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.
Sins of the Flesh
Sister Machine Gun Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The dignity won't be returned
I give you everything I have
But I get what I have earned
I talk about ? inside
The dignity won't be denied
If this what your heaven's like
Now I lay me down to sleep
And pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
I can't afford this sinful pride
I might as well be crucified
I thank the Lord, I try to take
This pain that has returned
Sins of the flesh and naked aggression
The only thing I hear is the voice of oppression
Well, I take the pain every night
Insanity's a dying fight
And everything I ever knew
Retreats like fantasies
Visions of a perfect life
Where every smile hides a knife
For all I get for what I gave
Well, fuck your goddamn dreams
Now I lay me down to sleep
And then pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
Now Jesus Christ a superstar
Just not who I think you are
Things I learned when I was young
Are never what they seem
Now I lay me down to sleep
And pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
Sins of the flesh and naked aggression
The only thing I hear is the voice of oppression
Now I lay me down to sleep
And pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
The lyrics of Sister Machine Gun’s song “Sins of the Flesh” explore themes of oppression, pain, and disillusionment with organized religion. The opening lines reflect a sense of futility, with the singer proclaiming that they “never had a chance to learn” and that their dignity “won’t be returned”. Despite giving their all, the singer feels that they’ve only earned what they have, suggesting a cyclical pattern of effort and reward that never quite meets expectations, which is further highlighted by the lines “I might as well be crucified” and “This pain that has returned”.
The mention of “dignity” being denied and the idea that the singer would rather “burn” in a supposed heaven than experience what they are currently enduring emphasizes the oppression that they feel. The repeated refrain of “Now I lay me down to sleep / And pray the Lord my soul to keep / If I should die before I wake / I pray the Lord my soul to take” is a common bedtime prayer, however, in this case, it takes on a more ominous tone as the singer is essentially praying for release from their suffering if they were to die.
The final verse takes a critical tone towards organized religion as a whole. The singer rejects the image of Jesus Christ as a “superstar” and implies that the teachings they were raised on are not representative of their reality. “Things I learned when I was young / Are never what they seem” suggests that the singer has experienced some form of disillusionment with religion, leading them to reject the paradigm that was presented to them. The overall tone of the song is one of defiance and blunt honesty in the face of oppression, emphasizing the importance of owning one’s truth, even when it is unpopular or difficult.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I never had a chance to learn
I never had the opportunity to learn.
The dignity won't be returned
My dignity cannot be restored.
I give you everything I have
I give my all to you.
But I get what I have earned
But the outcome is what I deserve.
I talk about ? inside
I speak of the hidden pain within me.
The dignity won't be denied
My dignity cannot be taken away.
If this what your heaven's like
If this is what heaven is, I don't want it.
Well, I think I'd rather burn
I would rather face eternal damnation.
Now I lay me down to sleep
I am going to bed.
And pray the Lord my soul to keep
Asking God to protect my soul while I sleep.
If I should die before I wake
If I die in my sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to take
Asking God to take my soul to heaven if I die in my sleep.
I can't afford this sinful pride
I cannot allow myself to have pride in my sins.
I might as well be crucified
I am no better than those who are crucified.
I thank the Lord, I try to take
I am grateful for what I have and try to accept it.
This pain that has returned
This pain that has resurfaced.
Sins of the flesh and naked aggression
My sins and violent behavior.
The only thing I hear is the voice of oppression
The only thing I hear is the oppressive voice of authority.
Well, I take the pain every night
I endure pain every night.
Insanity's a dying fight
Fighting insanity is a hopeless battle.
And everything I ever knew
My whole understanding of life.
Retreats like fantasies
Fades away like unreal thoughts.
Visions of a perfect life
The ideal life I have imagined.
Where every smile hides a knife
Where everyone pretends to be happy while hiding pain or deceit.
For all I get for what I gave
I receive nothing in return for all that I give.
Well, fuck your goddamn dreams
I don't care about your perfect illusions.
Now Jesus Christ a superstar
Jesus Christ, who is highly popular and idolized.
Just not who I think you are
Jesus is not what I thought he would be.
Things I learned when I was young
Things I was taught when I was a child.
Are never what they seem
Turn out to be different from what they appear to be.
Contributed by Audrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Todd google
What a great Wax-Trax release from back in the day. This album stands the test of time.
Daughter of Hildir
Classic industrial artist. Glad I found them again! Amazed that they still sound good after all these years!
Tony Suarez
AHHHHHHH!!!!! The good old days!!!! Just listening to this almost makes me shed a tear cause I really miss those days!!! Im from chicago, headquarters of Wax Trax.Wish i could go back in time.
April K
Lucky boy
djganesh
Their first album came out 3 years after Pretty Hate Machine and the chorus structure is nearly identical to Head Like a Hole. I don't blame them they heard a sound and got influenced. "Pathetic" might have been a bit strong. Did you happen to see NIN live in 91 like I did? Makes it hard to be in my teens considering that was 21 years ago.
InsanePeopleOutThere
They are not NIN clones, (I happen to love NIN by the way) they just sound similar because they're from the same style of genre.
sinrhet
cmon the chorus has the same exact melody on Head like a hole
gp5155
and they used the same equipmemt too
soulminer 1970
They sampled ; I Travel' by Simple Minds, A perfect example of why Wax Trax Records were one of the best record labels ever.
Devo13
Weird how nobody has mentioned other rarer industrial bands like Non Aggression Pact,Teknition,Martyr Colony,Scream Bloody Murder,Batz Without Flesh,Sound+Fury,Haunted Reason,Lesson 7,GHosts in Daylight,Lestat,Negative Feedback,10 Speed Guillotine,etc.