System of a Down: Chop Suey Meaning
Song Released: 2001
Chop Suey Lyrics
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...
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In my opinion, this song refers to domestic abuse. The verses seem to be from the abusers perspective, and the chorus from the abused. Hiding the scars with make-up, leaving the keys on the table (something trivial that sets the abuser off), the abused "making up" fables (either as explanations for things that set off the abuser, or telling other people "fables" about how the person is being abused).
The chorus, which is from the abused person's point of view, talks about suicide, and the lyrics "I cry when angels deserve to die," could be lamenting the fact that death would be preferable to being in such a situation.
In the next part, I believe "Father" is referring to God. "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit" would be referring to the person's impending suicide ("I commend" sounds intentional, so it's a choice). And the "Why have you forsaken me" section would be about how god has forsaken the person, and left them to whatever fate they now have. -
None of this is about the bible SOAD has stated backstage that this song was about a girl who after a big fight, was caught in the bathroom chopping at her arm with a shard of glass, she dated the lead singer and her name was Susey (if I'm not mistaken) and if you haven't put 2 and 2 together yet, that's why the song is called "Chop Suey"
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This is what this song says to me when I listen to it:
It's about a suicide bomber killing innocent people because he thinks it's God's will. But when he dies and arrives to heaven, God doesn't let him in.
Explanation:
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
He is hiding his secret from the outside world, here with the synonyme of using makeup to hide the scars. This is his last day, and that's why he leaves the keys on the table. He isn't comming back (going on a suicide bombing misson).
-----------------------------------------------------------
I don’t think you trust
In, my, self righteous suicide
I, cry, when angels deserve to die
In, my, self righteous suicide
I, cry, when angels deserve to die
He is talking to himself here, trying to convince himself that he is doing the right thing, even though he is a bit uncertain about if God really do believe that his self righteous suicide (aka suicide bombing) is the solution. He tells God that he is really sad about having to kill these people but that he does it for the greater good(crying when angels deserves to die).
-----------------------------------------------------------
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
Mission accomplished, and he is dead. He is standing outside heaven, but is refused an entrance. He cannot understand why God doesn't let him in, thus the "why have you forsaken me" part. -
This song is obviously about a (female) suicide bomber.
"Wake up" (for the last time)
"Grab a brush and put on a little make up
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup"
Because it's obviously not her idea, it's been beaten into her.
"There you go create another fable"
Martyrdom
"I dont think you trust in my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die "
It's not believed that she carry it out because she has grave concerns about killing children (angels). However, she WILL carry it out because she believes (has beaten into her) it's the right thing. It doesn't stop her weeping for innocent lives she will take though.
The meaty guitar sound is supposed to be the bomb.
INTO THE HANDS OF GOD (ALLAH)
"Father into your hand I comend my spirit"
She believes she has done the right thing, despite killing "angels"
"Father into your hand why have you forsaken me in your eyes
Forsaken me in your thoughts
Forsaken me in your heart
Forsaken me ohh"
She is wrong. She is going to Hell.
"Trust in my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
In my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die"
Her final plea for redemption.
*PS I don't believe in either heaven or hell, it's all bollocks. But this is what the song is about. -
You are all right but its MAINLY about the ARMENIAN GENOCIDE....they just don't put that out there because they want you to take it in whichever way you perceive it.
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I think this is the interpretation everyone's waiting for. It explains each line almost perfectly.
I'll write the lyrics with my interpretation in brackets.
(imagine jesus is talking to you)
Wake up
(on sunday morning - this will be important later on)
Grab a brush and put on a little make up
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup
(that was like a saturday night party, 'shake-up' reffering to party)
Whyd you leave the keys up on the table
(ok this is where it gets interesting - jesus is asking you why you left your keys on the table, because its sunday and on sunday everyone has to go to church by getting their keys and driving there)
There you go create another fable
(here you go making excuses on why not to go to church)
You wanted to
Grab a brush and put on a little makeup
You wanted to
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup
You wanted to
Whyd you leave the keys up on the table
(same thing)
I don't think you trust in my self righteous suicide
(jesus died on the cross for us, and by not going to church, you're not awknoledging that his suicide was self-righteous)
I cry when angels deserve to die (die)
(jesus means - 'i died for you, and this is how you repay me?)
