Roger Taylor - 1984 interview:
"Basically, it starts off where everything's electronic - electronic drums, everything. And what you have is the 'human' rock band sort of crashing in. What you wind up with is a battle between the two."
Machines
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in my belly button tonight
take me in your arms
there’s eternity in my
preservatives
if you open up your jaws
in its cellophane dress
line your gut with
its fine excess (yes)
you’ve undone
all my sine wave buttons
like the vending machine
at the laundromat
insomniac insomniac
wikipedia 4am
kerosene trampoline
genericide my heart
used to be your baby girl
your proper noun your favorite snack
now i’m caught in the vending machine
waiting to fall to
the hatch in the dark
i am a cyber girl
but i’d love you in meatspace
chew me up chew me out
masticate masturbate
i’m a hell of a treat
i’ll get you wired
that sugar high
till you get tired (of me)
left to play with
my own sine wave button
like the vending machine
at the laundromat
In the song "Machines," Queen presents a dystopian view of a future world dominated by machines. The lyrics reflect on the bleakness of a world that is run entirely by machines with no consideration for human emotions, love or freedom. The opening lyrics "It's a machines world, don't tell me I ain't got no soul" sets the tone for the entire song as a lament for the loss of humanity in a world ruled by machines.
The second verse in the song is a reflection on how machines have replaced humans in every aspect of life. They are unfeeling and hard, squeezing and compressing the humans that they now dominate. The idea that they freeze and burn the humans suggests the torture they inflict on their human counterparts. The chorus then proceeds to compare the humans and machines, highlighting the absence of emotions, conception of love or defeat, and the inability to cry or retreat. The song's lyrics challenge the listener to consider if these aspects are what makes us human and if we lose them to machines, have we truly lost our humanity?
The third verse appears to detail the machinic nature of the world, machines with "random access memory" and "bytes and megachips for tea." The listener is told not to worry, not to care for money or gold, because the software is the hardware, and the machine is self-perpetuating. The final lines of the verse is a commentary on the sexualisation of machines, "its sex life is quantised" and its being parahumanoidarianised highlights how the machines are becoming more human-like at the cost of being soulless and emotionless.
The song ends with the singer reflecting on how the world has changed, how we are living in a new world, and that thinking in the past won't change that. However, the final line suggests that even in this machine-dominated world, humans still have the power to reclaim their humanity, saying "Back to humans, back to machines, machine world."
Line by Line Meaning
It's a machines world
The world is now controlled by machines.
Don't tell me I ain't got no soul
The singer asserts that machines don't define his humanity.
When the machines take over
An inevitable takeover by machines is expected.
It ain't no place for rock and roll
The artist suggests that rock and roll, as a human art form, has no place in a world ruled by machines.
They tell me I don't care
Others believe that the artist lacks empathy or emotion.
But deep inside I'm just a man
Despite what others believe, the singer insists that he is in fact human.
They freeze me they burn me
The machines use various, painful methods to torture or punish the humans.
They squeeze me they stress me
Machines cause physical and psychological harm to the humans.
With smoke blackened pistons of steel they compress me
The machines exert immense pressure on the humans, both literally and metaphorically.
But no one but no one but no one can wrest me away
Despite the machines' efforts, the artist cannot be completely stripped of his humanity.
Back to humans
The singer yearns to reclaim his humanity and revert back to a human-dominated world.
We have no disease no trouble of mind
Machines are impervious to traditional human ailments and psychological conditions.
No thank you or please no regard for the time
Machines do not experience basic human social norms or keep track of the passing of time.
We never cry we never retreat
Machines don't succumb to vulnerability or fear.
We have no conception of love or defeat
Machines are incapable of love or surrender.
What's that machine noise?
The artist is disturbed by the sound of machines and their impact on the world.
It's bytes and megachips for tea
The machines' technology is so advanced that it is beyond human comprehension.
It's that machine boys
The machines and their impact on society are the focus of the song.
With random access memory
Machines' memories are not limited to a linear, human-like recall.
Never worry never mind
Machines are not concerned with human worries or problems.
Not for money not for gold
Machines don't possess human-like desires for wealth or material goods.
It's software is hardware
The machines are self-sustaining and self-regulating.
It's heartbeat is time-share
The machines' operations are based on a inhuman, efficient system.
It's midwife's a disc drive
The machines are capable of reproducing without the need of humans.
It's sex life is quantised
Machines' sexuality is limited to programmed functions rather than emotional and intimate connections.
It's self-perpetuating a parahumanoidarianised
The machines have become so advanced that they exist on a level of their own, surpassing human understanding.
Living in a new world
The emergence of machines has created an entirely different way of living for humans.
Thinking in the past
Humans struggle to comprehend the new technological advancements and yearn for the way things used to be.
How you gonna last?
Humans are questioning their ability to survive in a world dominated by machines.
Machine world
The entire world is now ruled by machines.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Julie Chen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@blankslate_gg
A criminally underrated Queen song.
@Usherfan765
Agreed
@camdensimpson5895
One of many, but this one certainly doesn’t get enough attention.
@xxbannagirlxx
Any songs under "The works" is underrated tbh
@WhiteyO1
Fr
@irenedownie6559
Must be played at full blast! ❤❤❤
@starburst6606
Freddie’s voice will always be the greatest! No one comes close to his talent! ♥️👑👑
@elbybrook9466
Thats not Freddy. That's Adam Lambert.
@starburst6606
First it is Freddie, not Freddy. This is Queen ( Freddie’s voice). If it was Adam it would say Queen + Adam Lambert. Adam is not an official Queen member. Adam sounds nothing like Freddie. They used the song apparently as an opener for their Rhapsody tour but this is a Queen recording. You can Goggle about the release : “Sir Brian May and Roger Taylor have announced the release of a classic Queen song with Freddie
Mercury's vocals as a digital single for the first time, with an accompanying lyrics video” per the Express.
@user-te2dm9pk8w
@@elbybrook9466🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻😆😆😆