At age five, Serj Tankian moved with his parents to Los Angeles, California. After high school, he studied marketing. He took singing lessons for four years and also took guitar lessons as a young child. In 1993, he founded the band Soil (not to be confused with SOiL) with Daron Malakian, which later went on hiatus, and later changed to System of a Down. Tankian is not only a member of the band System of a Down, but also has his own record label which is called Serjical Strike Records, a sub-division of Columbia Records. He also performed guest vocals on songs such as Mushroom Cult by Dog Fashion Disco, and Mein by Deftones. He produced "Enter The Chicken" by Buckethead, and provided vocals to the Buckethead songs "We are One," "Coma" and "Waiting Here." With Serjical Strike Records, he endeavors to offer those musicians often ignored by the mainstream a possibility to release their music and be heard. The first release of Serj's new label was Serart, a project consisting of Tankian, himself, and Arto Tunçboyaçiyan, an Armenian friend of Tankian's.
Tankian is also very involved politically. Together with Tom Morello (ex-Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, The Nightwatchman), he founded the organization Axis Of Justice. Tankian often speaks publicly against violence and injustice in the world.
Serj is a vegetarian and likes to read poetry but other than that, few details are known about Tankian's private life. He is especially interested in Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot and Edgar Allan Poe. Serj hates celebrity gossip. He believes it is a waste of time and due to the spreading of rumors, can destroy close relationships .
Two days after the attacks on September 11, 2001, Serj posted a highly controversial essay on the band's website. It was promptly taken down by Sony, the band's record label. Sony's opinion was that Tankian had tried to justify the terrorist attacks and that his claims were unfounded.
Tankian's first poetry book, Cool Gardens, was published by MTV Books and released on October 1st, 2002. It is a collection of seven to eight years of Tankian's reflections on life, and features artwork by fellow Armenian, Sako Shahinian. The book has received much praise in the artistic community.
In late 2007, Serj released his first solo album "Elect the Dead" Serj later went on to perform live around the world on a tour to promote his solo album, backed by another band on his label, the FCC (Flying Cunts of Chaos). In 2010, Serj released a live album "Elect the Dead Symphony" during which he performed with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra. Afterwords, they embarked on a worldwide tour with the orchestra.
In September of 2010, Serj released another solo album "Imperfect Harmonies" through Serjical Strike Records, his record label. In December of 2010, it was announced by fellow members of his band System of a Down that they would be reuniting for a world tour in 2011. Fellow bandmate Shavo Odadjian released through his Twitter account that they would reunite. In May of 2011, they began their worldwide tour in Canada, with stops in America, England, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Austria, and Russia. They will also be heading to South America to play in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
The Figure It Out Songfacts reports that Serj's third solo album, "Harakiri" will be released on July 10, 2012. The lead single, "Figure it Out," was released on May 1, 2012.
Beatus
Serj Tankian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the morning, and you rushed my soul
Memories connect them all to her
Have I lost you again, possibly amidst forever
The strong winds have shaken me inside
When you touch me, I feel it
When you touch me, I feel it
You've become my addiction
My mental preoccupied obsession
To hear your voice I extend towards the sun
Eating makes me think of you
This city has become your face
Strangling myself in my silence
When you touch me, I feel it
When you touch me, I feel it
When you touch me, I feel it
When you touch me, I feel it
I feel it
I feel it
I feel it, I feel it
Have I lost you again, possibly amidst forever
The strong winds have shaken me inside
The sun barely giving of herself
I'm strangled in my aloneness, lockness
Lock this before it's gone
The strong winds have shaken me inside
The sun barely giving of herself
I'm strangled in my aloneness, lockness
Lock this before it's gone
The collaboration and association
Hear the story of another women in time
Giving permission for buying a gift
For the bearer of the selfish
Yesterday when you opened your eyes
In the morning, and you rushed my soul
Memories connect them all to her
Eating makes me think of you
This city has become your face
Strangling myself in my silence
When you touch me, I feel it
When you touch me, I feel it
When you touch me, I feel it
When you touch me, I feel it
I feel it, when you touch me, I feel it
In Serj Tankian's "Beatus," the lyrics reflect the agony and longing of someone who has lost a loved one. The opening lines describe the profound sense of loss and sadness experienced by someone who has woken up without their loved one by their side. Memories of the lost love are all-consuming, and the person feels as though they are putting their life on hold while they wait for their love to return.
As the song progresses, we get a sense that the lovesick person has become very attached to their lost love. They describe their lost love as an addiction, an obsession that has taken over their mental space. The mere thought of the lost love is enough to fill them with emotion and make them feel connected to something beyond themselves.
The final lines bring the song full circle, with the person reminding themselves of the grief they have experienced since their love disappeared. The city they live in has become synonymous with their love, a place where they can never escape from their memories. Yet, despite the pain, the person still holds onto the hope that their love will one day return.
Overall, "Beatus" is a poignant and emotive song that reflects the feelings of devastating loss and the near-unbearable power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday when you opened your eyes
The start of a day after being apart from you
In the morning, and you rushed my soul
The feeling of completeness after being together
Memories connect them all to her.
Every moment and feeling is tied to the person you love
Have lost you again, possibly amidst forever,
The fear of losing the one you love forever
The strong winds have shaken me inside,
The feeling of being lost and overwhelmed
When you touch me, I feel it,
The powerful sensation of physical and emotional connection
When you touch me, I feel you.
The embodiment of the person you love in a single touch
You've become my addiction,
The person you love is the center of your attention and affection
My mental preoccupied obsession,
The all-consuming thoughts and feelings surrounding your love
To hear your voice I extend towards the sun.
The longing to hear and be with the person you love
Eating makes me think of you,
The constant reminder of the one you love in everyday activities
This city has become your face,
Everywhere you look, you see the person you love
Strangling myself in silence,
The inability to express the depth of your love for fear of losing it
I feel it
The intense feeling of love and connection
Have I lost you again, possibly amidst forever,
The fear of losing the person you love forever, repeating itself
The sun barely giving of herself,
The feeling of hopelessness and despair
I'm strangled in my aloneness, lockness,
Feeling trapped and alone without the person you love
Lock this before it's gone.
The desire to hold on to the love and connection before it disappears
The collaboration and association,
The bond and connection between two people
Hear the story of another women in time,
The love stories that came before and will come after
Giving permission for buying a gift,
The act of giving and receiving in a loving relationship
For the bearer of the selfish
The unselfish act of giving oneself to another
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Serj Tankian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind