Machine Head's first four albums earned the band a growing fan base in Europe, however the band would not have success in their native United States until later releases. The band drew controversy with its fourth album, Supercharger (2001), released three weeks after the September 11 attacks, which resulted in the album's only single, "Crashing Around You", and its music video (which featured burning buildings) being pulled from all media outlets. The band nearly disbanded in 2002 after negotiating off its label Roadrunner Records as a result of the controversy, however the band would eventually re-sign with the label.
Having experimented with elements of groove metal and nu metal in its early releases, Machine Head changed to a more traditional thrash metal sound and longer songs with its sixth album, The Blackening (2007), which drew critical acclaim and was chosen as Album of the Decade by Metal Hammer in 2010; the album's first single, "Aesthetics of Hate", also earned the band its first Grammy Award nomination. The band achieved similar success with its following two albums, Unto the Locust (2011) and Bloodstone & Diamonds (2014), before returning to its nu metal roots with the release of its ninth album, Catharsis (2018).
Machine Head has released nine studio albums, two live albums, one video album, 13 singles and 15 music videos. Four of the band's studio albums have been certified silver in the United Kingdom, and the band's highest peak on the Billboard 200 came with Bloodstone & Diamonds at number 21. To date, the band has sold over three million records worldwide.
Studio albums
Burn My Eyes (1994)
The More Things Change... (1997)
The Burning Red (1999)
Supercharger (2001)
Through the Ashes of Empires (2003)
The Blackening (2007)
Unto the Locust (2011)
Bloodstone & Diamonds (2014)
Catharsis (2018)
Take My Scars
Machine Head Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it'll be here for plenty more
It is the face hidden in disgrace
That has become now an open sore
It is a false messiah
It is the face of pain
The bringer of the bittersweet
Take my scars
Through hands of God
I found a better way
To break the walls
Fed all the lies and desensitized
Taught to believe that it is the way
Taught to divide and exactly why
You'll never understand my rage
You've never had to borrow
You've never had to steal
You eat it with your silver spoon
For me it's real
Take my scars
Through hands of God
I found a better way
To break the walls
Blood and concrete
Piss and wine
Whores that fuck
To feel divine
They'll clean their needles
In their shrine
In ignorance
It's bliss you find
Why can't you
Fuckin' open
Open up your eyes
The song "Take My Scars" by Machine Head deals with the pain and scars that come with living in a world filled with deceit and corruption. The first verse acknowledges the persistence of this pain over time, referring to it as a "face hidden in disgrace" that has "become now an open sore." The pain is further personified as a "false messiah" and the "bringer of the bittersweet."
The second verse speaks to the ways in which individuals are fed lies and desensitized to the truth. There is a sense of anger and frustration in the lyrics, with the singer stating that others will never understand their rage. The second half of the verse addresses the privileged and their inability to empathize, expressing that "for me it's real" while "you eat it with your silver spoon."
In the chorus, the singer finds a sense of hope or redemption through their relationship with God. The language is poetic and powerful, with the phrase "Through hands of God, I found a better way, to break the walls" expressing a sense of transcendence through divine intervention.
The bridge of the song paints a bleak and gritty picture of reality. Blood, concrete, piss, and wine are mixed with the pain of prostitution, drug use, and misguided faith. The final plea to "open up your eyes" suggests that the only way to overcome this pain is through awareness and empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been around for a thousand years
The feeling of shame and disgrace that causes pain has been present for a long time
And it'll be here for plenty more
This feeling will persist for a long time in the future
It is the face hidden in disgrace
The source of pain and shame is not immediately apparent or visible
That has become now an open sore
It has now become visible and has started to affect people more obviously
It is a false messiah
The source of this pain is not a true savior
It is the face of pain
The pain itself has become personified
The bringer of the bittersweet
The pain is all about giving mixed messages
The heretic insane
It's a craziness that doesn't conform with what is considered normal or expected
Take my scars
Experience what I have experienced
Through hands of God
With the help and guidance of a higher power
I found a better way
I came upon a better solution or method for dealing with the pain
To break the walls
To break through the obstacles and limitations that the pain has created
Fed all the lies and desensitized
Deceived and numbed by what has been taught and experienced
Taught to believe that it is the way
Taught to see the source of pain as the norm or the only way
Taught to divide and exactly why
Taught to create divisions and misunderstandings
You'll never understand my rage
You'll never comprehend the depth of my anger and hurt
You've never had to borrow
You've never had to struggle for basic necessities
You've never had to steal
You've never had to resort to crime to survive
You eat it with your silver spoon
You enjoy privilege and great wealth
For me it's real
For me, the struggle and pain are very real
Blood and concrete
The harsh realities of urban life
Piss and wine
The stark contrast between poverty and extravagance
Whores that fuck
The desperation and lack of self-respect that drives some people to engage in sex work
To feel divine
The illusion of feeling holy or elevated in some way
They'll clean their needles
Drug use and all its associated risks and consequences
In their shrine
A place of worship or devotion to something destructive
In ignorance
Without a full understanding of the consequences
It's bliss you find
These people find pleasure in the foolishness of their actions
Why can't you
Why are you unable to
Fuckin' open
Open up, become more receptive
Open up your eyes
Pay closer attention to what is going on around you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM DUCE, DAVE MCCLAIN, LOGAN CONRAD MADER, ROBERT CONRAD FLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stevebroughton4787
Timeless.....and still brutal.
@Flips44
Exactly
@carloscataldogalli6846
Yessss!!!!
@bethwatts2408
Still one of my favourite Breakdowns 🔥🔥🔥
@m.n.affendy1452
Its 2020 and still heavy af ! 🤘
@Flips44
2022
@YUNGMEXICANBEANER
cool
@jotatttoo
You mean 2023
@emchammer1815
miss the 90's and all its metal
@nastierpogo
amen brother