The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Yeah, I am the Astro-Creep
A demolition style hell
American freak, yeah
I am the crawling dead
A phantom in a box
Shadow in your head, say
Acid suicide
Freedom of the blast read the fucking lies, yeah
Scratch off the broken skin
Tear into my heart, make me do it again, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
Yeah, I am the jigsaw man
I turn the world around with a skeleton hand
Say, I am electric head
A cannibal core, a television said, yeah
Do not victimize
Read the motherfucker psychoholic lies, yeah
Into a psychic war
I tear my soul apart
And I eat it some more, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
Yeah, I am the ripper man
A locomotion mind, love American style, yeah
I am the Nexus-One
I want more life, fucker
I ain't done yet
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
A demolition style hell
American freak, yeah
I am the crawling dead
A phantom in a box
Shadow in your head, say
Acid suicide
Freedom of the blast read the fucking lies, yeah
Scratch off the broken skin
Tear into my heart, make me do it again, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
Yeah, I am the jigsaw man
I turn the world around with a skeleton hand
Say, I am electric head
A cannibal core, a television said, yeah
Do not victimize
Read the motherfucker psychoholic lies, yeah
Into a psychic war
I tear my soul apart
And I eat it some more, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
Yeah, I am the ripper man
A locomotion mind, love American style, yeah
I am the Nexus-One
I want more life, fucker
I ain't done yet
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
More human than human
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Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
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I used to take a lot of acid in high school, back in the 90's, and it seems to me Rob Zombie did too. And when on acid, different music lets you see different visuals. The whole seeing sound thing. and i listened to la sexorcisto, but never astro creep while tripping. But, Zombie would through me into the wickedest power-trips, projecting the craziest scenes all around. but, this song seems like it's trying to evoke a bad-trip, or even suicide if someone were on enough acid. good thing bands can't get sued or prosecuted for that stuff anymore.
"A Phantom in a box" might suggest to someone, on acid, that there's a live entity in the radio.
"Shadow in your Head" might suggest possession.
"acid Suicide freedom Of the blast" might suggest to someone on a bad-trip, that just wanted it to be over, that they would find freedom through the blast of a gun. Wow, that's actually really f%#cked up. Or is it just me?
The song is about the movie Blade Runner (or maybe the book it's based on). "More human than human" is a line from the movie, and all the verses are describing characters and plot points from the movie. "I want more life" is also a line from the movie.
Um, genetic engineering gone wrong maybe?
i believe he is using horror movie imagery to convay a deeper meaning about human nature. our deepest desire is to be better than everyone else ie.. to be more human than human. brilliant in my opinion.
well i wouldnt quote myself but the story i heard about more human than human is it relates to the movie blade runner like when it says i am the nexus one want more life fucker i aint done its like in the movie when the nexus dudes only can live for a short period of time and i dont know,mabey what i heard was wrong but i figured i would post it considering the only other post doesnt explain anything
@kurt_69_1999 It's totally about Blade Runner. "More human than human" is the way the replicants are described when they're explaining what they are at the beginning of the movie. And Nexus was the name of the model that was being hunted.
and in a movie i think it is aliens one guy/girl says summit like lets get more human than human, i think the person was a robot aswell. i read somewhere that rob was amazed with that bit of dilect and was like right i will put it in a song
kinda sounds like a killer who eats his victims...and feels he is impowered by the flesh..and cant stop and keeps wanting more...but whatever..im sure no one ever checks this posting anymore since rob zombie got so big
Seems to me this song really doesn't mean anything; Rob Zombie songs are famous for this as well. It kind of reminds me of Dragula, though, as they are both like an anthem basically saying "I'm evil snd cool. You must headbang to this song... You cannot resist!!!" I mean this in the best possible way, of course.
Well, reading the lyrics again, it just reminded me of someone who is an outcast in society or a criminal and doesn't stop being self destructive because they must follow that path... reminds me of a lot of teenagers I know, actually. It's always up for interpretation, though.
Great song, and although It may mean nothing, I see it as a way of defining a viscious human being... Perhaps someone like Hitler (if he had progressed further)... It's about chaos, tearing the world apart, and lying....
Like most White Zombie songs it's just about death and destruction, I'm sure some of it may mean something to Rob but mostly it's just a collection of things.