System of a Down: Hypnotize Meaning

Song Released: 2005

Hypnotize Lyrics

Why don't you ask the kids at Tiananmen Square? Was fashion the reason why they were there?
They disguise it, hypnotize it,
Television made you buy it.

I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my--

She's scared that I will take her away...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   oscarfish16

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   Jun 7th 2007 !⃝

   First Poster:
   
   The Tiananmen Square massacre had nothing to do with "self-immolation" or "suicide" as you say. It was a MASSACRE of protesters by the Chinese army. The "burning" you speak of was the army burning the bodies of the civilians they killed.
   
   The song is about how propaganda makes one thing look like another, bending the facts in the favor of the government. The Tiananmen Square example is how a protest against the brutal treatment of citizens by the Chinese government was potrayed as a movement for freedom of fasion in order to make it appear to be less serious.
   
   He then says "She's scared that I will take her away from there, Her dreams that her country left with no one there". By this he means that he has explained his political, or deep social views to his girl, and she was disturbed by it. I can relate to this. I've had girlfriends that have had a hard time with my interpretations of world events.
   
   He then talks about sitting in his car, waiting for his girl. I'm not sure if it is metaphorical or if he was just sitting in his car waiting for his girl. The only thing I could come up with is that he already sees through the everyday propoganda, and has gotten into the car (or movement) to be against it. He is waiting for his girl to realize the truth (or get into the car with him). Basically he is waiting for his girl to realize things like he does.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Mar 15th 2008 !⃝

   Actually the 1989 incident and the self immolation incident, were two different demonstrations. The second one being in 2001.
   
   The song asks "Was fashion the reason they were there?"
   Obviously it was trying to say that the kids at Tienanmen actually had something important to stand for, unlike most Americans whose most important priority is materialistic things such as fashion.
   
   It goes on to say how the media has hypnotized us into this materialistic state of mind, and how the simple minded among us (which are most of us) are easily mesmerized by the propaganda of those in authority.

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   XXXshenanigans04

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   Apr 29th 2006 !⃝

   First of all, the big problem with people at this website is that they all seem to think that every song only has one solid meaning.
   
   Obviously, the tienimen square reference is not about the entire song. They are saying "why don't you ask the kids at tienimen sqare, was fashion the reason why they were there," Critizising how american youth are only concerned with fashion and materialism, unlike the chineese youth who gave their lives for what they believed in, and stood up for political injustice.
   
   I also think that the "she's scared that I will take her away from there. dreams and a country left with no one there" is talking about a girl that is in love with the country she is in, and does not want to leave, possibly a girlfriend of a band member.
   
   The other points in the song are very apparent, such as that propaganda leaves us blind to what really goes on in politics today, and how it mesmerizes the simple minded, all which is stated in the song itself.
4. anonymous

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   Aug 29th 2023 !⃝

   It seems to me that this song is a plead for help. Someone is going off about the horrors that happened on Tiananmen Square, telling someone to wake up and rebel against the matrix they've been living in. But everywhere he goes and tells people the truth, he only gets mundane reactions like: Im just sitting in my car waiting for girl. People's heads are so caught up in the matrix they dont want to escape anymore.
5. anonymous

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   Mar 16th 2018 !⃝

   I think ya'll are jumping to conclusions, although I love to see the jumps. I listened to the song about 50 times in a row. Obviously, it is about male standing against a tank, and the wonder, was it just popular to be there. But, Chna only allowed one child, (whhich is hurting them now). The waiting for the girl, is either a Chinese boy, waiting for a wife, or an American, waiting for an adopted girl...or future wife.
6. anonymous

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   Nov 5th 2017 !⃝

   Its parable. . its Christ awaiting the bride(spiritual Israel). Alot of there songs are illustrations and parables.
7. anonymous

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   Jul 4th 2016 !⃝

   I think that by "I'm just sitting in my car and waiting for my girl" he could mean that he is a Chinese father waiting for his daughter that was massacred in the Tinnamon square incident, I know the singer wrote it while waiting for his girlfriend but I am just writing down more possibilities
8. anonymous

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   May 27th 2011 !⃝

   Do we have any artists like this anymore? i mean after September 11th? Wake me up when September ends...
9. ImNazelis

