They slit our throats
like we were flowers
and our milk has been
devoured.

When you want it, it goes away too fast.
Times you hate it, it always seems to last.
Just remember, when you think you're free,
the crack inside your fuckin heart is me.

{Thought, not spoken}:
I want to outrace the speed of pain
for another day. And I
want to outrace the speed of pain
for another day.

I wish I could sleep,
but I can't lay on my back
'cause there's a knife for everyday
that I've known you.

When you want it, it goes away too fast.
Times you hate it, it always seems to last.
Just remember, when you think you're free,
the crack inside your fuckin heart is me.

{Thought, not spoken}:
I want to outrace the speed of pain
for another day. And I
want to outrace the speed of pain
for another day.

Lie to me,
cry to me,
give to me,
I would...

Lie with me,
die with me,
give to me,
I would...

always keep your secrets wrapped in death. Always.
always keep our secrets wrapped in death. Always.

Lie to me,
cry to me,
give to me,
I would...

Lie with me,
die with me,
give to me,
I would...

At least hope we die holding hands.
always. hope we die holding hands.
always. hope we die holding hands...



Lyrics submitted by King Nothing, edited by midnightzone, momoericke

Track duration: 05:30


The Speed Of Pain song meanings
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27 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:this album reminds me alot of Pink Floyd Darkside. Expcially with the lady's vocals.
    Flag auriahnaon August 06, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:This is one of the 7 songs on the album about Omega's personal side. Its about life in "space", or HOLY WOOD, and his failure to attain Coma White (perfection).
    -------------------
    "They slit our throats like we were flowers.
    And our milk has bee devoured."

    Everyone in space, aka HOLY WOOD, is dead inside.
    ---

    When you want it, it goes away too fast.
    When you hate it, it always seems to last.
    Just remember when you think you're free, the crack inside your fucking heart is me."

    His life in HOLY WOOD. And that last line kind of goes with what is said in Antichrist Svperstar as a similar message to the beautiful people:

    "When you are suffering, know that I have betrayed you."
    ---

    "{Thought, not spoken}:
    I want to outrace the speed of pain for another day."

    Self-explanitory
    ---

    "I wish I could sleep, but I can't lay on my back because there's a knife for everyday that I've known you."

    This is about Coma White. He feels like as long as he's had his idea of perfection, it always feels out of reach; like it lures him and then deceives him, and eludes him.
    ---

    "Lie to me.
    Cry to me.
    Give to me.
    I would."

    Also about Coma White. He wishes that he could live out his ideal of perfection. Even if it were a lie.
    ---

    "Keep all your secrets wrapped in dead hair, for always. I hope that we die holding hands, for always."

    He still wants to believe he can achieve perfection, and hopes that--one day--he can.
    Flag TryingToBeHumanon April 13, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I'd just like to point out that the opening verse pays reference to the opium poppy. Once the flower has become bulbous/swollen it is slit with a blade and the opium milk leaks out where it is left to solidify before harvest.

    I think this may be relevant to the song as he too feels as if his essence has been drained and stolen (harvested) leaving him with anguish. Perhaps a good way to outrace the speed of pain would be to try and kill it with opiates. But then can we kill emotional pain with an opiate or are we just postponing it?

    Again, I agree that this song is about a painful memory of love lost and about how we can be prepared for some pain and it just isn't enough for us whilst the pain you wanted to avoid the most will take its greatest toll on you when it hits and there's nothing you can do about it.
    Flag deathcrumpeton September 29, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I'm still amazed Billy Corgan does the backing vocals or some vocals in this song, he's the electronic voice you hear when you hear the chrous.

