SOAD Net : Self Titled Meanings

System of a Down (Self Titled)
Sugar 1:
The song sugar [self-titled] is about soldiers, being the mushroom people because their helmets have that shape and the atom bombs they "give away" are mushroom shaped. They risk their lives everyday (i play Russian roulette everyday), they sometimes give in to the raw emotion and kill just for killing (I'm not here all the time), it also deals with the taking advantage of soldiers minds, thus they are being used as "tools" for greater purposes that they will never aware of. Vietnam comes to mind..."killed everyone", "just anger", "going away forever"...how does it feel to kill a person? do the ends justify the means? - By soadfan / cerberus
Sugar 2:
- "I got a gun the other day from sako it's cute it's small fits right in my pocket" - Psycho carries a gun
- "I just fucking kick her and then ooh baby she's okay" - Beats his girlfriend
- "I'm the only one with any motherfucking brains" - He's the only one that's right/Everyone ELSE is different to him
- "No light's, no music, just anger, I killed everyone, I'm away forever but I'm feeling better" - Put away in insane asylum/prison
- By clown in bender
Sugar 3:
Okay this song has been buggin me for years because I couldn't figure it out so I got off my butt and did some research and here is my theory... First kombucha is a culture like yeast, but I'll get back to that. I found a movie called " Attack of the Mushroom People" by Inoshira Honda (sp)?. It is about a bunch of shipwricked people. They do absolutly nothing to save themselves; such as work together to get food, make shelter, try to return to civilization. They spend all of their time bickering and making power plays.(Hmm doesn't sound at all like any societies I know!) Any way the movie is basically an analogy of modern man's inability to to cope w/ mother nature now that we have insulated ourselves from it. It is about the disintegration of modern society when faced with the simplest of inconveniences. Now Kombucha... Like most cultures(think yeast) it needs a catalyst to foment decay: ta da Sugar. - By ayn
Sugar 4:
In some way the song was about a war, I think the Vietnam war. The mushroom people refered to the soliders and how their helmets look like a mushroom head. Sitting around all day was referring to how they just sat there waiting for the enemy. Also, 'let your mother pray' was referring to how the soliders mothers wouldn't know or get updates on their children, so all they could do was pray. - ShavicalStrike!
Johnny 1:
The songs states that Johnny like to explain himself, therefore he likes to explain HIS point of view, he like to explain what he THINKS he UNDERSTANDS, he proclaims in vain because he does nothing about it (the problems, political or social). It could surely be about politicians, who in specific? I don't know. Also they are introduced in the songs like if it were a show of some sort or contest, which is what politics is ALL about. Oh yeah, and why are THEY sweet? Because they're ignorant! - by soadfan / cerberus
Johnny 2:
At a concert, Serj shouted out "This one goes out to you politician bastards!" (He used to do this a lot). Then when everyone thinks he's gonna play P.L.U.C.K., Daron plays the opening riffs to Johnny. I think he is talking about politicians who complain about random stuff and consider themselves so innocent. Exactly who Johnny and Roger are is uncertain, but its clear that he's trying to make them sound like loudmouthed, stupid Brits. - buffinshammie
War:
We first fought the heathens in the name of religion, then Communism, and now in the name of drugs and terrorism. Our excuses for global domination always change. The above quote, taken from the self-titled album's booklet, explains the essence of the song. It suggests the reasons for war or intervention in international conflicts are often not what they are publicized to be. Power is something people and governments infinitely seek, and many excuses to gain it have and will continue to be made. The song begins with a reference to the First Crusade, when the Western European Christian powers engaged in campaigns to free the holy land from the Seljuk Turks. After the first chorus, it asks, Was it the riches, of the land, Powers of bright darkness, That lead the noble, to the East, To fight the heathens Was the wealth of the holy land and its surrounding Middle Eastern regions were also a strong influence on waging war against the Seljuks? Yes, potential wealth was a deciding factor for many Crusaders to venture east to battle. Beliefs, they're the bullets of the wicked, Possibly a statement discouraging the act of waging war or fighting for religious beliefs, which have, throughout history, been a source of