The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Cat's foot iron claw
Neurosurgeons scream for more
At paranoia's poison door
Twenty first century schizoid man
Blood rack, barbed wire
Politicians' funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty first century schizoid man
Death seed blind man's greed
Poets starving, children bleed
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man
Neurosurgeons scream for more
At paranoia's poison door
Twenty first century schizoid man
Blood rack, barbed wire
Politicians' funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty first century schizoid man
Death seed blind man's greed
Poets starving, children bleed
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Incredible song. Here's what the lyrics mean;
The "21st Century Shizoid Man" is a person of the near future. Pretty much paints an unflattering portrait of the future-- as we see on television and such the future is going to be a place where dreams will come true, King Crimson decides to be less optimistic and more realistic.
"Cats Foot Iron Claw"
Means that all that is organic will be replaced with machines.
"Neuro-surgeons scream for more"
The future is going to be a crowded stressful mess, people will be worked to the bone and insanity will be rife. Thus the neuro-surgeons will capitalise on the madness that will ensue
Second verse, the future is going to be a place of much suffering and war
"Poets starving children bleed"
Art will be shunned upon in the face of commercial superficiality. The people who try to get their messages across-- ie "the children", will be ignored in the face of conformist pop culture
"Nothing he's got he really needs"
Electricity, television, movies, etc, all of these things that are slowly consuming our resources in the name of keeping people happy.. things like that that greedy people of the future will consume and operate by the truckload.. we really don't need them
I think your interpretation was really interesting and quite good. <br /> <br /> However, I think, give the year this was written, it's much more about the Vietnam war. <br /> <br /> Being only 20 and not living at the time of the war, I can't decipher all of the symbols and some of what I do decipher may be wrong, but here's my take on it. <br /> <br /> "Neuro-Surgeons scream for more"<br /> I think this connects to the post traumatic stress disorder and drug use many of the returning soldiers got into after the war. They were spit at and called murderers for the deed of serving their country and this, plus the pain and images of war caused many great mental distress.<br /> <br /> <br /> "At paranoia's poison door"<br /> This, to me, is very obviously a connection to the paranoia the U.S. had and has concerning communism. A communist revolution was happening in Vietnam at the time led by Ho Chi Minh. U.S., at least the people, thought that if communism took root in one place, slowly, every country would turn to communism. (The domino theory.) This wasn't good for business, you see as the U.S. loves imports and exports.<br /> <br /> "Blood rack, barbed wire"<br /> This simply sets the scene of war. The Vietnam war is one that is notoriously bloody and violent against women and children. <br /> <br /> "Politicians funeral pyre"<br /> This symbolizes the selfish sacrifice politicians made by drafting young men into the war. They let these young men die for the ideas and beliefs of the government officials who were safe at home. <br /> <br /> "Innocents raped with napalm fire"<br /> One of the most blatently violent lines is this song, this harkens to the horrid deeds done is the Vietnam war specifically. Vietnamese women were raped by soldiers coming trough villages. Not only that, the "innocents" or young Vietnamese children were maimed and often killed by a weapon which employed a sticky mixture consisting of napalm which was lit on fire. The mixture was meant to stick to enemies while it burned. It was often blasted into homes, killing families. <br /> <br /> "Death seed, blind man's greed"<br /> Many people were either blind by choice or by their own naive thoughts that the war was for good. The death seed IS the blind man's greed. The man who thinks not of his brothers and sisters across the ocean plants the seed of death on their soil because he allows himself emotional distace between them and himself through his greed, therefore allowing no guilt to lie on his shoulders when he kills them or allows them to be killed. He plants the seed of death through apathy. <br /> <br /> "Poets' starving children bleed"<br /> This line connects, I think with not only the American families who lost sons (the beat-nick subculture was quite popular at this time and they often were poets) but also to the children in Vietnam, in tiny villages who were dying from hunger and the brutality of war.<br /> <br /> "Nothing he's got he really needs"<br /> Let's face it: The U.S. is spoiled we have no problem getting clean water, food, and shelter for the most part. And then we want more- cars, houses, computers, video games, money. We don't need these things. What we need is a sense of love and caring towards one another... if we had that, we'd all get wat we need. That's what I think this line is talking about. He has his material possessions but not basic good-will and love towards others.<br /> <br /> "Twenty-first century schizoid man."<br /> This line, repeated at the end of each stanza, is an important one. It points the blame on to the government only... but to those who refuse to see the truth of the time: That the U.S. had no bussiness rushing into another country, killing others, killing children, all to protect it's greed. The blame is on every 21st century business junkie, out of touch with humanity, greedy, schizoid, pill-popping, blind government-following man.
