The song was one of the final tracks recorded for The Pale Emperor, and its composition was inspired by the PTSD exhibited by Manson's father, Hugh Warner, after his time spent serving in the US military during the Vietnamese war. Shortly after the death of his mother in 2014, Manson and his father spent an evening watching Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film Apocalypse Now and smoking marijuana. Hugh Warner characterized the film as "the most accurate portrayal of the Vietnam War", and spent the evening describing events which Manson had "never heard before, in my whole childhood". Manson had publicly discussed his father's role in spraying Agent Orange over the Vietnamese jungle during the conflict. Hugh Warner would go on to recount how "when people talk about [PTSD], I don't think they understand that when you've killed so many people and then you have to come back to a normal world, it's very difficult to re-adjust to it", with Manson explaining that the lyric 'We're killing strangers so we don't kill the ones that we love' "became so much about my father and my mother".
"Killing Strangers" is a downtempo rock song which runs for a duration of five minutes and 36 seconds. According to Ultimate Guitar, the song has a slow tempo of 60 beats per minute in a time signature of 4
4. It is composed of verses sung over a continuously repeating D minor drone harmony throughout, with choruses following a chord sequence of Dm-F-Bb-Gm. The track has been described as a "slow burner", and "atmospheric", and has been favorably compared to some of the band's previous album openers, including "GodEatGod" from Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2001) and "If I Was Your Vampire" from Eat Me, Drink Me (2007).
It was first released on October 24, 2014, when it was predominantly featured in the movie John Wick starring Keanu Reeves. The song's co-writer Tyler Bates has stated that John Wick directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch were fans of Manson's work and they "wanted to have something [from] Manson in the movie". An initial meeting with the films' musical supervisor resulted in the supervisor, Reeves and the two directors being invited to Bates' home recording studio, where they were played an unmixed version of the entire album. According to Bates, the four expressed an interest in also featuring The Pale Emperor album track "Warship My Wreck" in the film, but that "via osmosis, there wasn't really an appropriate place for that song". The version of "Killing Strangers" used in the movie is an unmixed demo, lacking some of the guitar overdubs found on the album version.
Credits
Recorded at Abattoir Studios, Studio City, California
Drums recorded by Gustavo Borner at Igloo Studios, Burbank, California
Songs of Golgotha (BMI)/Tyler Bates Music, Inc. (BMI), under exclusive licence to Cooking Vinyl
Personnel
Marilyn Manson – songwriter, lead vocals, producer, pill bottle
Tyler Bates – songwriter, guitar, bass guitar, programming, producer
Gil Sharone – drums
Robert Carranza – mixing
Dylan Eiland – additional programming
Joanne Higginbottom – Pro Tools editing
Brian Lucey – mastering
Wolfgang Matthes – additional programming, mixing
Killing Strangers
Marilyn Manson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We don't need a bigga knife (a bigga knife)
'Cause they got guns, we got guns, we got guns (we got guns)
We got guns, you betta run (ya betta run, ya betta run, ya betta run)
We're killin' strangers
We're killin' strangers
We're killin' strangers so we don't kill the ones that we love
We're killin' strangers
We're killin' strangers so we don't kill the ones that we love
Love
Love
Love
We pack demolition
We can't pack emotion
Dynamite, we just might
So blow us a kiss, blow us a kiss
Blow us a kiss and we'll blow you to pieces
We're killin' strangers
We're killin' strangers
We're killin' strangers so we don't kill the ones that we love
Love
Love
Love
And we got guns, we got guns
Motherfuckers better, better, better run
'Cause we got guns, we got guns
Motherfuckers better run
We got guns, we got guns
Motherfuckers better, better, better run
'Cause we got guns, we got guns
Motherfuckers better
We're killin' strangers
We're killin' strangers
We're killin' strangers so we don't kill the ones that we love (better run)
We're killin' strangers ('cause we got guns)
We're killin' strangers ('cause we got guns)
We're killin' strangers so we don't kill the ones that we love (we got guns)
Love
Love
Love
Love
Love
Love
You better run
'Cause we got guns
'Cause we got guns
We got guns
The lyrics of Marilyn Manson's song Killing Strangers delve into the idea of violence and how it has become so commonplace in society that it has almost become expected. The opening lines suggest that the world doesn't need an opera, as if the situations we face are more suited to an operation - cold and calculated. The repetition of "we got guns" is a clear message that in this world, guns are the defining force. The line "we're killin' strangers so we don't kill the ones that we love" is particularly striking, as it suggests that people are forced to kill strangers to protect their loved ones. The song suggests that violence is often a means to an end, a way of protecting oneself or one's family, even if it means killing someone else.
Throughout the song, there are references to both physical and emotional destruction. The line "we pack demolition, we can't pack emotion" suggests that the singers are emotionally numb and incapable of feeling anything other than the desire to kill. The repeated call to "blow us a kiss and we'll blow you to pieces" is particularly chilling, as it implies that the singers are willing to destroy anything that comes their way. Overall, Killing Strangers is a bleak and powerful commentary on the nature of violence, and its place in society.
Line by Line Meaning
This world doesn't need no opera, we're here for the operation
The world doesn't need art, we are here to do business.
We don't need a bigga knife (a bigga knife)
We don't need traditional weapons such as knives.
'Cause they got guns, we got guns, we got guns (we got guns)
We have guns, just like our enemies.
We got guns, you betta run (ya betta run, ya betta run, ya betta run)
We have guns, and you better run before we use them on you.
We're killin' strangers
We are killing people we don't know.
We're killin' strangers so we don't kill the ones that we love
We are killing strangers so that we don't have to kill our loved ones.
We pack demolition
We have the power to destroy things.
We can't pack emotion
We are not able to feel any emotions.
Dynamite, we just might
We are capable of using explosives.
So blow us a kiss, blow us a kiss
Send us your love before we kill you.
Blow us a kiss and we'll blow you to pieces
We will kill you even if you show us love.
And we got guns, we got guns
We have guns.
Motherfuckers better, better, better run
You better run before we use our guns on you.
We're killin' strangers so we don't kill the ones that we love (better run)
We are killing strangers so that we don't have to kill our loved ones.
We're killin' strangers ('cause we got guns)
We are killing strangers because we have guns.
Motherfuckers better run
You better run before we use our guns on you.
Love
An ironic use of the word, since the song is about killing.
You better run
You better run before we use our guns on you.
'Cause we got guns
We have guns.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Brian Hugh Warner, Tyler Lee Bates
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DrJKintobor
Me when my dog is killed by Russian gangsters.