By being one of the first bands to blend anarcho-punk and heavy metal music, Amebix are often cited as one of the key bands that helped to create the crust punk style, and are considered as a proto-thrash metal band. Such notable bands as Sepultura, Neurosis, and Deviated Instinct have paid homage.
Battery Humans
Amebix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you see the rows of bodies twitching in their sleep
And if you're hungry, if you fancy a bite
The guards will be obliged to pick the fattest from the heap
They drag the body through the filth by a cruelly mutated arm
Up into the kitchen of the human factory farm
It tries to scream but can't without a tongue
Take your body, grease it well and rip the kidneys out
The sweat must be left on the skin, the throat allowed to bleed
Prepare a stuffing, smash the jaw and jam it down the throat
Then braise your beast for two hours for a healthy, filling treat
Back in Cell Block 427 the rest don't care if he's missing
Two beasts fuck frantically, fearful of their slaughter
One bloated specimen rolls off its mate and proceeds with pissing
The shit drips between his legs as he pisses on his rotting daughter
The lyrics to Amebix's song "Battery Humans" describe the horrors of a dystopian future where humans are reduced to nothing more than cattle, bred and slaughtered for food in a factory farm. The song starts with a vivid and disturbing picture of Cell Block 427, a place where rows of bodies twitch in their sleep, and hunger leads the guards to pick the fattest from the heap. The imagery is graphic and nauseating, painting a picture of a dehumanized society where human life is worthless and disposable.
The second verse of the song describes the brutal process of turning a human body into food. The unfortunate victim is dragged through filth by a mutated arm, and his tongue is cut out so he can't scream. His body is then prepared like any other piece of meat, with the organs ripped out and the skin left on to add flavor. The verse ends with the chilling line "one more slaughtered in the kitchen of the human factory farm."
The final verse of the song is perhaps the most disturbing, as it describes the apathy and brutality of the human survivors who live in Cell Block 427. Two beasts fuck frantically, oblivious to the slaughter happening around them, while one bloated specimen pisses on his rotting daughter. The lyrics are a horrifying reminder of what human beings are capable of when they lose their humanity, reduced to nothing more than battery humans in a world without compassion or morality.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to Cell Block 427 it's 10 o'clock at night
Introduces the setting of the song, located in prison where prisoners are treated like animals and subjected to cannibalism
Can you see the rows of bodies twitching in their sleep
Portrays how the prisoners are treated like mere objects with no regard to basic human needs like restfulness
And if you're hungry, if you fancy a bite
Offers the twisted option of human flesh for those who hunger
The guards will be obliged to pick the fattest from the heap
Emphasizes the inhumane treatment of the prisoners by demonstrating how selecting the fattest body is normalized
They drag the body through the filth by a cruelly mutated arm
Shows the violence and mutation of the body - it's no longer seen as a human, and can be treated as an object with no regard to its inherent dignity
Up into the kitchen of the human factory farm
Describes the prisoners' fate as they are led to the kitchen, meaning they are to be killed, cut up, and eaten by others
It tries to scream but can't without a tongue
Highlights the horror of being killed and cannibalized by prisoners - they are aware and in agony but cannot even scream in pain
One more slaughtered in the kitchen of the human factory farm
Emotional description of the moral crime of murdering and dismembering potentially innocent humans
Take your body, grease it well and rip the kidneys out
Commands the listeners to aid in the gruesome preparation process for consumption
The sweat must be left on the skin, the throat allowed to bleed
The clear explanation that the real reason humans are being killed is because their fear and pain enhances the flavor and aroma of human flesh
Prepare a stuffing, smash the jaw and jam it down the throat
Details how human butchery occurs, adding upon the terror of the thought of cannibalism
Then braise your beast for two hours for a healthy, filling treat
Glamorizes and normalizes cannibalism, giving the impression that it's nothing more than another type of meal
Back in Cell Block 427 the rest don't care if he's missing
Contributes to the message that the cruelty and barbarianism of the situation has made prisoners numb, allowing for cannibalism to become an accepted practice
Two beasts fuck frantically, fearful of their slaughter
Depicts the harsh reality of what being in prison and being subject to cannibalism can do to a person
One bloated specimen rolls off its mate and proceeds with pissing
Highlights the utter degradation and loss of human dignity that exists in Cell Block 427
The shit drips between his legs as he pisses on his rotting daughter
The song ends on a highly disturbing image to deter any positive perception of the prison or cannibalism
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adam Novak
This is such a cold and dark place. The cover paints a picture of bleak and death. My favorite Amebix release. Perfect.
doomsday hour
there s no words to describe this bands greatness
804safety
great band with thier own different sound...cheers from canada (A)///(E)
pablopposed
amebix's best release.period.
Paddy Campbell
This track brings a tear to my eye
Jeff Madrigal
damn, it has been years since I last heard this song. underrated.
Sigmund Fraud
had this when it was first released..great album
xkumanekox
this is the epitome of perfection...
Red Moon 85
It's the sound of the look of horror on their faces when they realize people actually have more power than they will ever have in their entire shitty existence...
alexis martinez
This a killer song!