In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher Is King

I took the song to be about corrupt priests. It talks about confessionals and being blessed.

These priests simply look down on everybody and feel they are above the "average" people. The congregation is nothing but "trash" and "animals."

"Can't you hear the choir now? Listen to the animals sing." A comment on how ammused these priests are at the people singing hymns.

"Listen to the slaughter-house bells." Could be a reference to church bells.

"So we lower the bar" Could reference how the Catholic church has eased on many of its traditions in order to appeal to more people.

This is probably my favorite track of the new album. It manages to rock pretty hard without using cheesy modern effects like "The Monster's Loose." The guitar solo in the center feels pretty unnesscery, though.

Interesting story, Steinman wrote this song for the proposed "Batman" musical that never got off the ground. Its about Gotham City's corrupt politics, pretty obviously.

They're the VICTIMS waiting for their MUGGER

Beyond that, very good transcription.

Kinda curious who the villain for that musical would have been.

To be honest i think this song is about the opinion from higher class citizens toward immigrants from poorer countries coming over and (apparantly) taking over our jobs etc. 'Look at them now What do they want? And what do they do now? Nothing at all!'

???

HA sorry just got to add my amusement at this line. 'So I can tell you all to bugger off!'

Yeah, pretty cool song. One of the better ones off BooH III.

Bat Out Hell III is good, but not as good as I hoped. This song is fantastic.

I think the song refers to George Orwells Animal farm. "And we'll do it our way It's our time to play We know what to say They stand in our way Don't stand in our way No time like today..."

When the animal take over Manor Park,

and if you have read the book it states that communism will never work however good idea it is, Clearly based on Animal Farms

Class song too!!!!!!

There's a lot of ways this song can be looked at. It suggests to me that there are two kinds of people in this world... Butchers, and Pigs. Or Predators, and Prey.

This song would definitely be about how the Predators see the Prey. Or maybe one who is trying to exhort the Prey to be a little more Predatory, so that they can cease being Prey.

Based on Animal Farm? Perhaps... perhaps also on "Lord of the Flies." And even "The Three LIttle Pigs."

But what do I know? I'm a big, bad, wolf.

Kill Piggy.

This song was actually written for the aborted Batman musical (as in the Caped Crusader, not a play on words referring to a Bat Out of Hell musical, which Steinman is currently at work on). The demo is available on Jim Steinman's website.

taken from the Batman Musical tribute site: JIM STEINMAN: "... "PIG" is written to be the song of the corrupt bloodsuckers who run GOTHAM CITY, and stare down from their chrome towers that disembowel the sky, pollutants raining down like a thick clotted rain of decay. Its meant to be comically grotesquely frightening."

So basically your assumptions of corrupt priests and other officials are along the right lines. The 'Butchers' are the high-profiled criminals and killers of Gotham, and the 'Pigs' are the average law-abiding citizens.