Interview with Keith Levene, May 2001.
Some barely audible laughter is present in the song.
Graveyard
P.I.L. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would still be alive guy
If I was, that guy David Koresh guy.
Which is me? What I did I'd still be alive
Charley Manson, I'd still be alive. You know what I'm talkin' bout?
Peep this game, there's no way you can escape, death
So the only way you can escape death. You gotta do good
Push and you shove
You know death is promised to us from the man up above
Ain't no way you can stop it
So God be with ya
Your life will flash in front of your face
Went the reaper come get cha
Remember when you were alive you said that things will change
Six feet deep, your in the casket talkin' bout things feel strange
Ain't nobody gon' heal your we celebrate when we kill ya
And if you got up out that casket, would nobody come near ya
But if you walked up to me and tell me you didn't sin
I might just gon' insane and cut your brain and kill you again
Psycho Nip Psychopath, J-Slash with the tracks
But when you die, your soul with fly, there's no more comin' back
No matter who you are
Even if you are a star
If you drive a nice car
Of if your house is made of straw
You'll get the grave yard
You can escape the grave yard
If you can't take it no mo'
Cause you don't have no cash flow
It don't matter don't you know
If you are rich or if you are po'
You get the grave yard
You can't escape the grave yard
Shoots you in the head if you try to take mind
I don't give a fuck I don't mind dying
You know nuthin but money stays on my mind
Psych Ward nigguz gon' pack the nine
Psycho Nip makin' history, and I know these haters are feeling me
I heard you talk about killing me but you'll die first you would live to see
The enemies run from the Psych Ward crew
Real home boys, I might have two
If you get mad hit the brew, keep this in mind that I will kill you
Anybody kills I'm busting lead, lady screamed out somebody is dead
Paramedics came the person bled
Messin' with the Psych you'll keep losing your head
? brothers that are down with it, use the ? brothers that drown with it
Taunt the Psych I'm bound to hit it, drop your gun I'ma clown with it
You can't escape J-Slash with the tracks
But when you die your soul will fly, there's no more comin' back
Ay, you know what I'm sayin?
I got much love for the South side
Much love for the north side, east coast, west coast, midwest
I got love for the veto's
Know what I'm sayin? It's all love
Y'all muthafuckas better out there better get y'all life together
'Cause if y'all don't... It's a new millennium (it's a new millennium)
And we gotta make sure man, we're in the right mind state
'Cause the wrong mind state, can get you caught up in judgment with God
And that leaves, and that leaves, to a quick, death
The lyrics to P.I.L.'s "Graveyard" are a warning to listeners about the inevitability of death and the importance of leading a good life. The verses reference infamous figures such as David Koresh and Charles Manson, suggesting that their violent and criminal actions led to their deaths. The chorus repeats the message that death comes for everyone, regardless of wealth or status, and that there is no way to escape it. The final verse adds a more violent tone to the song, with references to guns and murder, but emphasizes that ultimately, death comes for everyone and there is no escaping it.
One interesting fact about "Graveyard" is that it was released as a single in 1998, but was not included on any of P.I.L.'s albums until their 2011 compilation album "The Public Image Is Rotten." The song also features guest appearances from rappers Psycho Nip and J-Slash. Additionally, the song's beat samples the guitar riff from Black Sabbath's "Iron Man."
Another interesting fact about "Graveyard" is its connection to the "Screwed and Chopped" music genre, which originated in Houston, Texas. The genre involves slowing down and remixing songs to create a new, often more ominous or ominous-sounding track. Some versions of "Graveyard" have been released in this style.
The chords for "Graveyard" are not available as the song does not feature any prominent chord progressions or guitar parts. Instead, the track is primarily driven by a sample-based beat and rapping/speaking from the vocalists.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee Bob, If I wouldn't have went inside of that Luby's guy
I would still be alive guy
If I hadn't gone into that Luby's, I would still be alive
If I was, that guy David Koresh guy.
Which is me? What I did I'd still be alive
Charley Manson, I'd still be alive. You know what I'm talkin' bout?
If I were those infamous people, I'd still be alive. Do you understand?
Peep this game, there's no way you can escape, death
So the only way you can escape death. You gotta do good
Listen closely, death cannot be escaped. The only way to escape is by doing good.
It don't matter what your name is
Your name doesn't matter.
Push and you shove
You know death is promised to us from the man up above
Ain't no way you can stop it
So God be with ya
Life is difficult and death is guaranteed. You cannot prevent it, so may God be with you.
