08 Man Or Animal
Audioslave Lyrics


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You give me a heart attack
You look like the summertime
You call me an artifact
But I'll save that for another time
I could be rich or poor
I don't need anymore

Keep your love inside the kitchen
You can feed me anything
Leave the feathers on the chicken
Peel the leather from your skin
I can be young or old
Sweet or sad, hot or cold

Man or animal, I don't care at all
Find the antidote underneath the dose
Man or animal, obedient
Out of control

I will love you more than money
I will breathe you in the smoke
I will drink you in my honey
Sweet and golden down my throat
When you're right, when you're wrong
Head is near, eyes are gone
You can drown my appetite
I will sip your tears at night
You can tie me to a chair
Skin and bones, I don't care
I could be rich or poor
I don't need anymore

Man or animal, I don't care at all
Find the antidote underneath the dose
Man or animal, obedient
Out of control yeah

Man or animal, I don't care at all
Find the antidote underneath the dose
Man or animal, obedient
Out of control
Out of control

You give me a heart attack
You give me a heart attack
I will give you more than that
I will give you more than that

You give me a heart attack
You give me a heart attack




I will give you more than that
I will give you more than that

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Man or Animal" by Audioslave are a representation of unconditional love and the idea that it transcends the boundaries of societal norms and expectations. The first lines "You give me a heart attack, You look like the summertime" depict the intensity of emotion and attraction the singer has for their lover. They further state, "You call me an artifact, but I'll save that for another time" which could be interpreted as the lover acknowledging the power dynamics at play in the relationship but dismissing it as unimportant.


The verse "Keep your love inside the kitchen, You can feed me anything, Leave the feathers on the chicken, Peel the leather from your skin" could be seen as a metaphor for how the singer is willing to accept their lover's flaws and imperfections, even relishing in them. The chorus, "Man or animal, obedient out of control" emphasizes the theme of unconditional love as the singer declares that they don't care about their partner's societal standing, status or behavior; they just love them for who they are, even if it goes against societal rules or expectations. The song ends with the powerful lines, "You give me a heart attack, I will give you more than that" as the singer pledges to love their partner with an intensity greater than what they have received.


Line by Line Meaning

You give me a heart attack
You excite me beyond measure


You look like the summertime
You are the embodiment of the season and all its joy and warmth


You call me an artifact
You see me as a relic of the past, something that has lost its meaning


But I'll save that for another time
But we can discuss that later, it's not important now


I could be rich or poor
My financial status is not important in this relationship


I don't need anymore
I'm content with what I have and don't require anything else


Keep your love inside the kitchen
Your love should be shown through your actions, particularly in feeding me


You can feed me anything
I trust you and will eat whatever you give me


Leave the feathers on the chicken
Don't worry about making things look perfect, I'm not picky


Peel the leather from your skin
Be yourself and don't try to hide anything from me


I can be young or old
My age doesn't matter to me or to our relationship


Sweet or sad, hot or cold
I can have any emotion or mood and still love you


Man or animal, I don't care at all
I don't care if you're human or animal-like in your behavior, I love you either way


Find the antidote underneath the dose
Find the cure for anything that ails our relationship


Man or animal, obedient
Again, your behavior doesn't matter to me, as long as we're in love


out of control
Even though things may be unpredictable and chaotic, I still love you


I will love you more than money
My love for you will always be my top priority


I will breathe you in the smoke
I'll take in everything about you, even the things that might cause me harm


I will drink you in my honey
I will enjoy your sweetness and cherish it


When you're right, when you're wrong
I will stand by you, no matter what you do or say


Head is near, eyes are gone
I'm so close to you that nothing else matters, not even my own senses


You can drown my appetite
You have control over me and even my basic needs


I will sip your tears at night
Even your sadness or pain won't deter my love for you


You can tie me to a chair
You have complete control over me and my actions


Skin and bones, I don't care
Even if you reduce me to just my physical form, I'd still love you the same


out of control
Once again, my love for you can survive any chaos or unpredictability


You give me a heart attack
You excite me beyond measure


I will give you more than that
I will love you even more than you love me, no matter what




Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Timothy Commerford, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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