Sister Machine Gun founder Chris Randall and guitarist Miguel Turanzas are, without a doubt, one of music's hardest working duos. In addition to recording, producing, and touring, they also run their own record label, Positron! Records. Not simply a vehicle for SMG, the label has unleashed 17 releases including albums from Van Christie (Die Warzau), Matt Walker (Filter/Smashing Pumpkins/Cupcakes) and Mike Fisher (Machines of Loving Grace).
SMG's extensive catalog explores just about every genre of modern music, from electro-funk dance to Hendrix-flavored industrial strength rock. Their seventh release, Influence, is an elektro-industrial tour-de-force that recalls the industrial sound of the late eighties and early nineties. Heavy beats, distorted guitars and pounding synth lines drag your favorite sounds kicking and screaming into the future.
Sister Machine Gun's catalog of critically acclaimed albums includes four on the pioneering Wax Trax! label: Sins Of The Flesh (1992), The Torture Technique (1994), Burn (1995), and Metropolis (1997); plus three on their own Positron! Records: [R]evolution (1999) sistermachinegun: 6.0 (2001) and Influence (2003). The liner notes of these albums read like a veritable Who's Who of modern music, and include Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie/Tin Machine), Sascha & En Esch (KMFDM), Charles Levi (Thrill Kill Kult/Pigface), Gino Lenardo (Filter), Scott Churilla (The Rev. Horton Heat), Matt Walker (Filter/Smashing Pumpkins/Cupcakes), and Jim Marcus & Van Christie (Die Warzau).
With fans that treat the band as a religion, and an online presence second to none, Sister Machine Gun are Chicago's Ambassadors of Industrial.
Degenerate
Sister Machine Gun Lyrics
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No one would care if I die without a sound
The burning in my eyes, the screaming in my ears
Is starting to make me come around
Well, I've got nothing left to hide, so you might as well know
Everything I did, it was always just for show
The lies I said were nothing so great
'Cept dreams of things below
Degenerate until I cure my hate
Everything I seem to do is tempered by fate
Mouth is moving, but I've got no voice
My mind is working, but I've got no choice
Caught in a life that shouldn't be mine
Everything my future and my past destroys
I try to justify what I'm going through
Well, I always knew I should've listened to you
But you always say things I don't want to hear
You never taught me anything was true
Degenerate until I cure my hate
Everything I seem to do is tempered by fate
Degenerate...
Degenerate until I cure my hate
Everything I seem to do is tempered by fate
In Sister Machine Gun's song Degenerate, the lyrics express feelings of hopelessness and despair which make the singer feel like they have nothing left to lose. The singer begins by almost seeming suicidal, expressing they have degenerated so much that no one would care if they died without a sound. The burning in their eyes and the screaming in their ears make them come around, feeling resigned to their fate. They admit they have nothing left to hide and confess that everything they did was always for show. The lies they told were nothing so great except for dreams of things below.
The chorus repeats twice throughout the song, and it feels like a mantra. The singer accepts their fate as a degenerate person, hoping to cure their hate before everything they seem to do is tempered by fate. The second verse is more introspective, and the singer seems to be expressing they're feeling trapped and voiceless. Their mind is working, but they got no choice. They feel caught in a life that shouldn't be theirs, and everything is destroying their future and past. The singer blames themselves, saying they should have listened to someone who could have helped them, but that person always said things they didn't want to hear.
The song Degenerate is about someone who has hit rock bottom and is feeling hopeless, trying to justify their actions, rationalizing them as they deal with feelings of despair. Maybe the only thing the singer has left is their hope that they can cure their self-hate and escape their circumstances. It's a desperate cry for help and a plea for a release from their cycle of pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Degenerate until I fall to the ground
I am losing control and spiraling down, heading towards self-destruction.
No one would care if I die without a sound
I feel worthless and unimportant, and no one would miss me if I were gone.
The burning in my eyes, the screaming in my ears
I am in emotional pain and distress, and it feels overwhelming.
Is starting to make me come around
The intensity of my emotions is starting to make me face reality.
Well, I've got nothing left to hide, so you might as well know
I am at a point where I can no longer conceal my true feelings or actions, and I need somebody to know.
Everything I did, it was always just for show
I didn't do anything because I truly wanted to, but rather to impress others or to keep up appearances.
The lies I said were nothing so great
I didn't tell major lies, but I still wasn't honest about my intentions and feelings.
'Cept dreams of things below
My hidden desires are dark and maybe immoral, and I kept them hidden from everyone.
Degenerate until I cure my hate
I can only stop this downward spiral if I first confront and overcome my intense feelings of hate and resentment.
Everything I seem to do is tempered by fate
I feel as though I am not in control of my future, and that everything is predetermined or out of my hands.
Mouth is moving, but I've got no voice
Even though I am speaking, I feel like my words are insignificant and unheard.
My mind is working, but I've got no choice
I am constantly overthinking and analyzing things, but never really making any decisions or taking actions.
Caught in a life that shouldn't be mine
I feel trapped and very unhappy in my current life, and I wish I could have done things differently or taken a different path.
Everything my future and my past destroys
My past mistakes and regrets and my fear of the unknown future are causing me a lot of distress and hampering any progress.
I try to justify what I'm going through
I am looking for reasons and explanations for why I'm feeling this way, but am struggling to find any.
Well, I always knew I should've listened to you
I recognize that I ignored advice or warnings from somebody, and now regret it.
But you always say things I don't want to hear
Even though the person who advised me was right, I didn't want to hear the truth and preferred to ignore it.
You never taught me anything was true
I didn't trust or believe in the advice or the person who gave it, and I am still not sure what to believe.
Degenerate...
The song repeats this line at the end to emphasize the feeling of spiraling out of control and the loss of any hope for redemption.
Contributed by Eva W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.