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)
The Reflecting God
Marilyn Manson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The more you cry, your ashes turn to mud
The nature of the leeches, the virgin's feeling cheated
You've only spent a second of your life
My world is unaffected
There is an exit here, I say it is and it's true
I'm wide awake the more I sleep
You'll understand when I'm dead
I went to God just to see
And I was looking at me, yeah
Saw heaven and hell were lies
When I'm God, everyone dies
Scar, scar, can you feel my power?
Shoot here, and the world gets smaller
Scar, scar, can you feel my power?
One shot, and the world gets smaller
Let's jump upon the sharp swords, cut away our smiles
Without the threat of death there's no reason to live, at all
My world is unaffected
There is an exit here, I say it is and it's true
There is a dream inside a dream
I'm wide awake the more I sleep
You'll understand when I'm dead
I went to God just to see
And I was looking at me, yeah
Saw heaven and hell were lies
When I'm God, everyone dies
Scar, can you feel my power?
Shoot here and the world gets smaller
Scar, scar, can you feel my power?
One shot, and the world gets smaller
Scar, scar, can you feel my power?
Shoot here, and the world gets smaller
Shoot, shoot, shoot motherfucker
Shoot, shoot, shoot motherfucker
Each thing I show you is a piece of my death
No salvation, no forgiveness
No salvation, no forgiveness
No salvation, no forgiveness
No salvation, no forgiveness
No salvation, no forgiveness (this is beyond your experience)
No salvation, no forgiveness
No salvation, no forgiveness (forgiveness)
No salvation, no forgiveness (forgiveness, forgiveness)
No salvation, no forgiveness (forgiveness, forgiveness)
No salvation, no forgiveness (forgiveness, forgiveness)
No salvation, no forgiveness (forgiveness)
I went to God just to see
And I was looking at me, yeah
Saw heaven and hell were lies
When I'm God, everyone dies
Scar, can you feel my power?
Shoot here and the world gets smaller
Scar, scar, can you feel my power?
Shoot here, and the world gets smaller
Scar, scar, can you feel my power?
Shoot here and the world gets smaller
Scar, scar, can you feel my power?
One shot, and the world gets smaller
Shoot, shoot, shoot motherfucker
Shoot, shoot, shoot motherfucker
Shoot, shoot, shoot motherfucker
Shoot, shoot, shoot motherfucker
The Reflecting God by Marilyn Manson is a song about nihilism, the idea that life has no inherent meaning or value, and about how that kind of perspective can warp a person's sense of reality. The opening lines "Your world is an ashtray, we burn and coil like cigarettes" describes how the world is dirty, used and has nothing of real value. The comparison of humans to cigarettes going through the process of burning and coiling is a metaphor for the meaninglessness of human existence. The idea that the more one cries, the more their ashes turn to mud is a metaphor for how humans are reduced to nothingness and are forgotten once they die, and how their tears or emotions are empty and meaningless.
The song continues to explore the idea of the nature of the leeches, possibly referring to society and how it feeds on individuals, leaving them feeling cheated and empty. The lyrics "My world is unaffected there is an exit here, I say it is and then it's true" suggest that the character in the song (Marilyn Manson himself) is above the societal norms and the meaningless existence of others. The lines "There is a dream inside a dream, I'm wide awake the more I sleep, You'll understand when I'm dead" suggests that Manson's perspective is deep and intriguing, and only after he's gone will others see how profound his thoughts were.
The chorus of the song is chilling, with the lyrics "Let's jump upon the sharp swords and cut away our smiles, Without the threat of death, there's no reason to live at all". Here, Marilyn Manson suggests that without death (or the threat of it), there would be no meaning to life which sparks a dangerous concept that one would be willing to die just to experience something real. The song is about confronting nihilism and its effects on the human psyche, and presents a bleak, yet thought-provoking perspective on the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
Your world is an ashtray
The world is dirty and full of discarded, burnt-out things.
We burn and coil like cigarettes
Human lives are short and insignificant, like cigarettes that are used up and thrown away.
The more you cry your ashes turn to mud
The more you struggle or suffer, the more helpless you become.
It's the nature of the leeches the virgin's feeling cheated
People take advantage of those who are vulnerable, and then feel resentful when others try to take from them.
You've only spent a second of your life
Human life is brief and fleeting, and people should enjoy every moment.
My world is unaffected there is an exit here
The singer's personal world is separate from the harsh reality of the outside world, and there is a way out.
I say it is and then it's true
The singer is convinced of his own beliefs and makes them a reality in his own mind.
There is a dream inside a dream
There is a deeper level of reality to be discovered beyond what we think we know.
I'm wide awake the more I sleep
The singer is acutely aware of the world around him, even when he is dreaming or unconscious.
You'll understand when I'm dead
The singer believes that his true meaning and purpose will only be fully understood after his death.
I went to god just to see, and I was looking at me
The singer redefines the concept of God to be his own reflection, and thus finds meaning in himself.
Saw heaven and hell were lies
The traditional concepts of good and evil, reward and punishment are meaningless and untrue.
When I'm god everybody dies
The singer believes that he alone holds the power of life and death over others.
Scar/can you feel my power?
The singer seeks to assert his dominance and control over others.
Shoot here and the world gets smaller
The singer desires to reduce the world and control it more fully through violence and destruction.
Let's jump upon the sharp swords and cut away our smiles
The singer advocates for embracing danger and self-destruction to escape the pain of daily life.
Without the threat of death there's no reason to live at all
Death gives life meaning and purpose, and without it life becomes pointless.
My world is unaffected, there is an exit here
The singer continues to assert his insulation from the outside world, and offers a way out for others.
I say it is and then it's true,
The singer believes that his own reality is the true one, and others will follow him.
There is a dream inside a dream,
The singer offers a message of hope and exploration even in the deepest depths of despair.
I'm wide awake the more I sleep
The singer remains aware and in control even when in a state of rest or unconsciousness.
You'll understand when I'm dead
The singer believes that death holds the ultimate answer to the mystery of his existence.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Brian Hugh Warner, Jeordie White, Trent Reznor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.
DrJKintobor
on Killing Strangers
Me when my dog is killed by Russian gangsters.