R.P. McMurphy
Manic Street Preachers Lyrics


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Straight jacket your own beauty
Because it's just a breakdown away
From the gutter to the jewel
A symbol sold in investment days
Defenceless as the pages you burn
A baby drowning under a profit curve
Money bruises the skin at birth
I just wanna lie down in my bed
Make myself different from the rest
Use a thought to put myself to sleep
Collapsing in the fields where it feels free
Where it feels free
R.P. McMurphy

Na na ... No more pills and no more drugs

This country pisses debris
Like ugly people made pretty
Underneath cheap make-up
Deformed, disguised mind decay
Buy, consume, get more credit
Learn to serve a life sentence here
Style yourself in sterility

I just wanna lie down in my bed
Make myself different from the rest
Use a thought to put myself to sleep
Collapsing in the fields where it feels free
Where it feels free
R.P. McMurphy





Na na ... No more pills and no more drugs

Overall Meaning

The song R.P. McMurphy by Manic Street Preachers begins with the lyrics "Straight jacket your own beauty / Because it's just a breakdown away." This can be interpreted as a commentary on the pressure people feel to conform to societal standards of beauty, and how this can lead to mental health problems. The song goes on to criticize consumerism and the pursuit of wealth, with lines such as "A symbol sold in investment days / Defenceless as the pages you burn / Money bruises the skin at birth." The lyrics suggest that capitalism and materialism can be destructive to individuals and society as a whole.


The chorus, which repeats the phrase "I just wanna lie down in my bed / Make myself different from the rest / Use a thought to put myself to sleep / Collapsing in the fields where it feels free / Where it feels free / R.P. McMurphy," can be seen as a reference to the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. The character R.P. McMurphy in the book is a rebellious patient in a mental institution who refuses to conform to authority. The chorus suggests a desire to escape societal pressures and find freedom in non-conformity.


Overall, R.P. McMurphy is a song that critiques the destructive aspects of consumerism and conformity, and celebrates individuality and freedom.


Line by Line Meaning

Straight jacket your own beauty
Constrict yourself and restrain your own inner beauty.


Because it's just a breakdown away
Your beauty is fragile and can quickly turn into chaos and disorder.


From the gutter to the jewel
Your beauty can rise from the mud and filth to become something precious and valuable.


A symbol sold in investment days
Your beauty can be commodified and bought and sold like any other investment.


Defenceless as the pages you burn
You are as vulnerable as the books you destroy and discard.


A baby drowning under a profit curve
The pursuit of profit can crush and overwhelm you like an innocent child.


Money bruises the skin at birth
The obsession with money and material possessions can wound you right from the moment you are born.


I just wanna lie down in my bed
All I want to do is to relax and escape from the world.


Make myself different from the rest
I want to stand out and be unique in a world that often values conformity.


Use a thought to put myself to sleep
I yearn to shut out the world and enter my own private thoughts and dreams.


Collapsing in the fields where it feels free
I wish to surrender to nature and lose myself in wide-open spaces where I can be truly free and unencumbered.


Where it feels free
This is my ultimate goal - to find a place or a state of being where I can feel truly free and unconstrained.


R.P. McMurphy
This may be a reference to the character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, who was institutionalized and rebelled against society's strictures and conventions.


Na na ... No more pills and no more drugs
This could be a rejection of conventional medicine and a desire to find a more holistic approach to healing and wellness.


This country pisses debris
The world is filled with decay and waste, and this can stain and infect every aspect of our lives.


Like ugly people made pretty
Even the most unattractive things can be transformed and masked to appear beautiful on the surface.


Underneath cheap make-up
But this beauty is often temporary and fleeting, and can easily fade away or be washed off.


Deformed, disguised mind decay
This beauty can be a mask that hides a more twisted and corrupted reality beneath the surface.


Buy, consume, get more credit
We are all pushed to be great consumers and to accumulate more and more things, even if we don't really need them.


Learn to serve a life sentence here
This constant cycle of consumption and accumulation can feel oppressive and constraining, like we are trapped in a prison of our own making.


Style yourself in sterility
In order to fit in and conform to society's expectations, we sometimes have to strip away our individuality and uniqueness and adopt a more sterile and homogeneous look and feel.




Contributed by Adeline P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

MrsTudor1

So many memories coming back after listening to these old Manics tracks.  Thanks for uploading!

Jonny Red

so many B-sides they've done are little gems in themselves hidden away from the masses! Cant find 'Sepia' or 'Never want again' around here...2 of my fave b-sides!

Samuel Murphy

Manics B-sides are incredible, so much feeling, god i love them :)

Robert Creighton

Possibly my favourite manics b side ever. When ever I'm sad this is the one I reach for. Comfort comes

M_Heroine

Thanks for this mate,such a good b-side - like the old picture too!

Vermillion 303

I've got this on 7", and for decades I thought this was the A side, it's that good!

M_Heroine

Thanks for this mate,such a good b-side - like the old picture too!

Jonny Red

so many B-sides they've done are little gems in themselves hidden away from the masses! Cant find 'Sepia' or 'Never want again' around here...2 of my fave b-sides!

Matt Farr

Big McCarthy influence in this one.

Daniel

hey is there any chance you cud send me the mp3s to the b-sides you have put up. i wud be eternally greatful

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