Your life will flash in front of your face
Went the reaper come get cha
Remember when you were alive you said that things will change
Six feet deep, your in the casket talkin' bout things feel strange
When death comes, your life will flash before your eyes. You may remember saying that things will change while you were alive, but buried six feet down, everything feels strange.
Ain't nobody gon' heal your we celebrate when we kill ya
And if you got up out that casket, would nobody come near ya
But if you walked up to me and tell me you didn't sin
I might just gon' insane and cut your brain and kill you again
No one will heal you, but everyone will celebrate when you die. Even if you were to come back to life, no one would come near you. And if you told me you didn't sin, I might go insane and kill you again.
No matter who you are
Even if you are a star
If you drive a nice car
Of if your house is made of straw
You'll get the grave yard
You can escape the grave yard
It doesn't matter who you are, whether you're a star, drive a nice car, or live in a house made of straw, you will still end up in the graveyard. You cannot escape it.
If you can't take it no mo'
Cause you don't have no cash flow
It don't matter don't you know
If you are rich or if you are po'
You get the grave yard
You can't escape the grave yard
Whether you're rich or poor, if you can't take it anymore and don't have any money, you'll still end up in the graveyard. You cannot escape it.
Shoots you in the head if you try to take mind
I don't give a fuck I don't mind dying
You know nuthin but money stays on my mind
Psych Ward nigguz gon' pack the nine
If you try to mess with me, you'll get shot in the head but I don't care, I'm not afraid to die. Money is always on my mind, and my gang is ready to fight.
Psycho Nip makin' history, and I know these haters are feeling me
I heard you talk about killing me but you'll die first you would live to see
The enemies run from the Psych Ward crew
Real home boys, I might have two
I'm making history and my haters are jealous. If they try to kill me, they'll die first. Enemies run from my gang, and I have real homies by my side.
If you get mad hit the brew, keep this in mind that I will kill you
Anybody kills I'm busting lead, lady screamed out somebody is dead
Paramedics came the person bled
Messin' with the Psych you'll keep losing your head
If you get angry, go drink instead of messing with me. If anyone tries to harm me or my gang, I'll shoot them. Someone died and the paramedics tried to save them. If you mess with my gang, you'll keep losing your head.
? brothers that are down with it, use the ? brothers that drown with it
Taunt the Psych I'm bound to hit it, drop your gun I'ma clown with it
You can't escape J-Slash with the tracks
But when you die your soul will fly, there's no more comin' back
My brothers who support me are true to the cause, and those who betray us will die with us. If you mess with me, I'll fight back with my music. You cannot escape me. But when you die, your soul will fly away and you cannot return.
Ay, you know what I'm sayin?
I got much love for the South side
Much love for the north side, east coast, west coast, midwest
I got love for the veto's
Know what I'm sayin? It's all love
Y'all muthafuckas better out there better get y'all life together
'Cause if y'all don't... It's a new millennium (it's a new millennium)
And we gotta make sure man, we're in the right mind state
'Cause the wrong mind state, can get you caught up in judgment with God
And that leaves, and that leaves, to a quick, death
I have love for everyone regardless of where they're from. We're all in this together in this new millennium and we need to make sure we're in the right state of mind. The wrong state of mind can lead to judgment from God and a quick death.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jorge Dibildox
That bass line and drum beat are just flawless.
JDsmiffy! SMITH
EVERY TRACK on Metal Box is a classic - one of my all time favourites!
PostPunkFan
I love this instrumental. Metal Box still holds up after over 30 years.
Cheetah Thunders.
Gothic reggae. I know JL would probably hate the first part of that description, but Keith's guitar tone and attack is not so different from bauhaus, siouxie, and the rest, then throw in the atmospherics, along with Jah's deep lines... epic.
Michael Colello
YES. That's a great description.
Tim inIowa
I love that description!Take care and have a good day!
Mr. Quarter
I was "there", and I agree. Lydon(and Bauhaus) kept to the experimental while Siouxie, Robert Smith and their progeny went pop. I'm not judging. I like a lot of it.
CL
Agreed here too! I love Bauhaus and PiL and part of the connection that laces through both bands is this song. Thank you for a revelation!
Mr. Cifuentes
Cheetah Thunders. The album is gothic reggae blues dub disco afterpunk
mayhem492
Ordered Metal Box after hearing John Peel play some tracks pre release. This track just sounds like hammer horror via a reggae sound system, completely original, Keith and Wobble were channeling here!