57 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Video
21st Century Schizoid Man Lyrics
Cat's foot, iron claw,
Neuro-surgeons scream for more,
At paranoia's poision door
Twenty-first century schizoid man.
Blood rack, barbed wire,
Politicians' funeral pyre,
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty-first century schizoid man.
Death seed, blind man's greed,
Poets' starving children bleed,
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty-first century schizoid man.
Neuro-surgeons scream for more,
At paranoia's poision door
Twenty-first century schizoid man.
Politicians' funeral pyre,
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty-first century schizoid man.
Poets' starving children bleed,
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty-first century schizoid man.
Song Info
Copyright
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Writer
Robert Fripp, Michael Rex Giles, Greg Lake, Ian Mcdonald, Peter John Sinfield
Submitted by
kidart On Jun 09, 2001
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Incredible song. Here's what the lyrics mean;
The "21st Century Shizoid Man" is a person of the near future. Pretty much paints an unflattering portrait of the future-- as we see on television and such the future is going to be a place where dreams will come true, King Crimson decides to be less optimistic and more realistic.
"Cats Foot Iron Claw"
Means that all that is organic will be replaced with machines.
"Neuro-surgeons scream for more"
The future is going to be a crowded stressful mess, people will be worked to the bone and insanity will be rife. Thus the neuro-surgeons will capitalise on the madness that will ensue
Second verse, the future is going to be a place of much suffering and war
"Poets starving children bleed"
Art will be shunned upon in the face of commercial superficiality. The people who try to get their messages across-- ie "the children", will be ignored in the face of conformist pop culture
"Nothing he's got he really needs"
Electricity, television, movies, etc, all of these things that are slowly consuming our resources in the name of keeping people happy.. things like that that greedy people of the future will consume and operate by the truckload.. we really don't need them
I think your interpretation was really interesting and quite good.
I think your interpretation was really interesting and quite good.
However, I think, give the year this was written, it's much more about the Vietnam war.
However, I think, give the year this was written, it's much more about the Vietnam war.
Being only 20 and not living at the time of the war, I can't decipher all of the symbols and some of what I do decipher may be wrong, but here's my take on it.
Being only 20 and not living at the time of the war, I can't decipher all of the symbols and some of what I do decipher may be wrong, but here's my take on it.
"Neuro-Surgeons scream for more" I think this connects to the post traumatic stress disorder and drug use many of the returning soldiers got into after the war. They were spit at and called murderers for the deed of serving their country...
"Neuro-Surgeons scream for more" I think this connects to the post traumatic stress disorder and drug use many of the returning soldiers got into after the war. They were spit at and called murderers for the deed of serving their country and this, plus the pain and images of war caused many great mental distress.
"At paranoia's poison door" This, to me, is very obviously a connection to the paranoia the U.S. had and has concerning communism. A communist revolution was happening in Vietnam at the time led by Ho Chi Minh. U.S., at least the people, thought that if communism took root in one place, slowly, every country would turn to communism. (The domino theory.) This wasn't good for business, you see as the U.S. loves imports and exports.
"Blood rack, barbed wire" This simply sets the scene of war. The Vietnam war is one that is notoriously bloody and violent against women and children.
"Politicians funeral pyre" This symbolizes the selfish sacrifice politicians made by drafting young men into the war. They let these young men die for the ideas and beliefs of the government officials who were safe at home.
"Innocents raped with napalm fire" One of the most blatently violent lines is this song, this harkens to the horrid deeds done is the Vietnam war specifically. Vietnamese women were raped by soldiers coming trough villages. Not only that, the "innocents" or young Vietnamese children were maimed and often killed by a weapon which employed a sticky mixture consisting of napalm which was lit on fire. The mixture was meant to stick to enemies while it burned. It was often blasted into homes, killing families.
"Death seed, blind man's greed" Many people were either blind by choice or by their own naive thoughts that the war was for good. The death seed IS the blind man's greed. The man who thinks not of his brothers and sisters across the ocean plants the seed of death on their soil because he allows himself emotional distace between them and himself through his greed, therefore allowing no guilt to lie on his shoulders when he kills them or allows them to be killed. He plants the seed of death through apathy.
"Poets' starving children bleed" This line connects, I think with not only the American families who lost sons (the beat-nick subculture was quite popular at this time and they often were poets) but also to the children in Vietnam, in tiny villages who were dying from hunger and the brutality of war.
