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)
God Eat God
Marilyn Manson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And hold yourself
Dear god can you climb up that tree
Meat in the shape of a 'T'
Dear god the paper says you were the King
In the black limousine
Dear John and all the King's men
Can't put you head together again
Before the bullets
Before the flies
Before authorities take out my eyes
The only smiling are you dolls that I made
But you are plastic and so are your brains
Dear god the sky is as blue
As a gunshot wound
Dear god if you were alive
You know we'd kill you
Before the bullets
Before the flies
Before authorities take out my eyes
The only smiling are you dolls that I made
But you are plastic and so are your brains
The lyrics to Marilyn Manson's song "God Eat God" contain some pretty heavy and disturbing themes that are characteristic of his controversial style. The song begins with the phrase "Dear god do you want to tear your knuckles down" which seems to suggest the frustration and anger of the singer towards God. It may also allude to the idea that the concept of God might be capable of causing damage to itself or humans. The next line "And hold yourself" is ambiguous but could refer to the idea of inflicting pain on oneself as an act of self-flagellation or self-punishment.
The second verse "Dear god can you climb up that tree, Meat in the shape of a 'T'" is somewhat enigmatic but might be interpreted as a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The shape of a 'T' indicates a cross and meat could be referring to flesh which was sacrificed for humanity's sins. The third verse talks about the myth of King Jesus as seen in the New Testament gospels. The image of a black limousine juxtaposes the opulence associated with royalty, with the gloom and despair characterizing the theme.
The next verse "Dear John and all the King's men, Can't put you head together again" highlights the fragility of man's existence and the impossibility of reconstruction after destruction. The final verse in the song "Dear god if you were alive, You know we'd kill you" is another shocking line that seems to suggest that the singer holds God responsible for the suffering, pain, and evil in the world. The concluding lines "But you are plastic and so are your brains" imply the insensitivity of society towards religious iconography and the failure of religious imagery to address the carnage in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear god do you want to tear your knuckles down
And hold yourself
Oh dear God, are you so full of rage that you want to hurt yourself? Do you want to curl your fists and hold onto your body in pain?
Dear god can you climb up that tree
Meat in the shape of a 'T'
Oh dear God, can you climb up that tree and reach the meat? And can you see that the meat is in the shape of a T?
Dear god the paper says you were the King
In the black limousine
Oh dear God, the newspaper says that you were once considered a king, riding in a black limousine.
Dear John and all the King's men
Can't put you head together again
Oh dear God, even with the help of John and all his men, your head won't be able to be put back together. It's already lost forever.
Before the bullets
Before the flies
Before authorities take out my eyes
The only smiling are you dolls that I made
But you are plastic and so are your brains
Before the bullets fly, before the flies swarm, and before the authorities take my vision, the only things that are smiling are the dolls that I made. However, they are made of plastic and so are their brains; they have no real emotions or feelings.
Dear god the sky is as blue
As a gunshot wound
Oh dear God, the sky is as blue as a wound caused by a bullet. It's a painful reminder of the violence that plagues our world.
Dear god if you were alive
You know we'd kill you
Oh dear God, if you were alive, we would undoubtedly kill you. This highlights the violent tendencies of humanity.
Before the bullets
Before the flies
Before authorities take out my eyes
The only smiling are you dolls that I made
But you are plastic and so are your brains
Before the bullets fly, before the flies swarm, and before the authorities take my vision, the only things that are smiling are the dolls that I made. However, they are made of plastic and so are their brains; they have no real emotions or feelings.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BRIAN WARNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DrJKintobor
on (s)AINT
Top 10 rappers Eminem was afraid to diss
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on Use Your Fist and Not Your Mouth
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow, I don't wanna be like anyone else!
DrJKintobor
on The Speed of Pain
This song reminds me of Shadow the Hedgehog falling to Earth. The lyrics "I hope we die holding hands, always" refers to him and Maria.
DrJKintobor
on Spade
This is the saddest song on the album.
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on Cyclops
Correction, this song makes me think of the dark night.
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on HALF-WAY & ONE STEP FORWARD
This song is so dark, it makes me think of Endora from Sabrina Online: Skunk's Day Out.
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on I Want to Disappear
This is Zaphod Beeblebrox's theme from Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy.
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on Posthuman
This song reminds me of the Mike Teavee Oompa Loompa song from the 2005 Willy Wonka movie, which is funny since Johnny Depp is friends with Marilyn Manson.
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on Tattooed In Reverse
This song gives me Blitzo from Helluva Boss vibes.
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on Long Hard Road Out of Hell
This song reminds me of Shadow the Hedgehog.