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.
Butterfly
Serj Tankian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Amassed within one's own inhibition
Where the only prohibition is love
Spare me the night, trampled upon by submission
Amassed within one's own inhibition
Where the only prohibition is love
Love
Rivers surviving through her eyes
We certify, how you falsify
The beauty of a moth turned butterfly
Butterfly
Spare me the night, trampled upon by submission
Amassed within one's own inhibition
Where the only prohibition is love
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicions
We are being sodomized by repetitions
Oceans calcified, ego's gratified
I won't be crucified nor terrified, I'm not terrified
Before we say goodbye, no need to falsify
The beauty of a moth turned butterfly
Butterfly
Spare me the night trampled upon by submission
Amassed within one's own inhibition
Where the only prohibition is love
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicions
We are being sodomized by repetitions
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicion
We are being sodomized by repetition
Dark gray, matter-of-fact sky
Nannies our nights with our half-sister moon
Why can't we switch automatically to eco-centric persuasions?
Why can't we ditch autocracy for eco-centric persuasions now?
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicions
We are being sodomized by repetition
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicions
We are being sodomized by repetition
"Butterfly" by Serj Tankian is a song that employs metaphorical symbols to convey its message. The opening lines "Spare me the night, trampled upon by submission/Amassed within one's own inhibition/Where the only prohibition is love" seem to suggest that the singer is trapped in a situation, feeling powerless, and unable to express their true feelings freely. The use of "submission" and "inhibition" in these lines depicts the state of the singer's mind that is under attack, overpowered or dominated by something, and their thoughts are weighed down, which is further demonstrated by the repetitive lines that follow.
The children's outcry of "grandfather sky" and the depiction of rivers through someone's eyes are examples of how we rely on nature to be part of our existence. The singer then states that we, as humans, are being sacrificed by our own suspicions and sodomized by repetitions, implying that we inflict harm on ourselves through our negative attitudes and routines. The ocean calcified line indicates that we have neglected the beauty and the importance of nature which is represented by the ocean, as the ego is fulfilled.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics suggest that we must change our ways as a society and shift towards eco-centric attitudes from autocracy. The song concludes in the same manner with the line, "We are being sacrificed by our own suspicions/We are being sodomized by repetition", which serves as a cautionary statement that we must not allow ourselves to be trapped in predetermined patterns but work towards living a more natural and free existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Spare me the night, trampled upon by submission
Don't let me suffer by conforming to societal standards
Amassed within one's own inhibition
Holding oneself back due to fear or doubt
Where the only prohibition is love
The only rule is to love
Children outcry, "grandfather sky"
Kids scream for the sky
Rivers surviving through her eyes
The rivers get life through Mother Nature's eyes
We certify, how you falsify
We confirm how you lie
The beauty of a moth turned butterfly
The beauty of transformation
Spare me the night, trampled upon by submission
Don't let me suffer by conforming to societal standards
Amassed within one's own inhibition
Holding oneself back due to fear or doubt
Where the only prohibition is love
The only rule is to love
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicions
Our own fears are causing us harm
We are being sodomized by repetitions
The monotony of life is causing us harm
Oceans calcified, ego's gratified
The oceans are dying while our egos keep growing
I won't be crucified nor terrified, I'm not terrified
I won't let fear control me
Before we say goodbye, no need to falsify
Let's not pretend anymore before we go
The beauty of a moth turned butterfly
The beauty of transformation
Spare me the night trampled upon by submission
Don't let me suffer by conforming to societal standards
Amassed within one's own inhibition
Holding oneself back due to fear or doubt
Where the only prohibition is love
The only rule is to love
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicions
Our own fears are causing us harm
We are being sodomized by repetitions
The monotony of life is causing us harm
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicion
Our own fears are causing us harm
We are being sodomized by repetition
The monotony of life is causing us harm
Dark gray, matter-of-fact sky
A boring, factual sky
Nannies our nights with our half-sister moon
The moon governs our nights
Why can't we switch automatically to eco-centric persuasions?
Why can't we prioritize the environment naturally?
Why can't we ditch autocracy for eco-centric persuasions now?
Why can't we prioritize the environment over power now?
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicions
Our own fears are causing us harm
We are being sodomized by repetition
The monotony of life is causing us harm
We are being sacrificed by our own suspicions
Our own fears are causing us harm
We are being sodomized by repetition
The monotony of life is causing us harm
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Serj Tankian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind