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.
Man Is Meat
Die Warzau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A lesson you learned in the factory
But where did you learn about wrong and right?
If you've got a dime you can share my disease
I'm playing dumb in a meek body
Come a little closer just to touch my skin
I'm, I'm obsessed with the fascination
Wrap my hands around the stimulation
Where you touch is like where you pray
A body of a tariff and the simulation
The body of god when I was half your age
Too late...man is meat.
When in a war embrace my system
On a road that's going right to hell
The body abides for me a whole ignition
Time is moving much too slow
I'm feeling dumb in a meek body
Come a little closer just to touch my skin
I'm obsessed with the fascination
The body around and the blood within
Man is meat!
Wrap my hands around the stimulation
Where you touch is like where you pray
A body of a ? and the simulation
The body of god when I was half your age
Too late
One foot in the sewer and one in the grave
I'm walking the streets to save my faith
? bible that my mother gave up
Who will die and what beast will live
You are my only shelter and my only friend
The living ?? my skin
I have no god now that I can abandon
Living too long is my only sin
Too late!
Man is meat!
The lyrics to Die Warzau's song "Man Is Meat" explore the themes of mortality, the human body, and the concept of right and wrong. The opening lines suggest that education is important, but imply that true understanding of morality goes beyond what can be learned in a factory. The song then delves into the obsession with the human body, with the singer expressing a desire to embrace sensations and stimulation. The line "Wrap my hands around the stimulation / Where you touch is like where you pray" suggests a connection between physical touch and spirituality.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Man is meat," which can be interpreted as a reminder of our mortality and physical nature. The bridge of the song adds a layer of desolation to the lyrics, with the singer feeling abandoned by religion and left to navigate the world on their own. The final repetition of "Man is meat" is a blunt reminder of the inevitability of death and the temporary nature of our physical existence.
Line by Line Meaning
We all know that you can read and write
Education is a basic necessity for human beings.
A lesson you learned in the factory
The industrial revolution spread literacy and education to workers.
But where did you learn about wrong and right?
Education is important, but not always sufficient to teach morality and ethics.
If you've got a dime you can share my disease
Personal connection and empathy require shared experiences, both good and bad.
I'm playing dumb in a meek body
The artist feels trapped or limited by their physical form or social role.
Come a little closer just to touch my skin
The singer seeks physical intimacy and connection to overcome their isolation.
I'm, I'm obsessed with the fascination
The singer's desire for connection or meaning has become all-consuming and potentially destructive.
The body around and the blood within
The physical, biological reality of humans is a source of both fascination and disgust for the artist.
Wrap my hands around the stimulation
The artist seeks pleasure or excitement from physical touch and sensory experience.
Where you touch is like where you pray
The physical sensations of pleasure or pain can be as intense or personal as religious experiences.
A body of a tariff and the simulation
The body can be commodified and simulated in media or technology.
The body of god when I was half your age
The artist may have experienced a sense of awe or mystery when contemplating the wonders of the human body.
Too late...man is meat.
The singer sees humanity as fundamentally fragile and mortal, with no inherent meaning or value beyond physical existence.
When in a war embrace my system
The singer may find comfort or protection in adherence to rules or ideologies in times of conflict or danger.
On a road that's going right to hell
The singer may feel like they are headed for a bleak or hopeless future.
The body abides for me a whole ignition
The artist's body is a source of vitality or inspiration even as it ages or decays.
Time is moving much too slow
The artist may feel stuck or frustrated by the slow passage of time or the limitations of their physical existence.
Man is meat!
A repetition of the singer's nihilistic view of human existence as meaningless and material.
One foot in the sewer and one in the grave
The singer may perceive themselves as caught between two unpleasant or inevitable outcomes or states.
I'm walking the streets to save my faith
The physical act of walking can be a form of religious or spiritual practice for the artist.
? bible that my mother gave up
The artist is perhaps estranged from religion or traditional beliefs passed down from their family.
Who will die and what beast will live
The artist may be contemplating the nature of death and suffering in the world, and the role of humans and animals in that process.
You are my only shelter and my only friend
The singer may feel isolated or alone, and seeks connection or protection from someone, even if it's not clear who or what that is.
The living?? my skin
The artist may be cherishing or reveling in physical sensation or sensual pleasure as a way to escape or transcend human limitations.
I have no god now that I can abandon
The singer is rejecting traditional notions of religion or transcendence, but feels no sense of loss or emptiness in doing so.
Living too long is my only sin
The singer may feel that their existence is a burden or liability, and that the quality of their life has diminished over time.
Too late!
An expression of finality or despair at the singer's negative view of human existence.
Man is meat!
A repetition of the artist's nihilistic view of human existence as meaningless and material.
Contributed by Jacob M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Johnny Mack
I have been listening to Big Electric Metal Bass Face for almost 30 years and this is the first time I've heard this tune.