Down in the park
Where the mach-men meet the machines
And play '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 "Zom-Zom's", a place to eat
Like it was built in one day
You can watch the humans
Trying to run
Oh look there's a rape machine
I'd go outside if he'd look the other way
You wouldn't believe
The things they do
Down in the park
Where the chant is "death, death, death"
Until 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 epitome_of_hate, edited by marcgj123

Down In The Park Lyrics as written by Gary Anthony James Webb

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Down In The Park song meanings
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16 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    Ugh, it makes me so mad everyone thinks that this is a Gary Numan song from when he became a solo artist. He was in a band called Tubeway Army when they made it. Its on a Tubeway Army album called Replicas. No disrespect to Gary, I mean I love him, but its just a thing that bugs me a lot.

    MrLongrove is right, this is based on an unfinished novel Gary wrote when he was younger, I believe the place was called Replicas and the machines were the government. The machmen were kinda like robots livng among humans. The 'friends' referred to in Are 'Friends' Electric and Me! I Disconnect From You were also kinda like robots, but they were rented (or something like that) by people and used to entertain. The Crazies were the few remaining humans left in Replicas, they lived underground.

    Thats all I can really remember without rereading the album sleeve....

    PtolemyKittyon March 25, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    a great song from gary numan. this song is about the machine men (machmen), meet to hunt and kill humans in the park. while some get to watch from above at a place called zom zom's. it is a tragic look of how a human is raped, beatin down, or destroyed by the machmen. great song !!!

    xl5ronon May 25, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Part of Numan's sci-fi story. It's about a depraved futuristic society where humans being hunted raped and killed by machines for sport. This is Numan at his best...dark, gloomy and atmospheric. I've seen Numan live twice and this song is always a highlight for me.

    MrLongroveon March 07, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    It's about the passivity of being in the park without doing anything with some friends, just combating boredom (a force which is metaphorally attacking them); in any case, we are just ordinary people spending a time in the park. Great futuristic, dense and original modern sound from 79'!!!

    PeluCrespinson July 06, 2017   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    In the album Resonator, Numan's newer version of Down in the Park has the last line as "A different RACE but the words never change". In the original he says "face".

    spenny69on June 24, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I actually have an old cassette copy of Tubeway Army's "Replicas" and yes! "Down in the Park" is the last song on side 1! :))

    pharmageekon May 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Replicas was reissued back in the late 90s with a bunch of b-sides. The story behind the music is also included in the booklet. I sure with VH! would do a Behind The Music featuring Gary Numan.

    MrLongroveon August 08, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    VH1 that is

    MrLongroveon August 08, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This reminds me of Battlestar Galactica. The Cylons have a model called "5" and rape machines (of sorts at the Farms) with machines who play kill by numbers (Centurions/Raiders).

    Skooma2112on August 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I like how on the album cover he's looking out there's "the park". Great song...

    DJgifon July 14, 2009   Link

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