Joy Division – Leaders of Men

Know something about this song or lyrics? Add it to our wiki.
Send "Leaders of Men" Ringtone to Cell

Born from some mother's womb,
Just like any other room.
Made a promise for a new life.
Made a victim out of your life.

When your time's on the door,
And it drips to the floor,
And you feel you can touch,
All the noise is too much,
And the seeds that are sown,
Are no longer your own.

Just a minor operation,
To force a final ultimatum.
Thousand words are spoken loud,
Reach the dumb to fool the crowd.

When you walk down the street,
And the sound's not so sweet,
And you wish you could hide,
Maybe go for a ride,
To some peep show arcade,
Where the future's not made.

A nightmare situation,
Infiltrate imagination,
Smacks of past Holy wars,
By the wall with broken laws.

The leaders of men,
Born out of your frustration.
The leaders of men,
Just a strange infatuation.
The leaders of men,
Made a promise for a new life.
No savior for our sakes,
To twist the internees of hate,
Self induced manipulation,
To crush all thoughts of mass salvation.

Send "Leaders of Men" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by typo

Track duration: 02:35

"Leaders of Men" as written by Ian Kevin Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Paul David Morris, Bernard Sumner

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Leaders of Men song meanings
Add your thoughts

11 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:I think at least the first half of the song is about his failing marriage and his wife having his child...

    Born from some mother's womb
    Just like any other room
    Made a promise for a new life
    Made a victim out of your life

    When your time's on the door
    And it drips to the floor
    And you feel you can touch
    All the noise is too much
    And the seeds that are sown
    Are no longer your own

    Just a minor operation
    To force a final ultimatum
    Flag phatsk807on March 20, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I fucking love Joy Division but the guitar in this song is extremely similar to Achilles Last Stand by Led Zeppelin.
    Flag Devilbirdon January 17, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i love the way ian sings in this song he sounds like a proper manc lad
    Flag Xeanson August 11, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:OK, this isn't taking the piss, but I thought the last line was "To crush our thoughts of masturbation" which would kind of change the whole meaning. Any thoughts?
    Flag Wallamanageon April 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The bit about time dripping to the floor sounds like a Dali reference, like that painting with the melting clocks.
    Flag i_am_the_lawon October 28, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:auto_suggestion is right. It does sound a lot like bowie.
    'When your time's on the door
    And it drips to the floor
    And you feel you can touch
    All the noise is too much
    And the seeds that are sown
    Are no longer your own'
    The build up of this bit sounds alot like David Bowie's 'Queen Bitch'
    thats what I think anyway..
    Flag ziggy_who?on October 25, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I've been reading some great books on WWI by Keegan, Graves, and Fussel, and I guess because of my selections, this song really reminds me of those men who were goaded into fighting the great war. What an illusion that was.
    Flag mdbumon March 30, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I've been reading some great books on WWI by Keegan, Graves, and Fussel, and I guess because of my selections, this song really reminds me of those men who were goaded into fighting the great war. What an illusion that was.
    Flag mdbumon March 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:is it just me, or does Ian sound a lot like David Bowie in this song? it sounds like Curtis and Bowie are singing it together. awesome song none-the-less, i love the gutiar.
    Flag auto_suggestionon August 15, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:definately one of my favourite joy division songs...
    wht its about, i have no idea. knowing ian curtis its probably something deep and meaningful.
    Flag Nymphetamineon February 18, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain