In 1989, Brian Warner was a college student working toward a journalism degree, and gaining experience in the field by writing music articles for a South Florida lifestyle magazine, 25th Parallel. It was in this capacity that he was able to meet several of the musicians to whom his own band would later be compared, including My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
He met Scott Putesky shortly afterward and, after showing him some lyrics and poems he had written, proposed that they form a band together. Warner, guitarist Putesky, and bassist Brian Tutunick recorded their first demo tape as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in late 1989, taking on the stage names of Marilyn Manson, Daisy Berkowitz and Olivia Newton Bundy, respectively. They were soon joined by keyboardist Perry Pandrea, also known as Zsa Zsa Speck, who shortly left the band after the fourth show. Stephen Bier, who called himself Madonna Wayne Gacy, was his replacement; Bundy was replaced by Gidget Gein in 1990, born Brad Stewart. In 1991, drummer Fred Streithorst joined the band, with the stage name Sara Lee Lucas.
The stage names used by each member were representative of a concept the band considered central: the dichotomy of good and evil, and the existence of both, together, in every whole. "Marilyn Monroe had a dark side," explained Manson in his autobiography, "just as Charles Manson has a good, intelligent side." Images of both Monroe and Manson, as well as of others equally famous and notorious, were common in the band's early promotional materials.
The Spooky Kids' popularity in the area grew quickly, largely because of radio DJ Scott David of WYNX-FM, an early fan who eagerly played songs from the band's demo tapes on the air; and because of the band's highly visual concerts, which drew from performance art and used many shock techniques. It was not uncommon to see onstage naked women nailed to a cross, a child in a cage, or bloody animal body parts; Manson, Berkowitz, and Gein variously performed in women's clothing or bizarre costumes; and, for lack of a professional pyro-technician, they would occasionally set their own stage props on fire.
The band would dramatically contrast these grotesque theatrics with elements drawn from the culture of the members' youth in the 1970s and 1980s: characters from that era's children's television made regular, often somewhat altered, appearances on Marilyn Manson flyers and newsletters, and were frequently sampled in the music. They continued to perform and release cassettes—shortening their name to Marilyn Manson in 1992—until the summer of 1993, when the band drew the attention of Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, who at the time had just founded his own record label, Nothing Records. They would go on to release their debut album Portrait of an American Family under the name 'Marilyn Manson' in 1994.
The Spooky Kids members:
Marilyn Manson - vocals (1989-present)
Daisy Berkowitz - guitar (1989-1996)
Olivia Newton Bundy - bass (1989-1990)
Zsa Zsa Speck - keyboard (1989-1990)
Gidget Gein - bass (1990-1993)
Madonna Wayne Gacy - keyboard (1990-2006)
Sara Lee Lucas - drums (1991-1995)
Discography as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids:
1990 - The Raw Boned Psalms (demo)
1990 - The Beaver Meat Cleaver Beat (demo)
1990 - Big Black Bus (demo)
1990 - Grist-O-Line (demo)
1991 - After School Special (demo)
1991 - Lunchbox (demo)
1992 - Live as Hell (live)
2004 - Lunch Boxes & Choklit Cows (compilation)
2004 - Thrift (single)
White Knuckles
Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Solid ground beginning to crack
I pulled her down and down and down
I lost my breath I thought I'd drown
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
Fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
Her leg my hand a smoldering brand
Sticking to her wet, body like sand
Her place distaste we fell from grace
Red smears across our face
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
White knuckles
White knuckles
White knuckles
White knuckles
The lyrics to Marilyn Manson's song White Knuckles describe a tumultuous relationship that is on the brink of collapse. The singer finds himself flat on his back, with the solid ground beginning to crack beneath him. He looks to a girl, who he refers to as "you," to save him, and he pulls her down with him. Despite feeling like he's drowning, he holds on to "fistfuls" of her and she pulls him through the rough patch with "white knuckles." The lyrics contain references to their physical intimacy, such as his hand on her leg and her body sticking to him like sand, but also describe a sense of distaste and falling from grace. The repeated refrain of "fistfuls of you" and "white knuckles" highlights the intensity of their relationship, with both the singer and "you" holding on to each other for dear life.
Overall, the lyrics of White Knuckles provide a raw and visceral depiction of a toxic romance. It explores the tumultuous nature of relationships, and the power struggles that often come with them. The imagery used throughout the song is both vivid and disturbing, capturing the pain and passion of the singer's emotional journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Smack dab flat on my back
Falling down and feeling helpless
Solid ground beginning to crack
The things believed to be stable are breaking apart
I pulled her down and down and down
Dragging another person down with me
I lost my breath I thought I'd drown
Feeling like sinking and unable to breathe
Fistfuls of you
Grasping tightly onto another person
Fistfuls of you
Holding on strongly to someone
You pulled me through with white knuckles
The other person managed to keep them together with great effort
Fistfuls of you
Holding onto someone tightly
Fistfuls of you
Grasping tightly onto another person
You pulled me through with white knuckles
The other person managed to keep them together with great effort
Her leg my hand a smoldering brand
Touching someone in a passionate and intense way
Sticking to her wet, body like sand
Clung to the other person's wet body, creating friction
Her place distaste we fell from grace
The situation and person were not what was expected, resulting in disappointment and loss of dignity
Red smears across our face
Blood from the intense experience stained their faces
White knuckles
Desperately trying to hold onto something and not let go
White knuckles
Intense fear causing someone to hold on tightly
White knuckles
Gripping onto someone or something for dear life
White knuckles
The hand physical appearance during a situation requiring intense effort to hold on
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheWarpedMan
lyrics:
Smack dab flat on my back
The solid ground beginnin' to crack
I pulled her down and down and down
I lost my breath, I thought I'd drown
Fistfuls of you, fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
Fistfuls of you, fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
Her leg, my hand, a smoldering brand
Sticking to her wet body like sand
Her place, distaste, we fell from grace
Red smears across our face
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you, fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
Fistfuls of you, fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
White knuckles
White knuckles
White knuckles
White knuckles
@TheWarpedMan
lyrics:
Smack dab flat on my back
The solid ground beginnin' to crack
I pulled her down and down and down
I lost my breath, I thought I'd drown
Fistfuls of you, fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
Fistfuls of you, fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
Her leg, my hand, a smoldering brand
Sticking to her wet body like sand
Her place, distaste, we fell from grace
Red smears across our face
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you
Fistfuls of you, fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
Fistfuls of you, fistfuls of you
You pulled me through with white knuckles
White knuckles
White knuckles
White knuckles
White knuckles
@gabrielfoster8495
Yup, never heard this before.... this is awesome
@danielaedelbacher5436
Adam Warner me too. it's awesome
@bradyjohnson7705
This version is whack live way better 1995
@ZacharyMarshall
got to love manson
@magisterirae
I love this song
@jasperhalco871
Great track wish they would have recorded this for Portrait.. Also i've started getting into Ministry lately and can now hear this sounds influenced by their song 'Stigmata'
@SpookyKid_SpaceAce
The first Spooky Kids song I ever heard....and I instantly fell in love
@olliestoyreview900
oh manson
@manson1927
amazing