At the time the Family began to form, Manson was an unemployed ex-convict who had spent half of his life in correctional institutions for a variety of offenses. Before the murders, he was a singer-songwriter on the fringe of the Los Angeles music industry, chiefly through a chance association with Dennis Wilson, drummer and founding member of The Beach Boys. Manson believed in what he called "Helter Skelter", a term he took from the Beatles' song of the same name to describe an impending apocalyptic race war. He believed the murders would help precipitate that war. From the beginning of his notoriety, a pop culture arose around him in which he ultimately became an emblem of insanity, violence and the macabre. After Manson was charged with the crimes of which he was later convicted, recordings of songs written and performed by him were released commercially, starting with Lie: The Love and Terror Cult (1970). Various musicians have covered some of his songs.
Manson was originally sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole after California invalidated the state's death penalty statute in 1972. He served out his life sentence at California State Prison in Corcoran and died at age 83 in 2017.
On March 6, 1970 (the day the court vacated Manson's status as his own attorney),:258–269 LIE, an album of Manson music, was released. This included "Cease to Exist", a Manson composition the Beach Boys had recorded with modified lyrics and the title "Never Learn Not to Love". Over the next couple of months, only about 300 of the album's 2,000 copies sold.
Since that time, there have been several releases of Manson recordings – both musical and spoken.[69] One of these, The Family Jams, includes two compact discs of Manson's songs recorded by the Family in 1970, after Manson and the others had been arrested. Guitar and lead vocals are supplied by Steve Grogan:125–127 additional vocals are supplied by Lynette Fromme, Sandra Good, Catherine Share, and others. One Mind, an album of music, poetry, and spoken word, new at the time of its release, in April 2005, was put out under a Creative Commons license.
According to a popular urban legend, Manson unsuccessfully auditioned for the Monkees in late 1965; this is refuted by the fact that Manson was still incarcerated at McNeil Island at that time.
In 2010, Manson recorded an album of acoustic pop songs with additional production by Henry Rollins, titled Completion. Only five copies were pressed; two belong to Rollins, while the other three are presumed to have been with Manson. The album remains unreleased.
Ego
Charles Manson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's in the back
The front
No it's in the back
No it's in the front
No it's in the back
They shoved it in the back
They put it in the back
All the love in the back
Get in the back boy
And they call it your subconscious
TALK:
Remember Freud
In the front is your computer
And I call him
SING:
Old ego is a too much thing
Old ego is a too much thing
He'll make you fool yourself
You'll think you're somebody else
They got the whole subway train
Makes you want to jump on up there an' fight
And you can't stand left to your right
He'll make you lie
Make you cheat
Jus' so you won't be beat
He'll make you get on outta sight
You get afraid you gonna, act like a clown
And you get mad when somebody puts you down
Your heart's a-pumpin' and you pan-heart's a-jumpin'
Look out ego is a too much thing
When everything seems goin' so fine
Old ego puts itself on a bind
Your cert'ty turns to doubt
Then you start flippin' out
Then you ease on out of your mind
The lyrics of Charles Manson's song "Ego" are very metaphorical and poetic, and on the surface, they speak about the ego and its influence on our thoughts and behaviors. The song starts with the repeated lines, "It's in the back, it's in the front," signaling that the ego is something that can be found both in our subconscious and conscious mind. Manson then says, "They shoved it in the back, they put it in the back, all the love in the back," indicating that our ego pushes back our true desires, emotions, and love for others.
Manson then alludes to the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud, saying, "And they call it your subconscious, remember Freud, in the front is your computer." Here he means that our ego works like a computer, processing all our thoughts and emotions to keep us in check. He then goes on to say, "Old ego is a too much thing, he'll make you fool yourself, you'll think you're somebody else." Manson is saying that the ego can deceive us into thinking we're something we're not, leading us down a path of self-delusion and even madness.
The rest of the song speaks about how the ego can make us act out of fear or insecurity, turning us into liars and cheats. Manson warns us to watch out for our ego, "Look out ego is a too much thing," and not let it take over our minds and lives, leading us to lose our sense of self.
Line by Line Meaning
It's in, side
The ego exists within a person.
It's in the back
The ego is not immediately apparent or conscious to the individual.
The front
There is something else occupying the conscious mind.
No it's in the back
The true power lies in the hidden areas of the mind.
