Down in the park
Where the Machmen meet
The machines are playing kill-by-numbers
Down in the park with a friend called Five

I was in a car crash
Or was it the war?
But I've never been quite the same
Little white lies like I was there

Come to Tom-Tom's, a place to eat
Like it was built in one day
You can watch the humans
Try to run

Oh, look, there's a rape machine
I'd go outside if it looks the other way
You wouldn't believe
The things they do

Down in the park
Where the chant is 'Death, death, death'
Till the sun cries morning
Down in the park with friends of mine

We are not lovers
We are not romantics
We are here to serve you
A different face but the words never change



Lyrics submitted by berserker


Down In The Park (Gary Numan Cover) song meanings
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14 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:And, I realize this is years later, but....

    "Lyrically the song crystallized the dystopian science fiction concept that was the basis of the Replicas album. Heavily influenced by such writers as J.G. Ballard and Philip K. Dick, it tells the story of a futuristic park in which Machmen (androids with human skin) and machines rape and kill human beings to entertain spectators who, along with their numerically-named robotic "friends" ("Down in the Park, with a friend called Five"), view the carnage from a nearby club ("Zom Zoms")"- Wikipedia

    The internet is your friend, folks....Use it BEFORE you talk out of your asses, please?
    Flag baphomet1313on August 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Lyric Correction:It is Zom Zom's, not Tom Tom's.
    Flag baphomet1313on August 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song is about kurt cobain because kurt cobain was once in a park.
    Flag idiotfanon December 12, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:absolutely love this song!
    Flag Cleanrusson June 18, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i had no idea this was a cover! good song tho, have loved it for year... although i always thought the lyric was "down in the park with a friend called fire" not "five" ?
    Flag huntingbears86on April 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:^this, also this song is all about Cyber Apocalypse, that reminds my about a game called "i have no mouth and i must scream". i can believe the message of this fine ass song
    Flag estealon December 01, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:COBHATEBREEDER is on to something.

    I googled Machmen. The first return was Chaptrer 6 from a book titled "The Hub". It refers to Machmen as I imagined and as the song kind of implies - "Human beings surgically modified, equipped with a variety of devices to permit them to function freely in environments which otherwise would be instantly deadly to a man lacking the protection of a spacesuit or ship. They were instrumented men: machine men—machmen".

    If you take the song as a whole, it sounds like it is being sung or narrated by a Machman. I think "I was in a car crash or was it the war" refers to his half human/half machine state. Obviously he is not sure how he got that way as he was probably under anesthesia.

    "you can watch the humans try to run" differentiates him (the machman narrator) from the humans who have not yet been captured and altered or killed by the machines that roam like COBHATEBREEDER stated.

    I think the final verse "we are not lovers, we are not romantics, we are here to serve you" really sums it up. The Machmen were made by the machines to serve them, that's why they are pretty much left alone, except for the rape machine.

    "a different face but the words never change" means ALL Machmen may look different possibly with their still human faces, but they are still there to serve.

    All in all, creepy ass song! Some of the music especially the beginning reminds me of the intro music to Manhunt (PS2).

    Later
    Flag dualsvtsnakeson December 22, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love the haunting tone of this song... but yeah I agree with COBHATEBREEDER, it's like a world after machines have taken over. creepy.
    Flag spitfire4on October 03, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:COBHATEBREEDER, I was thinkins something like that. "kill-by-numbers" obviously refers to "paint-by-numbers", so it's some kind of twisted game.

    It's very likely that this song has some sort of ulterior motive. Maybe the machine-thing refers to us humans. And the numbered humans refers to all other animals on this planet, describing the way we think this earth all belongs to us and the way be sort of make all other creatures our slaves. Like if machines will start to rule the world, we'll know how it feels, or something.
    Flag Carlstroemon July 28, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the line is: "I was in a car crash, It wasn't the war but I've never been quite the same."

    This is one of my favorite songs ever by the Foo, if I remember correctly it was a B-Side on the Monkeywrench single way back in 97. Yes it is a cover, but much better.
    Flag Foundation4lifeon October 23, 2006   Link

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