Zombie Man
Primal Scream Lyrics


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Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man, come on!
Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man

Never let the happening, are you alone or burning, man?
The shops worked in the past and woman let broke you
Poison had a whistler, giving out together back
Something soon mad gonna follow you

Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man
Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man

(?) are you got, cracking it's all got
They gonna have to be a death or got much you sold
Backers prist the president, gangsters feel touch you was
Control and (?), start to fire

Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man
Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man

(?) may scream so come back what you own
People (?) you, alright

Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man
Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man
Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man
Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
Hey-hey, zombie man

Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na




Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na

Overall Meaning

The song "Zombie Man," by Primal Scream, appears to be a critique of society's obsession with consuming goods and the commercialization of culture. The lyrics are cryptic and difficult to decipher at times, but seem to suggest that the "Zombie Man" is symbolic of those who have been brainwashed into accepting the consumerist values of society. The repetition of the line "gonna put you in the can" could be interpreted as a warning that those who embrace this lifestyle will eventually be trapped or imprisoned by it.


There are several references throughout the song to societal issues such as poverty, addiction, and violence. The lines "are you alone or burning, man?" and "backers prist the president, gangsters feel touch you was" suggest a sense of desperation and hopelessness for those who have fallen victim to these issues. The song seems to be urging listeners to wake up and recognize the destructive nature of consumerism before it's too late.


Overall, "Zombie Man" is a complex and thought-provoking piece of music that encourages listeners to question the way they consume and interact with the world around them.


Line by Line Meaning

Hey-hey, zombie man, gonna put you in the can
The singer is threatening to put the zombie man in the can.


Hey-hey, zombie man, come on!
The singer is inviting the zombie man to come on with him.


Never let the happening, are you alone or burning, man?
Are you alone or burning, man? Don't let the happening catch you off guard.


The shops worked in the past and woman let broke you
The shops may have worked in the past, but the woman left you broke.


Poison had a whistler, giving out together back
The poison had a whistler that gave out together back.


Something soon mad gonna follow you
Something mad is going to follow you soon.


(?) are you got, cracking it's all got
What have you got? It's all cracking up.


They gonna have to be a death or got much you sold
There's going to have to be a death or much more that you sold.


Backers prist the president, gangsters feel touch you was
The backers praised the president and gangsters felt you were touched.


Control and (?), start to fire
Control and something else, then start to fire.


(?) may scream so come back what you own
Something may scream, so come back to what you own.


People (?) you, alright
People are something to you, and that's alright.


Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na
This is a repeating chorus with no discernible meaning.




Contributed by Elijah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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