Don't speak of safe messiahs
Failure of the modern man
To the center of all life's desires
As a whole not an also ran
Love in a hollow field
Break the image of your father's son
Drawn to an inner feel
He was thought of as the only one

He no longer denies
All the failures of the modern man
He no longer picks sides
Sees the failures of the modern man
Wise words and sympathy
Tell the story of our history
New strength gives a real touch
Sense and reason make it all too much
With a strange fatality
Break the spirits of a lesser man
Some other race can see
In his way he was the only one

He no longer denies
All the failures of the modern man
No, no he can't pick sides
Sees the failures of the modern man
Now that it's time to decide
In his time he was a total man
Taken from Caesar's side
Kept in silence just to prove who's wrong
No, no he can't despise
All the failures of the modern man
No, no longer denies
All the failures of the modern man


Lyrics submitted by typo

Failures Lyrics as written by Ian Kevin Curtis Bernard Sumner

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Failures song meanings
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6 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    Could it be that basically that men have made so many mistakes that they are considered failures in life? Anyway this is a great Warsaw-era song.

    post-punkeron December 31, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    the lyrics are lost on me but the music, it is SO brilliant. Guitar-tastic.

    jessamyniamon January 30, 2008   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    Yes I believe that it is about the failures of mankind. It could be about Jesus. Basically I think it's about humans being imperfect and it's something that can't be prevented. Everything we create destroys us.

    Italion December 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    reminds me of Interzone from Unknown Pleasures

    henrynavarreon March 17, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    joy division playing hardcore

    hasboon June 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    To me it seems, just like if he would describe the impossibility for modern man to choose or to control his own life and to pick sides eventhough he sees that our way of living is full of failures but and he no longer denies it, but he still has to life that way

    Dreamdanceon July 23, 2017   Link

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