I disagree that the song is not about greed. The first verse brings that concept in with neuro-surgeons screaming for more. It is their greed that feeds the paranoia. It is so prophetic too because here we are in the 21st century and pharmacutical companies control us. Psycho bablers work hand in hand. It is huge money. I also don't think the least useful line is "nothing hes got he really needs." In fact, I think that is one of the better lines. The line that makes this song out of date is the reference to napalm. For you Britts that is a reference to the Vietnam war. That line for that time is quite radical since even Lennon made scarce mentions of that war in his lyrics. I think the most startling part of the whole song is Greg Lakes delivery. He is frantically shouting it as a prophetic warning. Almost as if he is already there himself. It is a great song, and maybe one of the best offerings by this band. Fripp is great, and I love Red maybe best of all.
@Griffinfuhrer isn't cat's foot another way of saying cat's paw?
@Griffinfuhrer Spot on<br /> Cat's foot iron claw: bionics, robotic prostheses, think Terminator 2<br /> Neurosurgeons: are putting in brain implants, doing all sorts of fun work on nervous system, and just like neurosurgeons, want more<br /> Death's seed: The future is about cultivating death and the shortsighted "blind" greed of those trying to profit<br /> Poets starving: yes, I agree, the end of art, while the population suffer "children bleed"<br /> Nothing he's got...consumerism<br /> Blood rack/barbed wire: war<br /> Politician's funeral pyre: war is and always has been a sacrifice of the people by politicians to make money OR it means the end of politicians? Funeral pyre is ambiguous imagery<br /> Innocents raped: pretty obvious reference to the (then) recent combat in Indochina where napalm was used on Vietnamese civilians by the US<br /> <br />
The Schizoid Man is one whose moral values are contradictory. The song is written in the context of an unwinnable war and senseless competition to consume. It is a criticism of American culture in the era of its composition and remains relevant today.
"Cat's foot" and "iron claw" is reminiscent of Neil Young's "Kinder, gentler, machine gun hand". Here the lyrics are a reference to the dichotomy of modern man's value system. He wants to tread quietly (peacefully) but he's also the hunter (cat) who will strike without mercy (iron claw) against his opposition. The false belief that one can be more peaceful and more violent at the same time is sheer insanity.
The "neuro-surgeons screaming for more" is a reference to men who seem to have it all. He has brilliance, wealthy, prestige, a beautiful wife, and yet somehow that is not enough for him. Fear of losing his possessions drives him to paranoia and misery. It is sheer insanity to strive for everything and yet be happy with nothing.
"Blood rack, barbed wire" represents the amorality of war. The "politician's funeral pyre" is an unwinnable war. To stave off his own political suicide, the politician allows his military forces to burn innocents with "napalm fire". The idea of slaughtering thousands to save one is moral insanity.
Death is sown throughout the world so that the neuro-surgeon can have even more than the everything he has now. Acquiring resources from one person means having to take resources from the "poet's starving children". Wanting what you do not need is moral inanity.
The neurosurgeon, rather than a symbol of wealth, may be operating on the Schizoid Man, screaming for more drugs, more instruments, to turn the Man into an even more dangerous monster.
