Easy enough song to understand imo. It's about a person who went off to Hollywood to make it big, but like most people who try, this person doesn't get what they want either.
"I'll wait here, you're crazy."
The narrator is staying at home in whatever other town they live in. He's telling his friend that going to Hollywood is a crazy idea.
"Those vicious streets are filled with strays.
You should have never gone to Hollywood. "
Describing the streets as "vicious" shows how much of a dog-eat-dog place it is. If you don't make it then it's very unforgiving and you have to join the aimless "strays" wandering the streets hoping to make a break but not going anywhere.
"They find you to time you,
Say you're the best they've ever seen."
Initially the friend gets some kind of help. They're told they will be a star so they sign their lives away for nothing to an agent or producer who just wants a fast buck and will drop them like a hot potato the moment they stop being profitable.
"I wrote you and told you,
You were the biggest fish out here.
You should have never gone to Hollywood."
The narrator keeps in contact with his friend, standing by his earlier advice on staying at home. While the person who went to Hollywood might have some talent at what they do and they were the best in their hometown, against the titans in Hollywood they don't look as good, they're not the "biggest fish" anymore.
"They take you and make you,
They look at you in disgusting ways."
In almost any industry, the top stars (especially women) are sexualised far beyond what any normal person ever is. Even for the people who do make it big, they're still being exploited for titillation. Looking in disgusting ways could also reference how they look at this person and just see how much money can be made off them and nothing else matters or it might imply that the person has failed and had to resort to stripping or even prostitution to pay the bills (which is far from unheard of in Hollywood).
"I was standing on the wall feeling ten feet tall.
All you maggots smoking fags on Santa Monica Boulevard."
This is stepping out from the original story and talking about Malakian's childhood. As kids, when he and his friends jumped up on a particular high wall they could see Hollywood's seedy underbelly in the form of pimps, hookers, drug dealers etc. A lot of them were the people who had wanted to be movie stars or musicians and now they're standing on corners smoking cigarettes ("fags") all day.
"Phony people come to pay.
Look at all of them, back to stay.
Phony people come to pray."
He's just saying that Hollywood is like the holy land for phony people. They can't resist it, they keep coming "back to stay" despite the fact that they suffer there ("pay").
Easy enough song to understand imo. It's about a person who went off to Hollywood to make it big, but like most people who try, this person doesn't get what they want either.
"I'll wait here, you're crazy."
The narrator is staying at home in whatever other town they live in. He's telling his friend that going to Hollywood is a crazy idea.
"Those vicious streets are filled with strays. You should have never gone to Hollywood. "
Describing the streets as "vicious" shows how much of a dog-eat-dog place it is. If you don't make it then it's very unforgiving and you have to join the aimless "strays" wandering the streets hoping to make a break but not going anywhere.
"They find you to time you, Say you're the best they've ever seen."
Initially the friend gets some kind of help. They're told they will be a star so they sign their lives away for nothing to an agent or producer who just wants a fast buck and will drop them like a hot potato the moment they stop being profitable.
"I wrote you and told you, You were the biggest fish out here. You should have never gone to Hollywood."
The narrator keeps in contact with his friend, standing by his earlier advice on staying at home. While the person who went to Hollywood might have some talent at what they do and they were the best in their hometown, against the titans in Hollywood they don't look as good, they're not the "biggest fish" anymore.
"They take you and make you, They look at you in disgusting ways."
In almost any industry, the top stars (especially women) are sexualised far beyond what any normal person ever is. Even for the people who do make it big, they're still being exploited for titillation. Looking in disgusting ways could also reference how they look at this person and just see how much money can be made off them and nothing else matters or it might imply that the person has failed and had to resort to stripping or even prostitution to pay the bills (which is far from unheard of in Hollywood).
"I was standing on the wall feeling ten feet tall. All you maggots smoking fags on Santa Monica Boulevard."
This is stepping out from the original story and talking about Malakian's childhood. As kids, when he and his friends jumped up on a particular high wall they could see Hollywood's seedy underbelly in the form of pimps, hookers, drug dealers etc. A lot of them were the people who had wanted to be movie stars or musicians and now they're standing on corners smoking cigarettes ("fags") all day.
"Phony people come to pay. Look at all of them, back to stay. Phony people come to pray."
He's just saying that Hollywood is like the holy land for phony people. They can't resist it, they keep coming "back to stay" despite the fact that they suffer there ("pay").