
Someone had to go this far
I was born into this, everything turns to shit
The boy that you loved is the man that you fear
Peel off all those eyes
Crawl into the dark
You've poisoned all your children
To camouflage your scars
Pray unto the splinters
Pray unto your fear
Pray your life was just a dream
The cut that never heals
Pray now, baby
Pray your life was just a dream
The world in my hands
There's no one left to hear you scream
No one left for you
When all of your wishes are granted
Many of your dreams will be destroyed
Lyrics submitted by piesupreme
Man That You Fear Lyrics as written by Jeordie White Brian Hugh Warner
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
Amazing
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Yes the video has something to with "The Lottery" which is the main concept of only the video. In his autobiography he mentions this song and why he wrote it. After several years apart, Chad, Brian's best friend asked him to come to his wedding. Brian was hesitant because he hadn't seen him for a long time and he hasn't seen everyone that was back home. Since he was already involved in his music career he was outcasted. So when Brian showed up to the wedding everyone looked at him differently and he wasnt the innocent little boy he used to be so they fear him actually. The concept of stoning makes Brain a scapegoat of everyones fears and what better way to get rid of their fears than to kill what is causing them. I hope this makes the song more clear.
It's funny because you are the first person I have read who 'got' the video being a complete rip off from Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery". And to add to why he wrote the story, the video had the Lottery overtones because Manson related to the poor sap who drew the wrong straw out of the hat.
i'm not a fan of marilyn manson anymore, but behind the theatrics, i think he has something really great to offer. and "man that you fear" is one of those special offerings. for me, this song is the epitome of despair. it still makes me feel the same way now as when i first heard it years ago.
I think you are right on the "manson becoming a god" thing, but I think the song goes a little beyond that. He had a hard childhood that he still resents his family over, but he still realizes that he was loved and that they tried to do what they thought was right for him (even though that was trying to convert him into a "normal" person). So he was "the boy that you loved." But now, because of his notoriety and influence, he is "the man that you fear"... Parents are afraid of him now because of the influence he wields over their children. So in the video, he is stoned because they fear his power to corrupt....the same as what happened to Jesus, actually, despite Manson's (and my) anti-religious views. The parallels to the crucifiction of Christ are all intentional, meant to show that we always kill the things we love, because love leads to power, and we fear those in power.
It really is a great song, the lyrics being self-explanatory in many ways. One point that people stumble on: "Are all your infants in abortion cribs?" just refers abortion as in rejection of one's child - not necessarily murder thereof. This is also shown in "Disposable Teens", in that he "survived abortion", and so forth.
song is about manson becoming a god and the video as well .... cause the boy that u love is the man that u fear (its not about his mom fearing him its a symbolic thing to christ cause your suppose to fear god and all and manson being a god that u now fear) and in the video it has manson having this girl put oil on his feet (well before christ was crucified he had a female put ontiment on his feet) soo see its symobolic..... but manson was stoned.... like in the old days that they did that
the only thing I have to say about this is:
What the hell are those computer voices saying? Something about dreams being destroyed?
i think theyre saying "when all of your wishes are granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed..."
@maveric4728 What the computer voice are saying is actually one of Marilyn Manson famous quotes. "When all of your wishes are granted, many of dreams will be destroyed." Yes, it's hard to understand what they are saying and unfortunately I have no idea what the quote means. I wish I did though.
MissVlad's explanation sounds the most likely, but i think darksilver makes a good point about killing things we love. the video shows a trailer park and someone blindfolded and spinning around and pointing to manson's trailer <i think this has something to do with how people accused "witches" and spotted "evill" in the past> everyone in the park seems to be afraid of him, but he dresses up and everyone follows him to a graveyard. this is definitely the most symbolic of all his videos, and it gives me a really wierd vibe, but i don't completely understand it
oh yeah, and i think the spinning and pointing has something to do with the way people believed you could spot evil and witches in the past
I think that this is a VERY good song, and I think that everyone here is right in what they think the song means, its so multifaceted...I love this song, and the video is GREAT almosst better than Coma White (they are about equal) uless I've got my facts screwed up...I'm kinda tipsy right now... ~Olivia~
Goodness people go so out of the way with interpretations
This is clearly a song about the despair individuals born with the "mark" the "cut that never heals" feel when awakening to it and generally about how the parents of said "marked" children respond when the individual stops acting like a robot that does what it's told.
If You got chopped up, wake up please?