Rising from the ashes of Failure's first four-piece band "The Bloody Mannequins", Die Mannequin started in the spring of 2006 when Failure recorded her first EP, How to Kill/Cordless Recordings on which she sang and played bass and guitar because she didn't have a permanent band at that time. Death from Above 1979's Jesse F. Keeler took care of the drum duties as well as production. The E.P. featured four songs and was produced by Keeler and partner Al-P from MSTRKRFT.
Care later hired two of her long time friends, Ethan Deth (Kill Cheerleader, and later Crystal Castles) and Ghostwolf (born Pat. M), to play bass and drums. Ethan was quickly replaced by Anthony Bleed (who had been Kill Cheerleader's singer/guitarist) on bass. Managed by Shull Management, Die Mannequin signed with EMI Publishing in the summer of 2006, and began their own record label, How To Kill Music which is distributed by Warner Music Canada.
Die Mannequin's second EP titled Slaughter Daughter was released in 2007. The band released a video for the first single "Do it or Die" (produced by Ian D'Sa of Billy Talent) which has air play on Much Music and Much Loud.
Unicorn Steak was released in 2008, which provides a compilation of How to Kill and Slaughter Daughter plus two additional tracks—"Empty's Promise" and "Hand in Hand".
In September 2009 they releasedFINO + BLEED.FINO + BLEED includes 12 tracks, but those lucky enough to have grabbed the limited edition version also got an hour long documentary, “The Rawside of…Die Mannequin,” which was nominated for two Gemini Awards.
Their last album NEON ZERO was released in October 2014.
Start It Up
Die Mannequin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's leaving soon?
Pack my bags for
Quarter to four
I'll be waiting outside my door
Break out, and we
We make our escape now
(With you)
We'll forget our lives
Nothing faked no goodbye's now
(With you)
Start it up
Make me happy or let it fade
And we're giving up
But I'll die if I stay here
(With you)
Far gone, sobbing for days
Craving a change
Carve my name in a bathroom stall
Is this what you've been living for?
Harmful, who's laughing now?
Who's fooling who?
Right as rain I can never go home
Is this what you all take me for?
Are you ready
Reckless as we
Start it up and
We make our escape now
(With you)
We'll forget our lives
Nothing faked no goodbye's now
(With you)
Start it up
Make me happy or let it fade
Right or wrong
Don't go home
Can't go home
Don't go home
So we...
Start it up and
We make our escape now
(With you)
We'll forget our lives
Nothing faked no goodbye's now
(With you)
So start it up
Leave me happy or let it fade
And no holding back
Just as long as I'm always
(With you)
Let's go
The lyrics of Die Mannequin's song Start It Up is about a person who wants to escape from their mundane and unsatisfying life. The lyrics highlight the desperation of the person to make a change in their life by leaving everything and starting anew. The opening lines of the song ask a rhetorical question about who is leaving soon and pack their bags for the quarter of four. This suggests that the person singing the song is already anticipating their departure and has everything planned out. The next lines talk about waiting outside the door, indicating how restless the person is to start a new life.
The chorus of the song is about starting over, forgetting the past, and making an escape with someone. The person singing the song wants to make a new beginning with their partner, where everything is real and nothing is fake. The lyrics also convey how the person fears dying if they stay in the same place, and it becomes a metaphorical representation of remaining complacent and not taking a chance in life. The second verse talks about how the person feels neglected and unappreciated in society, and carving their name on a bathroom stall is a reflection of their desire to leave their mark in the world.
Overall, the song portrays the frustration and desire of a person who wants to break free from their routine and start a new life with no regrets.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold on, who's running out
Who is leaving and wants to escape from their current situation?
Who's leaving soon?
When is the escape planned?
Pack my bags for
Preparing to leave and start fresh.
Quarter to four
Exact time planned for the escape.
I'll be waiting outside my door
Ready to leave as soon as the time comes.
Break out, and we
Escape together and leave the past behind.
Start it up and
Begin the journey to a new life.
We make our escape now
Leave everything behind and move forward.
(With you)
Together in this escape.
We'll forget our lives
Leave the past behind and start fresh.
Nothing faked no goodbye's now
Honesty in the escape, not faking anything and leaving without goodbyes.
Make me happy or let it fade
Willing to start this new life only if it brings happiness or else let it go.
And we're giving up
Leaving behind everything and giving up on the old life.
But I'll die if I stay here
The old life is unbearable and staying here means dying emotionally.
Far gone, sobbing for days
Lost and sad for a long time.
Craving a change
Longing for a new and better life.
Carve my name in a bathroom stall
Leaving a mark to indicate existence but not intending to return.
Is this what you've been living for?
Questioning the purpose and meaning of life so far.
Harmful, who's laughing now?
The old life was harmful but now leaving, and no one is laughing anymore.
Right as rain I can never go home
Even though everything seems perfect, going back is not an option.
Is this what you all take me for?
Questioning if the old life and its expectations were all there was.
Are you ready
Asking if the partner is ready for the escape.
Reckless as we
Taking a bold and risky step by escaping.
Right or wrong
It may not be perfect, but it's better than the old life.
Don't go home
Not looking back and not returning to the old life.
Can't go home
Emotionally and physically unable to return to the old life.
So we...
Moving forward together, no matter what.
Leave me happy or let it fade
Leaving everything behind and starting fresh, only if it brings happiness.
And no holding back
Complete surrender in the escape, without holding back.
Just as long as I'm always
Together in this new life, forever.
(With you)
Together in the new life, facing anything that comes their way.
Contributed by Bailey H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
himycatisdead
I saw this band a couple of years ago and Care Failure at that time was a strutting bonifyed rock star in every sense of the word from guitar handling prowless to her stage presence!
MrBlackHatMC
it ROCKS..... !!!
BombusQuadricolor
@MrBlackHatMC Yarp.
Dead-Honey
hate to say it but i was not impressed with this bands performance it was the manson tour aswell she looked like a remake of courtney love passing out on the stage... it wasnt until i picked up the cd that i truely fell in love with this band...maybe ive seen a bad show but i will gladly give this band another chance now