Formed in 1987 by performance artists Jim Marcus and Van Christie, Die Warz… Read Full Bio ↴Formed in 1987 by performance artists Jim Marcus and Van Christie, Die Warzau (originally referred to as Die Warzau Synfony) has operated on the fringes of industrial music, creating a unique sound. An everpresent and important part of Die Warzau's appeal is the sociopolitical lyricism and emotive vocals of Jim Marcus.

Originally signed to Chris Parry's Fiction Records, the band released Disco Rigido in the late 1980s (distributed in the United States by Atlantic Records), which featured "Welcome To America", "Land of the Free" and "I've Got To Make Sense". Though the album falls solidly into the EBM genre, it contains hints of the experimentation and genre-bending that later recordings would feature (e.g. "Y Tagata en Situ").

A second album, Big Electric Metal Bass Face, built on the foundation laid with Disco Rigido and upped the ante with excursions into funk (listen to "Funkopolis" as well as the live take of "Coming Down"). Contributors to the band at the time included Chris Vrenna and James Woolley, who both served time in Nine Inch Nails during the mid-Nineties.

Marcus and Christie then teamed up with Jane Jensen to form Oxygiene 23, and released an album ("Blue") on Fifth Column Records.

Engine, a 1995 release on WaxTrax!, was a huge jump forward and found critical acclaim for its decimation of genre boundaries. Die Warzau could no longer be simply pigeonholed into the "industrial" category, as their music became more organic, rounder on the edges yet still retaining their trademark knack for insistent rhythm and pure, unrefined electronic noise. "Liberated" and "All Good Girls" became trademark songs for the group. Fellow WaxTrax! act Sister Machine Gun "inherited" an unused song from this period ("Hole In the Ground"), which they included on their Burn album.

Die Warzau as a group then went on hiatus for a number of years, with Marcus and Christie working on other projects--Jim Marcus founded the pure funk group Everplastic while Van Christie worked on Eco-Hed.

By 2005, though, the duo had reconvened and released Convenience (on their Chicago-based Pulseblack Records). A continuation of the path they started on with Engine, songs like "Radiation Babies", "Kleen" and "Linoleum" further blur any genre lines and leave something truly original. More output is expected from the group in 2006, including a collaboration with funk pioneer George Clinton.

Dying in Paradise
Die Warzau Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One more word in the wrong place
Let your body go
Let your body go
If I had the money, I could talk to you
On the radio - but I've got nowhere to go
Tube town in the morning when the sun is up - I can feel it now
Why don't you

Take me - take me out of here
There's gotta be something - something I fear
I want the sunlight out of my eyes
There's no greater hell than dying in paradise

Come taste the flavors - of biblical favors
Take a tour of the Vatican
I've got the sign of man on the palm of my hands and I feel so American

There's a sign on the doorway - it only goes one way
I've a feeling I can't get in
But if you take what I give you and bestow upon me virtue
You can wipe away any sin

There's a man on the highway who never sleeps sideways
Would you give him your diamond ring
Or is there room in the inn for this baby of sin
You don't have to get close to him

And there's a girl in the subway - she used to be lovely
She's been used by so many men

Why don't you take her far away with you - show her that her god is true
Maybe you can use her then

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of the song "One more word in the wrong place, Let your body go" is a foreshadowing of the chaos and destruction the singer or protagonist is experiencing. The singer desires to speak to someone on the radio, but admits he has nowhere to go. Tired of being in his current environment, he wants to leave and escape his reality. He imagines and longs for the warmth of a tropical island, a paradise, but he fears that reality may be worse than what he is experiencing in his current location. The singer considers an escape from his world to indulge in experiences that are forbidden and taboo. The final lines of the song indicate that the singer may be willing to exploit even the weak and vulnerable if he needs to at this stage.

Line by Line Meaning

One more word in the wrong place
This implies that a single mistake or error can make a huge difference and thereby, can transform a place from a paradise to a nightmare

Let your body go
This line implies that the singer wants the listeners to free themselves of any emotional, physical or mental burdens

If I had the money, I could talk to you On the radio - but I've got nowhere to go
The singer doesn't have the resources required to communicate with someone they are deeply connected to, which adds to their feeling of being stranded or stuck in the current situation

Tube town in the morning when the sun is up - I can feel it now
This line describes a specific place and time that carries a strong emotional connection for the artist, which may not necessarily be positive

Why don't you Take me - take me out of here
The artist is desperate to be taken away from their current situation or location

There's gotta be something - something I fear
The singer is afraid of the unknown and is convinced that there must be something they are unaware of

I want the sunlight out of my eyes
The sunlight is metaphorically being used to represent the harsh reality that the singer does not want to see or confront

There's no greater hell than dying in paradise
This line means that even a place that is seemingly perfect or utopian can become unbearable and unimaginable if one's personal situation is not ideal

Come taste the flavors - of biblical favors
This line is a call-to-action for the listener to experience all types of pleasures, as mentioned in the Bible

Take a tour of the Vatican
The artist is inviting the listener to explore and experience the ultimate holy destination- the Vatican

I've got the sign of man on the palm of my hands and I feel so American
This line means that the singer has the physical manifestation of being a human and also feels deeply rooted and connected to America

There's a sign on the doorway - it only goes one way
This line indicates that once you enter through that doorway, there's no going back or retreating from the situation you will be confronting

I've a feeling I can't get in
The singer is doubtful about being able to get past that doorway and may even feel excluded from that space

But if you take what I give you and bestow upon me virtue You can wipe away any sin
The singer is urging the listener to take the virtues they have been given and share them with the singer, so as to help them cleanse themselves of their wrongdoings

There's a man on the highway who never sleeps sideways
The singer is describing someone who is always on the move and doesn't like to waste time

Would you give him your diamond ring
The artist is asking if the listener would be willing to give away their valuables to someone who is in need or deserving of it

Or is there room in the inn for this baby of sin
The artist is referring to themselves as a 'baby of sin' and questioning if there is any space for them in the world or if society would even embrace them

You don't have to get close to him
The singer is instructing the listener to not physically approach or engage with someone who may not be trustworthy

And there's a girl in the subway - she used to be lovely She's been used by so many men
This line describes a girl who was once beautiful but has been taken advantage of by many men

Why don't you take her far away with you - show her that her god is true Maybe you can use her then
The artist is urging the listener to rescue and rehabilitate the girl, while also hinting at the possibility of the listener deriving some benefit from doing so

Contributed by Arianna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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