An ode to the eating disorder Anorexia nervosa, the song has gained a degree of notoriety since much of its lyrical material is partly autobiographical, based on Edwards' own documented problems with eating, which had escalated by the time of writing. Its uncompromisingly dark tone has led to the song often being singled out as representative of The Holy Bible as a whole, whilst it has been recognised as offering a key insight into the depths of Richey Edwards' personal torment. In his review of the album on Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine specifically mentions "4st 7lb", calling it "one of the most chilling songs in rock & roll".
The music was co-written by bandmembers James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore. Along with "Die in the Summertime", it is one of the two songs on the album reported to have lyrics written entirely by Richey Edwards. Other bandmember Nicky Wire, who was co-lyricist with Edwards up to that point in the band's career, had no input in the song's writing, despite being credited. "4st 7lb" begins with a soundbite taken from a documentary called 40 Minutes: Caraline's Story, a 1994 documentary on the life of Caraline Neville-Lister, a 29 year old woman suffering from anorexia as a result of years of sexual, physical and mental abuse.
The song takes the form of a diary written from the point of view of a young adolescent girl suffering from the disease. It consists of two sections. In the first half, the unnamed girl, in graphic detail, describes the ongoing effects the eating disorder is having on her body, represented by lines during the verses such as "See my third rib appear/A week later all my flesh disappears" and "Stomach collapsed at five/Lift up my skirt my sex is gone". In the pre-chorus it is strongly hinted that the girl abstains from eating to emulate the celebrity supermodels who are depicted as role models to other young women, making references to such models as Kate Moss ("Kate") and Emma Balfour ("Emma") who are famous for their slender build[2]. The pre-chorus also explores her parents failure to help her, either because they don't understand the root of the problem (the father dismisses her concerns over her weight, saying "that's the way you're built") or because they don't create the right impression themselves (the mother is on a diet but strongly encourages her to eat "roast beef"). In each chorus, the girl ultimately declares she wants to lose so much weight that her presence is no longer felt - "I want to walk in the snow/And not leave a footprint". The music throughout this section is generally loud and harsh.
In the second half, the music completely changes, becoming much slower-paced, quieter and more ambient, consisting of four verses with no chorus. The lyrics offer an unconventional resolve for the narrator, if any at all. She does not overcome the disease, instead learning to cope with it and in fact gains a kind of superiority complex as a result. She refers to the people around her attempting to help as "the fat scum", and ultimately declares she has "finally come to understand life/Through staring blankly at [her] navel". The title of the song refers to the lowest possible weight a fully-grown woman can survive at (4st 7lb being 63lb), as dropping below this weight will result in death for the person. In the song's final verse, the narrator refers to the weight, strongly suggesting she has reached it herself. Whether or not she survives is never explicitly stated. However, her death is suggested by the lyric "an epilogue of youth".
The 10th Anniversary Edition of The Holy Bible contained the mix of each album track intended for release in the US. In the band interview on the accompanying DVD, the US mix of "4st 7lb" was one of the songs particularly cited as an improvement over the original.
4st 7lb
Manic Street Preachers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cheeks sunken and despaired
So gorgeous sunk to six stone
Lose my only remaining home
See my third rib appear
A week later all my flesh disappear
Stretching taut, cling-film on bone
I'm getting better
Kate and emma and kristin know it's fake
Problem is diet's not a big enough word
I want to be so skinny that I rot from view
I want to walk in the snow
And not leave a footprint
I want to walk in the snow
And not soil its purity
Stomach collapsed at five
Lift up my skirt my sex is gone
Naked and lovely and 5st. 2
May I bud and never flower
My vision's getting blurred
But I can see my ribs and I feel fine
My hands are trembling stalks
And I can feel my breasts are sinking
Mother trys to choke me with roast beef
And sits savouring her sole ryvitta
That's the way you're built my father said
But I can change, my cocoon shedding
I want to walk in the snow
And not leave a footprint
I want to walk in the snow
And not soil its purity
Kate and kristin and kit kat
All things I like looking at
Too weak to fuss, too weak to die
Choice is skeletal in everybody's life
I choose, my choice, I starve to frenzy
Hunger soon passes and sickness soon tires
Legs bend, stockinged I am twiggy
And I don't mind the horror that surrounds me
Self-worth scatters, self-esteem's a bore
I long since moved to a higher plateau
This discipline's so rare so please applaud
Just look at the fat scum who pamper me so
Yeh 4st. 7, an epilogue of youth
Such beautiful dignity in self-abuse
I've finally come to understand life
Through staring blankly at my navel.
The lyrics to Manic Street Preachers' song 4st 7lb describe a struggle with anorexia and the desire to be so skinny that the body rots from view. The song is a critique of society's obsession with thinness and the pressure put on women to conform to beauty standards. The opening lines describe the physical effects of the illness, with sunken cheeks and a body that has wasted away to six stone. The lyrics continue to describe the desire to be even thinner, with references to the disappearance of flesh and the appearance of ribs. The chorus repeats the desire to walk in the snow and not leave a footprint, a metaphor for wanting to disappear entirely.
