In the past, band members dressed in outlandish makeup and costumes, and engaged in intentionally shocking behavior both onstage and off. Their lyrics often received criticism for their anti-religious sentiment and references to sex, violence and drugs, while their live performances were frequently called offensive and obscene. On several occasions, protests and petitions led to the group being blocked from performing, with at least three US states passing legislation banning the group from performing at state-owned venues. They released a number of platinum-selling albums, including Antichrist Superstar (1996) and Mechanical Animals (1998). These albums, along with their highly stylized music videos and worldwide touring, brought public recognition to Marilyn Manson. In 1999, news media, infamously, falsely blamed the band for influencing the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.
As this controversy began to wane throughout the 2000s, so did the band's mainstream popularity. Despite this, Jon Wiederhorn of MTV, in June 2003, referred to Marilyn Manson as "the only true artist today". Marilyn Manson is widely regarded as being one of the most iconic and controversial figures in rock music, with the band and its lead singer influencing numerous other groups and musicians, both in metal-associated acts and also in wider popular culture. VH1 ranked Marilyn Manson as the seventy-eighth best rock band on their 100 Great Artists of Hard Rock. They were inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame in 2000, and have been nominated for four Grammy Awards. In the U.S., the band has seen ten of its releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums. Marilyn Manson have sold in excess of 50 million records worldwide.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Manson_(band)
Studio albums
Portrait of an American Family (1994)
Antichrist Superstar (1996)
Mechanical Animals (1998)
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000)
The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)
Eat Me, Drink Me (2007)
The High End of Low (2009)
Born Villain (2012)
The Pale Emperor (2015)
Heaven Upside Down (2017)
We Are Chaos (2020)
Cyclops
Marilyn Manson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mascara clotted vision she is fed
Cyclops woman can't see nothing at all
She got a pin prick spiral hole
She can't see nothing nothing at all
She can't see nothing nothing at all
Cyclops woman dying in her shell
Guilt got her trapped in her nailed well
Who's reflection's in the retina?
She can't see nothing nothing at all
She can't see nothing, nothing at all
Dilate, Dial-ate
The song "Cyclops" by Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids talks about a woman who only has one eye in her head, as indicated in the first line. The woman's mascara clotted vision is all she's fed with, which could be interpreted as the media or society's influence on her perception of the world. She can't see anything clearly, and is blinded by the "pin prick spiral hole" that she sees things through. The repetition of "She can't see nothing, nothing at all" emphasizes how this woman is unable to see anything for what it really is due to her distorted perception.
The next stanza describes the woman as "dying in her shell," meaning that she's trapped in her own thoughts and fears. There's a sense of guilt that has her trapped in her "nailed well," which could be interpreted as the cyclops woman's own personal demons that keep her from truly seeing the world. The third stanza refers to the cyclops woman as the eye of the world, and questions whose reflection is in her retina. This could be a reference to how people are influenced by their surroundings, and how what they see is ultimately determined by societal norms and expectations.
In the final line of the song, the word "dilate" is repeated, which could refer to the cyclops woman's eye dilating, or it could be interpreted as a call to action for the listener to open their own eyes and see the world for what it really is.
Line by Line Meaning
Cyclops woman got one eye in her head
The woman being referred to only has one eye in her head, which is reminiscent of the mythical creature Cyclops who also had one eye.
Mascara clotted vision she is fed
She appears to have clotted vision, possibly attributed to her mascara, which she may believe makes her look more attractive.
Cyclops woman can't see nothing at all
Despite having an eye, the Cyclops woman seems to suffer from some form of visual impairment as she can't see anything at all.
She got a pin prick spiral hole
Her eye is characterized as having a small, spiraled hole which may hint at being a cause of her visual impairment.
She can't see nothing nothing at all
The previous line is repeated to emphasize the severity of her visual impairment.
Cyclops woman dying in her shell
The woman seems to be leading a solitary life and may be struggling with identity and belongingness issues, like a hermit in her shell.
Guilt got her trapped in her nailed well
Perhaps the woman is suffering from some form of guilt which is keeping her trapped in her current state of being, similar to someone being nailed to a well.
Cyclops woman is the eye of the world
The woman seems to be central to the world in some way, perhaps holding some sort of significance or importance to those who know her.
Who's reflection's in the retina?
The line is questioning whose reflection is in the Cyclops woman's eye, perhaps alluding to the idea of perception shaping an individual's reality.
She can't see nothing nothing at all
The previous line is repeated to once again emphasize the woman's visual impairment.
She can't see nothing, nothing at all
The final line is a repetition of the previous line, potentially hinting at a sense of despair or hopelessness.
Dilate, Dial-ate
The final two words seem to represent the process of dilation, potentially alluding to either a physical, mental, or emotional opening up of some sort.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: STEPHEN GREGORY JR BIER, SCOTT MITCHELL PUTESKY, BRAD M STEWART, BRIAN HUGH WARNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SabrinaOnlineFan96
Correction, this song makes me think of the dark night.