Wake up
Grab a brush and put on a little make up
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup
Whyd you leave the keys up on the table
There you go create another fable
You wanted to
Grab a brush and put on a little makeup
You wanted to
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup
You wanted to
Whyd you leave the keys up on the table
I don't think you trust in my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
In my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
(that was just more repetition)
Father father father father
Father into your hand I comend my spirit
Father into your hand why have you forsaken me in your eyes
Forsaken me in your thoughts
Forsaken me in your heart
Forsaken me ohh
(God told jesus that he will die for the people and that they will be greatful, but this person is not grateful for Jesus's self righteous suicide)
Trust in my self righteous suicide
(by going to church)
I cry when angels deserve to die
In my self righteous suicide
(in jesus's righteous suicide)
Why cry when angels deserve to die
(There's no point, because there's millions of others that don't go to church)
overall interpretation:
Jesus is wondering why this person (let's say Greg) is not going to church on Sunday like he has to. Greg is making up all sorts of excuses. Jesus is sad that he died for people like Greg. Jesus talks to God and he regrets dying on the cross. Then Jesus says 'why bother crying when millions of others aren't going to church just like Greg?' -
okay listen. its about darren malakians brother that hid dad abused. by the way darren wrote the song. and his brother killed himself because he couldent take the abuse. hense "self richous suicide" "angels deserve to die". his brother was the 'angel' and he killed himself. so pretty much darren made this song for his dead brother. and "whyd you leave the keys up on the table" is another excuse to beat him
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My interpretation is about a father who cries out to god over losing his young son and is about to commit suicide. He cries out to god "trust in my self-righteous suicide, when angels (his son) deserve to die. The father is torn why he gets to live and his son not.
I'm convinced the father feels responsible for the death of his son, but in his terms he's angry at his god for allowing him to make the mistake that indirectly lead to his son's death. When his suicide drawns near, he cries out to god: trust (condone) in my suicide, when angels (his son) deserve to die.
Furthermore, I'm utterly convinced the last phrase in this song is "WHY cry when angels deserve to die". Listen to the last phrase and you'll hear a "why" instead of an "I". By his last breath he means: "why cry (for his suicide or death) when angels (his son) deserve to die" -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I am just saying, it is really, really painstakingly obvious in my opinion, I mean I could obviously be wrong. In two of the gospels of Jesus, he says two completely different things to god: I commend my spirit and why have you forsaken me, which is one of the biggest controversies about the bible itself, because in the final draft/copy as I refer to it as, it has NEITHER gospel in it. And I think this is what that is mostly referring to. Possibly the make up and fable is about how the bible could be false? And about not trusting them goes along with what I just said. Hide the scars, (that people have begun to find out about etc.)
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I dont really want to interprate the whole song, but I think that when he's saying "I cry when angels deserve to die" is he's saying that when you are born you are an angel, so to speak, completley innocent, never hurt anyone else. How can something that good (an angel) grow up to do anything bad? How could an angel deservr to die? they were once completley innocent!
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Here you go to create another fable =
accusations the people made against Jesus like blasphemer
and using demonic powers to heal people -
There was a question raised regarding "the keys". What comes to mind is a part in the bible where Jesus Christ says to Peter, one his disciples: "I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven....", an awesome responsibility to bestow someone. Shortly thereafter Peter commits his infamous sin of denying Christ three times, possibly begging the question in the song?
The song mentions the word "angels" as opposed to the singular "angel". Could this maybe in some way refer also to the fallen angels or demons for whom Christ did not die and are now hopeless and doomed to an eternal hell, supposedly? -
The guy hiding his wounds is Paul from the Bible and the guy scolding him for doing so is Jesus. The Keys represent freedom. "WAKE UP" means get real! Paul says to himself WAKE UP and hide evidence of your partaking in the fight for freedom(the shake up). He leaves the keys on the table, relinquishing freedom because he's given up the cause to save his hide. "You wanted to!" in the second time around is Jesus scolding him because he did't HAVE to give up but he'd rather save himself from and jesus is PISSED about his selfishness. Jesus says "I CRY! when angels deserve to die" like don't you whats wrong with you dont you even care that i'm about to die for YOUR sins! "Whyd you leave the keys upon the table? Here you go, create another fable" is jesus telling paul go preach! Paul hides his association with jesus and the cause 3 times in the bible. "I cry when angels deserve to die" also refers to Jesus crying blood in the garden of gasename. Then as many would he asks why ME? why must i die for the sake of everyone? father why have you forsaken me! Then finally after his own doubts are gone he's more confident than ever and screams it out his word "TRUUUUST, INNNNNNN, MYYYYY...."
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At the beginning you hear Serj say, "Let's roll suicide". I belive this was the original name of the song. Chop Suey is a cultural mix of dishes (essentially to keep Western palattes happy with Eastern cooking, look up on Wiki).
For me it's about suicide/euthanasia. The correlation between Jesus' last words ("Father into Your hands I commend my spirit why have You forsaken me") represents the duality between his death on the cross and the suicide rate in the modern world. Jesus could have saved himself - so the Bible says - but sacrificed himself for the greater good. It seems the song uses this as a metaphor to question our lack of control over our lives - indeed suicide and euthanasia are illegal in many countries. Some people may want to die, and if it was for Jesus to do so, then why do prominently Christain countries view suicide as a crime? I think this is what the title is getting at - different cultures/religions/communities/people view suicide in many different ways; from criminal to martyr. Much like the title the differences from East to West are widely different... Though I'm poised wondering whether this has any relevance to the lyrics or not.
I don't think it's an attack on religion nor suicide itself, more an open ended question. The difference in the way that people pass perhaps and how that's regarded by the greater community depending on where you're from.
By the way, I'm not at all religious, but this is how I see things from an outside perspective.
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