I actually think this song has less to do with dodgy parental relationships and is more of a general criticism of American society.
"Peel off all those eyes, Crawl into the dark, You've poisoned all of your children, to camouflage your scars"
I think this refers to the way that, rather than acknowledging the complexities of human nature, society has constructed a simplistic framework based on ideas of "good" and "evil". Children are indoctrinated from a young age (poisoned), and it's hoped that religious conviction will keep them in the dark and camouflage all the hypocrisies - the fact that mainstream culture spends a great deal of time revelling in things that are supposedly "sinful" and forbidden, and that very few people actually practice what they preach, since much of it is fundamentally contrary to human nature. Still, the kids won't notice, will they?
Of course Warner was a perceptive kid, and he totally picked up on the contradictions, which left him feeling confused and "othered". The "boy that you loved", once an obedient disciple, opened his eyes (whilst other people peeled theirs off) and he couldn't ignore the hypocrisy he witnessed. Due to his perceptive and curious mind he couldn't force himself to conform as other people do so blindly and unquestioningly: "I have it all and I have no choice but to".
He's "so tangled in his sins that [he] cannot escape" because these so-called "sins" are just realities of human nature and thus, he acknowledges, part of his identity. Maybe people shouldn't be trying (and usually failing) to "escape" them anyway. But because society is set on its course, Manson is treated as an outsider merely for posing questions and making valid criticisms. Well, he'll "make everyone pay and you will see".
He might have failed on "making them see" (they're a stubborn lot), but he has certainly made them pay to an extent: through his lyrics he holds up a mirror to American society to reflect the ugly bits. He throws in all the blasphemies, curses and "dark" imagery, using the shock factor as a tool to wreak hysteria, thus becoming "the man that you fear". The irony is that shock is a social construct - people are only shocked by this stuff because they've been drinking the kool-aid all their lives (shock is all in your head). Meanwhile, predictably, the real meaning is lost on the mainstream - while they're busy being horrified, Manson's valid criticisms go straight over their pretty, devout, conformist heads.
Musically, I'm don't rate the band particularly highly. But lyrically, intellectually, in terms of creative delivery, I have total respect for Manson. By encouraging a few generations of kids to think a little more independently he's done the world a great service.
I actually think this song has less to do with dodgy parental relationships and is more of a general criticism of American society.
"Peel off all those eyes, Crawl into the dark, You've poisoned all of your children, to camouflage your scars"
I think this refers to the way that, rather than acknowledging the complexities of human nature, society has constructed a simplistic framework based on ideas of "good" and "evil". Children are indoctrinated from a young age (poisoned), and it's hoped that religious conviction will keep them in the dark and camouflage all the hypocrisies - the fact that mainstream culture spends a great deal of time revelling in things that are supposedly "sinful" and forbidden, and that very few people actually practice what they preach, since much of it is fundamentally contrary to human nature. Still, the kids won't notice, will they?
Of course Warner was a perceptive kid, and he totally picked up on the contradictions, which left him feeling confused and "othered". The "boy that you loved", once an obedient disciple, opened his eyes (whilst other people peeled theirs off) and he couldn't ignore the hypocrisy he witnessed. Due to his perceptive and curious mind he couldn't force himself to conform as other people do so blindly and unquestioningly: "I have it all and I have no choice but to".
He's "so tangled in his sins that [he] cannot escape" because these so-called "sins" are just realities of human nature and thus, he acknowledges, part of his identity. Maybe people shouldn't be trying (and usually failing) to "escape" them anyway. But because society is set on its course, Manson is treated as an outsider merely for posing questions and making valid criticisms. Well, he'll "make everyone pay and you will see".
He might have failed on "making them see" (they're a stubborn lot), but he has certainly made them pay to an extent: through his lyrics he holds up a mirror to American society to reflect the ugly bits. He throws in all the blasphemies, curses and "dark" imagery, using the shock factor as a tool to wreak hysteria, thus becoming "the man that you fear". The irony is that shock is a social construct - people are only shocked by this stuff because they've been drinking the kool-aid all their lives (shock is all in your head). Meanwhile, predictably, the real meaning is lost on the mainstream - while they're busy being horrified, Manson's valid criticisms go straight over their pretty, devout, conformist heads.
Musically, I'm don't rate the band particularly highly. But lyrically, intellectually, in terms of creative delivery, I have total respect for Manson. By encouraging a few generations of kids to think a little more independently he's done the world a great service.