The Love Of Richard Nixon

Manic Street Preachers

The world on your shoulders
The love of your mother
The fear of the future
The best years behind you
The world is getting older
The times they fall behind you
The need it still grows stronger
The best years never found you

The love of Richard Nixon, death without assasination
The love of Richard Nixon, yeah they all betrayed you
The love of Richard Nixon, death without assasination
Yeah they all betrayed you
Yeah and your country too

Love build around the sandy beaches
Love rains down like Vietnam's leeches
Richard the third in the White House
Cowering behind divided curtains

The world is getting older
The times they fall behind you
The need it still grows stronger
The best years never found you

Ah, the love of richard nixon, death without assasination
The love of Richard Nixon, yeah they all betrayed you
The love of Richard Nixon, death without assasination
Yeah they all betrayed you
Yeah and your country too

The love of Richard Nixon, death without assasination
The love of Richard Nixon, yeah they all betrayed you
People forget China and your war on cancer
Yeah they all betrayed you
Yeah and your country too

In all the decisions I have made in my public life,
I have always tried to do what was best for the nation.
I have never been a quitte


Lyrics submitted by InsomniacUK

The Love of Richard Nixon Lyrics as written by Nicholas Jones James Bradfield

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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The Love Of Richard Nixon song meanings
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19 Comments

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  • +5
    General CommentBy the way, the message of the song is that no matter how many good things Nixon did in his career ("people forget China and your war on cancer"), he will be remembered solely as a crook now. It isn't really pro- or anti-Nixon necessarily, it just takes a different stance than people usually do by reminding us of the good things he did. I've read around the place that this message is intended equally towards the Manics themselves too, who are often remembered solely as "that band whose guitarist went missing". Like Nixon, people remember the one singular moment of darkness or weakness and forget everything else.
    Cherub Rockon February 19, 2006   Link
  • +4
    General CommentTo me, 'death without assassination' brings up comparison with Kennedy (and others.) Like Nixon, Kennedy was involved in plenty of potential scandels. But because he was assassinated, most never came to light, and he went on to be remembered as the president who gave hope to the civil rights movement, and avoided nuclear war. In contrast, Nixon left office in disgrace, and went on to become a total hate figure.
    The Manics are just showing how certain events in history can twist public perception of people.
    nickwebon February 13, 2008   Link
  • +3
    General Commenti dont think this one is sarcastic, i think its saying that nixon did do some good things, he was a human after all. everything we hear today in connection of nixon is bad (watergate etc), but theres more to it than that. challenging the conventional wisdom maybe. maybe its the republicans who betrayed him, maybe the historians for the way his memory has been regarded.
    ramshotelon June 19, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Commentlike Himynameis said, it is not so much pro or anti Nixon but more an exploration of how people can go down in history for one thing they've done (IE Watergate) no matter what good they've done as well. Even now, the only thing most people remember about Nixon is the Watergate scandal.

    Online: I'm afraid the war on cancer reference is literal. Nixon poured lots of money into cancer research and so it was dubbed his "war on cancer."
    paulothemanioon January 04, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General CommentGreat song (although i like Empty Souls even more) from a great album. About the meaning of the song: Nixon is well-known for the Watergate scandal. Although he is generally known for this mistake, the message of the song is that he is not a mere crook, but he also has made good decisions, for instance on China and the war on cancer. More generally, this song is about people being well-known for an event/action (like the MSP for the disappearance of Richey Edwards), but people should try to dig deeper, to find out what those persons did achieve other then what they are well-known for (got this from an msp-interview at xfm.co.uk. Quote: "Some people are just going to remember Manic Sreet Preachers for... well, London cabbies are especially - 'How's that guitarist then? Has he turned up yet?' There's always gonna be that side to it.")
    Himynameison November 05, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment"People forget China"
    This relates to Nixons re-normalistaion of US-Chineese relations. It is sad that "only Nixon could go to China" because he was such a hardline anti-communist President.

    "And your war on cancer"
    One of Nixon's aides called Watergate a "cancer on the presidency." Nixon resigned not long after Watergate in order to bring "that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America."
    Onlineon November 17, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General CommentRamshotel is on the mark. And for those that wrote the Manics off with Lifeblood, geez, let the band grow and try new things - it was a phase, like all artists go through. The lyrics are actually pretty intense and well-researched, a necessary foundation for this kind of art. Nixon was human and, in reality, no worse than most other U.S. Presidents, he just trusted the wrong people (like Kissinger) and got caught (or set up.)
    JackrabbitDareson February 10, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General CommentNo.02 in the charts beaten by the barely dressed aerobics video dance track. I'm not sure about this song, melodically its not a very strong track. Its a nice piece of pop but thats about all it is, nice. Lyrically a lot less direct than past tracks. I think it is mainly anti Nixon and a lot of it is quite sarcastic but at the same time I think they are putting to light at the end of the day he was a man who got it wrong, in places they're emphatic. But I really dunno. To be honest I'm a bit rubbish since I don't know much about Nixon. Maybe I'll comment again when I know. All I can say is at least the manics are still trying to say something and they are trying to make it marketable but I think they've gone a bit too far. Musically they've become too bland and middle of the road for the indie kids. But they're far too serious and old for the pop kids. I really do hope the rest of the album is better which I will buy no matter what.
    Perfect Wh()reon October 26, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General CommentOfficially Nixon was dubbed a bad President for the USA, this is also reflected in the line "the best years never found you". The chorus in simply just the band saying that Nixon was a President with love to give and the line death without assaination is simply he died normally without being killed. In my opinion the music is excellent, catchy, sad and dramatic in some areas. The music fits really well with the words, this song is most probably one of the manics best works I'v ever heard. Why not write about the past, I mean walking in memphis was written about Elvis, this track the manics are just looking back at the times.
    musicexploreron October 26, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Commentdefinitely my favourite manic's song, although "if u tolerate this..." comes fairly close. i think it's just weighing up the good and bad points of nixon's career.
    edgeinsbuddyon July 03, 2005   Link

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