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.
Stranded
In a life in which your struggle for acceptance
Is a never-ending chore
Upbraided
For your actions past and present and rewarded for ideas
Of the future's bright open door
The henchman
Is the human analogue of the suffering multitudes
Who like good dogs sit and lick for their reward
So what good advice have I got for you
To insure against your likely metamorphosis into this reprobate?
Don't be a henchman!
Stand on your laurels
Do what no one else does
Praise the good of other men for good man's sake
And when everyone else in the world follows your lead
(although a cold day in hell it will surely be)
That's when the entire world shall live in harmony
In a life in which your struggle for acceptance
Is a never-ending chore
Upbraided
For your actions past and present and rewarded for ideas
Of the future's bright open door
The henchman
Is the human analogue of the suffering multitudes
Who like good dogs sit and lick for their reward
So what good advice have I got for you
To insure against your likely metamorphosis into this reprobate?
Don't be a henchman!
Stand on your laurels
Do what no one else does
Praise the good of other men for good man's sake
And when everyone else in the world follows your lead
(although a cold day in hell it will surely be)
That's when the entire world shall live in harmony
Lyrics submitted by oofus, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Henchman Lyrics as written by Greg Graffin
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think this song is about how most people in the world are just acting as henchman for the elite of the world, and in order to make the world a better place people need to look beyond the boundries society sets and step away from the crowd in order to work towards a better world on a personal level, and when everyone else does this along with you, then the world will live in harmony, but unfortunately, it seems like there will always be people who are unwilling to take this step and they are holding the world back from achieving global harmony.
i sort of agree, a henchman is a guy paid to hurt (like a bully who just attacks for no reason). so the song is about stopping the un-needed fighting, and if you do this others will surely follow. although, as the 2nd to last line says, this is very, very improbable. - Although a cold day in hell it will surely be...
"And when everyone else in the world follows your lead (Although a cold day in hell it will surely be)" is an interesting line. I still don't really get this song, but I agree with madcappunk.
This song seems to me to epitomize Bad Religion's main "message."
Don't be a henchman! Be yourself, don't just fall in line like the rest of humanity does. This song is kind of like Against The Grain, same basic message of thinking for yourself.
Stranded - you're in this on your own
Upbraided - you're in a bad situation with no way out
Henchmen - is a type of person who ignobly succumbs, bending to the will of this situation
Rise above this, stand for what you believe in the face of the world, and lift up mankind. Why? because it's the right thing to do.
This is - in some respects - my favourite Bad Religion song. It is a pithy expression of how best to approach life: don't be a lickspittle who pines for affirmation from others, a "good dog that sits and licks for its reward". Instead, be true to yourself, even if this disrupts your "struggle for acceptance". Ultimately, a life in which you can free yourself from the shackles of groupthink and the need for others' affirmation will lead you to greater achievements and self-satisfaction, and you will be able to "stand on your laurels" and set a positive example for others.
And are you true to yourself? Be honest.
Like others have noted, the idea is to not follow others, make your own way. I was recently reminded of this when reading Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, when he suggests: "Flee into your solitude! You have lived too closely to the small and the pitiable. Flee from their invisible vengeance! Towards you they have nothing but vengeance. Do not raise an arm against them! They are innumerable and it is not your fate to be a fly-swatter" (On the Flies in the Marketplace)