System of a Down: Toxicity Meaning

Song Released: 2002

Toxicity Lyrics

Conversion software, version 7.0
Looking at life through the eyes of a tire hub
Eating seeds as a pastime activity
The toxicity of our city, of our city
New! What do you own the world?
How do you own disorder? Disorder!
No! Somewhere...

1. Sugar

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   Jul 1st 2006 !⃝

   hmm....reveries 'a day dream or dreamlike state' "flashlight [day dreams] caught in the head lights of a truck"
   does anyone have any idea what that could mean??
   
   Opossums just stare at headlights when they are comming towards them and that's a day dream state.
   
   Im thinking that maybe we are the possums and even though we don't like "the truck" comming towards us (eg. Gov. policies and that taco bell thing)
   we do not uprise or rebel against it (this "disorder" -the use of us as guinea pigs) and we just stare in a "reverie" as it happens.
   
   this is a bit messy but its the best I could come up with. anyone else got anything to add to it?
2. BurstN2Flames

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   May 21st 2006 !⃝

   Just a wild shot in the dark here but what I think he means by sacred silence is the quiet time for worship by the muslims.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
3. Emi

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   May 17th 2006 !⃝

   This song is about how we mustn't forget that there are bad people out there. We must be careful as not everyone is a kind, loving, caring soul. There are druggies, rapists, whoars, murderers etc in the world today. We must not become to naive and look at the place we are in. Not turn a blind eye.

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

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   May 10th 2006 !⃝

   Hey good to see a post about this song finally. I agree with your interpretation for the most part, but would like to add a few things and maybe a correct a few things because a few of you lyrics were off. One line you referred to actually reads " more wood for their fires, loud neighbors..." and continues on "Flashlight reveries caught in the headlights of a truck". This part I am still thinking of an interpretation myself so I won;t comment on it yet, but thought I should give you the correct lyircs. The hook is what catches my eye the most. It actually reads like this:
   "New, what do you own the world?
   How do you own disorder, disorder,"
   
   He actually says "New" at the start and not "you". Seems odd initially, but I think he is referring to the New World Order. He is calling out to the "New" and asking if they own the world and then questioning how can you own disorder? (which I think is clever because in those to lines he used the words New, World and Disorder)...anyway. He goes on to say
   "Now, somewhere between the sacred silence,
   Sacred silence and sleep,
   Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep,
   Disorder, disorder, disorder."
   He is saying that somewhere between the sacred silence (referring to our current passive, inactive and silent voices) and sleep (the end, death) we must have disorder, disorder, disorder. He is basically calling us out that we need to fight back, rebel and not simply take what is spoon fed to us.
   I know this was kind of long but I would love to have a dialogue with someone about it.
5. AspartaneAddict

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   May 7th 2006 !⃝

   The first line, "Conversion, Software Version 7.0, looking at lives thru the eyes of the tired heart".
   
   That means that all of us are having fun with our internet 24/7, while people in Detroit, and other cities that got all jacked up, are suffering while were having a blast.
   
   The eating seeds thing is about, in 1970-1990, taco bells would sell sunflower seeds that contained either asbestos particles, or nicotine. The government was using us as lab rats to see what this would do, some people got heavily addicted and others died.
   
   The chorus, You, how do you own the world, how do you own disorder, that's easy to figure out, "You" is the president of USA thinking that they own a world of disaster, and they are proud of it. next verse...more wood for their fires, my neighbor, means we should help out the misfortunate unlike ourselves with wood for the fire or food etc.im so surprised nobody posted an interpretation on toxicity yet, well here, maybe you will try to correct me now that someone finally figured it out.

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