    Billy wasnt credited in the song itself but was still thanks in the Albums Thanks page.
    Flag SamtheAngelFoxon September 13, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:great song, one of his best... the chorus
    "i want to outrace the speed of pain' epicly amzing. i live my life to outrace the pain. and i can hurt myself cause i control it and i love the pain but when someone else brings it on me... it sucks.
    pain is love.
    love is truth.
    truth is manson
    Flag xxAnt1Chr1stxxon September 15, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Really great song. To me this song is about a lot of things. Like abuse, self-esteem and self mutilation issues, relationships (good and bad), drug use, and also the main theme of popstars and media and all that in Mechanical Animals. This song is so immense. It can be both sad and optimistic for me at different times in my life. And I think that's great. One of Manson's best.
    Flag Frank The Bunnyon July 28, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't know, but I get the impression that he doesn't want to face the truth and feel the pain of a situation. That he isn't ready for it.
    Flag vintage.d0llon September 14, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This song is MOST DEFINITELY about CRYSTAL METH!!! For one, SPEED is a name that commonly refers to methamphetamine...and the song is called "The SPEED of Pain" - and I can totally relate to this song when he sings "When you want it, it goes away too fast", because it's so true. Meth is an extremely addictive dopamine rush, and you constantly use more and more to try and reach that initial high you got your first use. Even the music and sound effects remind me of that feeling of being wired on meth, which is called "tweaking". "Times you hate it" and "Just remember, when you think you're free, the crack inside your fucking heart is me" makes it seem like the meth is talking to you directly because Meth actually makes your heart beat faster... and you'll never truly be free.
    Flag ginotteon April 06, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is by far one of my favourite Manson songs, and I especially like it because it can be related to in so many different ways. I especially like the line, "Just remember, when you think you're free, the crack inside your fucking heart is me", cuz its so powerful, and in the song its almost as if Manson meant to accentuate it. To Manson, I think this was about his problems with cocaine...
    Flag v2kvon December 31, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song was written about a relationship, in the superficial sense. Obviously its about some other person, someone special to Manson, but the feelings he describes arent necessarily about the relationship or how it ended. When he says "When you want it, it goes away too fast. Times you hate it, it always seems to last. Just remember, when you think you're free, the crack inside your fuckin heart is me." he could be talking about the constant give and take of life. Everyone has crappy days and days that are just perfect, but everytime you activly pursue a day like that (the "day" is just a metaphore, it could be a relationship, any event that someone can pursue) it never comes out the way u picture it, and u end up having to "outrace the speed of pain". Also, he could just be talking about the girl he broke up with and the time he spent with her, or the breakup and how much it tortured him. If u hear the tones and beat of the music when he's saying Lie to me,
    cry to me,
    give to me,
    I would...

    Lie with me,
    die with me,
    give to me,
    I would...

    it doesnt match, at all. The music is bittersweet in the sense that it goes from major to minor chord and a very distorted and dissonant bassline make a huge contrast for a bittersweet sound. It sounds almost like a 50's rock song with the traditional chord progression, but the contrasting tones and dissonant sound creates a mockery of the normal sound of music, and gives the music an ironic and sick deeper meaning. Most songs about loss are just about the loss itself and sorrow, not coping with it or wishing it on other people. this song is perfectly crafted in the way that it captures the feelings and actions of a tourtered soul. The restlessness and feeling of dispair and deprevation: "I wish i could sleep, but i cant. Cuz a knife in my back fro everyday ive known you" This captures the horrible feeling of time wasted: Every second i spent with that person was a second i was wasting and another second building up to this loss and pain. Also, there is hope in the end of the song when he says "at least we'll die holding hands", which could mean two things. Either they are connected by their loss and pain and torment
    and are the only people that can understand eachother, but ironically hate eachother. So they are holding hands, in the sense that they understand, but the hate has killed them. It doesnt matter that they're holding hands; they're dead. Also, it could mean that they still love eachother but the animosity and loss have put such a barrier between them, that only death can connect them. It's such a good song, i listen to this song everytime i'm down or depressed because even if i cant relate to his situation, the feelings are so tangible and real, that I have to appreciate this song and manson's ability to catpure man's most primal and deep feelings.
    Flag bobsomenobon March 19, 2006   Link

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