The song also touches on the psychological aspects of anorexia, with the singer's vision becoming blurred but still feeling fine. The lyrics describe the conflicting messages coming from the singer's family, with the mother trying to force feed her with roast beef while the father tells her that's just the way she's built. There is a sense of defiance in the final lines, with the singer choosing to starve to frenzy and finding a sense of self-worth in the discipline of anorexia.
Overall, the lyrics to 4st 7lb are a powerful commentary on the destructive nature of anorexia and the societal pressures that contribute to it. It is a reminder that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and that self-worth should not be tied to one's appearance.
Line by Line Meaning
Days since I last pissed
It has been a significant time since I last urinated.
Cheeks sunken and despaired
My face has become gaunt and hopeless.
So gorgeous sunk to six stone
I have become stunningly beautiful by reaching the weight of six stone, despite the dangers associated with such a low weight.
Lose my only remaining home
My body has changed so much that my physical form no longer feels familiar and comfortable, leaving me without a sense of home.
See my third rib appear
My body has become so thin that the third rib is now visible.
A week later all my flesh disappear
In a short period of time, I have lost all my body mass and am now severely underweight.
Stretching taut, cling-film on bone
My skin is now stretched tightly over my bones, like cling film, emphasizing my extreme thinness.
I'm getting better
Despite my continued weight loss, I believe I am improving.
Karen says I've reached my target weight
Karen believes that I have achieved the weight I set out to reach through my unhealthy diet and habits.
Kate and emma and kristin know it's fake
My friends Kate, Emma, and Kristin recognize that my extreme thinness is not healthy and is the result of dangerous behavior.
Problem is diet's not a big enough word
I recognize that my issues with food and body image are not simply a matter of diet, but are deeply rooted in my psychological well-being.
I want to be so skinny that I rot from view
My desire to be thin is so extreme that I want to disappear completely, becoming invisible by wasting away.
I want to walk in the snow
And not leave a footprint
I desire to be so thin that I barely make an impact on the world, even in a tangible way such as leaving footprints in the snow.
Stomach collapsed at five
My stomach has shrunk to the point where it feels like it has collapsed in on itself, making me feel uncomfortably full after very little food.
Lift up my skirt my sex is gone
I have lost all signs of sexual maturity, as my body has become so underdeveloped and emaciated.
Naked and lovely and 5st. 2
May I bud and never flower
Despite my dangerously low weight, I still feel beautiful and desire to preserve my youth and innocence, ideally never reaching maturity.
My vision's getting blurred
But I can see my ribs and I feel fine
My eyesight is beginning to be affected, but I feel reassured by the fact that I can see my ribs, indicating that I am continuing to lose weight.
My hands are trembling stalks
And I can feel my breasts are sinking
My hands are thin and quivering, and I can feel my breasts losing mass, indicating my overall physical deterioration.
Mother trys to choke me with roast beef
And sits savouring her sole ryvitta
My mother is attempting to force me to eat more, but she herself is content with a small and insubstantial snack.
That's the way you're built my father said
But I can change, my cocoon shedding
My father dismisses my desire to change, believing that my body type is just how I am built, but I hold out hope to transform myself into something new.
Kate and kristin and kit kat
All things I like looking at
I continue to admire the beauty of my friends and the treat Kit Kats, despite my unhealthy obsession with extreme thinness.
Too weak to fuss, too weak to die
Choice is skeletal in everybody's life
My weak and deteriorating body means that I am unable to fight back or even contemplate death, and yet I feel that the ideal body is one that is skeletal, despite the inherent dangers.
I choose, my choice, I starve to frenzy
Hunger soon passes and sickness soon tires
Despite the horrors of my extreme thinness, I continue to make the choice to starve myself until I reach an almost uncontrollable level of hunger and illness that eventually wanes away.
Legs bend, stockinged I am twiggy
And I don't mind the horror that surrounds me
Even with my legs becoming inflexible and my body resembling that of a twig, I am indifferent to the shock and disgust that my appearance may elicit from others.
Self-worth scatters, self-esteem's a bore
I long since moved to a higher plateau
As I continue to pursue extreme thinness, any sense of self-worth or pride is lost, and I have accepted a new, dangerous standard for myself.
This discipline's so rare so please applaud
Just look at the fat scum who pamper me so
I view my dangerous discipline in losing weight as an admirable accomplishment that deserves praise, and look down upon others who are not engaging in similarly unhealthy habits.
Yeh 4st. 7, an epilogue of youth
Such beautiful dignity in self-abuse
I've finally come to understand life
Through staring blankly at my navel.
Despite the destructive nature of my obsession with extreme thinness, I see it as an end to my youth and as a dignified form of self-abuse that has allowed me to understand the complexities of my life through a narrowed focus on my own body.
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRADFIELD, EDWARDS, JONES, MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind