Hey, Cruel World...

What's taken my main interest in this song is the phrase: "Creator, preserver, destroyer. Ask which one I am."

In my quick Internet search I've already seen many wild theories about it. I've got a theory of my own though, and it is very simple: May it be that this is referring to parts of the believe system of the Hindus? After all there is the 'Great Trinity' of the gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, that represents creation, preservation, destruction with each god representing the respective function. Therefore: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva = Creator, preserver, destroyer.

I do not know however what function this reference has in the song. But then again, interpretation of any art, from song to painting, is something that I find difficult anyhow as the awareness of being unable to truly see into its creators mind makes me shy of drawing any definite conclusions.

Hah. Finally, we know the song that line came from. :D

Anyways, I think this is a rather deep song about the way society teaches people to see the universe and how he sees the universe. A few good points in this one.

Marilyn Manson believes himself to be a non-conformist, yet he seems clueless about the fact that the Bible itself promotes non-conformity: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." (Romans 12:2).

However, I can understand where he is coming from to some extent since many who claim to be Christians today do not believe the Bible. Sadly, there are a lot of misrepresentations of Christianity in our day, just as 2 Timothy 4:3-4 and 2 Peter 2:1-3 both predicted. I do not hate Marilyn Manson, but I just feel sorry for him.

wow i feel sorry for you commenting on an artist you only mildly seem to enjoy.

Reading "RAPETURE" by Marilyn Manson should explain everything this song is about:

Rapeture:

Christianity Manufactures Yesterdays Killers

Brave Now World. Don’t ever believe what you read, especially if you are illiterate. Art will be the burning churches, burning beds, burning witches, burning bridges, burning Cadillacs, burning forests, burning flags, and the burning human remains that are the evidence of the burned books, filled with stories of our razor and rope burns.

But we will not be the ashes. We will not be cremated, we will cauterize our wounds. We never wanted our wings anyway.

We are more than the flightless creatures, that are always expected to rise from the bonfire. These are barbecues for trembling, idiot arsons who pretend to be America’s Vatican in whatever ‘ism’ is easiest to swallow. After the horrid blowing jobs, they expect us to fight against each other to obtain the security of willing slaves.

We do not walk among them. I am among no one.

Marilyn Manson

"Creator, preserver, destroyer; ask which one I am"

☰ = Creator / Sky / Father / Strong

☷ = Preserver / Earth / Mother / Devoted (Yielding)

☳ = Destroyer / Thunder / Inciting Movement or Change

"What I’m going to take is the fact that life is all about change, and the villain is always the catalyst, the villain is always the person who creates something different in the story. I don’t mean “villain” in the sense that people might define it as the “bad guy,” I’m not saying the “bad guy.”

When I say the villain, I mean in the traditional sense like in Macbeth, like in anything else. The hero doesn’t do anything in any story and I didn’t have to go to school to learn this, it was me being a fan of literature and film. The hero doesn’t do anything different. The hero always stays the same, there’s no character arc, he’s always the hero. The villain is the person who has the chance to change something. They might break the rules, but that’s the thing, sometimes if you don’t fucking break the rules, you’re not going to save anything, you’re not going to change anything."

This song as a whole seems to be a comment on religions. "We don't need your faith we got fucking fate" That whole verse seems to be his take on the religious people that claim that they are destined to be great. And the fact that it keeps repeating makes me think that it's his key point in this song. "The center of the universe cannot exist when there are no, edges" This verse, to me, seems to be what Manson thinks that the people who believe god created believe the universe believe.

We don't have what the world takes from us, we have just fucking fate. There're allusions to space wars moovie in the videoclip, the Vader mask.

The center of the universe Cannot exist When there are no No edges

This one particular verse i believe he is saying there is no god.

Hey, cruel world You don’t have what it takes We don’t need your faith We’ve got fucking fate

This verse i think he is saying people need to worry about future of the world and not afterlife.

Marilyn Manson does not believe in god. He is an Atheist

"Hey, cruel world You don’t have what it takes"

The general public is not smart or bold enough to think for themselves.

"We don’t need your faith We've got fucking fate"

We don't need to focus on what might happen when we are dead - we should be experiencing what is happening now. We should focus on what is actual and not what is imaginary (such as religion).

"Creator Preserver Destroyer Ask which one I am"

I am guessing he is none of those things but the media accuses him of being all of those things. If I had to choose ONE (like he mentioned), I would say he is the preserver - his songs and videos are reflections of our society's actuality - through art, he is preserving these ideas for us.

"There’s no drugged-out devils or Square-halo angels Walking among us"

MM fans have a reputation of being drugged-out or f'd-up (square-haloed), but he is suggesting that it is not the common bond that draws fans to him. Also, devils and angels do not exist, so, he says these stereotypes of his group are untrue.

"I am among no one"

Do not judge him based on your judgments of his fans, because he is an individual.

"The center of the universe cannot exist When there are no, no edges"

He denies that the center of the universe or God can exist if you cannot even comprehend the size or magnitude of what the universe is. He suggests that mankind is arrogant to imagine that they know so much.