Archives of Pain

Manic Street Preachers

If hospitals cure
Then prisons must bring their pain
Don't be ashamed to slaughter
The centre of humanity is cruelty
There is never redemption
Any fool can regret yesterday
Nail it to the House of Lords
You will be buried in the same box as a killer, as a killer, as a killer

A drained white body hanging from the gallows
Is more righteous than Hindley's crotchet lectures
Pain not penance, forget martyrs, remember victims
The weak die young and right now we crouch to make them strong

Kill Yeltsin, who's saying? Zhirinovsky, Le Pen
Hindley and Brady, Ireland, Allit, Sutcliffe
Dahmer, Nielson, Yoshinori Ueda
Blanche and Pickles, Amin, Milosovic
Give them respect they deserve
Give them the respect they deserve
Give them the respect they deserve
Give them the respect they deserve

Execution needed
A bloody vessel for your peace
If man makes death then death makes man
Tear the torso with horses and chains
Killers view themselves like they view the world
They pick at the holes
Not punish less, rise the pain
Sterilise rapists, all I preach is extinction

Kill Yeltsin, who's saying? Zhirinovsky, Le Pen
Hindley and Brady, Ireland, Allit, Sutcliffe
Dahmer, Nielson, Yoshinori Ueda
Blanche and Pickles, Amin, Milosovic
Give them respect they deserve
Give them the respect they deserve
Give them the respect they deserve
Give them the respect they deserve


Lyrics submitted by ShiverForMe, edited by Wild12e, willks08, FluffyBunny8

Archives of Pain Lyrics as written by Edwards Bradfield

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

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Archives of Pain song meanings
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57 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but recording technology didn't exist in 1888. One of 'Jack the Ripper's victims' indeed.

    The song is pro-capital punishment. As Zed92uk said, it's a reaction against the glorification of serial killers: something the Manics, ironically enough, participated in when they wrote 'Patrick Bateman'.

    little_englanderon August 19, 2002   Link

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