"Nothing he's got he really needs" Let's face it: The U.S. is spoiled we have no problem getting clean water, food, and shelter for the most part. And then we want more- cars, houses, computers, video games, money. We don't need these things. What we need is a sense of love and caring towards one another... if we had that, we'd all get wat we need. That's what I think this line is talking about. He has his material possessions but not basic good-will and love towards others.
"Twenty-first century schizoid man." This line, repeated at the end of each stanza, is an important one. It points the blame on to the government only... but to those who refuse to see the truth of the time: That the U.S. had no bussiness rushing into another country, killing others, killing children, all to protect it's greed. The blame is on every 21st century business junkie, out of touch with humanity, greedy, schizoid, pill-popping, blind government-following man.
I disagree that the song is not about greed. The first verse brings that concept in with neuro-surgeons screaming for more. It is their greed that feeds the paranoia. It is so prophetic too because here we are in the 21st century and pharmacutical companies control us. Psycho bablers work hand in hand. It is huge money. I also don't think the least useful line is "nothing hes got he really needs." In fact, I think that is one of the better lines. The line that makes this song out of date is the reference to napalm. For you Britts...
I disagree that the song is not about greed. The first verse brings that concept in with neuro-surgeons screaming for more. It is their greed that feeds the paranoia. It is so prophetic too because here we are in the 21st century and pharmacutical companies control us. Psycho bablers work hand in hand. It is huge money. I also don't think the least useful line is "nothing hes got he really needs." In fact, I think that is one of the better lines. The line that makes this song out of date is the reference to napalm. For you Britts that is a reference to the Vietnam war. That line for that time is quite radical since even Lennon made scarce mentions of that war in his lyrics. I think the most startling part of the whole song is Greg Lakes delivery. He is frantically shouting it as a prophetic warning. Almost as if he is already there himself. It is a great song, and maybe one of the best offerings by this band. Fripp is great, and I love Red maybe best of all.
@Griffinfuhrer isn't cat's foot another way of saying cat's paw?
@Griffinfuhrer isn't cat's foot another way of saying cat's paw?
@Griffinfuhrer Spot on Cat's foot iron claw: bionics, robotic prostheses, think Terminator 2 Neurosurgeons: are putting in brain implants, doing all sorts of fun work on nervous system, and just like neurosurgeons, want more Death's seed: The future is about cultivating death and the shortsighted "blind" greed of those trying to profit Poets starving: yes, I agree, the end of art, while the population suffer "children bleed" Nothing he's got...consumerism Blood rack/barbed wire: war Politician's funeral pyre: war is and always has been a sacrifice of the people by politicians to make money OR it means the end of politicians? Funeral pyre is ambiguous imagery Innocents raped: pretty...
@Griffinfuhrer Spot on Cat's foot iron claw: bionics, robotic prostheses, think Terminator 2 Neurosurgeons: are putting in brain implants, doing all sorts of fun work on nervous system, and just like neurosurgeons, want more Death's seed: The future is about cultivating death and the shortsighted "blind" greed of those trying to profit Poets starving: yes, I agree, the end of art, while the population suffer "children bleed" Nothing he's got...consumerism Blood rack/barbed wire: war Politician's funeral pyre: war is and always has been a sacrifice of the people by politicians to make money OR it means the end of politicians? Funeral pyre is ambiguous imagery Innocents raped: pretty obvious reference to the (then) recent combat in Indochina where napalm was used on Vietnamese civilians by the US
The Schizoid Man is one whose moral values are contradictory. The song is written in the context of an unwinnable war and senseless competition to consume. It is a criticism of American culture in the era of its composition and remains relevant today.
"Cat's foot" and "iron claw" is reminiscent of Neil Young's "Kinder, gentler, machine gun hand". Here the lyrics are a reference to the dichotomy of modern man's value system. He wants to tread quietly (peacefully) but he's also the hunter (cat) who will strike without mercy (iron claw) against his opposition. The false belief that one can be more peaceful and more violent at the same time is sheer insanity.
The "neuro-surgeons screaming for more" is a reference to men who seem to have it all. He has brilliance, wealthy, prestige, a beautiful wife, and yet somehow that is not enough for him. Fear of losing his possessions drives him to paranoia and misery. It is sheer insanity to strive for everything and yet be happy with nothing.
