System of a Down: ATWA Meaning

ATWA Lyrics

Hey you, see me, pictures crazy
All the world I’ve seen before me passing by
I’ve got nothing, to gain, to lose
All the world I’ve seen before me passing by
You don’t care about how I feel
I don’t feel it any more
You don’t care about how I...

1. anonymous

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   Dec 8th 2010 !⃝

   have ne of u thought about manson. he lived by atwa an often spoke of it. mayb this song has somethin to do with him. idk it just a thought.
2. anonymous

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   Dec 2nd 2010 !⃝

   ATWA; an organization created by Charlie himself.
   Charlie cared about nature and love. Air. Trees. Water. Animals. ATWA. Charles Manson IS ATWA.
   
   Manson is notorious for his mugshots, or other pictures taken of him. They always portray him as being completely insane and evil. "Pictures crazy"... His reputation was shot over and over again by the media's spin on things, like different pictures.
   He has lived a long life. He has seen the world move on. "All the world I've seen before me passing by."
   Not many people view Manson in a good light because of what false information and the media has transformed him into. Most people don't care about how he feels; so he shut off some feelings. He's been in jail for multiple decades now, for conspiracy to murder. CONSPIRACY. Unfitting punishment? He thinks so. Many other people get unneeded sentences and punishments.. and they understand the feeling of injustice from that. Thus: "Hey you, are me, not so pretty?"
   "Silent my voice, I've got no choice." He was once a very talented musician. He would've gone places had he not gotten locked up. Also, his political hold, his voice in the world was brutally destroyed once the accusations began to fly. He has no power over that. This can also be taken literally; he has been in solitary confinement multiple times, who is he going to talk to in there? Who would he talk to in the first place? Nobody who could change things, nobody who would make a difference. Just another inmate, maybe.
   "I've got nothing, to gain, to lose." What have you to gain or lose if you are locked up for the rest of your existance? Not much.
   "I don't eat, anymore. I don't sleep, anymore. I don't live, anymore. I don't feel." As stated before, Charlie lived for love and nature. Its what he knew. He was taken from that.. and thrown into the exact opposite; an institution based on hate and made of everything nature isn't.
   Thats my interpretation of it. Of course, it could just be that System supports ATWA and whats behind it, not writing this song necessarily about Charles Manson but rather the things that are destroying this world and how they feel about it. Theres a thousand ways to look at it, but I think this might just line up with Charlie's story too well. In end, go smoke a bowl and have a good fucking time listening to this fucking awesome song, fuck, the rest of the album.. fuck, listen to all the albums. You know you want to. Sending some love to Charlie and love to System!!
3. anonymous

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   Sep 13th 2010 !⃝

   I thought it was like::: all the world something
   cuz he sings: all the world I've seen before
   ATWa All The World I've seen before
   I thought the second A was just an add
4. Victimofadown

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   Apr 21st 2010 !⃝

   You all have some good points but I believe it's about dictatorships and the electoral college, dictatorship because he talking and how his voice I silent and he has no choice, he also says I don't speak I don't feel, in a dictatorship, you have no voice an there's nothing you can do about it, and also Serj Tankian is very into politics, his website Electthedead.com he talks about the electoral college, which is very undemocratic, I don't know whether any of this is true, it just makes sense.
5. Anonymity_is_great

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   Mar 9th 2010 !⃝

   I believe that this song is partialy about Chales Manson and ATWA the Foundation that he founded. I believe it is about how although he did a lot of good work with ATWA no one remebers it because they only see him as a criminal.
6. anonymous

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   Nov 10th 2009 !⃝

   I also agree with the genocide debate. check out the band. They are big on getting the genocide recognized.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. anonymous

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   Sep 14th 2009 !⃝

   I know it's about Manson, maybe it's sort of like how Manson got to the point he was, and the lyrics are relating to it.
   
   "you don't care about how I feel, I don't feel it anymore"
   
   "Ive got nothing,to gain, to lose."
   
   I think once you realize you're everything it makes the world seam so fucking crazy and you seam crazy to it, so fuck em, shake shit up and wake shit up.
8. anonymous

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   Jul 10th 2009 !⃝

   i think the person who said its about the armeian genocide is right because if you know any thing about the band you know the are very passionate about making the turks and the rest of the world recoginze the genocide that happened to the armeian people. If you care watch the movie screamers on youtube its about SoaD and genocide
9. RHINO1

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   Jun 21st 2009 !⃝

   well i read the song lyrics and they were really meaningful to me. this song shows how many people that are treated different and are different, feel about themselves when nobody really cares about them. "hey you see me, pictures crazy. all the world i've seen before me passing by." is like a way of saying that the world leaves this person standing and just doesn't care. "you don't care about how i feel, i don't feel it anymore." is a way of telling people "fine i don't need you to care for me." and that's the way i feel whenever i hear this song.
10. ogar

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    Mar 19th 2009 !⃝

    The songs about charles manson ATWA is the name of a group (not sure what the abbreviation stands for) that has been fighting to free charlie for years. Serj got to talk to Manson shortly before he wrote this song. And hes write what did he ever do? are people not responsible for their own actions?
11. anonymous

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    Mar 18th 2009 !⃝

    This song is definitely about Charles Manson.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
12. anonymous

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    Nov 10th 2008 !⃝

    sigh, just because its a song doesnt mean it has to be about love. at the world, atw? all the world around? who knows. thats how ive always thought of it

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. anonymous

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    Jul 6th 2008 !⃝

    I think it could possibly be about suicide.
    "Hey you, see me, pictures crazy"
    could mean like their family members looking at pictures of their lost child or brother or whatever
    "All the world I've seen before me passing by"
    could mean they see everything they lost or missed out on and it's forced right in front of their eyes.
    "nothing to gain or lose."
    There's no point to anything anymore and obviously you've already lost it all.
    "You don't care about how I feel"
    "I don't feel it it anymore"
    could mean they thought someone didn't care about them, and now obviously they can't feel it anymore.
    
    
    I figured it went along the lines of something like that :S
14. anonymous

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    Jun 26th 2008 !⃝

    I know that this has nothing to do with system or this song but let me clear this up about Manson, he never told his children (yes they were his so called children in the Manson family) that he was a saviour reincarnate, he brainwashed them using acid lsd and suchlike drugs into believing that there would be a black vs white war he called Helter Skelter. at one point they lived on an old movie ranch for a prolonged period of time, they were always acting and making up characters using the movie sets, this was how Manson managed to get rid of there real personalities (now I'm just going off on a tangent) end of the day Manson was not a satanist or anything like that just a brainwashing drugged up hippie
15. rllaxpimp00

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    May 3rd 2008 !⃝

    The songs is talking about Charles Manson's Theroy ATWA (Air, Tree, Water, Animal) He is talking about how the government doesn't care about the point of view that is coming from anyone that is in prison. When he says I don't sleep anymore he means that there is no more air. when he says I don't eat he means that all of the animals are dying and there won't be any food to eat. when he says I don't live he means that once all 4 of those things disappear then we are F**ked.

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