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.
Money
Serj Tankian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Disposition, this possession
Dispossessed from all the attractions
Dancing bears of eroticism
Self-absorbed delusion
Inclusion of dysfunction
I now await the triumphant
The causes of ineptitude
Can be traced to my mandatory down
The causes of my servitude
Can be traced to the tyranny of
Money, all for money
Make your money, hide your money
Stuff your money, hump your money
Save your money, all for money
My final surrender
Away from inclusion
I now await the triumphant
Left baggage, train station
The causes of ineptitude
Can be traced to my mandatory down
The causes of my servitude
Can be traced to the tyranny of a down
The causes of ineptitude
Can be traced to my mandatory down
The causes of my servitude
Can be traced to the tyranny of
Money, all for money
Make your money, stuff your money
Change your money, fuck your money
All for money, money, money, money, money, money, fuck your money
Fuck fuck your money
In Serj Tankian's song "Money," the lyrics delve into the dysfunctional relationship between people and money, and how it controls and affects our lives. The opening lines "Waning patience, peoples' appetite / Disposition, this possession" showcase the impact that constant desire for money can have on people's state of mind, leading to a self-absorbed delusion and an inclusion of dysfunction. The lyrics go on to describe how people become dispossessed from everything that truly matters due to their constant focus on the accumulation of wealth, as represented through the imagery of "dancing bears of eroticism."
The chorus of the song, "Money, all for money / Make your money, hide your money / Stuff your money, hump your money / Save your money, all for money," highlights the various ways in which people are willing to manipulate, deceive, and even degrade themselves in order to amass wealth. The final lines of the song, "Fuck fuck your money" express Tankian's frustration and anger towards the destructive power of money and how it dominates and controls our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Waning patience, peoples' appetite
My patience is fading and the desire of the people is increasing.
Disposition, this possession
Our current state of possession and mindset.
Dispossessed from all the attractions
We are without any attraction or temptation.
Dancing bears of eroticism
We are performing beautiful and erotic dances for the sake of money.
Self-absorbed delusion
The illusion of self-absorption and self-importance for the sake of money.
Inclusion of dysfunction
Including dysfunction for the sake of monetary gain.
I now await the triumphant
I am waiting for something great to happen.
Lost baggage, train station
I have lost something valuable at the train station.
The causes of ineptitude
The reasons for my incompetence.
Can be traced to my mandatory down
Is due to being forced down by someone or something.
The causes of my servitude
The reasons for my slavery or dependence.
Can be traced to the tyranny ofMoney, all for money
Is due to the oppressive control of money.
Make your money, hide your money
Earn money and then hide it away for yourself.
Stuff your money, hump your money
Amass wealth and use it for personal pleasure.
Save your money, all for money
Save all your money for the sake of more money.
My final surrender
My complete defeat.
Away from inclusion
Moving away from being included in something.
Left baggage, train station
I have left something valuable at the train station.
Money, all for money
Money is the driving force for everything.
Make your money, stuff your money
Earning and amassing wealth is everything.
Change your money, fuck your money
Use your money for change or use it in ways that challenge its inherent value.
All for money, money, money, money, money, money, fuck your money
Everything is done for the sake of money, even as we reject its lasting value.
Fuck fuck your money
We reject the idea of money and what it stands for completely.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Serj Tankian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jimbyers7642
If you listen to this song it's about the following:
peoples appetite = what the fans wanted
the tyranny of money = how serj wanted to do good by his music but it was perverted by the music industry for money
mandatory down = how system needed to keep making downer music for the music industry
" the causes of my servitude can be traced to the tyranny of a down"
tyranny of a down = how system turned into commercial bullshit that he didn't want (hence how he and Daron Malakian hate each other)
Serj got sick of the money hungry music Industry
Same as Tool.
@nick0523
This song is so beautiful because is so accurately describes the world's society. It's a haunting reminder of what we care about most deep down.
@LuizRCGoncalves
And to think this song becomes more realistic everyday.
@krabsolfurretisme
Agreed, I hump my money day and night
@earthmike4584
heh.
@MartinLaforce
It's always been, since goods and services have been available, hell since resources have been here.
@Justanotherblackman
This song is America in about 4 minutes.
@kickasscorm
I love Serj. His messages are true and very real. This video actually makes me emotional, as this is completely true. It's all about money and capitalism has taken over horribly so! It needs to change. This shows the sleazy and dirty side of things. It's not ok to say "That's just how it is" anymore. It shouldn't be accepted!
@blakewisswell
Then he sells out and does NFTs.
@efryliderta5681
Absolutly
@danielmoore2474
Money is a representation of peoples desires and needs. Money can be destroyed because it is an extension of material need. When money goes away we will use a replacement. The only cure to the effects of money is education. Responsibility for the actions we take with our money.