"Blood rack, barbed wire" represents the amorality of war. The "politician's funeral pyre" is an unwinnable war. To stave off his own political suicide, the politician allows his military forces to burn innocents with "napalm fire". The idea of slaughtering thousands to save one is moral insanity.
Death is sown throughout the world so that the neuro-surgeon can have even more than the everything he has now. Acquiring resources from one person means having to take resources from the "poet's starving children". Wanting what you do not need is moral inanity.
The neurosurgeon, rather than a symbol of wealth, may be operating on the Schizoid Man, screaming for more drugs, more instruments, to turn the Man into an even more dangerous monster.
The neurosurgeon, rather than a symbol of wealth, may be operating on the Schizoid Man, screaming for more drugs, more instruments, to turn the Man into an even more dangerous monster.
Fantastic observation Dylan!
Fantastic observation Dylan!
I made an alternate interpretation of the surgeon as the soldier in a later posting. The soldier performs lobotomies with his bullets. Given the ethically questionable psychological and scientific experiments by the government in that era, I have to wonder if you are not absolutely correct.
I made an alternate interpretation of the surgeon as the soldier in a later posting. The soldier performs lobotomies with his bullets. Given the ethically questionable psychological and scientific experiments by the government in that era, I have to wonder if you are not absolutely correct.
Firstly it's important to note that schizoidism is not simply amorality, but rather a very complex personality disease. The schizoid man sees no need for others, he has been hurt too much and he doesn't see how others can be worthwhile or beautiful inside. He sees society as a nuisance that he must put up with in order to achieve his own solitary goals. In this context:
Cat's foot iron claw Neuro-surgeons scream for more At paranoia's poison door. Twenty first century schizoid man.
The lyrics of this song are certainly related to the Vietnam War. But it's not a twentieth century schizoid man, it's a twenty-first century schizoid man. It's a man in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, it's about those who came back from war having seen more horrible things than any man ever should. A soldier comes back from killing and seeing his closest friends killed horribly, and suddenly the fireplace looks more like trees burning with napalm, or the cat's foot that might have seemed so innocent and playful before looks more like an iron claw, an instrument of death. One of the most prominent effects of PTSD like this is flashbacks, where if a balloon pops near the old soldier, he might think it's a gunshot and go crazy for a moment thinking he's in the forests in Vietnam. And he's so fucked up, so prone to slip across the threshold into paranoia's poison door at any moment, even the neurosurgeons can't treat him. As in, the neurosurgeons are fighting against paranoia's poison door, with whatever drugs or surgery they're using, but it's not enough, they scream for more.
Blood rack barbed wire Politicians' funeral pyre Innocents raped with napalm fire Twenty first century schizoid man.
Death imagery death imagery. Unholy politicians are burned with respect, while innocents are burned with napalm. It's so fucked up it's almost easier not to care about any of those people or what's happening to them; thus is comprised the twenty-first century schizoid man.
Death seed blind man's greed Poets' starving children bleed Nothing he's got he really needs Twenty first century schizoid man.
The fat cat politicians who enrolled the entire country in war, thus seeding death, were blind to the horrors the soldiers would experience there. They were fueled only by greed for power and political status. They seeded death for everyone who wasn't them, even the starving children of poets, who embody the opposite of greed, since they practically accept poverty for the sake of the art they produce. But the world's shocking injustice and coldness, indeed schizoidism, has created this individual who no longer knows how to appreciate anything or anyone he has. Thus the new face of the twenty-first century is born, the twenty-first century schizoid man.
Excellent, @eggplant . I think you nailed it!
Excellent, @eggplant . I think you nailed it!
so much meaning in so few lyrics
i love this song. i love king crimson. it says alot about how america society well world socety is today.
Such an awesome song, I love it. I agree a little bit with everyone here, but I think ill put in what it seems to mean to me
Cats foot iron claw, as in not only replacing organic/natural things with machines that cant come close to really duplicating the grace of say a cats foot, but also perhaps a metaphor in the iron claw, kinda like an iron fist?
Neuro-surgeons scream for more, as in everyone will be screwed up in the future, or perhaps neuro surgeons represent us screwing with ourselves and our minds, maybe some sort of cyborg thing here
Paranoia’s poison door; pretty simple, everyones afraid of everything and everyone else, and its this the door to this fear that were entering that will poison us
Blood rack, barbed wire, not sure exactly what a blood “rack” is, but it seems like a reference to war or violence, or barbed wire as in we’re all being caged or fenced in or maybe oppressed
Politicians funeral pyre; could mean a lot of things, probably the death of peaceful politicians and the arrival of tyrants, or possibly it could be saying that the politicians are causing this funeral pyre, im not sure.
Death seed, blind mans greed, the seed of death is planted by people motivated by money and greed. It’s a blind man because money is their only focus and they are blind to everything else.
Poets starving, children bleed, I think poets shouldn’t be taken literally, instead maybe they just represent the arts in general, poetry, music, paintings, etc. and theyre starving because no one cares about the arts anymore so they have no money for food, or maybe the arts are starving because theres no more creativity to feed them. As for children bleed, it could mean that the children are the new creative sources but their lifeblood is drained away by this grey 21st century world, or it could just mean that no one cares about kids anymore, and theyre dying, maybe also talking about wars fought with young people.
Nothing hes got he really needs; pretty self explanatory, weve got everything; fun, recreation, everything…except what we need to survive, like the arts or maybe just food and water, etc.
As for the 21st century schizoid man, well its talkind about the century weve just started, and I suppose the “common man” that will emerge in this new era. Schizoid, from the dictionary; “Of, relating to, or having a personality disorder marked by extreme shyness, flat affect, reclusiveness, discomfort with others, and an inability to form close relationships.”
So basically the common man of the 21st century, our present and the very imminent future; the loner who has no social skills and doesn’t feel the connections that are the extremely important part of life. Its very eerie especially considering internet and things like instant messaging and email and internet mail order of pretty much anything, which completely eliminates human contact, so that people feel more comfortable alone with a computer than with another actual person. Simply amazing, and disturbingly accurate.
Nice. I liked most of your interpertation. Good job(:
Nice. I liked most of your interpertation. Good job(:
There's only one thing I disagree with you on. You said that the comman man would be Schizoid, then went on to say " the loner who has no social skills and doesn't feel the connections that are the extremely important part of life."
There's only one thing I disagree with you on. You said that the comman man would be Schizoid, then went on to say " the loner who has no social skills and doesn't feel the connections that are the extremely important part of life."
I strongly disagree with that. I'm whats called a functioning Schizoid. Basically, I have all the symptoms of a severe Schizoid, but I still manage day to day life. In fact, most Schizoids actually have remarkable social skills. The only reason we're...
I strongly disagree with that. I'm whats called a functioning Schizoid. Basically, I have all the symptoms of a severe Schizoid, but I still manage day to day life. In fact, most Schizoids actually have remarkable social skills. The only reason we're labeled socially inept is because we are extremely self-dependent and don't need companionship to feel whole, persay.
Anywayy.. lol(: Other then that, I liked your view of the song. Sorry if that sounded like ranting to you, it's hard to be both polite AND make a point ;)
"Cats foot, iron claw"
I noticed some people have taken this to mean bionic synthesis and the loss of organic form.
However, I have a slightly different take: Iron claw is merely a play on words... it's merely a metaphor for authoritative rule while reflecting the preceding "cat's foot." The "cat's foot" is important because what does a cat's foot do, or more importantly what does it NOT do? It's padded and silent... it slips around unnoticed in the night.
This lyric is thus about a surreptitious transition to authoritative rule.
Probably the best song from KC. The vocals may turn off a few folks but why doesn’t everything need to sound normal if it still sounds good. And the instrumentation people don’t like either. Ok I’m all for not liking music that’s too experimental (at least in one song), but this doesn’t go that far overboard in my opinion. It’s progressive rock sure, but emphasis on rock because this still ROCKS. Overall, great song and everyone should listen to and like this.
a killer saxophone solo in this song
Yeah, the musicianship shown on this song was probably unseen at this time, real crazy stuff, this is. Everyone from the bass player to the drummer and brass perform to the max. The ending though.... a bit too much, no? The second breakdown part gets a little tiring just before "I Talk to the wind".
I agree. Brilliant song, but they could've done without the last 25 seconds.
I agree. Brilliant song, but they could've done without the last 25 seconds.