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)
Sympathy for the Parents
Marilyn Manson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seem to have satanic signs all over you
And what is that make...
Does this music cause you to do what you do?
Is that directed at us or the parents?
That's funny... Twiggy
Does the music cause us to do what we do?
That's your little tape recorder...ok
We cause the music to do what it does...I think
I think moshing is a sign of what christians would call uh...the
Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
The lyrics to Marilyn Manson's song "Sympathy for the Parents" appear to be a conversation between the artist and an interviewer or speaker questioning the motives and influences behind Manson's music and his fans. The opening lines express confusion and concern about the apparent presence of "satanic signs" within the musician and his followers, and whether the music itself is responsible for these supposed behaviors. Manson responds by suggesting that the relationship between the music and its effect on the listeners is more complex, and that the fans themselves are active participants in the cultural exchange. The conversation then turns towards the idea of moshing as a sign of the apocalypse, a reference to a popular belief among some Christian communities that the end of the world will be marked by chaos and destruction.
As with many of Manson's lyrics, there are a number of potential interpretations and messages to be found within "Sympathy for the Parents." One reading might focus on the theme of moral panic, in which popular culture is blamed for societal ills and perceived decline in values. Manson's response that his fans are responsible for their own reactions to his music subtly shifts the blame away from the artist and towards the consumers, challenging the notion that entertainment can and should be controlled or sanitized by outside forces. Additionally, the use of language related to religious eschatology suggests a critique of the way that millennial anxieties can be co-opted by mainstream media and pop culture.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to know um...why it is that all of you
I am curious as to the reason why all of you
Seem to have satanic signs all over you
Appear to have symbols associated with Satan on your bodies and clothes
And what is that make...
What effect does that have...
Does this music cause you to do what you do?
Is it the music that influences your behavior?
Is that directed at us or the parents?
Is your question aimed at us or our parents?
That's funny... Twiggy
That is amusing, Twiggy
Does the music cause us to do what we do?
Does music dictate our actions?
That's your little tape recorder...ok
That is your personal recording device, alright
We cause the music to do what it does...I think
We are the ones who create the music and I believe it responds to our actions
I think moshing is a sign of what christians would call uh...the
In my opinion, the intense physical movement called moshing can be considered by Christians as a manifestation of...
... the Apocalypse
... an event described as the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... an event described as the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... an event described as the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... an event described as the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... an event described as the Apocalypse
... the Apocalypse
... an event described as the Apocalypse
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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.