endless conflict and violence. Today, religious beliefs continue to fuel the fire for problems in many parts of the world. The concluding verse of the song discusses international security as a means for accomplishing concealed goals. For the past century, "international security" has become the reason for many conflicts, including but not limited to such wars as Vietnam, Korea, and the more recent campaigns of the last two decades in the Middle East. Referring again to the quote from the booklet, fighting terrorism and drugs are currently reasons for obtaining power. The drug war presents the opportunity to politically influence nations involved in the drug trade, particularly in Central and South America, and accomplish goals via puppet governments and other methods. Serj says, The drug war shouldn't be waged in Columbia or anywhere else in the world, it should be waged on our borders. We are the biggest drug-using nation, and if we can't stop it from coming into our borders, we have no right to go and mess with other people's countries and crops and what-not. And set up puppet regimes to give us what we want. The true matter-of-fact reason for the drug war is to fund things that Congress will not fund in foreign policy, that the administration wants to achieve. (source) And although the elimination of terrorism is a global goal that certainly needs accomplishment, oil is an important factor in the Middle East campaigns as well. - by soadonline.com
P.L.U.C.K:
System of a Down would like to dedicate this song to the memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by the Turkish Government in 1915. P.L.U.C.K. (Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly, Killers) is exactly what the above quote states--a song commemorating the tragic Armenian Genocide. It was taken from the self-titled album's booklet. For a brief background on the Armenian Genocide, here's the FAQ question: 4. What is the Armenian Genocide? Genocide is the planned extermination of an entire national, racial, political, or religious group. The Armenian Genocide was a tragic event that occurred during the World War I and post-WWI years. At the time, a triumvirate political party, known as the Young Turks, controlled the Ottoman Empire. On April 24th, 1915, the Turkish government, led by the Young Turks, apprehended over two hundred Armenian leaders and had them executed, leaving the Armenian people without any leaders. Proceeding these murders, the Turks began the massive campaign to slaughter each and every Armenian person they could find. Many were killed on site, sometimes being brutally tortured or raped prior to their death, and many were deported to the desert in Syria, only to be left to die in the arid wasteland. Following the reign of the Young Turks, the genocide continued under the rule of Turkish Nationalists. The massacre endured for nearly eight years. Between 1915 and 1923, approximately one and a half million Armenians were deliberately killed by the Turks. Since the years of horrific death and destruction of the Armenian people, the Turkish government has denied the accusations, though the world has become increasingly aware of this forgotten slaughter of countless numbers of innocent people. For more information on the Armenian Genocide, see the list of links. The lyrics are fairly straightforward if you have basic background knowledge of the genocide. To summarize, P.L.U.C.K. conveys the horrible act of the Armenian Genocide, and encourages "Recognition, Restoration, Reparation." Nothing can repair the murder of of 1.5 million innocent people, but the world must recognize that this did happen and ensure that genocide of any people never occurs again. - by soadonline.com
Peephole:
Peephole is an ode to marijuana. In an interview with 420Bands.com, this information was mentioned by Serj: I've heard that your song Peephole is about marijuana... is it true? ...Can you tell us what inspired you to write it? Yes it is. The inspiration came from the spirit of the plant itself, I believe as in all things we ingest. It's the avenues of the stoned. The lyrics seem to metaphorically describe the physical affects of marijuana when you are high. Furthermore, a small statement above Peephole in the self-titled album's booklet says: The February 18 edition of Britain's NEW SCIENTIST Magazine reports that the Geneva-based World Health Organization suppressed, under political pressure, a report which confirmed that marijuana is safer than either alcohol or tobacco. - by soadonline.com
Darts:
A song relating to two Babylonian gods, Ninti and Ishkur. According to Babylonian mithology, Ishkur was a large, dragon-like beast that guarded Babylon's gates. Some of the other lyrics are unclear. - buffinshammie