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   Jan 21st 2011 !⃝

   Malakian wrote the song while he was in his car waiting for his girlfriend (Jessica Miller). Song is most defiantly about how the mainstream media and government work hand in hand to keep the masses distracted. Same things happens in China. I always thought the reference to "fashion" had to do with our modern day protests here in the US. Most people I know go to protests because it is the cool thing to do, and not because they had a deep rooted problem with the powers that be annihilating the middle east. see, the soldiers are not there to protect our rights, or the rights of a population enslaved by a 'terrorism'. They are there to protect the rights of EXXON and BP. YOu would think we would be a little more pissed off, but no.
10. anonymous

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    Feb 11th 2010 !⃝

    This song is referencing events almost completely about the tiananmen square incident, but the general idea and message of this song can be used in any nation where free thinking is outlawed. The song first starts talking about the actual massacre that occurred on june 5 1989 where hundreds of chinese students were slaughtered during a peaceful demonstration asking for more democratic freedoms. The song then goes into how the Chinese media is controlled by the government, after this incident the media in china actually portrayed the actions of the army as heroic, by bravely standing against this aggressive protest against the nation and the ever loving chinese government. For the sitting in the car part, the song is personifying the american government as the guy in the car, and the girl as the chinese students, i believe the girl is literally the girl of liberty which was a little statue that the students had set up in Tiananman square. It shows how the students needed help from the american government or even the UN, but they were left on their own and demolished by tank regiments.
11. shiby

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    Dec 4th 2008 !⃝

    Police have come upon him as he is just sitting in his car and waiting on his girl. He is responding to questioning.

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

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    Feb 11th 2008 !⃝

    I remember reading somewhere on Wikipedia or something that Malakian was in his car waiting for his girlfriend when he wrote the song. It was supposed to be about how mass media keeps us entertained while war and death and whatever is going on.
    
    Sitting in his car and waiting for his girl is a metaphor about how as all this happens life goes on as it always has and nothing is questioned.
13. anonymous

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    Jan 15th 2008 !⃝

    I don't think this has anything to do with America. I think that it is very selfish to say it does That's like claiming a holocaust song as having to do with consumerism.
    
    It talks about how the Chinese gov, has censored all literature about tiananmen square from libraries newspapers and the internet. Even the chinese version of google (google.cn) turns up mostly blank for tiananmen square.
    
    He also goes on to criticize that the government wants people to believe that people were massacred justly (they disguise it hypnotize it television made you buy it). Not actually BUY, but accept their views.
    
    So yah it's not about America in my opinion.
14. anonymous

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    Jan 24th 2007 !⃝

    There was an interview about this song and Daron said "I wrote this song waiting in my car for my girlfriend" pretty simple now aint it:)

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

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    Dec 5th 2006 !⃝

    I believe that the verse "If fashion was the reason why they were there" refers to what happened to a lot of the protesters after Tiananmen square. A lot of these protesters who gained fame for their fight for freedom went on to become the spokespersons for large corporations. These seekers of freedom sold themselves to companies like coca-cola and Mcdonald's in China.

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

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    Dec 4th 2006 !⃝

    It´s important to keep in mind that the protests was not aginst communist as someone suggested (with reference to "the tank guy"). Many students (there where also other groups protesting) sang "the International" a socialist fight song. However it´s commonly belived that the protest was aginst communism, but the largest group there (studens)protested aginst the goverment and for freedom off speech. An other example off how you are made to buy it...
17. anonymous

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    Aug 16th 2006 !⃝

    If anyone thinks that there was a mass suicide in tiananmen square, you have believed the lies! "they (chinese gov.) disguise it, hypnotize it, television made you buy it". The protestors were unarmed, and the chinese army fired at them to break up the protest. The "girl" didn't kill herself, rather she has been a victim in the tradgey that the chinese government tried to distort and cover up.
18. anonymous

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    Jul 19th 2006 !⃝

    Well heres what I think. I think that they were saying why were all the students their in the first place.. And were half of them their for "fashion," like it was the cool thing to do. And then when daron says "they disguise it,hypnotize it," I think he's saying that china's government was just trying to tell off anybody that said it happened by saying something else to blame someone. Then when he says" television made you buy it," they meant that television was hiding what was actually happening. And then that the people that didn't want a part of it were just "sitting in their cars and waiting for their girls."

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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