System of a Down: Chop Suey Meaning

Song Released: 2001

Chop Suey Lyrics

(Mumbles)
We're Rolling Suicide

Wake up(wake up)
Grab a brush and put a little makeup
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable
You wanted to
Grab a brush...

1. anonymous

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   Dec 25th 2005 !⃝

   According to S.O.A.D the song is about how people will be treated differently when they die, depending on the way they died...thats what Daron Malakian said in one of his interviews. And it really doesn't matter how highly one thinks of himself (u know how we go like 'i didn't deserve this' and bla bla) the truth is everyone deserves to die...including angels and people who consider themselves angels. A few references have been taken from both Gospel of John (father into your hands I commend my spirit) and the synoptic gospels (why have you forsaken me)...apparently last words pronounced by Jesus of Nazareth...basically the lyrics sound deep but mean nothing!
2. anonymous

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   Dec 15th 2005 !⃝

   this is about Jesus and how we don't trust in his "self-righteuous suicide" which is referring to his sacrifice on the cross, and that angels are the ones who deserve to die because they are ruling over us, when God says that everyone is equal. Somethin like that anyway.
3. darkpower0

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   Dec 15th 2005 !⃝

   you say about the keys being left on the table, I think it's referring to Jesus's disciples as they are supposedly gonna help him open the doors of christianity(kind off an analogy).
4. anonymous

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   Nov 27th 2005 !⃝

   I think that what "why did you leave the keys upon the table?" doesn't actually mean keys upon the table, but just represents something bad in general, and they needed something to rhyme with "another fable". because leaving your keys upon the table and not putting in a safe place is (somewhat) bad. and nothing else bad rhymed with fable.
   
   Like about that one person where they interpreted that the song was about covering up lies in the bible, I think that they might have been saying that something unexplainable or bad might've happened in the bible, but they didn't want to put it in there because people would start questioning it, so the "created another fable" about it.

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

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   Nov 26th 2005 !⃝

   the keys are in the song because they needed something to rhyme with "here you go create another fable" and "why'd you leave the keys up on the table" worked perfectly.

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

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   Nov 23rd 2005 !⃝

   What about the darned KEYS?
7. anonymous

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   Nov 16th 2005 !⃝

   My interpretation was always that even though the person is going to hell for commiting the sin, that they are sad in the fact that an angel has to die even though it deserves it "I, cry, When angels deseve to die."

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

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   Nov 14th 2005 !⃝

   people,it was connected to the story of jesus's death in the bible,but if you want to no about the "grab a brush"the roman soldiers offered him vinegar to drink on a brush.

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

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   Nov 7th 2005 !⃝

   I think this song is about a wife who is getting abused by her husband. "wake up( wake up) grab a brush and put on a little makeup.. hide the scars to fade away the shake up...whyd you leave the keys upon the table...here you go create another fable" that, to me, seems as if it is about a woman who is trying to hide the scars from when she was beaten by her husband. it could also be about a girl who was cheating on her husband and her husband found out and flipped out!
10. anonymous

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    Nov 1st 2005 !⃝

    this song is all about suicide, in fact the orriginal name of the song was "Suicide" that's why on the album version of the song you hear some talking at the begining. they are saying "were rolling suicide" SUEY CIDE get it?! self richous suicide refers to a poem by father armeni during the armenian genocide of 1910. he says (in laymans terms) "father into your hands I commit my spirt--why have you foresaken me--a self-richous suicide has been commited here today" not exact but you get the point. chop suey refers to the bands many different styles, juss like "chop suey" (the food in asia) AND THATS EXACTLY WHAT THE SONG MEANS
11. Punx_not_dead

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    Oct 30th 2005 !⃝

    What I find interesting is that, as far as I can remember (too lazy to go check right now...), in the bible the line "why have you forsaken me?" came before the line "father into your hands I commend my spirit." Thus, in the bible he first loses his faith for a short while, but then regains it. In the song however it's the other way around (correct me if i'm wrong).
    
    Anyway, what I'd like to know is, what does he mean by "why'd you leave the keys upon the table?"
12. blackrapture

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    Oct 20th 2005 !⃝

    I agree that this song is about the Armenian Genocide, alot of their work is. I think it is strictly about that and has no reference to religion, the bible, or God. When Serj Tankian screams "Father, father. Father into your hands I commend my spirit, father into your hands why have you forsaken me, In your eyes forsaken me, In your thoughts forsaken me, In your heart forsaken, me." He seems to be speaking to Turkey and it's leaders. After all, he originated here and could be considered to be "born of" turkey therefore turkey representing "father".
    
    He gives himself to his land and is forsaken by the Armenian Genocide in which he lost all of his family expect his grandfather. And "self righteous suicide" I believe is a reference to what the "Young Turks" would see in their actions, the are justifying all their killing, saying it is "self-righteous". And "wake up, grab a brush and put on a little make up, hide the scars to fade away the shake up." Here he is talking about covering up the Genocide, all the people that do everyday.
    
    This is what I take from it.
13. ArasoiIbanez

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    Oct 20th 2005 !⃝

    This song is about the Armenian Genocide, and they tie a bit of christianity in it, too. Serj screams "Father! Father to your hands, I commend my spirit, Father to your hands why have you forsaken me" Which is a verse from the bible as well as him asking god why he would let the Armenian genocide happen. My interpetation, not sure if its right... haha.
14. anonymous

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    Oct 16th 2005 !⃝

    This song is really about the guitarist's brother who committed suicide because his father used to abuse him.

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

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    Sep 21st 2005 !⃝

    It's based on a poem about the Armenian genocide, characterized as a self righteous suicide.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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