At age five, Serj Tankian moved with his parents to Los Angeles, California. After high school, he studied marketing. He took singing lessons for four years and also took guitar lessons as a young child. In 1993, he founded the band Soil (not to be confused with SOiL) with Daron Malakian, which later went on hiatus, and later changed to System of a Down. Tankian is not only a member of the band System of a Down, but also has his own record label which is called Serjical Strike Records, a sub-division of Columbia Records. He also performed guest vocals on songs such as Mushroom Cult by Dog Fashion Disco, and Mein by Deftones. He produced "Enter The Chicken" by Buckethead, and provided vocals to the Buckethead songs "We are One," "Coma" and "Waiting Here." With Serjical Strike Records, he endeavors to offer those musicians often ignored by the mainstream a possibility to release their music and be heard. The first release of Serj's new label was Serart, a project consisting of Tankian, himself, and Arto Tunçboyaçiyan, an Armenian friend of Tankian's.
Tankian is also very involved politically. Together with Tom Morello (ex-Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, The Nightwatchman), he founded the organization Axis Of Justice. Tankian often speaks publicly against violence and injustice in the world.
Serj is a vegetarian and likes to read poetry but other than that, few details are known about Tankian's private life. He is especially interested in Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot and Edgar Allan Poe. Serj hates celebrity gossip. He believes it is a waste of time and due to the spreading of rumors, can destroy close relationships .
Two days after the attacks on September 11, 2001, Serj posted a highly controversial essay on the band's website. It was promptly taken down by Sony, the band's record label. Sony's opinion was that Tankian had tried to justify the terrorist attacks and that his claims were unfounded.
Tankian's first poetry book, Cool Gardens, was published by MTV Books and released on October 1st, 2002. It is a collection of seven to eight years of Tankian's reflections on life, and features artwork by fellow Armenian, Sako Shahinian. The book has received much praise in the artistic community.
In late 2007, Serj released his first solo album "Elect the Dead" Serj later went on to perform live around the world on a tour to promote his solo album, backed by another band on his label, the FCC (Flying Cunts of Chaos). In 2010, Serj released a live album "Elect the Dead Symphony" during which he performed with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra. Afterwords, they embarked on a worldwide tour with the orchestra.
In September of 2010, Serj released another solo album "Imperfect Harmonies" through Serjical Strike Records, his record label. In December of 2010, it was announced by fellow members of his band System of a Down that they would be reuniting for a world tour in 2011. Fellow bandmate Shavo Odadjian released through his Twitter account that they would reunite. In May of 2011, they began their worldwide tour in Canada, with stops in America, England, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Austria, and Russia. They will also be heading to South America to play in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
The Figure It Out Songfacts reports that Serj's third solo album, "Harakiri" will be released on July 10, 2012. The lead single, "Figure it Out," was released on May 1, 2012.
Empty Walls
Serj Tankian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dismissive apprehension
Don't waste your time, on coffins today
When we decline, from the confines of our mind
Don't waste your time, on coffins today
Don't you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
Don't you see their bodies burning?
I want you to be
Left behind those empty walls
Taunt you to see
From behind those empty walls
Those empty walls
When we decline, from the confines of our mind
Don't waste your time, on coffins today
Don't you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
Don't you see their bodies burning?
I want you to be
Left behind those empty walls
Taunt you to see
From behind those empty walls
I want you to be
Left behind those empty walls
I taunt you to see from behind those empty walls
From behind those empty walls
I loved you (from behind those empty walls)
Yesterday, before (from behind those empty walls)
You killed my family (the walls)
Don't you see their bodies burn
Don't you see their bodies burn
I want you to be left behind those empty walls
Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls
I want you to be left behind those empty walls
Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls
From behind those empty walls
From behind those fucking walls
From behind those goddamn walls
Those walls, those walls
The lyrics of Serj Tankian's song "Empty Walls" are open to interpretation, but they seem to be about the dangers of conformity and inaction in the face of social and political problems. The "pretentious attention" and "dismissive apprehension" mentioned in the first line could refer to people who ignore or downplay serious issues, while "coffins" could be a metaphor for the consequences of inaction.
The repeated line "Don't you see their bodies burning?" is a powerful and disturbing image, suggesting that there are real and immediate consequences to ignoring problems. The lines "Desolate and full of yearning / Dying of anticipation / Choking from intoxication" could be describing the suffering of people who are trapped in a hopeless situation, whether that's poverty, addiction, or political oppression.
The chorus with the lines "I want you to be / Left behind those empty walls / Taunt you to see / From behind those empty walls" could be a call to action or a warning. It seems to be addressed to someone who is either complicit in or indifferent to the suffering of others, and the singer wants them to see firsthand what it's like to be left behind and alone. The final lines with their curses and repetitions suggest a deep anger and frustration with the status quo.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretentious attention
People are overly concerned with appearances and trying to impress others
Dismissive apprehension
People are quick to judge and dismiss things without truly understanding them
Don't waste your time, on coffins today
Don't let the fear of death and the inevitable fleetingness of life hold you back from living in the moment
When we decline, from the confines of our mind
When we let our negative thoughts and fears hold us back and prevent us from living fully
Don't you see their bodies burning?
Can't you see the pain and suffering of others?
Desolate and full of yearning
Those suffering are lonely, sad, and longing for something they can't have
Dying of anticipation
The pain of waiting and hoping for something that never comes is killing them
Choking from intoxication
People are trying to numb their pain and escape from reality by using drugs and alcohol, but it's only making things worse
I want you to be
The artist wants the listener to understand something important
Left behind those empty walls
To be stuck in a place of emptiness, sadness, and regret because of one's actions
Taunt you to see
The singer challenges the listener to look beyond their limited perspective and see the truth
From behind those empty walls
The artist is trying to convey a message from a place of pain and suffering
I loved you (from behind those empty walls)
The singer once had strong feelings of love for the listener
Yesterday, before (from behind those empty walls)
The singer's love for the listener was in the past, before something terrible happened
You killed my family (the walls)
The listener is responsible for the singer's family's death and the singer is trapped in a place of grief and anger because of it
From behind those fucking walls
The artist is angry and frustrated with being trapped in a place of pain and suffering
From behind those goddamn walls
The artist is cursing the walls that are trapping them in their misery
Those walls, those walls
The walls represent the singer's pain and suffering and the listener's responsibility for it
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Serj Tankian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind