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.
Shake Down
Die Warzau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take it off till you like what you see
I've got the fear of god in me
I'm in the back with the little boys, little girls
Shake down, shake
Shake down, shake
Little boys, little girls
Bad advice will you stick around and around and around
You sold me second hand
See the flare of disbelief to conceive right here in secrecy
How do I even stop this now
Shake down, shake
Shake down, shake
How do I even stop this now
How do I even....how?
To the point, to the shaking hand
? pins inside
Do you understand?
See the girls? See the street?
See the broken smiles?
See the sweat here now for miles and miles
Shake down, shake
Shake down, shake
For miles and miles
You're the circuit I redivide
One cuts the same
Do you circumcise?
Feel the pressure, feel the pain
Feel the pulse, feel the shame
Again and again and again and again
Shake down, shake
Shake down, shake
Again and again
Again and again
Come to life, will you set me free?
These chains and bombs will liberate me
Undress, redress, no logical exception
Take it off, take it off, take it off
Shake down, shake
Shake down, shake
Take it off, take it off
Take it off, take it off
Shake
The lyrics to Die Warzau's song "Shake Down" are a mixture of rebellion, self-doubt, and a desire for liberation from societal constraints. The first stanza talks about taking off one's outer layer until one likes what they see. This can be interpreted as shedding false identities and societal expectations until one is comfortable with their true self. The fear of God mentioned in this stanza can be seen as a fear of judgment from society or authority figures.
The second stanza talks about bad advice and feeling sold out by someone. The singer feels a flare of disbelief and secrecy as they try to figure out how to stop the situation. This can be interpreted as a sense of betrayal or a decision that goes against one's values, resulting in a struggle to make the right choice.
The chorus, "Shake down, shake," is repeated throughout the song and can represent a physical or emotional release. The final stanza talks about feeling pressure, pain, and shame, but repeating the cycle again and again. The desire to be set free is expressed through the lines "Come to life, will you set me free? These chains and bombs will liberate me."
Overall, "Shake Down" can be seen as a call for personal freedom and self-discovery, despite the pressures and expectations of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Take it off till you like what you see
Remove your outer layers until you feel comfortable with your appearance
I've got the fear of god in me
I am filled with a powerful sense of fear and intimidation
I'm in the back with the little boys, little girls
I am positioned in the rear with young, impressionable individuals.
Bad advice will you stick around and around and around
Continuing to follow poor instruction leads to a circular, unproductive outcome.
You sold me second hand
I was given hand-me-down, used items.
See the flare of disbelief to conceive right here in secrecy
There is a noticeable reaction of disbelief in grasping something concealed from reality.
How do I even stop this now
I am uncertain of how to put an end to what is happening.
To the point, to the shaking hand
We must reach the core issue with a tremoring, troubled hand.
? pins inside
There are potentially pointy items hidden somewhere.
Do you understand?
Do you comprehend the gravity of the situation?
See the girls? See the street?
Observe the female figures and view the state of the environment around us.
See the broken smiles?
Take note of the fake, forced expressions of happiness.
See the sweat here now for miles and miles
There is a vast expanse of perspiration extending as far as the eye can see.
You're the circuit I redivide
You are the electrical pathway that I must reform.
One cuts the same
The procedure is uniform for all parties.
Do you circumcise?
Do you perform the act of circumcision?
Feel the pressure, feel the pain
Sensations of pressure and discomfort are evident.
Feel the pulse, feel the shame
The beat of one's heart is coupled with a sense of humiliation.
Again and again and again and again
This pattern repeats incessantly.
Come to life, will you set me free?
Awaken me so that I may be released from these shackles.
These chains and bombs will liberate me
Tools of destruction will ultimately bring me freedom.
Undress, redress, no logical exception
Remove then replace clothing, without sound reasoning behind the act.
Take it off, take it off, take it off
Remove your clothing.
Contributed by Ellie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.