Top Rated Interpretation
2006-05-10 12:52:19
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.
msdoctorx
2008-07-23 04:14:07
I'm pretty sure that when they wrote this song that they had Armenia in mind. Anyone who gets to know the Armenian culture would surely agree. I live in the city with the largest Armenian population in the U.S. and in an instant I knew they were singing about Armenia. First off, System of a Down is very in touch with their roots. If you notice they wave the Armenian flag in the background of the Chop Suey video. They also do a concert every year in memory of the lives lost in the Armenian Genocide on April 24th, which is the day Armenians all over the world remember the Armenian Genocide.
Now eating seeds for Armenians is LITERALLY a pass time activity. I've heard that in Armenia most of the men are standing around in the streets, without jobs, passing time by eating sunflower seeds...it's all over the place. Even in the U.S. you can see the trail of sunflower seeds leading to Armenians (specifically Armenians who came from Armenia). In my High School there were many many Armenians and there were sunflower seeds everywhere, in the auditorium, classrooms, and where ever else a group of Armenians had hung out.
There's a lot of disorder in Armenia. There are no jobs, the police are corrupt, the government is connected to the mob, and protesters are brutalized. People in Armenia are apathetic, hopeless, and have given up to some degree. The U.S. Is like heaven compared to Armenia... I doubt System of a Down would be complaining about capitalists when the country they care so deeply about is in that situation. Most who have immigrated here, including myself, think the U.S. Is awesome compared to the country they came from. Plus System of a Down is rich.
Also, in Chop Suey they're asking why God has forsaken them. This is commonly said by those whose people have gone through genocide or holocaust. I've heard many Armenians talk this way. Genocide survivors often times lose faith and try to make sense of the suffering their people went through by claiming God had forgotten about them, or did not hear their prayers.
Although System of a Down may have written their lyrics about the situation in Armenia they do no intend to write songs for only Armenians but for all. They write their songs so that everyone can relate to them in their own way and find their own interpretation but as for what they had in mind was Armenia.