Fantastic observation Dylan! <br /> <br /> I made an alternate interpretation of the surgeon as the soldier in a later posting. The soldier performs lobotomies with his bullets. Given the ethically questionable psychological and scientific experiments by the government in that era, I have to wonder if you are not absolutely correct.
Firstly it's important to note that schizoidism is not simply amorality, but rather a very complex personality disease. The schizoid man sees no need for others, he has been hurt too much and he doesn't see how others can be worthwhile or beautiful inside. He sees society as a nuisance that he must put up with in order to achieve his own solitary goals. In this context:
Cat's foot iron claw Neuro-surgeons scream for more At paranoia's poison door. Twenty first century schizoid man.
The lyrics of this song are certainly related to the Vietnam War. But it's not a twentieth century schizoid man, it's a twenty-first century schizoid man. It's a man in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, it's about those who came back from war having seen more horrible things than any man ever should. A soldier comes back from killing and seeing his closest friends killed horribly, and suddenly the fireplace looks more like trees burning with napalm, or the cat's foot that might have seemed so innocent and playful before looks more like an iron claw, an instrument of death. One of the most prominent effects of PTSD like this is flashbacks, where if a balloon pops near the old soldier, he might think it's a gunshot and go crazy for a moment thinking he's in the forests in Vietnam. And he's so fucked up, so prone to slip across the threshold into paranoia's poison door at any moment, even the neurosurgeons can't treat him. As in, the neurosurgeons are fighting against paranoia's poison door, with whatever drugs or surgery they're using, but it's not enough, they scream for more.
Blood rack barbed wire Politicians' funeral pyre Innocents raped with napalm fire Twenty first century schizoid man.
Death imagery death imagery. Unholy politicians are burned with respect, while innocents are burned with napalm. It's so fucked up it's almost easier not to care about any of those people or what's happening to them; thus is comprised the twenty-first century schizoid man.
Death seed blind man's greed Poets' starving children bleed Nothing he's got he really needs Twenty first century schizoid man.
The fat cat politicians who enrolled the entire country in war, thus seeding death, were blind to the horrors the soldiers would experience there. They were fueled only by greed for power and political status. They seeded death for everyone who wasn't them, even the starving children of poets, who embody the opposite of greed, since they practically accept poverty for the sake of the art they produce. But the world's shocking injustice and coldness, indeed schizoidism, has created this individual who no longer knows how to appreciate anything or anyone he has. Thus the new face of the twenty-first century is born, the twenty-first century schizoid man.
Excellent, @eggplant . I think you nailed it!
so much meaning in so few lyrics
i love this song. i love king crimson. it says alot about how america society well world socety is today.
Probably the best song from KC. The vocals may turn off a few folks but why doesn’t everything need to sound normal if it still sounds good. And the instrumentation people don’t like either. Ok I’m all for not liking music that’s too experimental (at least in one song), but this doesn’t go that far overboard in my opinion. It’s progressive rock sure, but emphasis on rock because this still ROCKS. Overall, great song and everyone should listen to and like this.
a killer saxophone solo in this song
Yeah, the musicianship shown on this song was probably unseen at this time, real crazy stuff, this is. Everyone from the bass player to the drummer and brass perform to the max. The ending though.... a bit too much, no? The second breakdown part gets a little tiring just before "I Talk to the wind".
I agree. Brilliant song, but they could've done without the last 25 seconds.
Daaaaamn this song blows me away. It's so tightly composed and preformed.
normaly i hate SAX but its cool in this
Ha, I totally agree!<br /> Sax is such a crap sound, sounds like an angry bee trapped in a toilet paper tube.<br /> Awful awful, and about as sexy (which many people quote it is) as rotting roadkill. <br /> <br /> This is one of the few songs with a sax solo that it's actually good.<br /> <br /> If it's not sax and is a guitar tone due to fx, what a silly thing to try and emulate.
You guys need to listen to some Baritone Sax - much deeper and cooler sound then tenors or altos.
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