No it's in the front
The ego is often mistakenly believed to be the primary source of motivation.
No it's in the back
The ego is not always easy to locate or understand.
They shoved it in the back
The ego may be suppressed or ignored by external forces.
They put it in the back
The ego may be intentionally hidden or repressed.
All the love in the back in the back
Even positive emotions may be relegated to the unconscious mind.
All the love in the back
Positive emotions can contribute to the ego's power.
Get in the back boy
The singer implores someone to subordinate their ego to a higher authority.
And they call it your subconscious
The ego is often conflated with the subconscious mind.
Remember Freud
The singer nods to the influence of Freudian psychology on the concept of the ego.
In the front is your computer
The mind's conscious thought processes are separate from the ego.
And I call him
The singer identifies their personal definition of the ego.
Old ego is a too much thing
The ego possesses too much power or influence.
Old ego is a too much thing
The ego can become problematic if not kept in check.
He'll make you fool yourself
The ego can lead a person to delude themselves.
You'll think you're somebody else
The ego can cause a person to believe they are someone else, or better than they actually are.
They got the whole subway train
The ego can be a collective force impacting many people.
Makes you want to jump on up there an' fight
The ego can lead to aggressive, combative behavior.
And you can't stand left to your right
The ego may prevent a person from making rational decisions.
He'll make you lie
The ego can cause a person to act dishonestly.
Make you cheat
The ego can drive a person to cheat or break rules.
Jus' so you won't be beat
The ego seeks to maintain dominance over others.
He'll make you get on outta sight
The ego may cause a person to want to hide or flee when challenged.
You get afraid you gonna, act like a clown
The ego can lead to irrational or embarrassing behavior.
And you get mad when somebody puts you down
The ego is easily bruised by criticism or perceived disrespect.
Your heart's a-pumpin' and you pan-heart's a-jumpin'
The ego can cause a physical reaction in the body.
Look out ego is a too much thing
The singer warns of the dangers of an unchecked ego.
When everything seems goin' so fine
The ego can persist even in times of success or happiness.
Old ego puts itself on a bind
The ego can become trapped or constrained.
Your cert'ty turns to doubt
The ego can cause a person to second-guess their own beliefs or abilities.
Then you start flippin' out
The ego can cause a person to experience irrational, extreme emotions.
Then you ease on out of your mind
The ego can drive a person to lose touch with reality.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GINO MARCELLI, RAFFAELLA DE STEFANO, VALERIO ARTUSI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Corey
on I'm Free Now
"I'm Free Now" Charles Manson - The Commemoration
There is a song,
I've been searchin for; ill find it
it's here, it's the song i wanted to
write down for you
but i just cant seem to think about anything to do
an old forgotten thing i should've remembered
i even, have trouble, remembering you
so if i see your mark on the road
if i see a smile on your face
you know in my soul know i know
it's just another world another place
keeps on; don't hold on; free
be your friend; your what you got
and you can let the peace pour in
no soul is forever now free now
free now free now free now free now
TO PROVE IM FREE i must act like a fool get a gun and bust someone in the He-he-head
walk along, saying better leave me alone or .... ima let ya play dead
I wanna be free to be, the one I see
just walking along in the sunshine
Live my life and be mine, Lead someone that's blind
Oh, if I could help an old bug off a bush or a tree
Keep on saving, the one im saving me,
ya know i've been here forever now
if im here right now
its cuz you couldn't get me killed
you sorry motherfukin dogs
witches on bitch that run on logs
but ya keep on frying my blood
keep on raising my bird from the mud
keep on stompin me to the the ground
keep on hitting me in the eye
find out where your going
"just watch it there"
see where it's goin; you know it's there
you keep on trusting something that's not even you
in case something happens you think you'll know what to do
NOw you wanna keep on playing on the fake side
They keep on playin on the night side , hide light
Yellow movin on, i see my yellow movin on,
I see my yellow and my yellow and my yellow and my yellow moving on
China man talkin on takin on bills on bills on bills
on someones desk, card check the credit pit
Got a french poodle baby, i pet the french poodle baby,
or, talk about, making it into a hamburger
*Whistles***
"Right about now, ladies and gentleman i'm supposed to give you something you can identify with. Something that would be in that world you call the past. But if i did, i wouldn't be the first and I would't be the last."
Lyrics by: Corey Amond