Methadone Pretty

One theme of this song is the Manics were at their make-or-break time, they were 'nothing and should be everything',- would they stay nothing or would they go on to their Guns n' Roses 16 million sales/Wembley headlining dreams? They were trying to leave behind a 'methadone' life -like methadone is a substitute for heroin, so the modern life they faced working the 9-5 'xerox days to acceptance' was a substitute for real life.

Like a lot of their early songs, it's mix-and-match the Manics theme: evil governments controlling subjugated people - 'intentional destruction germ...pretty hostage mass, licensed to obey', and the like.

Other themes include the generation terrorism that is wanting to have no past, as found in the 'i accuse history' bridge, hatred for consumerism 'another bought product, no reality' and their more general love for the glammy, sexy, heroin destruction rock and roll world,

Since methadone was used to kick heroin, and 'pretty' was sort of a faint praise coming from such an extensive vocabulary as the Manics', I figured that "methadone pretty" would be the logical progression of "heroin chic."

"Pump it up, safer than a suicide" and "Gonna stay a terminal young thing" could refer to the waif model's sick or prepubescent appearance: where, instead of dying young and being remembered only at that stage, they can freeze themselves in an unnatural perpetual adolescence.

They, and the culture that spawned them, will go over the hill, and be that much worse for all the contortions made to maintain an ideal; their 'retirement' recognized in faint praise and drug rehab.

"They want a piece of your skin" reminds me of kurt cobain saying that this generation of youth are very brutual indeed,moshing around and when he stage dived,they stuck their hands on him as if they wanted a piece of him,maybe never a reference to that but yet,i think its about youth culture and losing your virginity to the society (your soul's)