Marilyn Manson – Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode cover)

• +1
  My Interpretation:For me, when I saw the music video, the multi-colored balloons wrapped in a light sheet of plastic could only represent one thing. Heroin.
  
  As an addict, the drug is really like, "Someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares, and/or someone who's there."
  
  Often times a user will find themselves alone (with their telephone), and I take the lyrics,
  "Lift up the receiver, I'll make you a believer"
  and
  "I will deliver, you know I'm a forgiver"
  to be about when you're all strung out and alone and you call up the dealer for a fix. Most dealers could care less about you, you're just money. but to the user the dealer is a saint (or Personal Jesus) for giving them their precious drugs.
  
  These lyrics aside, people seek out religion for many reasons, peace of mind, salvation, hope, eternal life, all of which can be gained by doing dope... for awhile anyway. When I was using, I thought of Heroin as my own little religion. When I was high, I had no problems, or worries, more than any religion has ever done. I'm not trashing religion, but religion requires faith, and I think the song implies that with drugs you can get a religion/faith that you can "reach out and touch."
  
  I don't know what Depeche Mode was trying to say with this song, or how MM interpreted it. But this is what the song means to me.
  
  Peace,
  Brian

  Flag XxBrianxXon February 10, 2012   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:I think all the different pictures of historical people who are in the video (either in the background for a few seconds or so, or taking up the whole screen for a split-second) are different people who have become people's own "personal Jesus"s, people who, at least at some point in history, were considered Christ-like by a large amount of people. Christ-like might not be the right phrase, what I mean is people would treat them as if they were Christ, you know, like all the stuff in the song, they were their forgiver, someone to answer their prayers, you know. Anyways, that's what I think.

  Flag CrypticPoptartsAlton September 06, 2011   Link

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• -1
  General Comment:Marylin manson is one of my favorite people that are going to hell
  

  Flagged Ayjizzy010on January 19, 2010   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:great damn song. drew this song into a picture and got it tatted onto my ribs. manson is the best.
  
  This song just goes to show that we all look for our own personal jesus. and his GGG tour was aptly named in the way its the things that people find their personal jesuss in.
  
  everyone needs something to believe in... i can be your PJ just by being yourfriend

  Flag xxAnt1Chr1stxxon November 12, 2009   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:I love the line 'reach out and touch me' I think they're some of the most brilliant lyrics in the world.

  Flag priestessofthewhiteon August 22, 2009   Link

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• 0
  My Opinion:I like Marilyn Manson's vesion musch better than the original or Johny Cash.
  Depeche Mode is great but Manson just had so much more emotion ehind the song. Most likely because he probably beleives he is the closest thin to Jesus to ever walk the Earth. His opinion on religion is made very clear in this song and and music video. Im not sure why but Johny Cash had no emotion while singing the song. Possibly because he was most likely lit up when he performed it.
  MM4Lyfe!!!!

  Flag mellobaybee14on July 26, 2009   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:I heard that Depeche Mode originally wrote this song based on a line from a book on Elvis in which Priscilla refers to Elvis as her "Personal Jesus". I believe it was called "Elvis and I" but i'm far from quotable on that. I think Manson interpreted the song as trying to find something to believe in. The sounds of the dogs barking and the chainlink fence at the beginning remind me of a ghetto. So I see it like a nobody's trying to find some solace and a reason to believe in something, not even a deity but just someone kind. I guess Manson must be kind of challenging morals by getting people to look at what they believe in (Showing presidents etc.) and re-evaluating who their personal jesus is.

  Flag sXepunketteon February 07, 2009   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:the depeche mode and johnny cash version are about a persons personal jesus - a person that they can confide in and tell anything to regardless of their faith. pick up the phone - this is about calling a random person that you can talk to e.g. a sex hotline, you can tell the person on the other end of the line anything.
  marilyn manson had a different take on the song which is why in his video it has hitler, stalin, jfk and george bush, this is about people that people believe are in charge and are almost like jesus because they are/were seen as saviours by people that looked up to them and listened to them as if they had the same authority as jesus

  Flag bradfaceon October 30, 2008   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:This was the first Manson (and, indeed, one of the first "secular") song I ever heard, back when I was still a fundamentalist Christian at the age of 14. I hated it because it mocked my faith, but I loved it regardless. Honestly it helped me become who I am today.

  Flag rhuesteron May 29, 2008   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:This song was written about Priscilla Presley's book "Elivs & Me" where she describes their relationship and how for several years he was her father, lover and "quite nearly God"

  Flag chippednpon April 07, 2008   Link

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